If the rifle is in good condition buy a firing pin and shoot it a couple of times a years just for fun. Ammo is made for it but its a specialty find which means hard to find and expensive.
Here's a couple of places to get started looking; shop around some more and check out gun shows and look for japanese gun clubs and reenactors they'll have a line or make their own also.
depends on what you mean by inherited. If you won in a poker game probably no biggie. If someone left it, it would have some sentimental value, to me anyway. Any gun in the collection is a cool gun to me.
Do some research on it - date of production and such. Some late WWII rifles may be of lower quality. My buddy has an earlier Type99 that is quite nice. He reloads, so ammo isn't a biggie. Brass is available and it uses the same bullets as the .303 Brit and 7.62X54R Russian.
He just got his Type 38 in 6.5mm, so he's building a Japanese collection.
I found a beauty at a local pawn shop...dang near perfect condition...mum intact...$189 but I think it is a last ditch, but it had a metal buttplate...thought last ditches had wood buttplates?
B, I'm not sure but you might check with www.grafs.com Hornady is producing a lot of oddball military calibers but I don't know if the 7.7 is one of them. If that doesn't work try Ron Reed (jarcp on G&G) @ www.reedsammo.com he custom loads ammo and is a really good guy. Tim
B, just checked the Grafs site, here ya go- http://www.grafs.com/ammo/product/6064 . As long as you don't have a "last-ditch" gun,and as long as the gun is in good cond, (see gunsmith), it would make a good shooter-they are solidly built and some show pretty exceptional accuracy.
My pop just picked one up in a trade, based on all the particulars of the trade he pretty much got that rifle for free…at any rate it prompted me to do some research:
Yet more useless information for you, the Japanese filed off the mum in order to "save face" when they eventually surrendered. One with the mum intact are generally "battlefield pick-ups". To answer your question NRAJOE, the "last ditch" rifles did have wooden butt plates, poorly made, and a lack of arsenal stamps or proofs.
In addition the last ditch, (if I understand it right) do not have the mono pod, nor the aerial combat sights…but I am definitely no expert of this model rifle, I only have the information I recently read and can recall in my little cranium.
There ios a local estate auction coming up next Saturday, with 2, "Type 99 Japanese, 6.62mm, military WWII combat rifles" listed. I may check'em out.
I had a 6.5 Arisaka, in the past, but the chamber was so worn, that I could only use a peice of brass for one firing. It bulged badly out of round, just above the base.
I took it to a local gun shop, and they sold it on consignment for me. At least I got my $$ back.
Nick
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