The Gun Counter

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 12:08 am**

I have had my eye out for a last ditch rifle, but it has never been on the top of my have to get list.
A friend made me an offer a few months back. He had a last ditch T99 and told me he would be willing to tread it for some stock work and some bullets for reloading his .243. He had two Parker Hale rifles in 30-06 that were in some simi fancy stocks. One had been poorly refinished by someone and the other was showing some age.
He said that if I refinished the two stocks, add Limb Saver recoil pads and could make them look like twins, he would give me the T99. Plus the bullets for reloading.
Well I finished up the stocks last week and brought them to him. He was so happy with the stocks that he threw in a bayonet with the rifle.

I need to get a little more info from him on the rifle. All I know is that his dad brought it home at the end of WWII.
Well here is the rifle. Any info would be great.

And the Bayonet.

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 12:13 am**

Cool. Don't see many of those with an intact mum.

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 1:06 am**

7.7 mm I presume?

Looks like it's worth cleaning up.

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:03 am**

can't wait to see it post Candyman magic

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:18 am**

I was explaining wartime quality fade to a friend a while back using a Beretta M1938 parts kit a friend of his had way overpaid for at a yard sale. Oops, did I say quality fade? I meant "lean manufacturing."

Fascinating stuff from a manufacturing perspective. Grats on the intact mum by the way.

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 3:33 am**

I have a last ditch 38 cavalry that I cleaned up. Learned that I prefer the Arisaka to the Mauser action.

what are you planning on using for the wood finish?

Edit for pics - 'cause it happened

and I forgot it's actually a 38

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 5:17 am**

Original wooden buttplate: Check
Super-simplified rear sight: Check
Rough-finished metal: Check
No ears on front sight: Check
Simple barrel band: Check

Yours is even more 'last-ditch' than the one I sold to Flintlock Tom.

Enjoy!

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 6:05 am**

Is it safe to fire these things? I would be very concerned about the quality of both the steel and the heat treatment.

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 1:45 pm**

Kommander wrote:Is it safe to fire these things? I would be very concerned about the quality of both the steel and the heat treatment.

They're the strongest action by a large margin, actually.

Pre '43 they're stronger than the Mauser, Garand, or Enfield.

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.
...

Posted: **Wed Jul 14, 2010 3:15 pm**

Here is a link to a page where you can decipher your markings: http://surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic. ... 75&t=61675

The folks at that forum are pretty knowledgeable about Arisakas. I personally wouldn't fire a last-ditch Arisaka as most of the machining and work was done in home/small workshops after 1943 due to the constant rain of bombs falling from Superfortresses.

If you really want to fire it, I would have the hardness of the receiver tested at the very least.

The Gun Counter

Last ditch Type 99 Arisaka

Last ditch Type 99 Arisaka

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