New acquisition Type 99 Arisaka

[Deano41]

I think you still did well, even with a sanded stock and mismatched bolt. Once you figure out what the series is (in the circle to the left of the serial number). We can guestimate the manufacture period and what features it should have had. Mismatched bolts are not uncommon on Japanese rifles, courtesy of the U.S. Navy making returning GIs taking them out of the rifle upon boarding the ship. Throwing them into a barrel, then handing them back at random upon return to the U.S.A.. (Most common accepted theory to mismatched bolts)
There has never been an official, documented explanation to the ground Mum, but a lot of theories on that too.

[jisii]

That symbol you mentioned is a circle with what looks like a parethesis and a back parenthesis pushed up in the circle. my camera isn't good enough to get a shot of it.

I sure wish I still had the ones my Dad sent home from Japan. He was one of the early occupatiom troops in th fall of 1945. He mentioned that an officer and an NCO wheeled two hand trucks with barrels of Jap rifles and swords into thier billet and told the troops to take what they wanted. Dad sent home two like new Type 99s, three swords plus a last ditch 99 thst I played war with for years as a kid. Sure wish I had them now.

Thanks again Dean for all the help.

[Deano41]

Based on the stock having a drain hole on the side by the receiver (there should be another drain hole on the bottom of the stock) this indicates an early rifle. Your description of the series mark indicates this might be a series three, made in the fourth quarter of 1942.

The angle of the splice in the butt stock is correct for that series and serial number (more trivia)

The bolt face should be chromed also. But since it was swapped out, who knows. The safety should be knurled, and the plum shaped bolt handle is correct.

Check your messages.

[psteinmayer]

Jisii, Sounds like you did excellent with this purchase! Dean is an excellent source of Jap knowledge too (he's sure helped me enough...).

As for ammo, a box of Norma 7.7 Jap (technically, the round is designated 7.7x58 mm) will get you started. The ammo is usually pretty steep price wise - upwards of $35 or more for a box of 20. If you plan on shooting it often, then dies are a good idea. You can get a set of Lee Pacesetter Dies from Midway or Cheaper Than Dirt for a reasonable price. If you do reload, here's a nickel's worth of advice: Arisakas have enormous throats, so don't be surprised to find your case necks expanded quite a bit after firing, requiring a lot of lube and force to resize. This is normal. I also use the Lee Factory Crimp Die (included with the Pacesetter set) to crimp my bullets... if I don't, I find the bullets to be loose in the necks - not loose enough to pull out by hand, but loose enough to spin the bullet in the case neck. If you buy Norma brass, make sure you anneal the case necks. The Privi brass comes already annealed. This will extend the life of your brass (because of the aforementioned neck issue). For my reloads, I load a Hornady 174 grain .303 bullet with 39.0 grains of IMR-4064 and a CCI-200 primer. This works well for me, and the 174 gr bullet is the normal Ball weight for Jap ammo.

Good luck, and let us know how she shoots!

Paul

[CHW2021]

Hornady ammo is out there also, not sure if it is a seasonal run or not. I was not aware of throat dimensions, nice to know.
I have a sportered M99 that is quite accurate, very pleased with it for $125.00, for $145 you did quite well on your purchase. I have a original WW2 rifle also and have not shot it , not for any reason other than I have not seemed to get around to it......kinda odd since I have had it for about 40 years.

[psteinmayer]

The Hornady ammo is pretty good stuff, and comes loaded with a 180 gr bullet. The brass used is the Privi brass, so it's annealed. I'm not sure if it's seasonal either, but it is hard to find on shelves. I found a few boxes at guns shows.

[jisii]

I have removed the metal from the stock and found the reddish brown color I expected, based on my memories of the rifles my Dad sent home many decades ago. I then stripped whatever finish was on the wood with a vigorous scrubbing with mineral spirits. After that, I tried some Chestnut Ridge "Military Stock Stain" and the resulting color matched the under-the-metal color perfectly. I believe it now looks pretty much as it should.

I have also determined that it is a Nagoya Series 3. I have ordered a replacement for the missing screw from Numrich gun parts but am still debating whether or not to add the replica monopod and look for the aircraft wings for the rear sight.

In any case, thanks again for the help in identification. I'm far from an expert but I now know a lot more about Arisakas than I did before.

[Deano41]

Good job!

[psteinmayer]

Looks great! In my opinion, I would add the missing parts. Unless you are planning on showing it as a museum quality display piece, I don't think it would hurt the value having a repro monopod anymore than it would not having one at all. I would also add an action cover and the AA wings if you can find them. If you are in Michigan (or Ohio, Indiana, etc.), there is a Michigan Antique Arms Collector's (MAAC) show this weekend in Novi. There are usually a lot of Jap rifles and components at this show.

Paul

Also, I would get a cleaning rod if you can find one...

[jisii]

I forgot about the cleaning rod. I should have ordered it when I ordered the missing screw. Have to get one later.