Can you identify these??
 

Two rifles with same overall build. I think they are Japanese but not sure..http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1195494013.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1195494046.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1195494082.jpg

I believe the second from top pic is Japanese (chrysanthemum)

YEP! Japanese! Anybody know what series? 44, 99, 38?

Arisaka, not Mauser. Japanese.

Check in Ask the Experts at http://forums.gunbroker.com --- heck, I've sent a few folks from there over to here for MB help....

The 38 and 44 were 6.5mm, the 99 is 7.7.
Jim

Definitely Arisaka. I have one. All the other ones I've seen at gun shows have the chrysanthemum rubbed out. I heard Gen. MacArthur ordered that done before importing them into the US. So having one with the flower intact might be of some value to someone.

arisaka something. original undamaged imperial crest. genuine war booty. worth more that way.


don't ever try to shoot it. japanese metalurgy got iffy late in thewar.

Appears to be late war type 99 bring back, not through official channels. If it was brought back with official OK then the chrysanthemum would be ground off. Don't shoot the late war stuff due to questionable QC.

Yep Arisaka, 7.7 mm.

Like many things you Boyz gets things right but for the wrong reason.

The Chrysanthemum was the symbol of the Emperor. When Japan surrendered it was the Japanese who defaced the Mum, to save face. The rifle you have displayed was most likely taken from the battlefield, pryed as it were from the cold dead fingers of a slant eyed jap. The fact that the Mum is still intact does make it more attractive to collectors and is thus worth a premium. I would say your rifle is in the $275 to $375 range. Jap collectables have become more desireable in the past coupla years, but they have come up from being worth virtually nothing.

Your picture does not clearly show the rear sight on the gun. Earlier example had what are known as Aircraft Sights to presumably be able to shoot at enemy airplanes. If your rear sight has a pair of fold out pieces of metal, that is the aircraft sight. These guns also came with dust covers which covered the bolt. As to be expected many were lost. The Arisaka is a tough simplily made rifle that is fairly acurate. Early examples of the Arisaka displayed quiet abit of polishing and as the war progressed the workmanship declined. So not being well versed in the Japanese number system that crudness level would determine the period it was made. I have an Arisaka that I bought way back in the mid 60s for $15.00, I have shot it and would not be afraid to continue to bang away with it. Mine is an early war example though.

From examining the picture of the bolt on your rifle I would say that your rifle is probably early. war..1942. The milling marks are mostly polished away.

I went by the lack of knurling on the cocking piece, the sharp edges on the ejector/bolt release and the lack of swing out anti-aircraft rear sight to guess at late war. Try the CSP pages for the duty experts on an actual ID.

S/F, FOG

Good info. Tabs, my Arisaka has the anti-aircraft sights, but the mum is rubbed out. Does this mean mine is likely early war, or at least before there was a QC issue? Problem is that my grandfather had two of them and I remember he told of having one converted to 30-06 for hunting. But I never knew which was which. I got mine for my 13th b-day, but by then he had Alzheimers and couldn't tell me where the other rifle was. So I don't know if mine is the original caliber or 30-06. I'd like to shoot it if it's the 30-06, as that ammo is cheap and plentiful. The original stuff not so much.

found this stamped on the sides. Defines the place of manufacture and approximates the dates manufactured. Found a site that interprets these symbols. http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/japanese_markings.html
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1195510243.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1195510267.jpg

everyone is missing the point...the first pic has Lynoleum and the second pic has wallpaper.