I own dozens of Japanese rifles. Here are a few things I would like to point out: 1. "Last ditch" rifles are safe to shoot. The Japanese did "cut corners" on non-critical parts (wooden buttplates instead of metal, non-adjustable rear sights, less stock finishing, etc) but not on the core action, right to the end of the war. Arisaka rifles including "last ditch" rifles have the strongest actions of all World War (I and II) bolt actions. 2. Japanese soldiers probably did not remove dust covers and monopods themselves, and probably would have been harshly disciplined if they had altered their issued weapons without permission. The dust covers were probably removed by the Allies after the rifles were captured or surrendered. The monopods and anti-aircraft sights were dropped by manufacturers during the war to conserve resources and simplify production. 3. The anti-aircraft sights were not supposed to be used by single riflemen. The field manual shows groups of soldiers were supposed to lie on their backs and fire a simultaneous volley to try to bring down a low-flying aircraft. 4. A missing mum reduces but does not "destroy" the collector value of Japanese rifles. Many collectors use the at least 2 out of 3 rule. Matching numbers, intact mum, and original stock finish are considered. 3 out of 3 is best, but any 2 out of 3 is acceptable. Original slings are a plus, as are early features like monopods and anti-aircraft sight.I prefer rifles with intact mums and most of my rifles have intact mums but I have purchased several rifles with a defaced mum but in otherwise excellent condition, matching, complete, and original. 5. Japanese rifles have clever engineering. The stock is made from two pieces of wood to conserve material and to reduce breaks at the toe of the stock because the grain of the wood of the bottom piece runs parallel to the bottom. The stocks have water drain holes to remove moisture. Type 99s had chrome-lined bores and polygonal rifling, which are common now but were advanced then. The bolt is extremely easy to disassemble and assemble without tools. They have extended tangs to reinforce the wrist of the stock to reduce cracks. The safety was intentionally designed to be manipulated with the palm of the hand so soldiers could manipulate it while wearing gloves in the cold of Korea and northern China. The heat treating of the receivers was the best of all military rifles.
Honestly, most of the rumors about Imperial Japanese rifles being crap comes from US servicemen getting their hands on training rifles, designed to fire blanks, and mistakenly putting live ammo in them, resulting in extreme malfunctions, damaging both weapon and user.
Interesting hobby. Since the Japanese made these capable of firing different size rounds that may have been gotten from American, Brits, and Aussies, what size rounds have you been able to fire in them without reboring? .303, .308, 06 (25 -06 or 30-06)??
"Type 99s had chrome-lined bores and polygonal rifling, which are common now but were advanced then." They have Metford rifling which was developed to reduce the build-up of fowling from shooting black powder cartridges. Polygonal rifling is a much older process than many people realize and was very common with black powder guns.
Family name of Type 38 is 安達 Mr. Adachi, and Type 99 is 生原 Mr. Ikuhara. I was a sergeant of Japan Ground Self Defense Force, not Imperial Japanese Army. I have an experience to shoot Arisaka Type 38, Type 99, Type 44 and US M1 carbine, M1 Garand. There are great guns, but fire power is BIG different between US semi-auto and Japanese bolt-action. However, I know that both side of soldiers of US and Japan fight valiantly.
The US did horrible things during that period... but so did the Japanese. Japan's POW camps of the time are infamous and not to mentiion Alexandra Hospital, Nanking, Palawan and Sook Ching Massacres. War was hell back then and it was fueled with racism and hatred..
the anti-aircraft sights were not totally "dumb." You have to understand that they were designed for fighting in places like China, where the aircraft were often slow-moving biplanes and the like.
@@Cpt_John_Price I think the idea was that you spread a bunch of guys out and had them all shooting up into the path of a low flying plane on the theory that if there's enough metal flying around, some of it might hit. I saw a picture once of Japanese troops practicing. They had a platoon or so lying on their backs on a slope with their rifles pointed up at about a 60-70 degree angle.
Great video and extremely informative. One minor correction: I've noticed Americans using the term 'Imperial Mum' about these Arisaka rifles on many channels - it should be 'Imperial Mon' meaning 'crest' in English, the chrysanthemum symbol of the Imperial Family. Again, brilliant video and I also enjoyed your video on the Nambu Type 14.
My father (USMC, 1st Div. 7th Marines) brought home a Arisaka Type 99 "Last Ditch" after serving in the Pacific in WWII. I've owned it for more than 20 years and found your video very informative about the Type 38 and 99 rifles. Thanks for the education. I now appreciate it all the more. I hesitated to shoot it, but now will start the process to make sure it is operational and take it to the range. Cheers, Marty
When I was a kid, my "let's play army" gun was the envy of the neighborhood, probably because it was a real Type 99 with the AA sights (firing pin removed). Something that likely wouldn't be tolerated today.
Nice! I can tell that you and I are not from today's generation. You play that game nowadays and you'll have the NSA, CIA, FBI, and Homer Simpson-land security with a boot on your neck so fast you wouldn't have time to say, "Gulag archipelago." You are definitely right, I am envious of you even today. The closest I can say my friends and I came to that was when my little friend Johnny came to play army and he had a cap gun that actually had a few 45 ACP rounds in it. Great times!
@@dylanhaugen3739 Oh Jesus....cry me a river 😒 look I played those kinds of games when I was a kid and nobody batted an eyelash. You aren't pointing a real gun at the other person, and as to other people not knowing...mind your own damn business. Kids should be able to play without people throwing a conniption. I'm borderline a liberal and that's some snowflake shit right there.
Finally picked up an Arisaka type 99 about a month ago, after a 3 year search. I was finally able to find one with all the bells and whistles and pulled the trigger. My first surplus rifle and I'm very pleased, cant wait for the collection to grow. Thanks for the video Tim!
I’m from Key West Florida and one 60’s through the early 70’s it was a military town. I got a chance to fire the Mod. 38 at the Navy range on Fleming Key and that started my life long love of the 6.5 caliber. I now have AR’s in 6.5 Grendel and a 10 in 6.5 Creedmoor that I have built myself, I’m saving up for a 6.5 Creedmoor M-1a. There was a lot of distance for “Jap” rifles back then but Chief Packard, the range master taught me to respect them. My one uncle who served in North Africa, Italy, Western Europe and the South Pacific called the 38 a 25 calibre piece of crap but I knew better. Another Uncle was a Seabee Captain and brought home a slice of a Jap Zero prop he had dredged up in Guam after the battle to clear the harbor for the US forces to used. This video brought back so many childhood memories of the stories I had I’d just like to say thank you as I treasure them and am grateful to have been able to live in an era where tales of “Out Greatest Generation” could be heard firsthand. Thanks again.
As a gun and history nut, it's awesome to see someone FINALLY shed some light on the Types 38 and 99. I too love collecting historical firearms, Japanese especially since in my opinion they seem alot more rare than say a German or Soviet or even British or American.
C&Rsenal did an extensive series reviewing WW1 rifles. In their conclusion, they found the Arisaka was their favorite rifle. It had one of the strongest actions, highest reliability, and highly accurate.
Purple Guy I didn’t know their was an age limit on gun collecting that differs from the ownership laws. Young people can’t just want to collect guns because they are interested. You can take this gatekeeping BS and shove it.
Purple Guy I’m surprised you are complaining about 18 year olds collecting guns when you sound like you’re 12. Don’t worry, I shut up after hearing that brilliant insult.
my father brought one back from Iwo. he watched the flag go up. I asked him how did he feel. he said he cried. the rifle is mine now. will be my grandsons one day.
The Japanese 7.7x58mm cartridge was originally made for the Type 92 Heavy machine gun, but the case was "semi-rimmed" and so it wasn't compatible with any other 7.7x58mm light infantry weapons (including the Arisaka and Numbu LMG). The Japanese also had to "remake" the Type 96 Nambu LMG (originally made in 6.5mm "Genso") so it could handle the 7.7mm. The new LMG, designed in the same year as the 7.7mm Arisaka, was called the Type 99 Nambu LMG. And if two, non-compatible cartridges called "7.7" wasn't enough, the Imperial Navy and Airforce adopted a exact copy of the .303 British cartridge (dubbed 7.7x56mm Rimmed) and used it in the Airforce's Type 92 and the Navy's aerial Type 97 machine guns. Combine the addition of both the full powered 6.5x50mm and the the 6.5x50mm "Genso" ("Genso" is a reduced load used in the Type 96 Nambu LMG). -"Logistical nightmare" is a understatement.
I just bought a Type 99 today for $50. It had so much surface rust on it, the bolt didn't even move. With a little bit of steel wool and Rem Oil I got the bolt working like new. This little fricker is slicker than my M39.
Type 99's name tag is written "生原" which reads "Ikuhara". Type 38's is written "安達" which reads "Adachi". With those, there are something written in Katakana both 99 and 38. 38's can be read "サラナ"(Sarana) but I have no idea what it means. I can't make out what it says on 99's except the last one which is "ヒ"(Hi).
I love my Type 99. It's missing the mum, bipod, dust cover, and those anti-aircraft sights, but it is an early model (1939) in great cosmetic condition, and a great shooter.
The light recoil was the main reason for the adoption of the 6.5mm. The weakness of the cartridge was readily apparent in the Russo-Japanese War leading to some modifications. But the 6.5 remained and was found wanting in China. The Type 99 never completely replaced the Type 38, though the 7.7 was a much better cartridge. Very good video.
This was one of my most favorite videos you've done to date, Tim. Really good production quality, and I love rifles with a story behind them. That Type 99 is a beautiful piece of history, and you explained these rifles exceptionally well. Here's to hoping more of these types of videos come our way in the future.
+ung427 how do you like your 99? My grandpa handed down one to me awhile back, still has the mum and original blue-Ing on the metal, only shot it once but man it's a strong round
westside4life1770 I Love it. I like the cock on closing action and the safety-piece, mine has the spiral checkering. Mine didn't come with a dust cover though. I like the over-sized extractor and giant bolt. The first time I saw it I knew the thing was robust. Then, when I learned that it had a chrome-lined bore I knew it was ahead of it's time. Mine has a ground-off mum unfortunately.
Loquaciousgamer I Love it. I like cock action. Mine didn't cum with a dust cover. I like the over-sized cock and giant cock. The first time I saw it, I knew the thing was robust. Then when I learned that it had a chrome-lined cock, I knew it was a head of it's time. Mine has a cock grind mum.. unfortunately.
I recently was given a type 99 from my bro-in-law who picked it up on Okinawa beach in WWII. He was a sailor aboard the USS Topeka and during mopping up operations was allowed to bring it back home where he stored it safely without ever wanting to study or shoot it until recently when he knew I was a collector and would cherish it. The Mum was ground off, but he didn't know how or when. It came with the monopod and bayonet but no dust cover or sling. The amazing find was all parts were the same SN and they show virtually no wear including the bolt face and bore which tell me it was not shot much for a gun made in 1939. The gun is a Nagoya mfg. and the bayonet a Kohura mfg. w/quillon hook & metal sheath. I will search for ammo and fire it at our club range. I enjoyed your video shooting it and the type 38.
I'm from Mexico and gun laws here are horrible for civilians, for that reason i will never get to own a gun here, but I always like to see you in the range. Thanks for the videos and to let us watch guns like these.
See that’s what they are trying to do in the states then the corrupt government and their criminal gangsters will have guns to do their bidding on the people.
Just stumbled upon this video!! I have my Grandpa’s type 99. He got it on a beach in Japan. He was a mine sweeper for the US Navy. I have the sword. Bayonet. Rifle with mum. Anti air sights and all. The sword even has blood on it still to this day. He snuck them all home when he got out. He served in world war 2 and just passed last fall. Pretty cool to hear your story on that one!!
From one shooter / collector to another, Thank You! I bought my first type 99 from a friend who's cousin brought it back from World War II, the mum is gone, and post World War II the family cut the stock down, and cut the bolt spring, I guess to make it a little easier to shoot,I don't know why really? But it was the spare deer hunting rifle that any family member got to use who showed up to hunt who didn't own their own rifle. But I've actually been to the cemetery of the GI that brought it home, and he is buried in the same Cemetery where my wife's family is buried, so that's really special. My second type 99 is in Primo condition, I should say it's a little rough, but it has the bipod, the 16 petal chrysanthemum intact, dust cover, anti-aircraft rear sights, sling, excetera excetera, but knowing the history of the first one that I got makes that one a bit more special to me even though it's quite a beater. I actually bought hundreds of brass from Grafs and I reload for the type 99. If one is a student of military history, Japanese history, American history, it is definitely one worth owning.
I came by a Type 38 when my Grandfather passed away. It has the chrysanthemum, but it has little O's stamped into the edges of the petals. I've cleaned and lubed it up, but never fired it. No dust cover, anti aircraft wings. But it's in better condition than most I have seen.
Start Googling pics from WWII and you'll see almost every picture of a Japanese soldier will show his dust cover still on the rifle. The "Japanese soldiers tossed their dust covers" seems to be a myth from my research into the matter. The soldiers wouldn't have modified or thrown away parts to their weapons for any reason. This would have been seen as disrespecting the Emperor since these were marked with the mum and were Imperial property. The dust covers were most likely discarded when these rifles were put into huge piles at the end of conflict, the bolts being taken out of the rifles to make it easy to determine whether the rifles were loaded or not (also leading to many of these having non-matching bolts), or they were discarded by returning soldiers who brought them home. Lastly, others were probably lost sometime during the export/import process for ones that came into the country later on. The rattle noise myth is BS just like the "Garand ping" endangering a soldier by letting the enemy know he is empty. War is loud, nobody can hear a little rattle or a ping except for occasional cases of Jungle warfare. For the most part, little noises like a ping or rattle aren't even a consideration in the type of battle these were used in.
"Extremely poorly made" is a terribly inaccurate description for the "last ditch" Type 99. Yes, the fit and finish is very rough and it has fewer features than an early war. But the steel is as strong as any Arisaka ever made, it will handle the same abuse any early war gun would. Source: I own one.
It depends on the last days of the war last ditch rifle could have bad steel and such supplies where thin it depends just because yours is okay dosent mean there all okay
@@issstari954 there is really no evidence to support that and logically why would anyone, no matter how desperate, supply guns that are more risk to the shooter than the enemy. its not like a a 'kamikaze' attack where the pay off for a single soldier is huge. the last ditch were just rough around the edges and simplified as heck. the important parts of the gun are just as viable as the earlier production. i getthe feeling its a myth that spread because people shere shooting the training rifle variant of the arisaka (not at all made to used an actual weapon) they failed hard andthe two ended up getting grouped together as being the cause
@@yareyare_dechi infact there was the common Japanese handgun could fire without pulling the trigger they made improvised explosives for a desperate defense of the mainland not all weapons made by a grind and file are going to work so well
@@yareyare_dechi Actually its very relevant your point was why would the Japanese military supply guns that might not work so well.You have to kind of see it from their prospective factories have been bombed to oblivion.They have limited resources and an invasion seems right a round the corner.So at this point its do or die they by whatever means need to arm the people and fast.They cut the triming and polishing a while ago but at this point it was both tooth and nail.
Love how you seem more laid back during these recent videos. Always excellent info done professionally, but now with a little more HUMOR! Never boring. Keep up the great vids!
I'm old enough to remember when Woolworth's would have drums full of these--Type 38 and 99--in thier sporting goods department for sale; $45.99 a piece! LOL. But back then $45 was a half week worth of wages
Loved the video! I found "my" Type 38 in a garbage can when I was 8 years old (in 1951) in Chula Vista CA. It was rusted and consisted of only the barreled action, but the bolt cycled, and I had a good day playing with it, my imagination running wild! Of course, my Mom promptly confiscated it, and I never saw it again... Fast forward to 2001--- my Dad, then 81 (Normandy Beach, Battle of the Bulge) gave his modest collection to me....along with the rusted Arisaka! My treasure back, at last! I cleaned off the rust, blued the metal, found a stock, bayonet and dust cover on Ebay and re-finished them. Re-loaded the 6.5 Jap (ammo hard to find then), and had a blast shooting the old beast...yep, crappy trigger, but it shot better than I. Mum was ground off, probably not worth anything to a real collector, but is fun to shoot, it's purdy, and it's mine!
honestly love this video, since I was a kid (37 now) I have always had a love for WWI/WWII firearms, mostly the rifles. they tend to be affordable to buy, fun to shoot, reliable and they look good. I always tend to pick up oddballs when I find them to add to my collection. Thank you for the content
I have a type 99 handed down from my grandfather he aquired from a marine on his ship, and i always wondered about the monopod. However one day just staring at it I put a stick through the holes on the bottom made it really stable and thats the only reasonable explination i have for it.
Really nice to see other people appreciate these rifles. By far my favorite bolt action rifles. I own a Type 38 Long, Type 38 Carbine in nearly perfect condition and a Type 99 in decent condition. Thanks for the video, really loved it!
The Japanese rarely if ever removed their dust covers in combat, doing so was considered defacing the Emperor's rifles and subject to severe punishment....plus its a common misconception that it rattled, it didnt, it only did as the bolt was cycling...and that was obviously after youve just fired a shot, so its a moot point to make
The defacing was done by General McAurther orders on Depot captures to not have Americans seen carrying the Imperial logo in unrespectful ways. Before surrender the Japanese were required to bow to the Emperor's image when they see it.
Very True! There are tons of Pictures of Surrendered Arisakas with Dust covers and Monopods intact! Matching Ariskas with the correct numbered dust cover does not rattle and certainly does not move when the bolt was closed. Capturing G.I.'s have been known to removed them once they made it stateside to make "sporters" out of them.
Kevin Collver ya i was watching forgotten weapons or inrange i think and Ian said that one big reason the dust covers arent intact is because when vets were coming home the commanding officer on the boats would make the GIs take out the bolts and then they got them back at the end of the trip, and thats how a lot of them got lost.
Thanks for the video. I own a type 99 handed down from my grandfather who passed away when I was very young I knew he had brought the gun home from WW2 but I had no idea what it was due to the foreign stamping or any of the cool features you covered in the video. Thanks again...
@@Bamiyanbigasf For someone who isn't familiar with the writing systems of Japanese and Chinese, it isn't so simple. I have had a huge number of people ask me "How can you tell if it's Japanese or Chinese?" when translating text.
Tim, just a quick comment. I didn't give a crap about either of these rifles, but watching your passion for them in your videos still always holds my interest and makes me care by the end of the video. Thanks for doing these. ---JB
I just picked up an Arisaka Type 38. Collecting WW2 rifles is my hobby. I scored a 1932 example from the Tokyo arsenal. Beauty of a gun, just need to get me some 6.5 JP. The lock up on the action on the 38 is incredible. Probably the smoothest bolt action in my collection, close tie with action on my No 1 Mk 3 SMLE at the very least. Only down side is that the Mum's got a marking on it, and a screw as well. Now normally that's a downside. But in this case I think it's kind of a bonus, as the marking in question is an "Out of Service" marking. This particular Type 38 was discharged from the IJA, then sent to a Japanese school for cadet rifle training. It's got the name of said school burned into the stock. I can for sure say that the kids took excellent care of said rifle. No import marks either, so thanks to the GI who brought her back. Admittedly I got lucky on her on gunbroker. Seller had an $800 buy it now and I managed to spend about half that, so the auctions can break in your favor too y'all. Unfortunately now I need a Type 99 to round off the pair... While I look for an M1917 American Enfield.... And a German marked Kar98... It never really ends does it gents?
The great gunsmith, P.O. Ackley, did a "torture test" on the major bolt action rifles of the time; the Arisaka was the only one he couldn't blow up. He had nothing but praise for 'em. I owned a "sporterized" Arisaka (Ackley built sporters on these, and I was lucky enough to have one) and in .308, it was terrific. So by all means, let the know-nothings continue to deride these rifles; helps keep the price down.
I grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania in the 1970’s and one day when I was probably about 13 or 14 years old my dad comes home with a complete Arisaka model 99! I was so excited and he had the complete backstory to it since he probably was having one or two beers at a tavern with the seller who was doing the same and telling the story, the bayonet was sooo! long! I remember the dust cover, mum and the mono pod, the rear sights might have had the anti aircraft horizontal’s? We took it out and fired it at a range but the ammunition we bought was as you said expanding and there was difficulty ejecting the empty shells, but it was an amazing experience for me, and I then started to notice that there were many local gun shops with many Japanese and other WWII rifles for sale but nearly all in very poor condition. Thanks for your video!!!!
Just picked up a type 99 today for $430. It is my first and is all matching numbers as far as I can tell and it still has its mum and dust cover. It is an amazing rifle!
I loved your video. And probably more for nostalgic reasons than educational. My father was in the Navy in world war II and brought back two of these. Through your video I learned that the one that I have is the 99. The history you speak of is absolutely fascinating. It brought me great joy to think of my dad again. He was a radio operator stationed on a destroyer off the coast of Iwo Jima. Although he did not see the flag go up he noticed that one day it was there. Thanks!
Last time an Arisaka came up as a topic of conversation on my local collector's forum, there were a number of comments to the effect of "a lot of those rifles have cast receivers and aren't safe to shoot". And, that "no Arisaka should be shot unless it's been carefully vetted by a competent gunsmith." It is my understanding that the only cast guns were training rifles and that while unsafe to shoot, but that they are rare (and easy to spot as they aren't even rifled). My understanding doesn't come close to matching the moaning and handwringing I experienced on that forum. Have I missed something here?Just as an aside, our family's 2 type 99s are a joy to shoot, and would get more use if the ammo was more commonly available. We have one with no mum or extra goodies, and one with the mum, sights and bipod. They both shoot REALLY well.Love 'em.
I've heard they're all unsafe, but that's been proven false. Also, I've read from actual collectors that even last ditch rifles aren't unsafe to shoot, they're just ugly and highly inaccurate.
The Japanese Navy had their own model of the Type 99 which did have a cast receiver, but they were safe to shoot because the chamber was completely within the rear of the barrel and the bolt locked into that. So the receiver was only used to feed the rounds from the magazine into the chamber and to align the bolt - it was not subjected to the stress of firing.
I inherited three Type 38s with mum and dust cover years ago. Two are in horrible condition and one is excellent. They’ve been sitting quietly in the safe for 15 years. I finally pulled the nice one out and started fiddling with it. I really appreciate your detail and enthusiasm. I look forward to eventually finding ammo and trying a few rounds. Thanks for your efforts.
The dust cover was NOT supposed to be removed from both the Type 38 and 99. Frontline troops are supposed to keep it on their rifles at all times and if anyone caught without it, they'll be marshalled while later in the war, these last ditch rifles had them removed to save on materials. That's why there are a whole heap of weapon that's taken back from Guadacanal that still has it's dust covers while many taken back from the other later conflicts like Luzon, Saipan, Okinawa and Iwo Jima mostly had already lost it's dust cover due to cost saving methods and it's actually pretty redundant to have it as the rifles works well without it too. However, Japanese snipers were an exception. Most of them could take off the dust cover without any military setbacks as they complained that it rattles when they're running with it thus most of them have it removed. Another theory was that most of these guns were taken off the IJA hands when the surrender was being administered and the American military had a habit of stripping enemy military guns with bolts away from their barrels and stocks while pilling these two items away from each other thus the dust cover suffered the same fate. While they piece back the rifle, they decided that putting back the dust cover was so much of a hassle that they also omitted it thus you'll see many surplus Arisaka in the market be it a Type 38 or 99 that comes with monopod or dust covers missing and certainly mismatched bolt numbers. Oh one more thing. Arisaka had nothing to do with these rifles. Arisaka made the Type 30 while it's Kijiro Nambu, John Moses Browning of Japan that took the Type 30 and envisioned it into the Type 38.
Not really but they would get into serious trouble and many heavy punishment if they were to take out the dust cover but yes, many Japanese soldiers were in fact killed by their officers for even the smallest mistake during the final 2 years of the war.
When the Type 99 was first adopted by the IJA, I believe you could shoot down some aircraft with the sights, like recon planes, or light fighters. Of course shooting down something like an F4-U Corsair, or a P-51 is just out of the question. The sights on the wings go up to 300 Knots, which is around 555 Km/h, well under the top speeds of those 2 aircraft. Also, I have read that Japanese Snipers preferred using the Type 97 (6.5mm Sniper rifle) over the Type 99 (7.7mm Sniper Rifle) because of the longer barrels and lighter caliber. In the jungle and other low-light conditions, the Type 97 produces less report than its 7.7mm sidekick, combined with the Snipers hiding in foliage made them very hard to spot. Now on your statement about dust covers... it's kinda iffy. There's sources that support both opinions, but my theories on the dust cover mainly come from pictures from the war (I'd love to ask my grandpa but he was a sailor, not a Marine, he don't know much about the enemy rifles and such). Most of the pictures of IJA/IJN Regiments I find on the Internet show the soldiers with their 100% complete Arisaka rifles, all parts attached. It is only when I see pictures of US servicemembers with the rifles I see lack of some attachments. I believe the US Marines, being unfamiliar with how to take them apart became frustrated with the dust cover, and just discarded them. But that is just my theory, not sure if it would be true or not. My friend's Grandfather was an IJN soldier in Manchuria in the late 30s, so I am sure he used the Type 38, although there would be a huge language barrier if I asked him, lol!
Wow! This is amazing, I love that you are holding pieces of our history and maybe someday people will learn to appreciate these as much as we do after we pass.
Good video. Keep up the good work. Shot one of those type 99s just the other day. It was the first time the gun has been shot since 1945. The last person who fired it was a Japanese soldier. The guy who brought it back never fired it. The gun was dead accurate at 100 yards. We were stunned.
I managed to pick up a Type 38 carbine and a Type I several years ago, some of the best rifles I've ever shot and used. I recommend finding a Type I if you can, most people haven't even heard of them, pretty damn collectible rifle, with a cool history.
My two Great Uncles from the Philippines were US Army Philippine Scouts who joined 2 years before WWII started back in the home country.When the war started and they fought on Bataan.They regarded the Japanese infantry as professional soldiers and they gave them a very fearsome reputation as very very tough man to fight against.These rifles you have are very robust,reliable,and accurate.Later on after all Filipino and American forces had surrendered they managed to escape and fight the Japanese with their issued Springfield M1903s which every Philippine Scout loved until Mac Arthur came back in 1944.They did shoot Japanese soldiers to get more weapons for their guerillia unit they were forming to arm the rest of their unit.These are not junk rifles.The only difference was Philippine Scouts loved their M1903s very much,some used M1917 Enfields for finer shooting.The Scouts were notorious marksmen who were trained to higher standards.Fine collection indeed!!!
Nice videos and really nice rifles. I've collected quite a number of Japanese firearms in the past. Lemme set some things straight. The Japanese soldier wasn't removing dust covers and monopods. That Imperial crest on the receiver is to let that soldier know that it's his emperor's property and his sergeant would have beaten him if he took a part of the emperor's rifle and just threw it away. If you look at historical pictures of these rifles used in combat they all have their dust covers on the rifles. The dust covers also aren't useless. The Type 38 and 99 were designed to fight in China, where it's very dusty. Combat in China showed that the earlier Type 30 rifles became clogged with dust and there are pictures of Japanese soldiers wrapping the action with cloth to keep dust out of the action. Also in the Type 38 they opened the chambers up to allow dust that got into the action to not keep the bolt from closing. That's why the cases bulge so much. And when you're talking about why the sights go up to 2,400 meters and 1,500 meters, the reason was for volley fire. The idea is not for a soldier to fire out to 2,400 meters, it's for the whole unit to fire at 2,400 meters under order from their officer. The idea came about really before machine guns came into wide adoption, but it's a valid tactic that works. The same idea was for the anti-aircraft sights. It wasn't for one soldier to fire at an aircraft, it was for a whole unit to fire on the aircraft. And they weren't shooting at bombers or fighters, they were to be shooting at unarmored observation aircraft to prevent them from calling in artillery on their heads. And every military teaches their soldiers to fire on aircraft (and helicopters) even today, the Japanese were no different. It's more of a harassment thing anyways. A pilot isn't going to keep flying around for long if he's being shot at.
your type 38 it is extremely beautiful and clean...such a great looking rifle!!i live in greece...we dont have such firearms here but i am a big fan of japanese ww2 bolt action rifles!they are just gorgeous to look!! :)
I remember that back in the late 1990's these rifles went for less than $50. I looked into them and the consensus was that they weren't worth the money. The Moison Nagant was was in the same sort of situation. They were about $80. I wish that I had bought fifty of each.
Thanks. I use the Aroska Type 99 Rifle in my cosplay and gaming. It's my most used rifle in those two catagorys and saved my life so many times I lost count. I recommend this rifle.
As for the MUM... I have always read that since it marked the rifle as the Emperor's property, an intact MUM meant it was either abandoned or picked up off the battlefield, a defaced MUM meant that the rifle was surrendered to an American GI, and they were allowed to quickly deface the MUM, and a ground off MUM meant that it was done by the occupation army after the war before an American GI was allowed to take it home. MacArthur basically ordered this because showing respect to the Emperor made it easier on him to help rebuild Japan after the war.
It wasn't just a respect the emperor thing, the symbol was also a sign of pride for the soldier himself. The little mum symbol was entirely a gesture meant to elevate the soldier into having a kind of warrior-status on par with the samurai of old. In the same way Samurai would decorate their swords with the symbol of their houses or lords as proof of their station, the soldiers carried firearms with the seal of the Imperial Family granting them status as protectors/warriors of the Japanese emperor and his people. Allowing Japanese soldiers to deface the mum before handing it over allowed them to surrender their arms without symbolically surrendering their status as loyal warriors of Japan. What MacArthur lacked in pure military ability he more than made up for in insight into other cultures and a penchant for understanding and grasping the human/cultural element of war that turns what could have been bloody occupations into decades-long alliances.
Inherited one of these(type 38--6.5mm)from an old uncle and it was an original infantry rifle: though without bayonet or dust cover. Local gunsmith drilled&tapped it for scope mount after turning the bolt handle(which was another story). Then I junked the infantry stock in favor of a modern Reinhard Fajen sporting stock. After sighting it in my gunsmith advised me not to touch the stock bedding, etc. because with just a standard 4X Tasco scope it would just about do the proverbial driving nails at 100 yards--with standard Norma 6.5mm Jap brass reloaded w. 140 grain loads. Fact is my old gunsmith ruefully admitted he only had one other rifle in his arsenal that would shoot tighter groups and that being a custom Weatherby in something like .257 Mag. Because of difficulty getting factory ammo for it nowadays am seriously considering having it re-chambered for something like .260 Remington though have also had cause to regret sporterizing it in first place.
I never really wanted an Arisaka for the collection based on the misguided knowledge they weren't well made rifles. This video not only changed my mind, but now I know what to look for when I find one. Thanks for another great video, Tim.
One of the best bolt guns of the war after the war ended the US did extensive testing on these rifles it could withstand more pressure than any other rifle at the time the early ones were incredible except the late war models which aren't that great due to resources. Nothings perfect Mausers for example in the cold russian winters would snap firing pins bolts would lock up break etc. German troops were picking up dead russian Mosin nagants because of this just saying know your facts!
Thank you for doing this video. I have my Grandfathers "Battlefield Pick-up" Type 38. It's nice to learn more about this rifle. This rifle will remain in my collection and will be passed down to my sons. I believe it holds an important place in our history.
I have a Type 99 rifle that was given to me by my late uncle Robert shortly before he died. He brought it back from the Pacific with him at the end of the war, and it includes a couple of things that I haven't seen in any other rifle. Mine has the Imperial Chrysanthemum intact, the bipod and dust cover, but it also has the green plastic muzzle cap, bayonet, scabbard, and cleaning kit. It also had the original sling when I got it, but it had been in my uncle's attic for 30 years wrapped up in an oily cloth and the sling had significantly deteriorated. It had dried out so badly that it was stiff as a board and crumbled when I tried to remove it to treat it. The rifle has a significant recoil since it fires the 7.7mm cartridge, but it's VERY accurate and is a very solid, well-made rifle.
I just inherited a type 99 from my father. It's hard to get ammunition for. Mine is also missing the dust cover, the monopod, and the cleaning rod. It does, however, still have the Imperial chrysanthemum.
Nice weapons 99 & 38. I've been looking to buy 99 but buying online is difficult. Thank you for sharing ammo is expensive $38 to $60 for 20 rounds 7.7. Your Japanese 99 & 38 look much nicer than any I've seen online price $300 to $1,500. I do not want to buy AR15 which most people want. Iam not an expert in Japanese weapons but thought 99 would be a good alternative to AR-15 maybe not. Most online 98 &38 had no mum or partial mum, no dust cover or sling or tripod. Some numbers or no number on bolt. Keep your 99 & 38 they are in very good condition & you have bayonet & sling. I think you have made good choice in choosing 99 & 38 a great investment!!
The name on the type 99 is 生原, which is something like Ikuhara or Ikehara. Japanese names can have many different pronunciations so I can't be totally sure how it was pronounced. The name on the type 38 安something. I can't make out the second kanji it is too warn out. Hope this helps.
You mention the "bulge" on the spent casings, that is caused by the over sized chambers used by the Japanese manufactures. It was found the use of oversized chambers on automatic weapons aided in casing extraction, so that manufacturing aspect was carried thru to rifles. The issue it causes now days is that it limits the number of times you can reload fired casings. My experience you can re-load once fired casings only one time, before the case ruptures. The good thing is the rifle is built to handle that problem. You didn't mention the vent holes on top of the receiver ...2 on the type 38 and 1 on the type 99. These holes vent the gas pressure, when the casing ruptures, thru them and "help" protect the shooter. So re-loading is possible and not on the scale of other military rifles (30-06, 8mm, 303, and etc). One trick for the die hard Arisaka shooters/re-loaders, take some 1/4" wide masking tape and make one rap around the base of the cartridge just above the extraction grove. This will center the cartridge inside the over sized chamber so when the bullet is fired the expansion is equally spread around the casing, and not just to one side when you do not use the tape. you might get 3 to 4 reloads using this method. But a good inspection is needed on ever casing to be safe. I myself have 2 Arisaka type 38's, one the standard long rifle and one a carbine ( this one my Dad drug out of a cave in the Luzon early 45) I love shooting both from time to time. Interesting watching people who are gun fanciers, come up and wanting to know what I'm shooting, or the ones that think I'm risking my life firing such poorly make weapons! ...Sometimes I can change there minds! *G*
After WWII, the Aberdeen Proving Grounds conducted pressure tests of service bolt actions: Arisaka, K98, '03 Springfield, and I believe the '17 Enfield. All of the service bolt actions failed at 90K PSI or less and the Arisaka withstood 120K PSI and didn't fail. I'd say you're right.
I remember one test, where the Arisaka and the other military fifles of that era were fed with various overloads of rifle powder, and then proceed to fast burning pistol powders. When finally all the others fail and the Arisaka got his last meal, case filled with dynamite. Well, the action did not fail but barrel cut off just ahead of chamber... Correct me, if I'm wrong...I remember I have read this at 1990's US gun magazines.
Not quite. But close. The arisaka is build to withstand serious punishment from environment. And well some of the parts were better designed. The materials and heat treatment were less in quality. Think of the arisaka 38/99 as an ak47/74 and the g98/k98k where the m16/4 of the time
I have two of my father's old Arisaka Type 99 in 30-06 I was told 1 is issued and the other 1 is not but sat in the armory and was issued to the Korean army during that conflict and both still shoot awsome...
It is a true 38 expression. The emperor's emblem remains on the top of the cylinder. A Japanese collector would ask you to sell at a great price. But how did he get this gun?
Last year I got an old arisaka type 38 that had been sitting in a damp Philippine warehouse for decades, still had matching bolt and everything, even though the outside of the barrel was incredibly rusted and pitted the action was still in near perfect condition, made a (crap) new stock for it and gave it a test, the damn thing still shoots accurately at 100 metres, definitely one of my favourite rifles for hunting.
My Grandpa has an Arisaka receiver, barreled in 6MM Remington and in a Mannlichter stock. Beautiful gun and it's taken more deer than anyone can count. Still has the chrysanthemum, but it's half covered by the scope mount! I think he picked the receiver cheap at a gun show and had a gunsmith friend of his build it for him. Has the best trigger of any rifle I've shot. Not sure if it's a Type 38 or 99.
When I was a kid there was a barrel at the local hardware store full of them. $5.00 for any one, first come first serve, No kids! God I miss America......this place now cannot compare
These are great rifles to sporterize for hunting. There are plenty of chopped up examples around to start with. A popular thing years ago was to "Set back" the barrel about 1/4" and re-cut the chamber to .300 Savage. I had one from a yard sale and @ 100 yards it was really accurate. You still run into them at shows. I used to collect them (Over 200) and auctioned them off when I moved to a smaller place. I would run into a guy at Allentown shows that had HUNDREDS of them. Because of the steel used, it is the only military rifle from WWII that can safely be REALLY lightened up for a hunting rifle. I still have two I kept to hunt deer with and it is like walking around all day with nothing but a stick in your hand. As someone mentioned, the receivers stayed the same quality right up to the "Last ditch" models, but the barrels were of a lesser grade steel and were not chrome lined. A little knowledge when you go to buy helps. There are training rifles and cast iron Navy rifles out there. Just be careful what you buy if you want a shooter.
I have two type 38's and a type 99. That buldging of the 6.5x50 case is exactly what my two type 38's do. I actually reload my ammo for my type 38's. Once fired, I just neck size the brass and the reloads work fine. Personally I like the sights on these rifles as well as the similar sights on my Persian and Swedish Mausers. I grew up using those types of sights. I don't understand why people these days seem to have so much issue with the type of sights on the type 38. I love the anti aircraft sight 'wings' on the type 99 sight.
***** Well stop acting like I must be "normal." Did I say it was racist with my last comment? No, you need to stop acting like I must fit the norm. There is no reason I have to be "normal" dumbass
My buddies dad brought back a 7.7 without the dust cover or bipod from WW2. He was unsure of what caliber it was and so we first purchased a box of Norma 6.5 Jap but were dismayed to find they were incorrect. Next trip to the mainland(We grew up on an offshore Maine island in the 1960s.) I talked the hardware store owner into swapping them for a box of Norma 7.7s. The 180 grain loading was terrific! ( although hard to find and expensive!)The short stock was perfect for his little brothers and that rifle has collected a number of whitetail deer over the years.
Just picked up a type 99 yesterday at a gun show. I didn't know anything about it, but just seemed to speak to me. Learning quite a bit about it, and glad I picked it up.
Emperor Hirohito did not order or condone the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In fact, he was essentially a powerless figurehead throughout the entire war. Prior to the war, the Japanese military, headed by General Hideki Tojo, basically staged a bloodless coup of the government and took political power of the nation from the Emperor. Tojo ran the show, Hirohito and his royal treasury footed the bill. The reason for the grinding of the Mum was not just Japanese imperial mysticism. It was because the rifles belonged to, as in were literally the property of, Emperor Hirohito. The chrysanthemum was Hirohito's family crest, so it was engraved into the rifle to show that they were the personal property of the royal arsenal. When the war ended and the rifles were surrendered to Allied custody, they ceased to be the Emperor's property, therefore the mum was removed to show that they were no longer in his ownership.
@Mike Collins Hirohito was kept forcibly apart from the public by the military government. Even IF he had wanted to, they would not let him meet the public. I doubt he would have wanted to be meeting the public since he would have been raised to not see that as a role for the Emperor. The Japanese Army and Navy usurped control from the civilian government and used the Emperor to legitimize their claim to governing. When Hirohito went to record the notice of surrender in 1945, Army officers tried to seize the recordings but failed. There is debate as to how much responsibility he holds for the conflicts in Asia but it is recognized that the defeated military government took responsibility to deflect blame from the Emperor and spare that position. Plus, MacArthur wanted the Emperor of Japan to remain as a rallying point for the new Japan, plus other reasons. There are, of course, no memoirs and any private thoughts he had were either never expressed or kept secret by a few. Perhaps the Heisei Emperor knows his father's thoughts, maybe not. Post-War, Hirohito could, arguably, be said to have been more effective as he was more open to the public after renouncing his divinity. He was much more of a public figure as he visited sites for reconstruction and talked with people. There are plenty of criticisms to be made about the Showa Emperor but "useless" is a very poor one since conditions pre-, during, and post-war were all very different. He fulfilled the role MacArthur gave him of serving to rebuild Japan as its central figure in a new constitutional monarchy. A lot of blame for the position's inefficacy can also be laid on Hirohito's father, the Taisho Emperor, who was very weak-willed and sickly man. The Meiji Emperor was very well-respected after the Restoration but, under Taisho's poor leadership, the position lost a lot of its political power. The common soldiers adored the Meiji Emperor because he was always visiting them, showing himself at parades, and talking to them. The Taisho Emperor didn't like the military so he stayed away and that meant the soldiers' loyalty switched to the generals and admirals. Which is how the Army and Navy seized control from the democratically-elected civilian government and used the Showa Emperor as their claim to legitimacy. By the time, Hirohito became Emperor, the top command were telling soldiers to do illegal things "for the Emperor's sake" and the common soldiers had no direct connection to the Emperor to know what he wanted.
@Mike Collins Actually, no it didn't. The system was essentially a copy of the Prussian model, replacing the Kaiser with the Emperor and a few modifications. As we see from history, the Prussians went on to unify the German states into the German Empire, which only collapsed because of the terrible conflicts in WW1. The Japanese government failed because military leaders stopped following the rules and principles of the Constitution which the Meiji-era civilians and military officers set in place. Any system of government fails when people stop following the rule of law. After all, during the Meiji period, Japanese modernized and participated in three successful military campaigns where they acquitted themselves, much to every European's. First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), and Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). When the system worked, it worked well. Even the early days of the Taisho period showed how well it worked. From 1912 to the 1920s, Japan expanded its modernization efforts and became well known as the most modern country in Asia. It was even trending towards becoming a democracy when the Great Depression hit. And that caused the military to decide that it was better at leading than any civilian.
There seems to be a disconnect between the written description and the commentary. "The Japanese Arisaka Type 38 and 99 rifles are among the best bolt action rifles fielded during WWII." Though in the video there's constant reference to the trigger being terrible, the dust cover (actually designed to keep wind, dirt, and sand out of the action) and bad sights. So which is it Tim? I have a 1942 Type 99 WITH dust cover (and it's not more or less smooth with it on) and don't see any of negative things except the trigger is a bit heavy. Of course these ARE military rifles and were used to beat every enemy except us.
My uncle visited Japan shortly after the Second World War and picked up dozens of these rifles for next to nothing. Mine is the last example my family still owns. I've never shot it but maybe this video gave me some inspiration. Thanks!
I own dozens of Japanese rifles. Here are a few things I would like to point out:
1. "Last ditch" rifles are safe to shoot. The Japanese did "cut corners" on non-critical parts (wooden buttplates instead of metal, non-adjustable rear sights, less stock finishing, etc) but not on the core action, right to the end of the war. Arisaka rifles including "last ditch" rifles have the strongest actions of all World War (I and II) bolt actions.
2. Japanese soldiers probably did not remove dust covers and monopods themselves, and probably would have been harshly disciplined if they had altered their issued weapons without permission. The dust covers were probably removed by the Allies after the rifles were captured or surrendered. The monopods and anti-aircraft sights were dropped by manufacturers during the war to conserve resources and simplify production.
3. The anti-aircraft sights were not supposed to be used by single riflemen. The field manual shows groups of soldiers were supposed to lie on their backs and fire a simultaneous volley to try to bring down a low-flying aircraft.
4. A missing mum reduces but does not "destroy" the collector value of Japanese rifles. Many collectors use the at least 2 out of 3 rule. Matching numbers, intact mum, and original stock finish are considered. 3 out of 3 is best, but any 2 out of 3 is acceptable. Original slings are a plus, as are early features like monopods and anti-aircraft sight.I prefer rifles with intact mums and most of my rifles have intact mums but I have purchased several rifles with a defaced mum but in otherwise excellent condition, matching, complete, and original.
5. Japanese rifles have clever engineering. The stock is made from two pieces of wood to conserve material and to reduce breaks at the toe of the stock because the grain of the wood of the bottom piece runs parallel to the bottom. The stocks have water drain holes to remove moisture. Type 99s had chrome-lined bores and polygonal rifling, which are common now but were advanced then. The bolt is extremely easy to disassemble and assemble without tools. They have extended tangs to reinforce the wrist of the stock to reduce cracks. The safety was intentionally designed to be manipulated with the palm of the hand so soldiers could manipulate it while wearing gloves in the cold of Korea and northern China. The heat treating of the receivers was the best of all military rifles.
Thank you.
Honestly, most of the rumors about Imperial Japanese rifles being crap comes from US servicemen getting their hands on training rifles, designed to fire blanks, and mistakenly putting live ammo in them, resulting in extreme malfunctions, damaging both weapon and user.
Interesting hobby. Since the Japanese made these capable of firing different size rounds that may have been gotten from American, Brits, and Aussies, what size rounds have you been able to fire in them without reboring? .303, .308, 06 (25 -06 or 30-06)??
What about filling up the ground section of the receiver, re-stamping the mum and re-bluing to original finish?
"Type 99s had chrome-lined bores and polygonal rifling, which are common now but were advanced then." They have Metford rifling which was developed to reduce the build-up of fowling from shooting black powder cartridges. Polygonal rifling is a much older process than many people realize and was very common with black powder guns.
Family name of Type 38 is 安達 Mr. Adachi, and Type 99 is 生原 Mr. Ikuhara. I was a sergeant of Japan Ground Self Defense Force, not Imperial Japanese Army. I have an experience to shoot Arisaka Type 38, Type 99, Type 44 and US M1 carbine, M1 Garand. There are great guns, but fire power is BIG different between US semi-auto and Japanese bolt-action. However, I know that both side of soldiers of US and Japan fight valiantly.
+SGT JGSDF Thank you!!!
Thank you, sir. It is true, all did fight with courage and determination. Now we cooperate in friendship and determination. It should be this way.
I did some training exercises with you guys in Okinawa when I was stationed there, you guys are very professional and I'm proud to call you allies.
The US did horrible things during that period... but so did the Japanese. Japan's POW camps of the time are infamous and not to mentiion Alexandra Hospital, Nanking, Palawan and Sook Ching Massacres. War was hell back then and it was fueled with racism and hatred..
I agree. One must not lose themselves in the chains of the past. The United States and the Japanese are allies now.
the anti-aircraft sights were not totally "dumb." You have to understand that they were designed for fighting in places like China, where the aircraft were often slow-moving biplanes and the like.
Doctor Soggy true
How did this guy mount a scope in the arisaka, its a standard infantry rifle not a sniper, therefore no scope mount
Pilipinas Facts TV actually the standard IJA sniper rifle was just an ariaska with nothing more than scope slapped on. literally nothing else
So its their aircraft that is DUMB.
@@Cpt_John_Price I think the idea was that you spread a bunch of guys out and had them all shooting up into the path of a low flying plane on the theory that if there's enough metal flying around, some of it might hit. I saw a picture once of Japanese troops practicing. They had a platoon or so lying on their backs on a slope with their rifles pointed up at about a 60-70 degree angle.
Great video and extremely informative. One minor correction: I've noticed Americans using the term 'Imperial Mum' about these Arisaka rifles on many channels - it should be 'Imperial Mon' meaning 'crest' in English, the chrysanthemum symbol of the Imperial Family. Again, brilliant video and I also enjoyed your video on the Nambu Type 14.
People say mum as short for chrysanthemum, its just a thing people do idk why
Bruh you've literally just read off wikipedia articles for your vids on Japan. You made hilariously bad mistakes in the Asano and Tarawa vids.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthe mum
mum
Mon is fine but no one says that.
Wow didn’t expect to find your channel in this comment section. Keep up the great work Mark
Mark is here
My father (USMC, 1st Div. 7th Marines) brought home a Arisaka Type 99 "Last Ditch" after serving in the Pacific in WWII. I've owned it for more than 20 years and found your video very informative about the Type 38 and 99 rifles. Thanks for the education. I now appreciate it all the more. I hesitated to shoot it, but now will start the process to make sure it is operational and take it to the range. Cheers, Marty
When I was a kid, my "let's play army" gun was the envy of the neighborhood, probably because it was a real Type 99 with the AA sights (firing pin removed). Something that likely wouldn't be tolerated today.
That'd be front page news today! lol
Nice! I can tell that you and I are not from today's generation. You play that game nowadays and you'll have the NSA, CIA, FBI, and Homer Simpson-land security with a boot on your neck so fast you wouldn't have time to say, "Gulag archipelago." You are definitely right, I am envious of you even today. The closest I can say my friends and I came to that was when my little friend Johnny came to play army and he had a cap gun that actually had a few 45 ACP rounds in it. Great times!
Probably because pointing a real gun at people is a stupid thing to do, especially since cops and bystanders don't know the pin isn't in it.
@@dylanhaugen3739 Oh Jesus....cry me a river 😒 look I played those kinds of games when I was a kid and nobody batted an eyelash. You aren't pointing a real gun at the other person, and as to other people not knowing...mind your own damn business. Kids should be able to play without people throwing a conniption. I'm borderline a liberal and that's some snowflake shit right there.
@mas360 Absurd people can call police for that kind of crap, I feel bad your son and his friends got put in that situation.
I read somewhere that the Japanese had a very advanced heat treating process, that's why the Arisaka`s action was so strong.
Finally picked up an Arisaka type 99 about a month ago, after a 3 year search. I was finally able to find one with all the bells and whistles and pulled the trigger. My first surplus rifle and I'm very pleased, cant wait for the collection to grow. Thanks for the video Tim!
I’m from Key West Florida and one 60’s through the early 70’s it was a military town. I got a chance to fire the Mod. 38 at the Navy range on Fleming Key and that started my life long love of the 6.5 caliber. I now have AR’s in 6.5 Grendel and a 10 in 6.5 Creedmoor that I have built myself, I’m saving up for a 6.5 Creedmoor M-1a. There was a lot of distance for “Jap” rifles back then but Chief Packard, the range master taught me to respect them. My one uncle who served in North Africa, Italy, Western Europe and the South Pacific called the 38 a 25 calibre piece of crap but I knew better. Another Uncle was a Seabee Captain and brought home a slice of a Jap Zero prop he had dredged up in Guam after the battle to clear the harbor for the US forces to used. This video brought back so many childhood memories of the stories I had I’d just like to say thank you as I treasure them and am grateful to have been able to live in an era where tales of “Out Greatest Generation” could be heard firsthand. Thanks again.
As a gun and history nut, it's awesome to see someone FINALLY shed some light on the Types 38 and 99. I too love collecting historical firearms, Japanese especially since in my opinion they seem alot more rare than say a German or Soviet or even British or American.
C&Rsenal did an extensive series reviewing WW1 rifles. In their conclusion, they found the Arisaka was their favorite rifle. It had one of the strongest actions, highest reliability, and highly accurate.
I'm 18 years old and i just purchased a type 99 Arisaka and i'm excited to start off my collection with it!
My first was a Mosin Nagant. I love my 99. If I could recommend a great rifle, the Enfields are great shooters. The M95 Steyr is also pretty fun.
@Purple Guy(1) Replying to a one year old comment?
(2) Insulting a perfectly rational comment by a young hopeful?
I see that you are very jealous...
Purple Guy I didn’t know their was an age limit on gun collecting that differs from the ownership laws. Young people can’t just want to collect guns because they are interested. You can take this gatekeeping BS and shove it.
Purple Guy bruh you have a fnaf profile picture and name gtfo
Purple Guy I’m surprised you are complaining about 18 year olds collecting guns when you sound like you’re 12. Don’t worry, I shut up after hearing that brilliant insult.
my father brought one back from Iwo. he watched the flag go up. I asked him how did he feel. he said he cried. the rifle is mine now. will be my grandsons one day.
much respect for your father
I care
Nyinx ...look up shit bag on the Web I am sure your picture will come up. BTW. Go fuck yourself
mallory1970 there's an option for "bullying and harassment" and calling someone's grandfather a coward I would classify as Bullying ;)
Thanks and respect for your fathers service so I may live free.
Very cool! Great review as expected. Thanks Brother~
Thank you! Loved the PAP video, those are going to become scarce.
A sootch post should have way more love
The Japanese 7.7x58mm cartridge was originally made for the Type 92 Heavy machine gun, but the case was "semi-rimmed" and so it wasn't compatible with any other 7.7x58mm light infantry weapons (including the Arisaka and Numbu LMG). The Japanese also had to "remake" the Type 96 Nambu LMG (originally made in 6.5mm "Genso") so it could handle the 7.7mm. The new LMG, designed in the same year as the 7.7mm Arisaka, was called the Type 99 Nambu LMG. And if two, non-compatible cartridges called "7.7" wasn't enough, the Imperial Navy and Airforce adopted a exact copy of the .303 British cartridge (dubbed 7.7x56mm Rimmed) and used it in the Airforce's Type 92 and the Navy's aerial Type 97 machine guns. Combine the addition of both the full powered 6.5x50mm and the the 6.5x50mm "Genso" ("Genso" is a reduced load used in the Type 96 Nambu LMG). -"Logistical nightmare" is a understatement.
I just bought a Type 99 today for $50. It had so much surface rust on it, the bolt didn't even move. With a little bit of steel wool and Rem Oil I got the bolt working like new. This little fricker is slicker than my M39.
Yosuke Agari wtf lol 😂 he wasn’t
Yosuke Agari wtf lol
Yall dumb .....he means dont complain wihen the fucking thing blows his bolt back into his cheek
@@yosukeagari6574 calm down
Good deal
Type 99's name tag is written "生原" which reads "Ikuhara".
Type 38's is written "安達" which reads "Adachi".
With those, there are something written in Katakana both 99 and 38.
38's can be read "サラナ"(Sarana) but I have no idea what it means.
I can't make out what it says on 99's except the last one which is "ヒ"(Hi).
Interesting! Thanks for sharing!
weeb
Thanks weeb. (Just giveing you shit I'm a weeb too ohayō fellow degenerate)
A na ta wa nihonjin de su ka? Still a beginner in Japanese :)
Dame weebs
I love my Type 99. It's missing the mum, bipod, dust cover, and those anti-aircraft sights, but it is an early model (1939) in great cosmetic condition, and a great shooter.
The light recoil was the main reason for the adoption of the 6.5mm. The weakness of the cartridge was readily apparent in the Russo-Japanese War leading to some modifications. But the 6.5 remained and was found wanting in China. The Type 99 never completely replaced the Type 38, though the 7.7 was a much better cartridge. Very good video.
This was one of my most favorite videos you've done to date, Tim. Really good production quality, and I love rifles with a story behind them. That Type 99 is a beautiful piece of history, and you explained these rifles exceptionally well.
Here's to hoping more of these types of videos come our way in the future.
If I was a japanese soldier I'd have taken off the bipod and used it as grill tongs
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH :'D
Good idea. Hmm I need a bipod for my 99, I wonder if I can use the tongs I have on the grill? They work!!
+ung427 how do you like your 99? My grandpa handed down one to me awhile back, still has the mum and original blue-Ing on the metal, only shot it once but man it's a strong round
westside4life1770 I Love it. I like the cock on closing action and the safety-piece, mine has the spiral checkering. Mine didn't come with a dust cover though. I like the over-sized extractor and giant bolt. The first time I saw it I knew the thing was robust. Then, when I learned that it had a chrome-lined bore I knew it was ahead of it's time. Mine has a ground-off mum unfortunately.
Loquaciousgamer
I Love it. I like cock action. Mine didn't cum with a dust cover. I like the over-sized cock and giant cock. The first time I saw it, I knew the thing was robust. Then when I learned that it had a chrome-lined cock, I knew it was a head of it's time. Mine has a cock grind mum.. unfortunately.
I recently was given a type 99 from my bro-in-law who picked it up on Okinawa beach in WWII. He was a sailor aboard the USS Topeka and during mopping up operations was allowed to bring it back home where he stored it safely without ever wanting to study or shoot it until recently when he knew I was a collector and would cherish it. The Mum was ground off, but he didn't know how or when. It came with the monopod and bayonet but no dust cover or sling. The amazing find was all parts were the same SN and they show virtually no wear including the bolt face and bore which tell me it was not shot much for a gun made in 1939. The gun is a Nagoya mfg. and the bayonet a Kohura mfg. w/quillon hook & metal sheath. I will search for ammo and fire it at our club range. I enjoyed your video shooting it and the type 38.
I'm from Mexico and gun laws here are horrible for civilians, for that reason i will never get to own a gun here, but I always like to see you in the range. Thanks for the videos and to let us watch guns like these.
But the cartels are allowed to have latest rifles
Join the cartels then.. Haha
Gun laws in Europe are also very strict
See that’s what they are trying to do in the states then the corrupt government and their criminal gangsters will have guns to do their bidding on the people.
@@MultiDivebomber no don’t tell people to do that, you idiot.
Didnt see any carbines in the video. Type 38 and 44 would be nice to see in a video Tim. Thank you for your content as always!
Just stumbled upon this video!! I have my Grandpa’s type 99. He got it on a beach in Japan. He was a mine sweeper for the US Navy. I have the sword. Bayonet. Rifle with mum. Anti air sights and all. The sword even has blood on it still to this day. He snuck them all home when he got out. He served in world war 2 and just passed last fall. Pretty cool to hear your story on that one!!
From one shooter / collector to another, Thank You! I bought my first type 99 from a friend who's cousin brought it back from World War II, the mum is gone, and post World War II the family cut the stock down, and cut the bolt spring, I guess to make it a little easier to shoot,I don't know why really? But it was the spare deer hunting rifle that any family member got to use who showed up to hunt who didn't own their own rifle. But I've actually been to the cemetery of the GI that brought it home, and he is buried in the same Cemetery where my wife's family is buried, so that's really special. My second type 99 is in Primo condition, I should say it's a little rough, but it has the bipod, the 16 petal chrysanthemum intact, dust cover, anti-aircraft rear sights, sling, excetera excetera, but knowing the history of the first one that I got makes that one a bit more special to me even though it's quite a beater. I actually bought hundreds of brass from Grafs and I reload for the type 99. If one is a student of military history, Japanese history, American history, it is definitely one worth owning.
I came by a Type 38 when my Grandfather passed away. It has the chrysanthemum, but it has little O's stamped into the edges of the petals. I've cleaned and lubed it up, but never fired it. No dust cover, anti aircraft wings. But it's in better condition than most I have seen.
Start Googling pics from WWII and you'll see almost every picture of a Japanese soldier will show his dust cover still on the rifle. The "Japanese soldiers tossed their dust covers" seems to be a myth from my research into the matter. The soldiers wouldn't have modified or thrown away parts to their weapons for any reason. This would have been seen as disrespecting the Emperor since these were marked with the mum and were Imperial property. The dust covers were most likely discarded when these rifles were put into huge piles at the end of conflict, the bolts being taken out of the rifles to make it easy to determine whether the rifles were loaded or not (also leading to many of these having non-matching bolts), or they were discarded by returning soldiers who brought them home. Lastly, others were probably lost sometime during the export/import process for ones that came into the country later on. The rattle noise myth is BS just like the "Garand ping" endangering a soldier by letting the enemy know he is empty. War is loud, nobody can hear a little rattle or a ping except for occasional cases of Jungle warfare. For the most part, little noises like a ping or rattle aren't even a consideration in the type of battle these were used in.
"Extremely poorly made" is a terribly inaccurate description for the "last ditch" Type 99. Yes, the fit and finish is very rough and it has fewer features than an early war. But the steel is as strong as any Arisaka ever made, it will handle the same abuse any early war gun would. Source: I own one.
It depends on the last days of the war last ditch rifle could have bad steel and such supplies where thin it depends just because yours is okay dosent mean there all okay
@@issstari954 there is really no evidence to support that and logically why would anyone, no matter how desperate, supply guns that are more risk to the shooter than the enemy. its not like a a 'kamikaze' attack where the pay off for a single soldier is huge. the last ditch were just rough around the edges and simplified as heck. the important parts of the gun are just as viable as the earlier production. i getthe feeling its a myth that spread because people shere shooting the training rifle variant of the arisaka (not at all made to used an actual weapon) they failed hard andthe two ended up getting grouped together as being the cause
@@yareyare_dechi infact there was the common Japanese handgun could fire without pulling the trigger they made improvised explosives for a desperate defense of the mainland not all weapons made by a grind and file are going to work so well
@@issstari954 I'm not familiar with that. But that seems irrelevant to the arisaka.
@@yareyare_dechi Actually its very relevant your point was why would the Japanese military supply guns that might not work so well.You have to kind of see it from their prospective factories have been bombed to oblivion.They have limited resources and an invasion seems right a round the corner.So at this point its do or die they by whatever means need to arm the people and fast.They cut the triming and polishing a while ago but at this point it was both tooth and nail.
Love how you seem more laid back during these recent videos. Always excellent info done professionally, but now with a little more HUMOR! Never boring. Keep up the great vids!
I'm old enough to remember when Woolworth's would have drums full of these--Type 38 and 99--in thier sporting goods department for sale; $45.99 a piece! LOL. But back then $45 was a half week worth of wages
I half expected to find a link to rock island auction house in the description lol.
I see what you did there!
maybe he forgot.
Cole Stevens
How could anyone forget this weapon?
Loved the video! I found "my" Type 38 in a garbage can when I was 8 years old (in 1951) in Chula Vista CA. It was rusted and consisted of only the barreled action, but the bolt cycled, and I had a good day playing with it, my imagination running wild! Of course, my Mom promptly confiscated it, and I never saw it again... Fast forward to 2001--- my Dad, then 81 (Normandy Beach, Battle of the Bulge) gave his modest collection to me....along with the rusted Arisaka! My treasure back, at last! I cleaned off the rust, blued the metal, found a stock, bayonet and dust cover on Ebay and re-finished them. Re-loaded the 6.5 Jap (ammo hard to find then), and had a blast shooting the old beast...yep, crappy trigger, but it shot better than I. Mum was ground off, probably not worth anything to a real collector, but is fun to shoot, it's purdy, and it's mine!
honestly love this video, since I was a kid (37 now) I have always had a love for WWI/WWII firearms, mostly the rifles. they tend to be affordable to buy, fun to shoot, reliable and they look good. I always tend to pick up oddballs when I find them to add to my collection. Thank you for the content
I have a type 99 handed down from my grandfather he aquired from a marine on his ship, and i always wondered about the monopod. However one day just staring at it I put a stick through the holes on the bottom made it really stable and thats the only reasonable explination i have for it.
Really nice to see other people appreciate these rifles. By far my favorite bolt action rifles. I own a Type 38 Long, Type 38 Carbine in nearly perfect condition and a Type 99 in decent condition. Thanks for the video, really loved it!
The Japanese rarely if ever removed their dust covers in combat, doing so was considered defacing the Emperor's rifles and subject to severe punishment....plus its a common misconception that it rattled, it didnt, it only did as the bolt was cycling...and that was obviously after youve just fired a shot, so its a moot point to make
good point
The defacing was done by General McAurther orders on Depot captures to not have Americans seen carrying the Imperial logo in unrespectful ways. Before surrender the Japanese were required to bow to the Emperor's image when they see it.
Yep
Very True! There are tons of Pictures of Surrendered Arisakas with Dust covers and Monopods intact! Matching Ariskas with the correct numbered dust cover does not rattle and certainly does not move when the bolt was closed. Capturing G.I.'s have been known to removed them once they made it stateside to make "sporters" out of them.
Kevin Collver ya i was watching forgotten weapons or inrange i think and Ian said that one big reason the dust covers arent intact is because when vets were coming home the commanding officer on the boats would make the GIs take out the bolts and then they got them back at the end of the trip, and thats how a lot of them got lost.
Thanks for the video. I own a type 99 handed down from my grandfather who passed away when I was very young I knew he had brought the gun home from WW2 but I had no idea what it was due to the foreign stamping or any of the cool features you covered in the video. Thanks again...
Skip Adington you can tell it’s a Type 99 from the dust cover alone but the Kanji or Katakana should also be a dead giveaway
@@Bamiyanbigasf For someone who isn't familiar with the writing systems of Japanese and Chinese, it isn't so simple. I have had a huge number of people ask me "How can you tell if it's Japanese or Chinese?" when translating text.
Tim, just a quick comment. I didn't give a crap about either of these rifles, but watching your passion for them in your videos still always holds my interest and makes me care by the end of the video. Thanks for doing these. ---JB
same here. i almost bypassed the video but his videos rarely disappoint.
I just picked up an Arisaka Type 38. Collecting WW2 rifles is my hobby. I scored a 1932 example from the Tokyo arsenal. Beauty of a gun, just need to get me some 6.5 JP. The lock up on the action on the 38 is incredible. Probably the smoothest bolt action in my collection, close tie with action on my No 1 Mk 3 SMLE at the very least.
Only down side is that the Mum's got a marking on it, and a screw as well. Now normally that's a downside. But in this case I think it's kind of a bonus, as the marking in question is an "Out of Service" marking. This particular Type 38 was discharged from the IJA, then sent to a Japanese school for cadet rifle training. It's got the name of said school burned into the stock. I can for sure say that the kids took excellent care of said rifle. No import marks either, so thanks to the GI who brought her back.
Admittedly I got lucky on her on gunbroker. Seller had an $800 buy it now and I managed to spend about half that, so the auctions can break in your favor too y'all.
Unfortunately now I need a Type 99 to round off the pair...
While I look for an M1917 American Enfield.... And a German marked Kar98...
It never really ends does it gents?
The great gunsmith, P.O. Ackley, did a "torture test" on the major bolt action rifles of the time; the Arisaka was the only one he couldn't blow up. He had nothing but praise for 'em. I owned a "sporterized" Arisaka (Ackley built sporters on these, and I was lucky enough to have one) and in .308, it was terrific. So by all means, let the know-nothings continue to deride these rifles; helps keep the price down.
I grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania in the 1970’s and one day when I was probably about 13 or 14 years old my dad comes home with a complete Arisaka model 99! I was so excited and he had the complete backstory to it since he probably was having one or two beers at a tavern with the seller who was doing the same and telling the story, the bayonet was sooo! long! I remember the dust cover, mum and the mono pod, the rear sights might have had the anti aircraft horizontal’s? We took it out and fired it at a range but the ammunition we bought was as you said expanding and there was difficulty ejecting the empty shells, but it was an amazing experience for me, and I then started to notice that there were many local gun shops with many Japanese and other WWII rifles for sale but nearly all in very poor condition. Thanks for your video!!!!
Just picked up a type 99 today for $430. It is my first and is all matching numbers as far as I can tell and it still has its mum and dust cover. It is an amazing rifle!
I loved your video. And probably more for nostalgic reasons than educational. My father was in the Navy in world war II and brought back two of these. Through your video I learned that the one that I have is the 99. The history you speak of is absolutely fascinating. It brought me great joy to think of my dad again. He was a radio operator stationed on a destroyer off the coast of Iwo Jima. Although he did not see the flag go up he noticed that one day it was there. Thanks!
Last time an Arisaka came up as a topic of conversation on my local collector's forum, there were a number of comments to the effect of "a lot of those rifles have cast receivers and aren't safe to shoot". And, that "no Arisaka should be shot unless it's been carefully vetted by a competent gunsmith." It is my understanding that the only cast guns were training rifles and that while unsafe to shoot, but that they are rare (and easy to spot as they aren't even rifled). My understanding doesn't come close to matching the moaning and handwringing I experienced on that forum. Have I missed something here?Just as an aside, our family's 2 type 99s are a joy to shoot, and would get more use if the ammo was more commonly available. We have one with no mum or extra goodies, and one with the mum, sights and bipod. They both shoot REALLY well.Love 'em.
Sorry ... RUclips deleted my paragraph formatting ... it WAS legible as I wrote it.
I've heard they're all unsafe, but that's been proven false. Also, I've read from actual collectors that even last ditch rifles aren't unsafe to shoot, they're just ugly and highly inaccurate.
The Japanese Navy had their own model of the Type 99 which did have a cast receiver, but they were safe to shoot because the chamber was completely within the rear of the barrel and the bolt locked into that. So the receiver was only used to feed the rounds from the magazine into the chamber and to align the bolt - it was not subjected to the stress of firing.
I inherited three Type 38s with mum and dust cover years ago. Two are in horrible condition and one is excellent. They’ve been sitting quietly in the safe for 15 years. I finally pulled the nice one out and started fiddling with it. I really appreciate your detail and enthusiasm. I look forward to eventually finding ammo and trying a few rounds. Thanks for your efforts.
Hi！ I from Japan.
so it gun very nice！
and Thank you for making good movies on RUclips all the time.
Great video and excellent review!
Was very surprised to see you here!
The dust cover was NOT supposed to be removed from both the Type 38 and 99. Frontline troops are supposed to keep it on their rifles at all times and if anyone caught without it, they'll be marshalled while later in the war, these last ditch rifles had them removed to save on materials. That's why there are a whole heap of weapon that's taken back from Guadacanal that still has it's dust covers while many taken back from the other later conflicts like Luzon, Saipan, Okinawa and Iwo Jima mostly had already lost it's dust cover due to cost saving methods and it's actually pretty redundant to have it as the rifles works well without it too.
However, Japanese snipers were an exception. Most of them could take off the dust cover without any military setbacks as they complained that it rattles when they're running with it thus most of them have it removed.
Another theory was that most of these guns were taken off the IJA hands when the surrender was being administered and the American military had a habit of stripping enemy military guns with bolts away from their barrels and stocks while pilling these two items away from each other thus the dust cover suffered the same fate. While they piece back the rifle, they decided that putting back the dust cover was so much of a hassle that they also omitted it thus you'll see many surplus Arisaka in the market be it a Type 38 or 99 that comes with monopod or dust covers missing and certainly mismatched bolt numbers.
Oh one more thing. Arisaka had nothing to do with these rifles. Arisaka made the Type 30 while it's Kijiro Nambu, John Moses Browning of Japan that took the Type 30 and envisioned it into the Type 38.
Speed Reaper so they basically killed anyone who didn't had a dust cover? Fuck I thought Japan was very friendly back in the 1940's
Not really but they would get into serious trouble and many heavy punishment if they were to take out the dust cover but yes, many Japanese soldiers were in fact killed by their officers for even the smallest mistake during the final 2 years of the war.
@@gustavoechevarria9369 they invaded manchuria man lol
A Moose I know the comment is about a year old but noted
@@gustavoechevarria9369 necroposting is best posting, also I giggled when I wrote it.
When the Type 99 was first adopted by the IJA, I believe you could shoot down some aircraft with the sights, like recon planes, or light fighters. Of course shooting down something like an F4-U Corsair, or a P-51 is just out of the question. The sights on the wings go up to 300 Knots, which is around 555 Km/h, well under the top speeds of those 2 aircraft.
Also, I have read that Japanese Snipers preferred using the Type 97 (6.5mm Sniper rifle) over the Type 99 (7.7mm Sniper Rifle) because of the longer barrels and lighter caliber. In the jungle and other low-light conditions, the Type 97 produces less report than its 7.7mm sidekick, combined with the Snipers hiding in foliage made them very hard to spot.
Now on your statement about dust covers... it's kinda iffy. There's sources that support both opinions, but my theories on the dust cover mainly come from pictures from the war (I'd love to ask my grandpa but he was a sailor, not a Marine, he don't know much about the enemy rifles and such). Most of the pictures of IJA/IJN Regiments I find on the Internet show the soldiers with their 100% complete Arisaka rifles, all parts attached. It is only when I see pictures of US servicemembers with the rifles I see lack of some attachments. I believe the US Marines, being unfamiliar with how to take them apart became frustrated with the dust cover, and just discarded them. But that is just my theory, not sure if it would be true or not.
My friend's Grandfather was an IJN soldier in Manchuria in the late 30s, so I am sure he used the Type 38, although there would be a huge language barrier if I asked him, lol!
Wow! This is amazing, I love that you are holding pieces of our history and maybe someday people will learn to appreciate these as much as we do after we pass.
Good video. Keep up the good work. Shot one of those type 99s just the other day. It was the first time the gun has been shot since 1945. The last person who fired it was a Japanese soldier. The guy who brought it back never fired it. The gun was dead accurate at 100 yards. We were stunned.
I managed to pick up a Type 38 carbine and a Type I several years ago, some of the best rifles I've ever shot and used. I recommend finding a Type I if you can, most people haven't even heard of them, pretty damn collectible rifle, with a cool history.
My two Great Uncles from the Philippines were US Army Philippine Scouts who joined 2 years before WWII started back in the home country.When the war started and they fought on Bataan.They regarded the Japanese infantry as professional soldiers and they gave them a very fearsome reputation as very very tough man to fight against.These rifles you have are very robust,reliable,and accurate.Later on after all Filipino and American forces had surrendered they managed to escape and fight the Japanese with their issued Springfield M1903s which every Philippine Scout loved until Mac Arthur came back in 1944.They did shoot Japanese soldiers to get more weapons for their guerillia unit they were forming to arm the rest of their unit.These are not junk rifles.The only difference was Philippine Scouts loved their M1903s very much,some used M1917 Enfields for finer shooting.The Scouts were notorious marksmen who were trained to higher standards.Fine collection indeed!!!
Nice videos and really nice rifles. I've collected quite a number of Japanese firearms in the past. Lemme set some things straight. The Japanese soldier wasn't removing dust covers and monopods. That Imperial crest on the receiver is to let that soldier know that it's his emperor's property and his sergeant would have beaten him if he took a part of the emperor's rifle and just threw it away. If you look at historical pictures of these rifles used in combat they all have their dust covers on the rifles.
The dust covers also aren't useless. The Type 38 and 99 were designed to fight in China, where it's very dusty. Combat in China showed that the earlier Type 30 rifles became clogged with dust and there are pictures of Japanese soldiers wrapping the action with cloth to keep dust out of the action. Also in the Type 38 they opened the chambers up to allow dust that got into the action to not keep the bolt from closing. That's why the cases bulge so much.
And when you're talking about why the sights go up to 2,400 meters and 1,500 meters, the reason was for volley fire. The idea is not for a soldier to fire out to 2,400 meters, it's for the whole unit to fire at 2,400 meters under order from their officer. The idea came about really before machine guns came into wide adoption, but it's a valid tactic that works. The same idea was for the anti-aircraft sights. It wasn't for one soldier to fire at an aircraft, it was for a whole unit to fire on the aircraft. And they weren't shooting at bombers or fighters, they were to be shooting at unarmored observation aircraft to prevent them from calling in artillery on their heads. And every military teaches their soldiers to fire on aircraft (and helicopters) even today, the Japanese were no different. It's more of a harassment thing anyways. A pilot isn't going to keep flying around for long if he's being shot at.
Tha ballz. Thank you!
your type 38 it is extremely beautiful and clean...such a great looking rifle!!i live in greece...we dont have such firearms here but i am a big fan of japanese ww2 bolt action rifles!they are just gorgeous to look!! :)
aris spilios you can probably import one of these from the states of from japan but it would prob cost you a kidney or two
I remember that back in the late 1990's these rifles went for less than $50. I looked into them and the consensus was that they weren't worth the money. The Moison Nagant was was in the same sort of situation. They were about $80. I wish that I had bought fifty of each.
...and Swedish Mausers!
Thanks. I use the Aroska Type 99 Rifle in my cosplay and gaming. It's my most used rifle in those two catagorys and saved my life so many times I lost count. I recommend this rifle.
31:18 name on the sling was 安達、Adachi
Thanks for a great video!
I inherited my grandfather’s and love it even more after this video! Thanks MAC great video!
As for the MUM... I have always read that since it marked the rifle as the Emperor's property, an intact MUM meant it was either abandoned or picked up off the battlefield, a defaced MUM meant that the rifle was surrendered to an American GI, and they were allowed to quickly deface the MUM, and a ground off MUM meant that it was done by the occupation army after the war before an American GI was allowed to take it home. MacArthur basically ordered this because showing respect to the Emperor made it easier on him to help rebuild Japan after the war.
It wasn't just a respect the emperor thing, the symbol was also a sign of pride for the soldier himself. The little mum symbol was entirely a gesture meant to elevate the soldier into having a kind of warrior-status on par with the samurai of old. In the same way Samurai would decorate their swords with the symbol of their houses or lords as proof of their station, the soldiers carried firearms with the seal of the Imperial Family granting them status as protectors/warriors of the Japanese emperor and his people.
Allowing Japanese soldiers to deface the mum before handing it over allowed them to surrender their arms without symbolically surrendering their status as loyal warriors of Japan.
What MacArthur lacked in pure military ability he more than made up for in insight into other cultures and a penchant for understanding and grasping the human/cultural element of war that turns what could have been bloody occupations into decades-long alliances.
Arisaka’s have such a wonderful design they have continued their designs into the century as sporting rifles. Some of the best.
The type 99, being from 1939, having anti-aircraft sights isn't that ridiculous. Especially when bi-planes were still being used at that time......
Inherited one of these(type 38--6.5mm)from an old uncle and it was an original infantry rifle: though without bayonet or dust cover. Local gunsmith drilled&tapped it for scope mount after turning the bolt handle(which was another story). Then I junked the infantry stock in favor of a modern Reinhard Fajen sporting stock. After sighting it in my gunsmith advised me not to touch the stock bedding, etc. because with just a standard 4X Tasco scope it would just about do the proverbial driving nails at 100 yards--with standard Norma 6.5mm Jap brass reloaded w. 140 grain loads. Fact is my old gunsmith ruefully admitted he only had one other rifle in his arsenal that would shoot tighter groups and that being a custom Weatherby in something like .257 Mag. Because of difficulty getting factory ammo for it nowadays am seriously considering having it re-chambered for something like .260 Remington though have also had cause to regret sporterizing it in first place.
I look away for a moment, then look back and see Dog the Bounty Hunter.
DAMN YOU, TIM!
LOL, with the wig I do believe you're right... however I'm much better looking.
I thought the same thing lol. a skinny Dog the bounty hunter
in your dreams Tim.
Fascist Nazi.
I never really wanted an Arisaka for the collection based on the misguided knowledge they weren't well made rifles. This video not only changed my mind, but now I know what to look for when I find one. Thanks for another great video, Tim.
One of the best bolt guns of the war after the war ended the US did extensive testing on these rifles it could withstand more pressure than any other rifle at the time the early ones were incredible except the late war models which aren't that great due to resources. Nothings perfect Mausers for example in the cold russian winters would snap firing pins bolts would lock up break etc. German troops were picking up dead russian Mosin nagants because of this just saying know your facts!
Thank you for doing this video. I have my Grandfathers "Battlefield Pick-up" Type 38. It's nice to learn more about this rifle. This rifle will remain in my collection and will be passed down to my sons. I believe it holds an important place in our history.
My father used to call type 38 "San Pachi" meaning 38. He used this rifle during Indo-China War during World War 2.
I have a Type 99 rifle that was given to me by my late uncle Robert shortly before he died. He brought it back from the Pacific with him at the end of the war, and it includes a couple of things that I haven't seen in any other rifle. Mine has the Imperial Chrysanthemum intact, the bipod and dust cover, but it also has the green plastic muzzle cap, bayonet, scabbard, and cleaning kit. It also had the original sling when I got it, but it had been in my uncle's attic for 30 years wrapped up in an oily cloth and the sling had significantly deteriorated. It had dried out so badly that it was stiff as a board and crumbled when I tried to remove it to treat it.
The rifle has a significant recoil since it fires the 7.7mm cartridge, but it's VERY accurate and is a very solid, well-made rifle.
I just inherited a type 99 from my father. It's hard to get ammunition for. Mine is also missing the dust cover, the monopod, and the cleaning rod. It does, however, still have the Imperial chrysanthemum.
www.wisconsincartridge.com has 7.7x58 ammo for sale, its what i run through my t99
Nice weapons 99 & 38. I've been looking to buy 99 but buying online is difficult. Thank you for sharing ammo is expensive $38 to $60 for 20 rounds 7.7. Your Japanese 99 & 38 look much nicer than any I've seen online price $300 to $1,500. I do not want to buy AR15 which most people want. Iam not an expert in Japanese weapons but thought 99 would be a good alternative to AR-15 maybe not. Most online 98 &38 had no mum or partial mum, no dust cover or sling or tripod. Some numbers or no number on bolt. Keep your 99 & 38 they are in very good condition & you have bayonet & sling. I think you have made good choice in choosing 99 & 38 a great investment!!
You should do some research and translate the family names on the rifles.
Now, get that Garand back out for July 4th!
damn straight
+chris wilson hell ya
yeah they may have been used at UNIT 731 on the children there!
The name on the type 99 is 生原, which is something like Ikuhara or Ikehara. Japanese names can have many different pronunciations so I can't be totally sure how it was pronounced.
The name on the type 38 安something. I can't make out the second kanji it is too warn out. Hope this helps.
陆克 Ee-Kew-Hahrah I think
My father brought a 7.7 back from the battle of Okinawa. I still have it. Thanks for the orientation.
You mention the "bulge" on the spent casings, that is caused by the over sized chambers used by the Japanese manufactures. It was found the use of oversized chambers on automatic weapons aided in casing extraction, so that manufacturing aspect was carried thru to rifles. The issue it causes now days is that it limits the number of times you can reload fired casings. My experience you can re-load once fired casings only one time, before the case ruptures. The good thing is the rifle is built to handle that problem. You didn't mention the vent holes on top of the receiver ...2 on the type 38 and 1 on the type 99. These holes vent the gas pressure, when the casing ruptures, thru them and "help" protect the shooter. So re-loading is possible and not on the scale of other military rifles (30-06, 8mm, 303, and etc). One trick for the die hard Arisaka shooters/re-loaders, take some 1/4" wide masking tape and make one rap around the base of the cartridge just above the extraction grove. This will center the cartridge inside the over sized chamber so when the bullet is fired the expansion is equally spread around the casing, and not just to one side when you do not use the tape. you might get 3 to 4 reloads using this method. But a good inspection is needed on ever casing to be safe.
I myself have 2 Arisaka type 38's, one the standard long rifle and one a carbine ( this one my Dad drug out of a cave in the Luzon early 45) I love shooting both from time to time. Interesting watching people who are gun fanciers, come up and wanting to know what I'm shooting, or the ones that think I'm risking my life firing such poorly make weapons! ...Sometimes I can change there minds! *G*
Just ordered a type 38 and 99 in one go. This is good practical...down and dirty info with a hint of shooting tease. Thank you, sir!
Semper Fi.
The Arisaka probably one of the best mausers ever made
Mauser-made Mausers are better.
Lol how wrong you are...
After WWII, the Aberdeen Proving Grounds conducted pressure tests of service bolt actions: Arisaka, K98, '03 Springfield, and I believe the '17 Enfield. All of the service bolt actions failed at 90K PSI or less and the Arisaka withstood 120K PSI and didn't fail. I'd say you're right.
I remember one test, where the Arisaka and the other military fifles of that era were fed with various overloads of rifle powder, and then proceed to fast burning pistol powders. When finally all the others fail and the Arisaka got his last meal, case filled with dynamite. Well, the action did not fail but barrel cut off just ahead of chamber...
Correct me, if I'm wrong...I remember I have read this at 1990's US gun magazines.
Not quite. But close. The arisaka is build to withstand serious punishment from environment. And well some of the parts were better designed. The materials and heat treatment were less in quality.
Think of the arisaka 38/99 as an ak47/74 and the g98/k98k where the m16/4 of the time
I have two of my father's old Arisaka Type 99 in 30-06 I was told 1 is issued and the other 1 is not but sat in the armory and was issued to the Korean army during that conflict and both still shoot awsome...
I hunt with the type 99 but my great grandfather had the stock cut and the bolt redone but it's a great hunting rifle
It is a true 38 expression. The emperor's emblem remains on the top of the cylinder.
A Japanese collector would ask you to sell at a great price.
But how did he get this gun?
Last year I got an old arisaka type 38 that had been sitting in a damp Philippine warehouse for decades, still had matching bolt and everything, even though the outside of the barrel was incredibly rusted and pitted the action was still in near perfect condition, made a (crap) new stock for it and gave it a test, the damn thing still shoots accurately at 100 metres, definitely one of my favourite rifles for hunting.
38式はかっこいいなぁ
皇国の兵士達がこれで戦ってたのか
My Grandpa has an Arisaka receiver, barreled in 6MM Remington and in a Mannlichter stock. Beautiful gun and it's taken more deer than anyone can count. Still has the chrysanthemum, but it's half covered by the scope mount! I think he picked the receiver cheap at a gun show and had a gunsmith friend of his build it for him. Has the best trigger of any rifle I've shot. Not sure if it's a Type 38 or 99.
When I was a kid there was a barrel at the local hardware store full of them. $5.00 for any one, first come first serve, No kids! God I miss America......this place now cannot compare
These are great rifles to sporterize for hunting. There are plenty of chopped up examples around to start with. A popular thing years ago was to "Set back" the barrel about 1/4" and re-cut the chamber to .300 Savage. I had one from a yard sale and @ 100 yards it was really accurate. You still run into them at shows. I used to collect them (Over 200) and auctioned them off when I moved to a smaller place. I would run into a guy at Allentown shows that had HUNDREDS of them. Because of the steel used, it is the only military rifle from WWII that can safely be REALLY lightened up for a hunting rifle. I still have two I kept to hunt deer with and it is like walking around all day with nothing but a stick in your hand. As someone mentioned, the receivers stayed the same quality right up to the "Last ditch" models, but the barrels were of a lesser grade steel and were not chrome lined. A little knowledge when you go to buy helps. There are training rifles and cast iron Navy rifles out there. Just be careful what you buy if you want a shooter.
when you said "for those of you who are politically correct, I'm really not" I started liking you 10x more
I think you just earned a subscriber!
I have two type 38's and a type 99. That buldging of the 6.5x50 case is exactly what my two
type 38's do. I actually reload my ammo for my type 38's. Once fired, I just neck
size the brass and the reloads work fine. Personally I like the sights on these
rifles as well as the similar sights on my Persian and Swedish Mausers.
I grew up using those types of sights. I don't understand why people these
days seem to have so much issue with the type of sights on the type 38.
I love the anti aircraft sight 'wings' on the type 99 sight.
Awesome potential for a .gif 22:02
Also, the length of pull on these is mildly humorous.
agreed
+vettelover2009 Shitty racist jokes that make no sense, check
Im taller but asian, check
TRIGGERED ATTACK
+vettelover2009 what the hell is the norm?
+vettelover2009 I'm 5'8 and still growing at an alarming rate
***** Well stop acting like I must be "normal." Did I say it was racist with my last comment? No, you need to stop acting like I must fit the norm. There is no reason I have to be "normal" dumbass
One of my buds has an Arisaka Type-99 with the Chrysanthemum still on it.
the idea with the air sites was to put a bullet in a attacking planes engine
It was designed for big groups of soldiers or marines to shoot at a single plane. It wasn't very effective against most American planes.
Wasn’t too effective though.
@@DeviousShrimp but it worked in volly fire in the pacfic
My buddies dad brought back a 7.7 without the dust cover or bipod from WW2. He was unsure of what caliber it was and so we first purchased a box of Norma 6.5 Jap but were dismayed to find they were incorrect. Next trip to the mainland(We grew up on an offshore Maine island in the 1960s.) I talked the hardware store owner into swapping them for a box of Norma 7.7s. The 180 grain loading was terrific! ( although hard to find and expensive!)The short stock was perfect for his little brothers and that rifle has collected a number of whitetail deer over the years.
Imfrom Japan!
ilove Japanese guns!
Just picked up a type 99 yesterday at a gun show. I didn't know anything about it, but just seemed to speak to me. Learning quite a bit about it, and glad I picked it up.
Emperor Hirohito did not order or condone the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In fact, he was essentially a powerless figurehead throughout the entire war. Prior to the war, the Japanese military, headed by General Hideki Tojo, basically staged a bloodless coup of the government and took political power of the nation from the Emperor. Tojo ran the show, Hirohito and his royal treasury footed the bill.
The reason for the grinding of the Mum was not just Japanese imperial mysticism. It was because the rifles belonged to, as in were literally the property of, Emperor Hirohito. The chrysanthemum was Hirohito's family crest, so it was engraved into the rifle to show that they were the personal property of the royal arsenal. When the war ended and the rifles were surrendered to Allied custody, they ceased to be the Emperor's property, therefore the mum was removed to show that they were no longer in his ownership.
@Mike Collins Hirohito was kept forcibly apart from the public by the military government. Even IF he had wanted to, they would not let him meet the public. I doubt he would have wanted to be meeting the public since he would have been raised to not see that as a role for the Emperor. The Japanese Army and Navy usurped control from the civilian government and used the Emperor to legitimize their claim to governing. When Hirohito went to record the notice of surrender in 1945, Army officers tried to seize the recordings but failed. There is debate as to how much responsibility he holds for the conflicts in Asia but it is recognized that the defeated military government took responsibility to deflect blame from the Emperor and spare that position. Plus, MacArthur wanted the Emperor of Japan to remain as a rallying point for the new Japan, plus other reasons. There are, of course, no memoirs and any private thoughts he had were either never expressed or kept secret by a few. Perhaps the Heisei Emperor knows his father's thoughts, maybe not.
Post-War, Hirohito could, arguably, be said to have been more effective as he was more open to the public after renouncing his divinity. He was much more of a public figure as he visited sites for reconstruction and talked with people. There are plenty of criticisms to be made about the Showa Emperor but "useless" is a very poor one since conditions pre-, during, and post-war were all very different. He fulfilled the role MacArthur gave him of serving to rebuild Japan as its central figure in a new constitutional monarchy.
A lot of blame for the position's inefficacy can also be laid on Hirohito's father, the Taisho Emperor, who was very weak-willed and sickly man. The Meiji Emperor was very well-respected after the Restoration but, under Taisho's poor leadership, the position lost a lot of its political power. The common soldiers adored the Meiji Emperor because he was always visiting them, showing himself at parades, and talking to them. The Taisho Emperor didn't like the military so he stayed away and that meant the soldiers' loyalty switched to the generals and admirals. Which is how the Army and Navy seized control from the democratically-elected civilian government and used the Showa Emperor as their claim to legitimacy. By the time, Hirohito became Emperor, the top command were telling soldiers to do illegal things "for the Emperor's sake" and the common soldiers had no direct connection to the Emperor to know what he wanted.
@Mike Collins Actually, no it didn't. The system was essentially a copy of the Prussian model, replacing the Kaiser with the Emperor and a few modifications. As we see from history, the Prussians went on to unify the German states into the German Empire, which only collapsed because of the terrible conflicts in WW1. The Japanese government failed because military leaders stopped following the rules and principles of the Constitution which the Meiji-era civilians and military officers set in place. Any system of government fails when people stop following the rule of law.
After all, during the Meiji period, Japanese modernized and participated in three successful military campaigns where they acquitted themselves, much to every European's. First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), and Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). When the system worked, it worked well. Even the early days of the Taisho period showed how well it worked. From 1912 to the 1920s, Japan expanded its modernization efforts and became well known as the most modern country in Asia. It was even trending towards becoming a democracy when the Great Depression hit. And that caused the military to decide that it was better at leading than any civilian.
There seems to be a disconnect between the written description and the commentary.
"The Japanese Arisaka Type 38 and 99 rifles are among the best bolt action rifles fielded during WWII."
Though in the video there's constant reference to the trigger being terrible, the dust cover (actually designed to keep wind, dirt, and sand out of the action) and bad sights.
So which is it Tim? I have a 1942 Type 99 WITH dust cover (and it's not more or less smooth with it on) and don't see any of negative things except the trigger is a bit heavy. Of course these ARE military rifles and were used to beat every enemy except us.
保存状態がとても素晴らしいですね。この人の愛が感じられる。
18:45 thats so cool that you can see the trail of the round as it travels down range
when people call Arisaka's are junk....I smile and laugh.
My uncle visited Japan shortly after the Second World War and picked up dozens of these rifles for next to nothing. Mine is the last example my family still owns. I've never shot it but maybe this video gave me some inspiration. Thanks!
You can stick a bayonet on it and shout: "Tennouheka Banzai!"