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Japanese Arisaka Rifles FdH

6.5mm Japanese Arisaka Type 38 (1905) carbine.

PRIOR TO WWII there were very few Japanese military rifles in the United States, apart from a small number of the older 11mm Japanese Murata rifles in various private and museum collections. Beginning with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and ending with signing of the peace treaty on board the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, our servicemen went through untold hardships in the Pacific area to win that peace. Perhaps because of these hardships, regulations regarding sending or taking home captured rifles for souvenirs were kept lenient, and largely overlooked by our military officers, so that by the end of the war Japanese rifles had become commonplace items.

Before and during the first part of the war not much was known about Japanese military rifles and cartridges. At that time gun writers generally scoffed at both the rifles and the cartridges, berating the rifles generally as junk and the 6.5mm cartridge as vastly inferior to our 30-06. This was unfortunate, since many servicemen reading these reports before they were inducted for duty in the Pacific area, didn’t have the respect they should have had for their opponents’ weapons. I could cite a couple of instances of this from among my own acquaintances, but suffice it to say they soon learned better, and it was not long before the “puny” 6.5mm Japanese cartridge, and later the 7.7mm cartridge, were rated among the world’s best military cartridges.

It took somewhat longer, however, to establish the fact that the Japanese rifles firing these cartridges were also good. The Japanese knew this, of course, but it took some convincing to change the minds of some of our gun experts that the Japanese Arisaka rifles were good. The fact is, we discovered that the Type 38 and 99 Arisaka actions were perhaps the world’s strongest and safest bolt actions, and that it is almost impossible to blow them up.

Development

Japan’s first important breech-loading military shoulder arm was the Type 13 (1880) Murata chambered for the 11mm Murata cartridge. A single shot bolt-action rifle, it was later modified and made as a repeater by installing a feed mechanism and a tubular magazine in the forend. Then, in 1887, Japan adopted an 8mm cartridge (8mm Japanese Murata) and used it in a further modification of the Murata rifle, again with a tubular magazine.

In Japan, as was done in many other countries, a commission was appointed to study, develop, test and adopt new military arms. In the late 1890s the superintendent of the Tokyo Arsenal, Col. Nariaki Arisaka, headed such a commission, which in 1897 recommended the adoption of a 6.5mm cartridge and a new rifle to handle it. The rifle adopted was the Type 30 (1897), the cartridge a semi-rimmed, bottlenecked, smokeless-powder one now commonly known as the 6.5mm Japanese. Although Col. Arisaka probably had little to do with the designing of either the cartridge or the rifle, his name is usually given to them, as well as to later versions. The Type 30 was a further development of the old Murata design, but with a staggered-column box magazine, a separate bolt head and a finger-hook safety. First made in about 1889, a still further development came around 1902 with the adoption of the Type 35 (1902) Arisaka rifle, of which only a limited number were made.

The Type 38 Arisaka

Having by this time perfected the 6.5mm cartridge, the commission, still under Col. Arisaka, continued looking for a better action. By 1905 they had found it. The rest of this chapter is about the Type 38 action, its modifications and the rifles built on it.

Before going into details of the action, I’ll briefly describe the rifles and carbines based on this action the Japanese adopted in 1906, all of them chambered for the 6.5mm cartridge.

1. Type 38 (1905) Rifle. About 9.5 pounds, 31.25” barrel, 50.25” overall. The standard Japanese infantry shoulder arm from 1906 to 1940.

2. Type 38 (1905) Short Rifle. About 8.5 pounds, 25.25” barrel, 44.25” overall. Not many made.

3. Type 38 (1905) Carbine. About 7.75 pounds, 19” barrel, 38” overall. The standard carbine.

4. Type 97 (1937) Sniper Rifle. Same as the Type 38 rifle but fitted with a short 2.5x

scope attached to the left side of the receiver; the detachable mount holds the scope off-set to the left to allow loading the magazine with a stripper clip. This model has a bent down bolt handle.

The above rifles have two-piece, pistol grip stocks. The bottom piece of the buttstock, a separate piece of wood, is glued to the top part. All have a one-piece cleaning rod in the forend and are made to accept a bayonet. All have sliding breech covers, and all but the sniper rifle have straight bolt handles.

5. Type 44 (1911) Cavalry Carbine. About 8.75 pounds, 19” barrel, 38.25” overall. Straight bolt handle, sliding breech cover and a non-detachable folding bayonet.

The 6.5mm rifles and carbines of late manufacture usually have the bore and bolt face chrome-plated.

The Type 38 Action

A modified Mauser design, the Type 38 action has several features distinctly of Mauser design, but a couple of others which were new and entirely Japanese designed. These new features make this action different from any other military bolt action made before or since. In some ways it is a crude action, not being very easy to operate, but it is simple and extremely strong.

The receiver is a round steel forging of the same diameter for its entire length. The front is bored out and threaded to accept the barrel shank. There is no collar inside the receiver ring as in the Model 98 Mauser action; instead, a collar forms part of the breech end of the barrel, this becoming a shroud for the front end of the bolt. More on this later. Ample-sized locking shoulders are left in the rear of the receiver ring, in which the locking lugs on the bolt engage. The forward corners of these shoulders are beveled off to form inclines, so that the final closing draws the bolt forcibly forward.

6.5mm Japanese Arisaka Type 44 (1911) Cavalry carbine, a folding bayonet recessed in the bottom of the forend.

The top and right side of the receiver center are milled away to form an opening, leaving the left receiver wall quite high. To the rear of this opening is the receiver bridge, of the same diameter as the receiver ring. Stripper-clip slots are milled into the front of the solid bridge. Raceways milled in the left receiver wall and in the right of the receiver ring and bridge allow passage of the locking lugs and extractor. The rear part of the bridge has an L-shaped slot milled from the top rear to the right front for passage of the bolt handle. The forward side of this slot, beginning at the corner, is angled slightly forward; this provides the initial camming power for extraction when the bolt is opened, and helps to rotate the bolt when it is closed smartly.

6.5mm caliber Japanese type “I” rifle, made in Italy for Japan.

The bolt and bolt handle are of one-piece construction. The straight bolt handle, at the rear of the bolt, has a large oval-shaped grasping knob. The base or root of the bolt handle is squared. The large dual-opposed front locking lugs lie ahead of the receiver locking shoulders when the bolt is closed, holding the cartridge securely in the chamber. The right (bottom) lug is solid, the left (top) lug is partly slotted in front to allow passage of the ejector, this slot extending partly into the bolt-face recess.

7.7mm Japanese Arisaka Type 99 (1939) rifle, shown with the breech cover and monopod, but minus cleaning rod.

There is also an auxiliary lug (not a locking lug) just to the rear of the left (top) locking lug. This acts as an activator for the ejector, and as the bolt-stop lug when it engages with the bolt-stop when the bolt is opened. An inclined slot in the rear of this lug prevents the bolt hanging up on the ejector, and trips the ejector when the bolt is fully opened.

The bolt face is recessed to about the depth of the cartridge rim. Part of this rim recess is undercut to allow the cartridge head to move up and under the extractor hook when the cartridge is fed from the magazine, as in the Mauser 98 and Model 1903 Springfield actions. This prevents double loading, since any cartridge bolt-fed into the chamber from the magazine will be extracted and ejected upon opening the bolt, even though the bolt was not fully locked during this procedure. The lower left edge of the rim recess is slightly higher than the rest of the rim and is slightly undercut. This affords extra bearing surface for the cartridge rim, from the slight side pressure of the extractor, so that on opening the bolt the cartridge or cartridge case will remain in place until forced out by the ejector.

The extractor, of Mauser design, is a long one-piece spring affair held on the bolt body by a collar around the bolt. Longitudinal movement of the extractor is prevented by a lip under the front part of the extractor engaging in a groove in the front end of the bolt. The extractor is non-rotating; that is, while it does rotate on the bolt, it does not rotate in the receiver or on the cartridge.

The Type 38 action has the simplest safety and firing mechanism of any centerfire bolt action known to me. Not counting the trigger, sear parts, receiver or bolt, the firing and safety mechanism consists of only three parts. This design has its virtues and drawbacks, as we shall see, but it is a very reliable and effective arrangement for a military rifle.

The bolt body is drilled from the rear to accept the one-piece hollow striker (call it the firing pin if you like) with its integral firing-pin tip in front and its cocking cam (sear) on the rear. The coil mainspring fits into the hollow part of the striker. The third part of the mechanism is the safety, although it has several other functions.

The safety is a large one-piece affair comprised of a cap to which is permanently attached a stem projecting forward from its hollow center. This stem extends into the hollow striker to compress the mainspring.

7.7mm Japanese Arisaka Type 99 (1939) long rifle. This version of the Type 99 is relatively scarce.

The safety is held on the rear of the bolt by a lug inside of the cap engaging over a ridge on the outside rear of the bolt body. The safety can be quickly and easily removed from the bolt by pressing it forward and rotating it clockwise about one-quarter turn. The safety is linked to the striker by a small stud on the safety stem engaging in a matching groove milled inside the striker. The safety is linked with the receiver when it is engaged by a small stud on the outside of the safety cap engaging in an L-shaped groove in the bottom rear of the receiver. In all, there is a complicated hook-up between safety, striker and bolt, and also with the receiver when the safety is engaged, certainly the result of someone’s ingenuity. The lug on the outside of the safety cap, engaged in the groove in the receiver, prevents the safety from rotating when the bolt handle is raised or lowered. The rear surface of the cap-like safety is knurled in a circular pattern to prevent it twisting under thumb or palm pressure when it is engaged by pressing it forward and rotating it one-eighth turn clockwise, or disengaged by again pressing it forward and rotating it in the opposite direction. The safety can only be engaged when the striker is cocked, and when engaged it locks both the striker and the bolt. The outside edge of the safety cap is usually serrated and made with a small hump so located that it is up when the safety is engaged.

Type 2 (1942) Japanese Arisaka takedown paratrooper rifle.

Japanese Type 38 6.5mm Training rifle, this specimen with receiver and some of its action parts made of cast iron.

The trigger system follows the Mauser M93-96 design (later copied in the Pattern 14 and 1917 Enfield actions). It consists of a sear pivoted on a pin through a small lug on the bottom of the receiver. The sear projection on the rear of the sear protrudes through a hole in the receiver and engages the cocking cam on the striker when the bolt is closed. The striker is thus cocked on the forward or closing motion of the bolt. A pin riveted on the front of the sear projects upward through another hole in the receiver, which prevents the trigger being pulled to release the striker, except when the bolt handle is straight up, the bolt then entirely unlocked, or when the bolt handle is fully lowered and fully locked. In these positions two narrow grooves in the bolt body align with the pin. The sear spring is compressed over this pin between the sear and receiver. The trigger, which pivots in the sear on a rivet, has two humps where it contacts the bottom of the receiver and these humps provide the usual two-stage military trigger pull.

The striker can be lowered on closing the bolt as follows: push the bolt forward until the striker contacts the sear; pull the trigger to allow bolt and striker to be moved forward until the base of the bolt handle contacts the receiver; release the trigger; lower the bolt handle by striking it smartly with the palm of the hand. This should only be done on an empty chamber.

The bolt-stop and ejector assembly is built into a long narrow integral housing which projects from the left of the receiver bridge. The bolt-stop, of Mauser design, is held in this housing and pivots on a screw through the underside of the rear end of the housing. It is tensioned by a flat spring locked to the front end of the bolt-stop. The ejector, positioned in a slot in the center of the housing, pivots on a separate screw, also turned in through the underside of the housing. There is no ejector spring. The ejector is activated by action of the auxiliary bolt-stop lug on the bolt which, on opening the bolt, pivots the front end of the ejector to the right, in the groove provided for it in the bolt head.

An opening is milled into the bottom of the receiver for the magazine opening. Integral lips or cartridge-guide ribs at the top of the opening hold the cartridges in the magazine and guide them into the chamber. The magazine, a thin piece of sheet metal folded to form a box, is reinforced at each end with a heavier piece of metal welded in place.

The milled steel trigger guard is combined with a magazine plate which has an opening to surround the bottom of the separate magazine box. A milled steel floorplate covers this opening. A lip on the front of the floorplate, engaging a groove in the trigger plate and a latch arrangement built into the front part of the trigger guard bow, holds the floorplate in place. Depressing the latch in the guard bow releases the floorplate.

The ends of the W-shaped magazine follower-spring fit into mortises cut into the bottom of the steel follower and floorplate. The top surface of the follower has a rounded ridge on its left side which forces the cartridges to assume a staggered position when they are inserted into the magazine. The rear edge of the follower is square and, when the magazine is empty, the follower rises high enough to halt the forward motion of the bolt, indicating to the shooter that the magazine is empty.

The action is held in the stock by the two guard screws through the ends of the trigger guard and threading into the receiver. The front guard screw passes through an integral stud on the floorplate and threads into a similar stud on the bottom of the receiver. The receiver has no recoil shoulder. The recoil is transferred to the stock by a recoil block which fits over the studs and between the receiver and the floorplate. This recoil block has one flat side (inletted into the stock so the flat side is to the rear) which has enough area to absorb the recoil and prevent set-back of the action in the stock.

The Type 38 Japanese action was designed to eliminate one of the major weak points found in most modern military bolt-action rifles—the wrist or grip of the stock. In the Type 38 action strengthening the grip area was done with tangs connected to the receiver and trigger guard. The upper tang, made as a separate part, was milled and joined to the receiver to act as a solid extension to the receiver when the action is in the stock. The separate lower tang was also mated to the rear of the trigger guard. The rear guard screw passes first through lower tang, then through the trigger guard and threads into a square stud in the receiver. The ends of the tangs are connected by a long screw through the top tang and stock which threads into the lower tang. The tangs extend well past the smallest part of the grip, greatly strengthening the weakest area of the stock.

Arisaka Type 38 (1905) 6.5mm action, minus breech cover.

All bolt-action rifles are more or less open to the elements. Dust, mud, sand, water and sleet can get into the action through the top receiver openings and can cause problems.

Japanese designers, evidently familiar with this shortcoming, decided that the action should be covered as much as practicable. The result was a very simple arrangement. Two longitudinal narrow grooves were cut into the receiver, one high on the left receiver wall, the other on the low right receiver wall. A curved strip of spring-tempered sheet metal, its edges folded in, was made to fit over the receiver and slide in the grooves. The bolt handle projected through a hole in the rear of this cover allowing the bolt handle to be raised and lowered. The bolt pulls the cover backward and forward with it as the action is opened and closed. This cover did effectively close the main receiver opening, but it still left a big opening around the base of the bolt handle where dirt could get in. The action was more difficult to operate with the cover in place than with the cover removed. Since many captured rifles were minus their breech covers, it seems that some Japanese soldiers discarded them.

Ample provision was made in the Type 38 Arisaka action to allow powder gases to escape harmlessly in the event of a ruptured case head or pierced primer. Two small holes in the top of the receiver ring provide vents for any gas escaping into the locking-lug recesses. A single large oblong hole in the bottom of the bolt, just behind the locking lugs, allows gas to escape into the left locking lug raceway and thence to the auxiliary lug opening in the top of this raceway, just to the rear of the receiver ring. Should any gas be directed rearward in this raceway, it would be deflected by the bolt stop lug, and if any got beyond this point the safety would deflect it from the shooter’s face. Should a large volume of gas get inside the bolt through the firing pin hole, all of it could not escape through the large vent in the bolt. It would expand into the inside of the hollow striker, but it would not reach the shooter because of the solid safety cap.

Type 38 Japanese 6.5mm action, open.

Left side of the Type 38 Arisaka action.

Type 99 Arisakas

In the late 1930s Japan was preparing for war. Type 38 Arisaka rifles were good, and so was the 6.5mm cartridge, but measures had to be taken to speed up production of the rifles and for several reasons a larger caliber was also desirable. Thus, in about 1938, steps were taken to modify the Type 38 (1905) action for easier, faster, less costly manufacture. The Type 99 (1939) Arisaka action was the result. At the same time they adopted a new cartridge, commonly known as the 7.7 Japanese or 31-caliber Japanese.

Here is a brief description of the 7.7mm-caliber rifles and carbines based on the 99 action, or on further modifications of it.

1. Type 99 (1939) Long Rifle. About 9 pounds, 31.4” barrel, 50” overall.

2. Type 99 (1939) Short Rifle. About 8.5 pounds, 25.75” barrel, 44.25” overall. The standard Japanese infantry rifle used during WWII.

3. Type 99 (1939) Sniper Rifle, same as number 2 above except fitted with a 2.5x scope with a detachable off-set mount. Bent down bolt handle.

4. Type 99 (late version ) Short Rifle, same as number 2 above but more cheaply made. Identifying features are: wooden buttplate, fixed aperature rear sight, no model markings. See text for specific details of this and the paratroop rifles.

5. Type O Paratroop Rifle. About 8.75 pounds, 25.75” barrel, 44.25” overall. Very rare model.

6. Type 2 (1942) Paratroop Rifle. About 9 pounds, 25.9” barrel, 44.25” overall.

The main identifying features of all rifles based on the Type 99 action are the stamped trigger guard, hinged magazine floorplate, and lower tang extending below the pistol grip. Type 99 Long, Short and Type 2 Sniper rifles usually had chrome-plated bores and bolt faces, and all except the sniper model had straight bolt handles. Sliding breech covers were also standard.

The Type 99 Action

Just as the 1903A3 Springfield action was a modified version of the 1903 Springfield action to make it easier to manufacture, the Japanese 99 action bore the same relationship to the earlier Type 38 action. In neither case did this result in the action becoming less reliable nor weaker. Although the quality of the finish suffered, the modified Springfield and Arisaka actions were unaffected as far as military use was concerned.

The following are the most notable outward changes and modifications made in effecting the change over from the Type 38 (1905) 6.5mm action to the Type 99 (1939) 7.7mm action:

1. The separate recoil block was eliminated; the 99 receiver was made with an integral recoil lug of ample size, which was an improvement.

2. Instead of milling an L-slot in the receiver bridge for the bolt handle, most of the metal below this slot was cut away on the 99 receiver. This still left enough metal for a safety lug for the bolt handle in the event the front locking lugs should fail.

3. The integral bolt-stop housing on the receiver was replaced by a copy of the Mauser bolt-stop and ejector. The bolt-stop, attached to a lug on the receiver, is held in place by a pointed screw turned in from the top, with the ejector pivoting on this same screw. The ejector is tensioned by a separate small spring wedged under the heavier bolt-stop spring mortised in the bolt-stop.

Top view of the Type 38 Arisaka action. Note twin gas-escape holes in the receiver ring, the Japanese Imperial seal and other Japanese markings on the receiver ring, the clip-charger slot in the receiver bridge, the L-shaped slot for the bolt handle, and the oval grasping ball on the straight bolt handle.

4. The auxiliary lug and the left (top) locking lug are milled entirely through for the ejector.

5. Sheet metal stampings were used for several parts on the 99 action. These include the upper tang, lower tang and trigger guard bow, magazine floorplate and floorplate latch.

6. The magazine floorplate is hinged to the front of the magazine plate.

7. The 99 tangs were made longer to further strengthen the grip area of the stock. The non-detachable lower tang extends over the end of the pistol grip.

8. Generally, the safety cap of the 99 action had a shallow groove cut into its outside edge instead of having a hump. The outside edge was usually unserrated and sometimes the rear surface was not knurled or checkered.

9. Only a single gas port was made in the 99 receiver ring.

10. The barrel shank threads were changed; see the barrel shank drawings elsewhere in this book.

11. Other minor changes were made in the 99 action to adapt it to the 7.7mm cartridge and to facilitate manufacture. The magazine box and well were made slightly longer and the magazine well made slightly wider. The cut for the extractor inside the receiver ring was generally milled entirely through to the front edge of the receiver and through the threads for the barrel shank. Some milling cuts in the striker were made from the outside and entirely through the striker wall, instead of making the cuts only in the inside. The outside of the extractor was made flat instead of rounded.

No changes were made in the breeching method. The bolt remained unchanged except as noted above and the same trigger and safety systems were used. As can be expected, 99 actions were not finished as well as 38 actions, with the quality of the outside finish getting worse each succeeding year. By 1944, shortly before the 99 Arisaka went into production, no attempt was made to smooth finish such parts as the trigger guard, floorplate, extractor and upper tang.

Type 99 (1939) Japanese 7.7mm Arisaka action, minus breech cover.

The 1945 Action

By 1944 Japan was sorely pressed in her efforts to manufacture enough small arms for the expected homeland defensive operations. Her “last ditch” rifle was the Type 99 (1944 or 1945) version. It was made as quickly and as cheaply as possible and still be usable for serious warfare. Outwardly, this hastily made rifle was the same as the regular 99 (1939) version except for its finish, buttplate and rear sight. Its rear sight was merely a sheet metal aperture affixed to the barrel, the buttplate a thin piece of wood fastened to the stock with a few brads. As for the rifle’s finish, the word “rough” best describes it. On several of these rifles I’ve owned and examined, the receivers were not too bad, but the bolts appeared to be rough undersized forgings with only enough machining done to make them work. Safeties were unfinished, with the stem roughly welded to the cap; this same type of safety was also used on the regular 99 (1939) versions of late manufacture. Although these rifles were fully suitable for service, they were crude. No effort was made to mark the receiver for type, but the Imperial seal was usually stamped on them.

Takedown and Assembly

First make sure the chamber and magazine are empty.

Type 38: Raise the bolt handle, pull it back as far as it will go, then swing the bolt-stop to the left until the bolt can be fully withdrawn. The bolt can be replaced by pushing it forward in the receiver. In replacing a bolt with a sliding breech cover, the cover must be aligned with the grooves in the receiver at the same time the bolt is inserted.

To remove the firing mechanism, grasp the bolt with one hand and, with the palm of the other hand, depress the safety as far as it will go, then turn it clockwise about one-quarter turn or until it is released. Safety and striker can then be removed from the bolt and the mainspring removed from the striker. Reassemble by inserting mainspring in the striker, inserting the triker in the bolt with the cocking cam positioned in the shallow cam notch, then insert the safety by tarting it with the hump positioned slightly clockwise of the bolt handle. Push the safety forward as far as it will go and then turn it counterclockwise as far as it will go. When assembled, the lug on the bottom of the safety must align with the cocking cam, otherwise the bolt cannot be inserted into the receiver.

Type 99 Arisaka action, open.

Remove the extractor by turning it on the bolt so it covers the gas vent and then push it forward. Replace in reverse order. Do not remove extractor collar unless absolutely necessary.

Remove the magazine floorplate, follower and follower spring by depressing the floorplate latch in the trigger guard bow.

Bolt from the Type 38 Arisaka. (Below right) Bolt from the late Type 99 (1945) Arisaka. Note smaller, cylindrical-shaped grasping ball on this bolt, compared to the larger oval-shaped ball on the Type 38 bolt.

Japanese Type 99 action. The action shown with breech cover and bolt open.

Receiver ring markings on the Type 38 Japanese action (right), and on the Type 99 (far right). When the Japanese Imperial seal is entirely intact (not partially or entirely ground away) it means that the rifles were captured. Surrendered Japanese rifles generally have the seal ground off.

To remove barrel and receiver from the stock, first remove the barrel bands and turn out the two guard screws and the tang screw. The barrel, receiver and upper tang can then be lifted from the top of the stock and the lower tang, trigger guard and magazine box can be removed from the bottom of the stock. Remove the magazine latch by driving out its pin, then remove the latch plunger and spring.

Remove the trigger and sear by driving out the sear pin. The trigger pin is riveted in, but can be driven out with a drift punch if necessary.

Remove the bolt-stop by turning it out, and pulling out the rear screw under the bolt-stop housing. Turn out the ejector screw to remove the ejector. Remove the bolt-stop spring by swinging its rear end down one-quarter turn and lifting it out.

Reassemble all above units in reverse order. In reassembling the bolt-stop, first replace the ejector and bolt-stop, then replace the spring by swinging it in place.

Type 99 takedown: Follow same procedures as described for the Type 38 rifle and action except for the following: to remove magazine floorplate, drive the hinge pin out; to remove the floorplate latch, turn the latch screw out; remove the bolt-stop by removing its screw; the ejector can then be pulled forward out of the bolt-stop housing; the bolt-stop spring is removed by driving it forward out of the housing and the ejector spring is removed along with it. To aid in driving the bolt-stop spring forward, a small screwdriver should be inserted under the rear of the spring so it can be held up while driving it forward until freed from the bolt-stop.

In reassembling the bolt-stop spring, first place the ejector spring under it, then drive both forward until caught. Then insert a screwdriver under the rear end of the bolt-stop spring to hold it up so the spring can be driven fully in place.

The barrels of these rifles are threaded tightly into the receiver (right-hand threads). Do not attempt to remove the barrel unless you have the proper tools to do so.

Type “I” 6.5mm Japanese action, these made in Italy for Japan. The receiver, bolt and trigger assembly are a close copy of the Italian Carcano action.

Action Strength

Almost every gun buff interested in military bolt-action rifles, or in just the actions, knows that the 38 and 99 Japanese Arisaka actions are strong. Many articles have been written about the strength and safety of these actions, and many blow-up tests have been conducted since the late l940s when someone discovered that all Japanese rifles were not junk. P.O. Ackley, in his book Handbook For Shooters & ReloadersVolume II, describes tests he conducted on various military bolt actions, and the Japanese actions were still going strong after most of the others had failed. This book is recommended reading for anyone interested in action blowup tests.

Of all the material I’ve read about the strength of Arisaka actions, the most astonishing report of the toughness of a Type 38 Japanese action and rifle appeared on page 52 in the May, 1959 issue of The American Rifleman. This describes a Type 38 6.5mm Arisaka which was rechambered to accept the 30-06 cartridge. The 6.5mm barrel was NOT rebored, only the chamber was enlarged. The fellow who did the rechambering accomplished it by grinding down the pilot of a 30-06 reamer so it would enter the bore. After rechambering he test fired it. Nothing much happened, so he used the rifle on a hunting trip and killed a deer with it. Because the rifle kicked so hard he took it to a reputable gunsmith who discovered what the owner had done with it and what he was shooting in it. Because the rifle was still intact after firing a number of 30-06 cartridges, the gunsmith sent the rifle to the NRA. The NRA staff then fired some more 30-06 rounds through it, and it seems incredible that neither the barrel nor the action burst, for just imagine firing .308” bullets through a .264 ” groove diameter barrel! If one were to deliberately plan a torture test or blow-up test on the 6.5mm Japanese rifle one could hardly think of a better scheme, even though it is a little crazy. That this particular rifle did not burst, or even appear to be strained by this abuse, certainly proves that the bolt, receiver and barrel were made of the best heat-treated steels. It also shows that the breeching and locking system is excellent.

Type “I” action, open.

Japanese Arisaka Type 2 (1942) 7.7mm takedown paratroop rifle action, the bolt partially open. Loosening the ringed take-down nut on the right side of the receiver ring allows the barrel and forend to be slipped out of the action.

About 10 years before the above incident was reported, a friend and I put another Japanese rifle through a torture test with the sole intention of firing it until it blew up or could no longer be fired. For this test we used the worst specimen of this rifle which was ever carted home by a returning GI, a Type 99 rifle in 7.7mm caliber. This particular rifle was such a crude specimen that initially we thought it to be a Japanese training rifle. I rechambered it for the 30-06 cartridge, and purposely cut the chamber fully .010” deeper than normal.

For the test, I loaded a couple of cartridges of each of the following loads in military 30-06 cases:

No. 1. Case full of 3031 powder with a 180-grain jacketed bullet. (44 grains of this powder with this bullet is normally a maximum load).

No. 2. Case full of 4198 powder with a 180-grain jacketed bullet. (38 grains of this powder with this bullet is considered maximum).

No. 3. Case full of 2400 powder with the 180-grain jacketed bullet (This powder is never recommended for the 30-06 with this bullet, but a charge of 25 grains would be near or above maximum).

It was dusk when we made the tests. The rifle was tied to an automobile tire and wheel, pointed toward a dirt bank and fired with a long cord tied to the trigger.

We did not expect much to happen on firing both No. 1 cartridges except flattened primers, and that is about all that happened. This was just a good “proof ” load. We did, however, expect something to happen to the rifle when the No. 2 loads were fired, but aside from the rifle bucking in its hitch, the primer pockets expanding, the web splitting, and the case heads spreading to a snug fit in the bolt face recess, nothing unusual happened. We could see a little spurt of flame coming out of the vent hole, but that was about all.

When we fired one cartridge of the No. 3 load, things happened! We noticed streaks of flame coming out all around the action, most of it concentrated around the top and right side of the receiver ring and from the bottom of the action, as the rifle bucked and bellowed from the shock.

When the dust settled, we rushed to see the damage and were surprised to find the barrel, receiver and bolt intact. The extractor was gone, the bolt-stop was sprung, the follower, follower spring and floorplate were gone, but the bolt and the firing mechanism were still in place. The bolt could not be opened by hand, and on trying to open it with a stick of wood the bolt handle broke off. On returning to my shop for closer examination, it was found that the right side of the receiver over the full length extractor cut was slightly bulged and that the barrel appeared to have moved forward out of the receiver about one thread. Since the bolt could not be opened we unscrewed the barrel from the receiver, after which the bolt was easily removed. The head of the case seemed to have melted over the bolt face, for it was practically welded in place. After knocking off the case and turning the barrel back into the receiver, the rifle was still in a condition to be fired! In fact, later on another shooter fitted this same barrel to a good 99 action and found that the chamber had not expanded at all. This experience thoroughly convinced us that the Japanese Arisaka actions are extremely strong. A large ring Model 98 Mauser action might have survived this test as well or better, but I suspect that most of the other military bolt-action rifles, as well as some of the commercial bolt-action centerfire rifles, would not have stood up as well.

Barrel and forend assembly removed from the receiver-stock assembly of the Type 2 Japanese paratroop rifle. Note the lug and notch on the bottom of the barrel shank which engages behind the tapered wedge in the receiver.

An action from one of the several different Type 38 military training rifles. This one, with breech cover, is an example of one of the better-made actions, having a regular bolt with full-sized forward locking lugs and regular extractor. However, it has a cast iron receiver, trigger parts and trigger guard. A distinctive feature of these actions is that the tangs are made integral with the receiver and trigger guard.

Of the Type 38 and 99 actions, the 38 is perhaps the stronger for the following reasons: 1) its left (top) locking lug is only partly slotted for the ejector, leaving it with a solid rear face to contact the locking shoulder in the receiver. The lug is not only stronger but there is less chance of it battering a depression in the locking shoulder as often happens in rifles having a fully slotted left lug; 2) the mill cut for the extractor in the receiver ring is no longer than needed. In the last test described above, it is to be noted that the receiver ring bulged along this cut, which in the Type 99 receiver extends all the way through the ring; 3) the barrel shank threads are coarser and, in my opinion, afford a stronger joint between the barrel and receiver than achieved by the use of finer threads. It is also possible that a better steel and heat-treatment was used in making Type 38 actions, but I’m not sure about this. It is usually assumed that any rifle made during desperate wartime conditions might have inferior steel and/or improper heat-treatment compared to rifles made under ideal conditions, but nothing of this nature seems to have affected the late Type 99 version we tested.

As for the breeching system used in these rifles, I am not sure it has much effect on the overall strength and safety of the action. This “system” is one in which the bolt head fits closely within a recess in the breech end of the barrel. This breeching system produces the same results as achieved in the M98 Mauser, in which a ring of steel is placed around most of the bolt head.

The weak points in both systems are the wide extractor cut in this ring of steel, and the undercut in the bolt face recess. As far as strength and safety are concerned, I don’t believe this breeching method is much superior to the 03 Springfield breech system. There is no question that the 98 Mauser and Arisaka breeching would be far stronger and safer if there was no undercut in the bolt face recess, and if a flush-type narrow extractor were used so the wide extractor slot could be eliminated. When an action blows up it is usually the result of a faulty cartridge—when the head of the cartridge splits open to let large amounts of powder gases escape to the rear. In this event, I fail to see where the 98 Mauser or Arisaka breechings are any better than the 1903 Springfield breeching. In the two previously mentioned Arisaka torture tests, none of the cartridge cases used were faulty. I wonder what would have happened with the 6.5mm Arisaka rifle chambered for the 30-06 cartridge if the head of one of the cartridges had cracked or split open when fired, rather than expanding evenly. I think the results would have been different. A good 03 Springfield action with its funnel breeching will withstand considerable abuse from overloads heavy enough to cause head expansion, but if the head of the case splits with such a load then the situation is different. So that I am not entirely misunderstood, I do prefer the Mauser M98 breeching method over that of the Arisaka, and I prefer either over the Springfield.

Another example of the cast iron Arisaka action made for a training rifle. This one has only token bolt locking lugs, a small extractor mortised into the bolt head, and receiver and trigger guard are held in the stock with common wood screws.

Rechambering

Type 38, 6.5mm caliber: During WWII much erroneous information circulated about “that small caliber Jap rifle.” Many believed that they were of “25 caliber.”

Before Norma made the 6.5mm Japanese cartridge commercially available, it was common practice to rechamber the 6.5mm Arisaka rifle or carbine to the 257 Roberts case necked up to hold a 6.5mm bullet.

Underside view of the Japanese Type 38 bolt head (6.5mm) showing: (A) gas vent hole, (B) extractor, (C) bolt face recess with undercut, (D) ejector slot, (E) locking lugs and (F) bolt-stop lug. The Type 99 bolt is the same except that the extractor slot is milled entirely through the bolt-stop and locking lugs.

As long as Norma commercial 6.5

Japanese ammunition and cases are available, there is no longer any practical reason to have the Arisaka 6.5mm rifle rechambered. The Norma 6.5 Japanese case is just as reloadable as any other. If you have one of these Japanese rifles and if you are not sure if it has been rechambered, better have it checked by a competent gunsmith before attempting to fire Norma ammunition in it.

Type 99, 7.7mm caliber: here again we have the same situation. It no longer makes sense to rechamber the 7.7mm Arisaka rifle because Norma also loads this cartridge. Before Norma loaded this cartridge, it was common practice to rechamber 7.7mm Arisaka to 30-06 caliber. Of course, any rechambering is hardly practical since the introduction of Norma 7.7mm Japanese loads. Again a warning—if you are not sure of the chamber in your 7.7 rifle then have it checked by a competent gunsmith.

During the Korean war many Type 99s were rechambered for the 30-06 cartridge and issued to troops of the Republic of Korea. The rechambering was done by U.S. Ordnance units stationed near Tokyo, Japan. I don’t know how these rifles were rechambered—whether the barrel was set back or not, or how the magazine was lengthened, because I have been unable to examine one. These rifles can be identified by the marking Cal. .30 U.S. stamped on the left side of the receiver ring.

Japanese training rifle barrels are smoothbored, and often of two-piece construction, i.e., with the smoothbore tube threaded into the larger reinforced chamber section as shown here.

The 6.5mm Japanese Cartridge

Japan adopted this cartridge in 1897. It is a semi-rimmed bottlenecked case primed with a Berdan primer of a size never made available to reloaders. The “6.5mm” represents bore size, or the same as 256-caliber. The standard Japanese military ball loading was a 139-grain spitzer bullet, its muzzle velocity about 2500 fps. Sporting ammunition in this caliber is still manufactured by Norma and is available through many Norma dealers. Norma offers two 6.5 loads—one with a 139-grain semi-pointed, softpoint, boattail bullet; the other using a 156-grain softpoint spitzer bullet. Muzzle velocities for these loads are 2360 and 2070 fps, respectively.

The 7.7mm Japanese Cartridge

Adopted by Japan in 1939, the 7.7mm cartridge has a rimless bottlenecked case. The standard military ball load has a 183-grain pointed bullet with a muzzle velocity of about 2300 fps. Norma has one load for this cartridge—a 180-grain softpoint semi-pointed boattail bullet. The 180-grain load, with a muzzle velocity of 2500 fps, has at 200 yards a remaining energy of 1770 foot pounds.

Summary

For remodeling into a sporting rifle, or using its action to build a rifle, Arisaka rifles are far down on the popularity list of rifles. Until Norma ammunition became available in the Japanese calibers, the Arisaka rifles were not seriously considered for gunsmithing because of the ammunition problem. Some of their unpopularity is undoubtedly due to the early unfavorable publicity given them during and shortly after WWII. However, I believe the main reason why they have not been used more frequently for remodeling is because the action is not easy to operate.

I have not remodeled many Arisaka rifles, and I can think of only two occasions when I built a complete rifle on this action. I have, however, rechambered many of the 6.5s to the 6.5/257 Roberts. Some of these rifles are still being used by their owners for hunting deer. The amateur gunsmith is cautioned to be on his guard against Japanese training rifles, which are unsuitable for any gunsmithing. These training rifles are discussed at the end of this chapter.

The Arisaka Paratroop Rifle

This chapter would not be complete without illustrations and descriptions of three other types of Japanese military weapons used before and during WWII: the takedown paratroop models, the Type “I” rifle and the various training rifles.

The first of the takedown paratroop rifles is generally designated as the Type 0 Paratroop rifle. This particular model is quite rare, and I have never examined one closely. Probably developed around 1940, it is based on the Type 99 Arisaka action. Chambered for the 7.7mm Japanese cartridge, it was made so the barrel and forend assembly could be separated from the buttstock and action assembly, with the takedown effected by an interrupted-thread joint between barrel and receiver. It featured a detachable bolt handle. It has a 25.75” barrel, weighs about 8.75 pounds and is 44.25” overall. In original and very good condition they’re a desirable item for any military arms collection.

Type 38 Arisaka

General Specifications

Type 38 and 99 Arisaka

(Type 38 uses 6.5mm and Type 99 uses 7.7mm Japanese cartridges)

Type ..........................Turnbolt repeater.

Receiver ...................OOne-piece machined steel forging. Clip-charger guide milled in non-slotted bridge. Upper tang is a separate part of receiver.

Bolt ...........................One-piece, with dual-opposed forward locking lugs. Bolt handle base acts as safety lug.

Ignition .....................CComposed of one-piece hollow striker, coil mainspring and safety. Striker cocks on closing the bolt.

Magazine..................Staggered-column non-detachable five-shot box magazine. Quick-detachable floorplate on the Type 38, hinged floorplate on the Type 99.

Trigger ......................NNon-adjustable, double-stage military pull.

Safety........................Locks both striker and bolt when engaged. (See text)

Extractor ..................One-piece, non-rotating Mauser-type attached to the bolt with a collar.

Magazine cut-off .....None provided.

Bolt-stop ..................Mauser-type bolt-stop attached to left rear of receiver bridge. Stops rearward movement of bolt by contacting auxiliary lug on the bolt.

Ejector ......................LLever type housed within the bolt-stop.

The second takedown paratroop rifle is the Type 2, developed in 1942 to replace the Type 0. Type 2 rifles also used the 7.7mm cartridge, weigh 9 pounds, and their 25.90 ” barrel make overall length 44.25”. It has a cleaning rod under the barrel and it will accept the regular Japanese bayonet.

The action of the Type 2 is also a modification of the basic 99 action, having the same bolt and magazine parts.

The Type 2 takedown system uses a wedge, through the massive front part of the receiver, to hold the slip-fit barrel in place. The barrel shank is round and smooth except for the solid lug underneath it. The front of the receiver is bored and milled to accept the lugged barrel shank. Under the front part of the receiver, and made integral with it, is a heavy mass of steel through which is milled a rectangular hole for the takedown wedge. It is so positioned that the wedge engages forward of the barrel lug. A ringed screw on the wedge threads into the side of the receiver and, with the barrel and wedge in place, this screw is turned to draw the wedge and barrel tightly into the receiver. When turned in the opposite direction, it allows the wedge and barrel to be removed. It is a simple and effective takedown system for a military bolt-action rifle.