JapaneseType 99 Arisaka Last Ditch type Rifle…….(f 607) SOLD

Japanese Type 99 Last Ditch Rifle

Serial number 95839. Chambered in 7.7mm Japanese.  Mauser-type bolt system with internal five-shot magazine.  Although basic, the design of these simple bolt action repeaters was very sound.  Japan’s back was against the wall by this stage in the war and rifles were being produced with time and money cutting procedures becoming more important with every day that passed.  Detail and attention to finish have been dropped in favour of getting the rifles out quickly in defence of the homeland.

This Type 99 Arisaka measures 44″ in overall length, so this is the Short pattern rifle.  The round, originally blued barrel is 25.1/2″ long and the trigger pull measures 12.1/2″ to center.  Stocked for all but 4″ of the barrel length with a handguard over the barrel in a local timber with finger grooves in the fore-end.  The finish to the stock is the original lacquer with a version of the rising sun Japanese flag painted onto the RHS of the butt.  Beside the flag are some Japanese characters – meaning unknown.  It is rather telling that the flag, is in-fact, not correct.  The Rising Sun should have 16 rays of alternating red and white design; this one has lost three rays somewhere in translation!  I believe this is strong indication that someone who did not bear the flag any allegiance, actually drew it.  This could of course been a soldier who brought the rifle back.

The side of the receiver is marked with manufacturers marks and the serial number.   Read from left to right it has the series marking which is 24th.  “95839”  The main marking is the manufacturers mark symbolising the Kokura /Tokyo Arsenal.  Between that and the bolt release are some other smaller markings which are hard to determine. (further research could be carried out)  The receiver bridge has had the Chrysanthemum removed but the Japanese “Type 99” markings are still intact.  The bolt has the only other marks visible on the rifle and they are the last three numbers of the serial number, but, they are over-stamped to match.  The rear face of the bolt is completely devoid of any geometric machine design.  In actual fact it is just a crudely welded rear face with no attempt to clean up the face to make it smoother or neater – typical of last ditch rifles.  The safety is actually ineffective.  Simple single gas escape hole in top of receiver.

Another last ditch feature is the lack of guards about the front sight.  It is purely an inverted “V” on a block – no attempt to protect that front sight has been made.  Moving backwards everything seems to be ok.  The front nose cap looks the same and has a hole drilled for the cleaning rod, but problem is, there is no drilling within the stock to allow a rod to stow.  These rifles are often encountered without their monopods but it is also the fact that by this time in the war, not all of them were issued with one in the first place.  The rear sight is also devoid of its anti-aircraft wings – not unusual again buy this stage of the war.  There is no dust-cover over the action, same reasoning applies.  The trigger guard and actual trigger are equally basic.  The trigger guard seems to be just a shaped piece of fairly thick steel with no attention to finish or detail to it.  Magazine floor-plate release within trigger guard.

 Sling swivels are mounted on the mid-band and the LHS of the butt-stock.  The two piece butt-stock has a semi-cupped butt-plate.  The joint in the stock has started to separate but is not loose.  Crude straight arm bolt with egg-shaped bolt handle.  The rear sights have an aperture battle sight and a ladder for longer shots.  The ladder is graduated from 300 to 1500.  One of the less obvious but, good features about this rifle, is the excellent bore.  The chrome lining has retained the integrity of the bore, so yes, it has definitely been heavily used but there is little to no corrosion for its entire length.  Good rifling.

An interesting and thoroughly good looking rifle from a time when the US and Britain were close to squashing the menace of Japan’s aggression and war crimes in the far east.  The metal has turned to an even all over plumb/brown or grey.  It would be very difficult to argue it is still blued, but it all looks even and as it should.  The stock shows signs of its military use but is in generally good order with a slight split which leads to nowhere in the front portion of the handguard.  This is about 3.1/2″ long but not serious.  Not even really worth repairing.  London proofed in 2009.

Please ask for  Stock No f 607

£ 800.   SOLD

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