Gun & Pawn Sporterized Arisaka 99 Last Ditch

[TimmG]

Forewarning I am extremely new to collecting, I am trying to buy my first milsurp gun, and I don't want to get skunked. I recently went to a local gun and pawn in Maryland, and happened across an Arisaka 99. The Mum was filed off, the stock looked to be in decent condition, but it had been sporterized. By that I mean shortened wood around the barrel removed, rear aerial sights removed, sling obviously gone. I guess it was converted to a deer rifle. I was handed the gun looked it over, and asked to cycle the bolt. He said sure, and when I tried, the bolt didn't move. He took it from me, tried it himself, and handed it to his gunsmith. Apparently some other guy removed the bolt to look down the barrel the owner says, and the guy must have put the bolt back in wrong. They were asking $150 for the gun, with the bolt being able to cycle. Is that a fair price to ask?

Thanks for your time -Timm

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[browningautorifle]

If it doesn't function...and everything has been altered then why do you want it in the first place?

[TimmG]

Sorry, you must have misread the end of my comment. They wanted $150 for the gun WITH the bolt cycling. Not without. They weren't going to sell it broken.

[browningautorifle]

What I saw was a completely changed Arisaka...but if you want only sporters, that might be different. There are lots of better sporters around than an Arisaka. How about a sporter M1903? That way the ammo is easy to find... Worst thing is we can't actually see these guns.

[TimmG]

I wish I could have took pictures, but that specific owner didn't want pictures taken in his shop. You are correct though. It was 60-75% changed. I was just wondering if it would have been a steal getting it for $150 since that seems really low for any rifle now a days. The owner told me that 7.7 ammo is available. I haven't checked to see what a m1903 is. I've been going off of youtube to get my ideas for rifles that I'm interested in. I even made a list of rifles I want to physically look at, but I don't know if just posting a list on the forum and asking peoples opinion on said list would be appropriate. Even if it was ok to do, I wouldn't know which thread to post it on since it encompasses a lot of different rifles.

[browningautorifle]

There are guys here that love Arisaka for many reasons, I wouldn't buy either of these sporters. It's not up to me.

[TimmG]

Ok, would it be more prudent for me to ask, in your opinion what do you think is a fair asking price for a fair to good unaltered Arisaka vs a fair to good altered Arisaka? AND same question for the Gew. Now I know there are MANY factors that determine price. I am wanting to know for in the future when I walk into a shop and see one of these guns if the price on the tag is a steal, or a huge rip off. I am not asking for a pinpoint price. Just a range. If you think you can do that for me.

[browningautorifle]

I'll wait for the US citizens to answer that. The prices of firearms of varied conditions in another country are too much of a guess. Canada is different, completely.

[cipherk98]

No one is building Arisakas as hunting rifles anymore (well no one sane - I considered it and immediately decided against it), and parts are getting hard to find and expensive for restorations. Something like that I wouldn't bother with, it's value is limited to parts and that is about it. I also don't see how you can assemble the bolt or stick it in wrong, my guess is just that the safety was on.

[Aragorn243]

I think you have some serious thinking to do. Browning already asked why you would want it in the first place with all the alterations. I would ask the same question. Simply to own a milsurp or something else?

This is a great site to ask questions. And you can ask them in the general milsurps forum at the top when asking about multiple rifles and thoughts/opinions.

In answer to your more specific questions. No $150 is not a good price for a sporterized Arisaka, especially if it is a last ditch which you mention in the title. Less than $100 depending on how sporterized it is. Last one I bought I paid $40 for and that's because I felt sorry for the owner. Ended up putting $260 into it so I'm not a real happy camper with it but it is at least presentable again.

You want a decent non-altered Arisaka, expect to pay about $300 to start although there are a few closer to $200 around. The mum will be missing but this isn't a bubba thing but a normal thing so not a huge deal. Add $100 for an intact mum.

If you want to collect milsurps, don't start with sporterized ones because a few years down the road you will be kicking yourself wondering why you bought the thing in the first place and why no one will buy it from you now.

If you want an inexpensive gun to shoot, that's different, but an Arisaka isn't a real good option because while the ammo is available, expect to pay about $40 for a box of 20. If you reload, that's not a huge issue. If you don't, it is.

A good starter rifle that is still affordable is a Mosin Nagant. Even these are in the $275 range now but they are usually complete, good shooters and the ammo remains cheap. For $50 more you can get a better rifle in one of the British Enfields. Ammo not as cheap but a more popular rifle and one easier to shoot. Carcanos are in the $200 range and ammo for them as long as it is a 6.5 is relatively easy to get and less than $20 a box.

If you are serious about collecting, get a guide of some sort. I like Peterson's military weapons guide myself.