I know it's an Arisaka (I think...)?

[Ray P]

Little brother dropped this cabinet queen on me a few years ago. I know it is Japanese. I believe it is late-war production, as evidenced by the welded boltknob, the fixed peep sight, and the general lack of fit and finish. But I'd like to find out a bit more about it. What were the model numbers or types assigned to the last-ditch guns? I wish the photo of the mum came out; I'll re-shoot it & the left side of the receiver tomorrow.

 

[JonJ]

Hi Ray.
Yup that's a Type 99 (short) Arisaka. I does look like it's a Substitute (Last Ditch) mainly because of the peep site and although I'm not sure, it looks like a wood butt plate from here. Bolts aren't always good indicators unless it's matched with the receiver. The peep is the giveaway. Without seeing the serial numbers and Kanji mark on the left of the receiver, I can't tell you who made it or what series it is.
You can check here http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/japanese_markings.html

It's really too bad that someone Bubba'ed it but it looks like the worst done was the cutting down of the stock. You could replace the stock but it would cost over $100 and you'd have a time finding the "right" one. They are out there though.

Is the Mum still intact?

 

[Ray P]

Thanks, Jon!

Yes, the Mum is intact; and the kana/serial number combo is quite clear. I just need to re-shoot those two pictures. From the link you sent, the rifle was made in the Kokura Arsenal, but I'll have to look again at the Kana for the series number.

The rifle does have the wood butt plate. All the metal pieces look uncut.

 

[JonJ]

That's good on the metal not being hacked up. Is the finish original?
If you need, I can send you the email of someone who may be able to help you with a stock. Ebay has them from time to time too.

Does the bolt and it's parts match? If so, that with the full mum and if you don't have anything or not much into it, it may be worth getting the new wood. It'll never be original but it will be a nice piece.

 

[Ray P]

JonJ:

Here's a shot of the mum; looks intact. Certainly not ground.

I have the serial number too, but photo isn't clear. Looks like the camera is focusing on the sheet behind the rifle.

The marks on the left side of the receiver read: (Kana for 25) 64729 (Kokura symbol) (2 Hiragana characters). So this would be a late-war '44 or '45?

The bolt has "729" stamped on the underside of the bolt handle, and there are three more characters on the after face of the bolt handle; they look like Katakana of some type.

In general, it looks like the two-piece buttstock has been glued together to keep it from rattling, and the remaining stock has a spraycoat of poly.

I'd have to say the metal finish looks parkerized for the trigger guard and floor plate, and the bolt, barrel and receiver look like they were possibly blued over a rough surface finish.