Type 99 identification help

[Matt Anthony]

I have a Arisaka T-99 that was brought back from Japan by my father. Nothing is ground off, and I have made it into a varmint rifle that shoots as good any of my Remington Varmint guns.
Garrett Acculite out of CO. made the custom fiberglass stock, pillared and bedded, Douglas 22/250 heavy varmint barrel, new modern bolt handle that is swept downward, Timney 2 Lb. trigger, weaver custom mounts, Leupold 36B scope. Finished in flat black teflon.
What I am looking for is the approx. year it was made. This is info I have researched over the years.
In front of the serial number, a circle with a backwards C. Serial number 71XXX, then three circles together and next to that a circle with two dashes at 9 and 3 O:clock.
From my research, it was made by the Toyo Kogyo factory and is a 33 series. One gunsmith told me it was a "last ditch", but the metal is as smooth as any Remingiton rifle I own.
I have also read that the "last ditch" production was not that the rifles were unsafe, but the finish is not as machined as well as the early versions. Mine is machined perfectly and the stampings are readable with your eye and extremely clear.
It does have the chrysanthemum on the top of the reciever but I can not remember the lower characters. I really don't want to take the scope off and mounts at this time.................
Can anyone give an approx. date.......1942/1943? I have read that series 31 from this factory was 1941. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Five shot groups at 200 yards will fit within a dime, this is one nice rifle! Total cost to Customize this rifle.................$2463.00!
Matt

[Deano41]

By your serial number, 71,XXX, your rifle was made in 19XX. :>)

Actually, the key to Japanese rifles is the series number. Each arsenal, there were eight, was assigned a group of series numbers. Toyo Kogyo was assigned series 30 through 35. The serial numbers were in blocks of 100,000 in each series. So there would have been six serial number 71XXX's. (That's why blocking the serial number really doesn't accomplish much. I know it is "fashionable" in some circles to block out the serial number [ I used to do it when I first started on the internet], but since 1998, I have yet to see where somebody has accused another of having a stolen rifle.) In your case, number 71000, didn't have features that the earlier numbers in the series would have had.

The Toyo Kogyo, series 33 Type 99 rifle was made January to June, 1944 (chart of approximate manufacture dates in" The JapaneseType 99 Arisaka Rifle" by Don Voigt.) The Series 33 would be considered a "transition" model. Due to shortages of raw materials courtesy of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army Air Corps, features of the original design were omitted.

"Transition" models are interesting in that they will have a mix of features. Number 71000 of series 33 would probably not have been made with the AA sights, dust cover, knurled safety, and front sight guards. It would have had a short, screw in stacking rod, and a different rear band (without monopod mounting block).
It was NOT "last ditch".

[Deano41]

"It does have the chrysanthemum on the top of the reciever but I can not remember the lower characters."
The characters below say 99 Type.

Here is a bit of trivia regarding Toyo Kogyo.
"Toyo Kogyo, the Oriental Manufacturing Company, was a sub-contractor to the Kokura Arsenal and produced the Type 99 Long rifle and subsequently approximately 558,000 Type 99 short rifles in series 30 to 35 during the war years.

Toyo Kogyo was located in Fuchu-Machi, Hiroshima Prefecture. It survives today as Mazda Corporation. "

[Matt Anthony]

Thank you Deano41 for your repliy. My serial # is 71571 and when I said three circles together on the right of the serial number it's actually four circles together as you know.
My safty is not knurled but perfectly smooth with no weld marks. I honestly enjoy shooting this rifle and hear comments of what the hell is it!
You cleared uip 50 years of wondering! I will post pics later in the weekend.
Matt

[psteinmayer]

Matt, I have a Toyo Kogyo Series 31, with the monopod, dust cover, AA rear sight, chrome lined bore, etc., and is in amazing condition. I love both of my Arisakas (my other is a sporterized Nagoya series 7). If your safety is smooth, then it may have been ground smooth and finished... or possibly swapped with a later model - my guess is ground, based on the fact that your bolt is also modified.

[Deano41]

Actually, the series 33 was truly a "transition" period rifle. That's why knowing the serial number is important. Series 33 started off with original features including a knurled safety knob. But by 71000, they had gone to a welded knob, but with a ground finish. Check the knob stem and see if it has the last three of the serial number stamped on the end of it.

(I read up on series 33 last night. I have never had a memory. That's why I buy the books.)

[psteinmayer]

Good point Dean. I looked at my info, but all I saw was that it may have had either the grooved or rough welded safety... but the welded knob may have been smoother than I estimated. I need to get Don's book!

[Deano41]

"what the hell is it!?"
Tell 'em it's a 1944 Mazda. :>)

[psteinmayer]

LOL

[Guamsst]

I love the transitional rifles. Some have very fine finish on some parts and a wooden buttplate. They were, as stated, not last ditch to any collector who has seen the late rifles. I have some last ditch rifles with heavy machining marks both in the wood and the metal and look like junk even though they are in 95% condition, even the bolt is not smoothed out except where necessary such as the locking lugs and bolt face.

[Matt Anthony]

Matt, I have a Toyo Kogyo Series 31, with the monopod, dust cover, AA rear sight, chrome lined bore, etc., and is in amazing condition. I love both of my Arisakas (my other is a sporterized Nagoya series 7). If your safety is smooth, then it may have been ground smooth and finished... or possibly swapped with a later model - my guess is ground, based on the fact that your bolt is also modified.

My father started the sporterization of this gun with the bolt handle mod and a Remington stock that was inletted by Gabby Hartnett's Recreation Center in Lincolnwood, IL. Gabby Hartnett was a Cub's ball player and died in 1972, buried in Des Plaines, IL at All Saints Cemetary.
Like I have said in the past, the barrel was a bit too large and I could never get groups under 5 inches at 100 yards. I could not find a gunsmith who could cut the metric thread or wanted to take this project to heart. Most said the gun was a piece of feces', which when said, without further comment I would just leave the establishment. I found a hungry gunsmith in Fox Lake, IL that took on the barrel replacement and did a outstanding job, then 3 month's later he closed the business.
It's time for me to go to the range, so later I will post pics, thanks to everyone who replied, CSP has extremely great forum members.....
Matt

[psteinmayer]

My father did the sporterizing on my Nagoya T-99. He was given the rifle by a friend, and wasn't into collecting at that time (mid 1960s). He was planning on going deer hunting with my uncle, so he removed the stock and cut it down, adding some lines to the wrist area. He had a friend cut and re-weld the bolt handle in a downturned fashion. As it turned out, he never did go deer hunting and rarely even fired it. I would love to have returned it to its military configuration, but most of the hardware has long since been lost, and I can't afford to go hunting them down anymore, much less a replacement stock.

Here's a picture of the rifle:
http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p511/Paul_Steinmayer/Type99Arisaka046.jpg
and the receiver showing the downturned bolt:
http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p511/Paul_Steinmayer/Type99Arisaka070.jpg

[Guamsst]

Psteinmeyer, that safety knob is the rarest variation. I sold a spare a while back and naturally needed it back about 2 weeks later :(

[psteinmayer]

That's just one of the reasons that it's sad that he sporterized it... and he does regret doing it too! It shoots pretty well, as the barrel is in great shape.

[Matt Anthony]

There were many reasons why some GI's changed the look of the rifles, some because they thought they were ugly, alot of them because the stocks had a shorter pull range and some because of what the Japanese did to soldiers in WWII.
There were also many gunsmith's of that era that would not work on a Jap rifle for even more reasons. I know my dad wanted to change the barrel, but could not find someone to do it. When I completely revamped this gun, an old gunsmith who I have used for years told me he could not budge the barrel, he said it must of had interrupted threads. Here is his quote, "come can get this thing, I can't get the barrel off and my lathe will not do metric threads"!
I finally found a younger gunsmith near my office as I have previously stated. The barrel came right off without a problem and his lathe can cut metric threads. The old gunsmith is a Marine and was in Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor attack, I believe he is still affected by what he experienced. None the less, since that episode with the T-99, he has refused to do anymore work for me, he's always too busy. He did ask me why I was bothering with a Jap rifle, and simply told him that because it was my fathers, it has a special meaning to me. He remarked, "yeah, and all the American blood that was spilled with that death weapon"!
His attitude about the gun and myself is troubling and I believe he has suffered from PTSS since WWII and doesn't know it. I pray for him alot......
Matt

[Guamsst]

An ammo guy at a gunshow asked me if I was looking for anything special and I told him maybe some 7.7 Jap. The guy looked like he was about 80 at the oldest but apparently was a bit older as he flared up and said "No, I had too damn many of the things shot at me and I don't care for em much now!" He then calmed down a little, took a breath and said that he might have some somewhere but he wasn't sure.

Odd how some of the older vets despise the weapons and even the calibers used during their wars while many of the modern vets and some of the Vietnam era love the AK.