Latest additions to my collection (many pictures)

[Milsurp Collector]

Here are my most recent Japanese additions to my collection.

First, someone on Gunboards.com advertised a Type 38 with a matching bolt, a dust cover, a cleaning rod, and intact mum for $300 in mid-December 2008. I didn't have a Type 38 so I really wanted to get it. When I contacted him to arrange payment it turned out he lived 130 miles from me, so I told him I would drive down and pick it up. Then we got hit with a really bad winter storm, and then it was the Christmas holidays and still bad weather. Finally, I had one window of opportunity to get it, so at the end of December I drove for over 2 hours, at night, in the rain, to pick it up.

When he showed the Type 38 to me he turned it over and I saw an empty hole where the magazine floorplate, spring, and follower would be. "All it needs is a magazine" he said. I guess he thought it uses a detachable magazine like an AK or AR. I was disappointed but after all of that anticipation and after driving 2 hours I didn't want to come home empty-handed, so I bought it.

When I saw the Type 38 daylight I could see it was a Nagoya 26th series.





There was a lot of "patina" (rust)





The magazine catch was rusted frozen



as were the sling swivels



and the rear sight slider



and the cleaning rod catch.



I was finally able to loosen the cleaning rod catch so I could remove the cleaning rod and take the rifle apart. The tangs and internal parts were somewhat rusty too




I soaked the rusty parts in a jar of Kroil 404 Not Found and used bronze wool Bronze Wool - Pads and Reels - Grades:Fine - Medium - Coarse and the Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner Pad Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner to remove the rust without harming the remaining bluing. My Chapman gunsmith screwdriver set http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct...m_campaign=649 helped me remove the rusty screws without damaging them further (some of the screwhead slots were already a little bunged up).



I had a lot of trouble finding a magazine floorplate that would fit. I got several from ebay but every single one of them were just a little bit too long and wouldn't go into place. Since all of the floorplates were too long I concluded that the problem was with the triggerguard. Since I would never get the original floorplate back (I asked the seller, it was missing the floorplate when he got it) I did some careful filing on the interfering part of the triggerguard that barely allowed the floorplates I had to fit, very tightly.

The next day, another floorplate that I had forgotten I had won on ebay arrived. Not only did this one snap into place, it was a little loose! Doh! If only I had waited one more day before filing the triggerguard!

After all of the derusting was done, I put it back together.








All of the frozen rusted parts are now freely moveable, including the magazine catch.



Matching bolt



dust cover



front band



triggerguard and tangs




magazine box



and handguard and stock.



Assembly number



The rear sight



is matched to the bolt catch and bolt catch spring




Then in March I got a Nagoya 4th Series Type 38 carbine with intact mum, matching bolt, a cleaning rod, a non-matching dust cover, and a repro sling for $335 on Gunbroker. This is my first Japanese carbine and fortunately it is complete and it doesn't need any cleaning up.








And finally, also from Gunboards.com, a 4th Series Type 99 for $450, I got in March. Mummed, original monopod, aircraft sights, and matching except for the non-matching dust cover I added.








The three tomodachi

Information

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[Bill Hollinger]

Wow, you have yourself a grand slam there! Thanks for sharing.

[pdh]

Nice collection. How do they shoot?

[Milsurp Collector]

Nice collection. How do they shoot?

I haven't been able to shoot them because until recently I didn't have any ammo. I recently handloaded 50 rounds of 6.5 mm, so now I'm waiting for the weather to get better. I still don't have any 7.7 mm ammo, so the Type 99 will have to wait until I get some dies, brass, and bullets to make some.

[Mohawk]

Hornady 7.7 is second to none. If You can find some Privi Partisan, it is the same as the Hornady, but cheaper. all great shooting ammo..Very nice collection...