Hello all. I've been helping out at an estate sale for the last couple months, identifying and cataloging rifles in a collection of probably over 1100 milsurp firearms. A lot of this collection so far has been Arisakas of all variants. If Japan made it, this guy had it. So far, out of over 300 rifles sold, only four that I have identified had import markings on them. Most so far have had the mum intact. There have been a few ground, but a lot have not.

Which brings me to the point of this post. At the last auction, I was fortunate to pick up a rifle I had not been able to identify before sales day. It's an Arisakaicon 38 carbine with non-matching numbers. It's got import marks and numbers on it, but it's an early import from what I can tell. From the stamp on the receiver, it was made at the Kukurn Arsenal. It has the triangle in circle, so it's been proof tested as well. The furniture looks nice. There is a crack in the forearm that was professionally repaired, and done well, but the gun is a mystery. It has no mum, and has never had one from what I can tell. It's not been ground or defaced. It's smooth, with the numbers 7 and 0 stamped in place of the mum. There is no Japanese or Chinese figures on the receiver or anywhere on the gun, except the proof marks from the arsenal. There are no protective ears on the front site.

Another mystery, is it is 7mm. I have handled enough 30s, 38s, and 44s for this auction, as well as having owned several Swedishicon Mausers over the years, I know what a 6.5mm muzzle looks like. I compared it side by side with my Moisin and the muzzle diameter is similar. A 7.62 bullet will fit inside the muzzle of this M38. I have not had a smith check it for chambering or head space as of yet, as I only officially have owned it since Sat.

Any direction on this thing would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help. Attachment 100183Attachment 100184Attachment 100185Attachment 100186Attachment 100187Attachment 100188Attachment 100189
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