Any Arisaka Type 99 appraisers in the U.S.?

[fernleaf]

I think that 'Substitute Standard' is the wrong term for what some would call 'Last Ditch'. During the later years of the War they were the only variant of Type 99 being produced - sounds pretty standard to me, and as mentioned above they are as safe as an earlier produced rifle to shoot. The best term I can come up with for them is 'KriegsModell' or whatever the Japanese term for that is...

[seabot2]

The cast iron T99 receiver I mentioned earlier was what the Japanese termed "Tokubetsu" T99, with the naval anchor replacing the mum. Tokubetsu = Special . Seems it was fit for battle use despite it's appearance. A collector friend paid $300 for one about 20 years ago. I thought it was outrageous for something he will not shoot. According to Fred Honeycutt's book, obsolete T35 rifles were reissued as "Substitute" rifles.

[Aragorn243]

Substitute TYPE 99 would be the "official" designation. Not Substitute Standard.

These rifles could be reworked and brought up to Type 99 standard after the war was "won".

[Detroit-1]

I think there is some confusion between substitute standard and school training rifles. Substitute standard rifles IF they have the MUM are up to full military standards in function but not appearance. They are safe to shoot unless something else is causing a problem.

A cast receiver rifle is probably a school rifle which was never intended to be fired. They were brought home and fired and promptly blew up causing the "last ditch" safety myth.

There is no official "last ditch" Japanese rifle and I've never heard the term emergency use either. These are both probably US terms applied to Japanese rifles simply because of their appearance.

The Substitute standard rifles were standard for the last two years of the war and progressively got a bit rougher and simpler but safety with them was not an issue. They are fully functional to the very end.

Thank you Aragorn! I just wish people would get the facts before repeteing old unproven storys

[Midmichigun]

Gents,
I for one would need to be corrected, since I would ID it as a "last ditch rifle".
But I could stand to see some MORE photos! It looks to me that the wrist area is a bit rough (similar to my examples) and it appears to have a wood buttplate. I think the lack of dust cover, and incomplete sights are typical of a rifle that is "transitional" or last ditch. But as the experts note, they have a fair understanding of when these features were deleted based on Serial Number ranges.
Also, I would be interested in the markings on the bayonet.
A rifle in similar condition... was sighted at the Mt. Clemens gunshow last week for $350.00. I remember rifles similar to this one trading for $100.00 a few years ago... but not anymore....
Nice rifle and thanks for sharing!!!

[Mohawk13]

Very Nice Transitional rifle. The bolt style, lack of Monopod Band, and the roughness of the finish make this a very interesting piece. The bayonet is even of the same time frame...As a Nagoya Collector, I would love to own a rifle with those features, as I do not have that series/number range in My collection...Treasure it for what it is and what it means to you!!

[riceone]

There is a difference in a school rifle and a trainer. School rifles could be regular rifle that for one reason or anther were taken out of service and issued to school. Trainers were made from inferior part and castiron, some made to shoot blanks but most were not made to fire anything. Late in the war the Navy had rifles made for them using a cast iron - all parts except the bolt and barrel were made from cast. The barrel cone was extended so that the bolt locked into the breach end of the barrel. The cast iron receiver just held the parts together. While safe to shoot, the ones I have seen had hand made screw and I would not shoot one for fear the whole thing would fall apart. The are interesting clunks of junk and bring a good price.

[WarPig1976]

I wouldn't call them " clunks of junk " more like historical artifacts that attest to the will of man to resist in the face of great odds to the last round,last banzai charge, the last man....

[mike radford]

The cast iron T99 receiver I mentioned earlier was what the Japanese termed "Tokubetsu" T99, with the naval anchor replacing the mum. Tokubetsu = Special . Seems it was fit for battle use despite it's appearance. A collector friend paid $300 for one about 20 years ago. I thought it was outrageous for something he will not shoot. According to Fred Honeycutt's book, obsolete T35 rifles were reissued as "Substitute" rifles.

Many of the cast iron receiver rifles were Navy Specials. The cast iron receiver was not a stressed part and was merely to hold the parts together. The bolt locked into the barrel, not the receiver, which was an innovation later copied by other designs. Practically all rifles designed for normal ammo, not blanks or for school use and training, were safe to shoot till the very end. The Japanese did not especially want to blow up their soldiers.