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  1. #1
    Legacy Member KiloLima's Avatar
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    Help Identifying Type 38

    Hi everyone,

    New to the old Japaneseicon rifles. I picked up a type 38 yesterday and have had some trouble figuring out the info on this one. Some of the markings are in pretty bad shape. Any info that you can share about my recent purchase is greatly appreciated! From what I can tell is that this rifle is from the Koishikawa Arsenal or Kokura. That’s all I can really decipher.

    Attached are the pictures of the markings.

    Again, I greatly appreciate your help!
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    Legacy Member steveu's Avatar
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    Using D.O. McCollum's book as a reference, I think you have a Series 23 or late 26 from the Kokura arsenal. The notch in the safety was on of the changes in this series. That type was made from 1906 to 1940. If the bore is in good shape, you should have a good shooter. They are very accurate and a lot easier on the shoulder than the 7.7 Jap.

    Cheers,
    Steve

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    Legacy Member bob q's Avatar
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    The rifle is a no series Koishikawa made near the end of the run for that rifle , 1930's . The bolt should not match as it is the wrong type . I do have the correct bolt for your rifle and may be up for a trade with some better photos of your bolt's markings . As it has the old style bore it may be a little hard to get to shoot well , a flat base bullet may be needed as a boattail may not work .

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    Legacy Member KiloLima's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by steveu View Post
    Using D.O. McCollum's book as a reference, I think you have a Series 23 or late 26 from the Kokura arsenal. The notch in the safety was on of the changes in this series. That type was made from 1906 to 1940. If the bore is in good shape, you should have a good shooter. They are very accurate and a lot easier on the shoulder than the 7.7 Jap.

    Cheers,
    Steve
    Awesome. I appreciate that info! Sadly the bore looks like it’s in bad shape. Seems to be pitted pretty badly. It’s also really dirty. Patch after patch is coming out black. Not sure if there’s just a bunch of junk in the there or if it actually is pitted beyond repair. Either way it’s a fun project.

    ---------- Post added at 09:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:00 PM ----------

    What kind of bolt did my rifle come with?

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    Legacy Member bob q's Avatar
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    You do understand that nothing steve said is correct . Your rifle came with the large bump safety . If your bolt numbers match each other that means it is the wrong bolt , not just the wrong safety . Besides the safety , the early bolts are just a little different , you can tell just by looking at them .

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    Legacy Member vintage hunter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KiloLima View Post
    Awesome. I appreciate that info! Sadly the bore looks like it’s in bad shape. Seems to be pitted pretty badly. It’s also really dirty. Patch after patch is coming out black. Not sure if there’s just a bunch of junk in the there or if it actually is pitted beyond repair. Either way it’s a fun project.

    ---------- Post added at 09:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:00 PM ----------

    What kind of bolt did my rifle come with?
    I'm guessing it doesn't shoot very well. Looks like a previous owner attempted a barrel change from the wrench marks on the Knox form and reciever. How does the chamber look? If its pitted too your likely wasting your time cleaning the bore.

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    Legacy Member KiloLima's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by vintage hunter View Post
    I'm guessing it doesn't shoot very well. Looks like a previous owner attempted a barrel change from the wrench marks on the Knox form and reciever. How does the chamber look? If its pitted too your likely wasting your time cleaning the bore.
    Haven’t even attempted to shoot it. Not with the way it looked in the bore. Chamber looks good. Bought it just to have it though, restore the stock, getting rid of all the muck and grime. Most likely it’ll be a wall hanger vs something I’d shoot.

    ---------- Post added at 09:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:26 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by bob q View Post
    You do understand that nothing steve said is correct . Your rifle came with the large bump safety . If your bolt numbers match each other that means it is the wrong bolt , not just the wrong safety . Besides the safety , the early bolts are just a little different , you can tell just by looking at them .
    This is my first Japaneseicon WWII rifle, I essentially don’t know a thing about these. I’ve done a bit of research but haven’t come across anything that leads to having a solid idea of the series (now I know it’s a no series because they didn’t series these). I can’t say if something is wrong if I don’t really know anything about it. That’s why I’m here to learn! So thanks for your insight and knowledge on this subject matter.

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    Contributing Member Aragorn243's Avatar
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    Type 38's do have series which started in 1933. These were numbered 0-999999. In that yours has a seven digit number yours was made prior to 1933. So that's the type bolt and safety you're looking for.

    I wouldn't mess with the stock much as they have a unique finish that can't easily be duplicated.

    Nambu World

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    Legacy Member jangle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob q View Post
    The rifle is a no series Koishikawa made near the end of the run for that rifle , 1930's . The bolt should not match as it is the wrong type . I do have the correct bolt for your rifle and may be up for a trade with some better photos of your bolt's markings . As it has the old style bore it may be a little hard to get to shoot well , a flat base bullet may be needed as a boattail may not work .
    Good info from bob q. Agree 100%

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    Legacy Member bob q's Avatar
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    The number is 99,999 not 999,999 .

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