Bolt Action Rifles. Wayne Zwoll

in your 7.7 rifle then have it checked by a competent gunsmith.

      During the Korean war many Type 99s were rechambered for the 30-06 cartridge and issued to troops of the Republic of Korea. The rechambering was done by U.S. Ordnance units stationed near Tokyo, Japan. I don’t know how these rifles were rechambered—whether the barrel was set back or not, or how the magazine was lengthened, because I have been unable to examine one. These rifles can be identified by the marking Cal. .30 U.S. stamped on the left side of the receiver ring.

      Japanese training rifle barrels are smoothbored, and often of two-piece construction, i.e., with the smoothbore tube threaded into the larger reinforced chamber section as shown here.

      The 6.5mm Japanese Cartridge

      Japan adopted this cartridge in 1897. It is a semi-rimmed bottlenecked case primed with a Berdan primer of a size never made available to reloaders. The “6.5mm” represents bore size, or the same as 256-caliber. The standard Japanese military ball loading was a 139-grain spitzer bullet, its muzzle velocity about 2500 fps. Sporting ammunition in this caliber is still manufactured by Norma and is available through many Norma dealers. Norma offers two 6.5 loads—one with a 139-grain semi-pointed, softpoint, boattail bullet; the other using a 156-grain softpoint spitzer bullet. Muzzle velocities for these loads are 2360 and 2070 fps, respectively.

      The 7.7mm Japanese Cartridge

      Adopted by Japan in 1939, the 7.7mm cartridge has a rimless bottlenecked case. The standard military ball load has a 183-grain pointed bullet with a muzzle velocity of about 2300 fps. Norma has one load for this cartridge—a 180-grain softpoint semi-pointed boattail bullet. The 180-grain load, with a muzzle velocity of 2500 fps, has at 200 yards a remaining energy of 1770 foot pounds.

      Summary

      For remodeling into a sporting rifle, or using its action to build a rifle, Arisaka rifles are far down on the popularity list of rifles. Until Norma ammunition became available in the Japanese calibers, the Arisaka rifles were not seriously considered for gunsmithing because of the ammunition problem. Some of their unpopularity is undoubtedly due to the early unfavorable publicity given them during and shortly after WWII. However, I believe the main reason why they have not been used more frequently for remodeling is because the action is not easy to operate.

      I have not remodeled many Arisaka rifles, and I can think of only two occasions when I built a complete rifle on this action. I have, however, rechambered many of the 6.5s to the 6.5/257 Roberts. Some of these rifles are still being used by their owners for hunting deer. The amateur gunsmith is cautioned to be on his guard against Japanese training rifles, which are unsuitable for any gunsmithing. These training rifles are discussed at the end of this chapter.

      The Arisaka Paratroop Rifle

      This chapter would not be complete without illustrations and descriptions of three other types of Japanese military weapons used before and during WWII: the takedown paratroop models, the Type “I” rifle and the various training rifles.

      The first of the takedown paratroop rifles is generally designated as the Type 0 Paratroop rifle. This particular model is quite rare, and I have never examined one closely. Probably developed around 1940, it is based on the Type 99 Arisaka action. Chambered for the 7.7mm Japanese cartridge, it was made so the barrel and forend assembly could be separated from the buttstock and action assembly, with the takedown effected by an interrupted-thread joint between barrel and receiver. It featured a detachable bolt handle. It has a 25.75” barrel, weighs about 8.75 pounds and is 44.25” overall. In original and very good condition they’re a desirable item for any military arms collection.

      Type 38 Arisaka

      General Specifications

       Type 38 and 99 Arisaka

       (Type 38 uses 6.5mm and Type 99 uses 7.7mm Japanese cartridges)

      Type ..........................Turnbolt repeater.

      Receiver ...................OOne-piece machined steel forging. Clip-charger guide milled in non-slotted bridge. Upper tang is a separate part of receiver.

      Bolt ...........................One-piece, with dual-opposed forward locking lugs. Bolt handle base acts as safety lug.

      Ignition .....................CComposed of one-piece hollow striker, coil mainspring and safety. Striker cocks on closing the bolt.

      Magazine..................Staggered-column non-detachable five-shot box magazine. Quick-detachable floorplate on the Type 38, hinged floorplate on the Type 99.

      Trigger ......................NNon-adjustable, double-stage military pull.

      Safety........................Locks both striker and bolt when engaged. (See text)

      Extractor ..................One-piece, non-rotating Mauser-type attached to the bolt with a collar.

      Magazine cut-off .....None provided.

      Bolt-stop ..................Mauser-type bolt-stop attached to left rear of receiver bridge. Stops rearward movement of bolt by contacting auxiliary lug on the bolt.

      Ejector ......................LLever type housed within the bolt-stop.

      The second takedown paratroop rifle is the Type 2, developed in 1942 to replace the Type 0. Type 2 rifles also used the 7.7mm cartridge, weigh 9 pounds, and their 25.90 ” barrel make overall length 44.25”. It has a cleaning rod under the barrel and it will accept the regular Japanese bayonet.

      The action of the Type 2 is also a modification of the basic 99 action, having the same bolt and magazine parts.

      The Type 2 takedown system uses a wedge, through the massive front part of the receiver, to hold the slip-fit barrel in place. The barrel shank is round and smooth except for the solid lug underneath it. The front of the receiver is bored and milled to accept the lugged barrel shank. Under the front part of the receiver, and made integral with it, is a heavy mass of steel through which is milled a rectangular hole for the takedown wedge. It is so positioned that the wedge engages forward of the barrel lug. A ringed screw on the wedge threads into the side of the receiver and, with the barrel and wedge in place, this screw is turned to draw the wedge and barrel tightly into the receiver. When turned in the opposite direction, it allows the wedge and barrel to be removed. It is a simple and effective takedown system for a military bolt-action rifle.

      There is also a matching shaped block of metal attached to the breech end of the barrel to butt against the receiver when the rifle is assembled. The front tang of the trigger guard is fitted into a milled recess in the bottom of the receiver and held in place with a screw. The extra metal in the receiver and on the barrel adds over a half-pound to the weight of this rifle compared to the regular Type 99 Short Rifle.

      Type 99 Arisaka

      The takedown system of the Type 2 appears rugged enough and, with the wedge drawn tight it is probably anchored as securely in the receiver as is the bolt in the receiver.

      Because Type 2 rifles are not very common they would be worth much more as a collector’s arm if left “as issued.”

      Type I Japanese Rifles

      One of the unusual Japanese military shoulder arms is the Type I rifle. Very little is known about its history except that it is a hybrid, made in