Japan's intriguing Arisakas

Guns Magazine, May, 2004 by Holt Bodinson

The Kiku Mon

One of the marks that is very visible on the top of the front receiver rings of the Arisakas is the Imperial seal or chrysanthemum. The "mum," as it is commonly referred to, is either intact or defaced. If it is intact, the Arisaka was probably captured. If is defaced or ground off, the Arisaka was formally surrendered. In collector circles, more value is given to an Arisaka with the mum intact. For a shooter, it just doesn't matter.

Typically, beneath the mum are Japanese figures indicating the type of the Arisaka, such as "Type 38."

Another feature that is rather unique to the Arisaka and commonly misunderstood is the two piece butt stock that looks like a damaged, split stock. To economize on wood, the Japanese were able to use much smaller stock blanks if the lower half of the butt including the pistol grip was cut from another piece of wood. The two pieces are actually dovetailed together and glued.

Ammunition Availability

If you want to shoot an Arisaka, 6.5x50 and 7.7x58 loaded ammunition is readily available from Norma and Graf & Sons. Graf has contracted with Hornady to provide both loaded ammunition and components on a proprietary basis. Reloading data for the Japanese cartridges as well as loading dies are widely available. I do recommend the use of the full .312" diameter Hornady 150-grain bullet in the 7.7x58.

Arisaka accuracy? With Norma ammunition, a Type 99 short rifle in good condition with its peep sights and excellent chromed bore is capable of 1.5 inches at 100 yards. The Type 38 long rifle with an excellent bore is capable of a similar degree of accuracy while the Type I is considered the most accurate of the 6.5x50 models. In sort, Arisakas can shoot!

But before firing an Arisaka, do have the headspace checked. M38 and M99 bolts are not interchangeable. If an M99 bolt is locked into a M38 receiver, the locking lugs will be 1/8 inch away from the locking lug recesses of the action. A cartridge can be fired, but the pressure and thrust will he taken up solely by the root of the bolt handle bearing against the receiver bridge. Not good.

Arisakas carry a serial number and the mark of the producing arsenal along the left receiver rail. The last three digits of the serial number should appear on the underside of the root of the bolt handle. Matching numbers may also appear on other parts of the rifle. For shooting purposes, a matching bolt is highly desirable.

To decipher the Japanese language and arsenal marks that appear on Arisakas and to explore the characteristics of each model in depth, I highly recommend Duncan McCollum's book, Japanese Rifles of World War II.

The Arisakas are an intriguing lot. They were great battle rifles, and their design features were in many ways superior to those of our familiar Springfield and Mauser. Because of their variations and availability, they are a fine collectible.

Banzai! Bolt Disassembly Of The Arisaka

The Arisaka bolt is a study in ingenious simplicity. It consists of only five parts and is easily field stripped.