Japan's intriguing Arisakas

One of my great boyhood heroes was a neighborly Marine by the name of Ken Chorley. He was a survivor of the Pacific Campaign and when he returned home, he brought with him two Arisaka rifles and a Japanese proofed Browning A-5. Through his generosity, those Arisakas, a Model 38 sniper rifle in 6.5x50 and a Type 99 rifle in 7.7x58, were to become my first bolt action centerfire big game rifles.

And there were tens of thousands of other Arisakas that GIs toted home to communities throughout the United States--so many, in fact, that Norma made a lucrative business of supplying ammunition for them. Today, it is common to see Arisakas of every persuasion at gun shows and in gun shops. As surplus collectibles, they're still relatively inexpensive, and their design and variations are intriguing.

Like most military rifles of the period, the Arisaka we are most familiar with was the product of a military commission charged with improving older models. The commission was chaired by Colonel Nariaka Arisaka, superintendent of the Tokyo Arsenal. The lead designer was Captain Kijiro Nambu, who also designed the Luger-looking Nambu automatic pistol. Accepted in 1905, the modem Arisaka was officially designated the Type 38 rifle chambered for the 6.5x50 cartridge. As was customary in Imperial Japan, the "38" was assigned to the Arisaka to honor the 38th year of Emperor Meiji's rule.

Neglected Trophies

When I was growing up, no one paid a bit of attention to World War II souvenir Arisakas. They could be had for $15 to $25 apiece and were considered utterly inferior to western arms. In fact, in the post-war period, anything made in Japan was considered cheap and inferior. The prevailing opinion was that the Japanese could copy anything but lacked originality and inventiveness. In the context of the Arisaka, that was about to change with the publication of P.O. Ackley's military action blow-up and metallurgy tests in the 1950s.

Well known graduate engineer and gunsmith, Parker O. Ackley decided to find out once and for all how strong our various military actions were. Rounding up an assortment of Springfield, Mauser, Enfield P-14 and No 1 MkIII, Krag and Arisaka M38 and M99 actions, be barreled and chambered each action type for the .270 Ackley Magnum or .30-40 Ackley Improved cartridge.

Each action was then fired with a series of progressively hotter loads until the action was wrecked. The only action that survived these tests was the M38 Arisaka. The 1 3/16 inch bull barrels fitted to the M38 actions were split or blown off, but the actions remained serviceable and intact. The machined M99 Arisaka action proved to be the second strongest action of the group tested.

Shortly thereafter, the NRA reported testing a M38 in 6.5x50 caliber that had been rechambered for the .30-'06 cartridge by its enterprising owner who indeed hunted with this insane combination. Just imagine firing a .308" diameter bullet down a .264" bore at the pressures generated by the .30-'06 cartridge. The Arisaka digested the load without a hitch although the owner complained that the rifle kicked a lot!

Sending one of the M38 actions to a leading beat treating firm for analysis, Ackley received the following reports:

"The design of the receiver appears to be in some respects superior to the Springfield and Mauser from the standpoint of simplicity of machining and inletting. The receiver was not only carefully but even elaborately heat treated. Its heat treatment appears to be superior to the average Mauser, Springfield and Enfield."

The results surprised everyone involved, and the Arisaka action earned a bit of well-deserved respect.

Two Main Types

Broadly speaking, the Arisakas can be divided into two types--the Type 38 and the Type 99. The Type 38 in 6.5x50 was produced from 1906 to roughly 1940 at arsenals in Japan, Manchuria and Korea. In 1939, the Type 99 Arisaka was introduced and continued in production to the end of World War 11.

Similar in appearance and model type to the Type 38, the Type 99 was simpler to machine, incorporated a variety of stamped parts, and was chambered in 7.7x58--Japan's prevailing heavy machinegun cartridge. The combined production of all types of Arisakas between 1906 and 1945 is estimated at 6.4 million.

The M38 and M99 types can be further broken down into a variety of models including long rifles, short rifles, carbines, cavalry rifles, sniper rifles, training rifles and in the case of the Type 99, a take-down paratroop rifle.

One of the most interesting Arisaka variations is the Type I long rifle that combines a M91 Carcano action with a M38 Arisaka type magazine, stock and barrel. At the beginning of World War II, production of M38 and M99 Arisakas was being completed absorbed by the Japanese army. The Imperial Japanese Navy needed a rifle so they turned to Japan's Italian allies.

The result was a Carcano/Arisaka hybrid designed by the Terni Arsenal and produced at Beretta and the governmental arsenals at Gardone and Brescia. Chambered in 6.5x50, approximately 60,000 Type Is were produced between 1938-39. They are not common on the American market, but when found, they are usually in very good condition.