I have a "sporterized" arisaka sitting in front of me that needs some help. 7.7 that was turned into a turd oh I meen sporter. Has original .312 barrel. Rebarrel or re-chamber to a .312 cartridge?

not worth the effort

You can buy ammo for it and also get components for reloading.

I would just clean it up and shoot it like it is.(after determining that it was safe)

Arisakas are best left alone. Enjoy them for their historical & military significance. That is unless you have money to waste.

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:
Arisakas are best left alone. Enjoy them for their historical & military significance. That is unless you have money to waste.

Have to throw in with Doug on this one. You must be a reloader or you would not even think of doing a .312 anything. If what you have shoots half way desent reload for it.There is no reason ,if you choose, that it can't be used to kill elk size game. roger

Ok
One: There are zip for prethreaded barrels out there unless you order it that way.

Two the threads are metric which can make it hard to machine a new barrel. Depending on if the lathe you have can cut metric threads or if it will cut a standard thread that is close enough to the metric TPI.

Three: Lack of good wood.

Four: any hard ware? Sights, scopes, etc. Hard to get unless custom made.

Ugly action as far as a sporter is concerned

So leave it alone and just scrounge ammo where you can.

Do you have the ability and tools to thread and chamber your own barrels?

If you do, you can fit and install a new barrel with an appropriate chamber and bore for a nice rimless medium-power cartridge of your own choosing on your Arisaka. Things like .250 Savage, .308 Winchester, .338 Federal, leap to mind.

It is no more difficult to thread japanese barrels than any other, you just have to learn how to do it and have access to a lathe capable of cutting metric threads. Practice a bit on some short pieces of cold-rolled before you attack the real barrel blank. Might as well make your learning mistakes regards metric on something that doesn't cost hardly anything and can always be turned down for use in some other project.

That would assume you also make your own threading tools but just about any lathe operator worth his salt does that anyway (though they are not expensive to buy). It sure isn't rocket science.

There are lots of inexpensive makes of unthreaded barrels out there, and you can always rent a chamber reamer to use.

As to wood, I haven't looked for any in recent years for Arisakas but I suggest using Google to troll for some inexpensive, 90% pre-shaped, semi-inleted, utility-grade wood. It doesn't even HAVE to be walnut.

You'd then have to put in a couple of weeks of slow, careful part-time work to fit it to the barreled action and glass-bed it, but I've done exactly that, way back when I was learning about rifles. If you think twice or more times before each cut, the work and learning can actually be fun. And done slowly and carefully, it is not difficult unless you want a work of art.

If you want an instant gun, then an Arisaka is likely not a project for you. "Project" guns aren't supposed to provide instant gratification.

But if you want to make a unique little gun all your own which is very strong, potentially very accurate, handy to carry, and will kill animals just as a dead as a David Miller full-out custom in the same chambering, then bit-by-bit you can transform an Arisaka into that.

And if you forget you leaned it against your front bumper and then run over it, you won't be out mucho dinero either.

Edited to add: If you Google "semi-inletted rifle stocks" you'll find a bunch of potential suppliers, plus a few folks who can also provide written info on how to finish inlet them.

I recently , a couple of months ago, bought two semi finished sporter stocks from Boyd Stocks for the Type 38(6.5mm) Arisaka for 69.00 each. Think they have them for the Type 99 (7.7mm) also. If not the Type 38 can be used on the Type 99 with a little work. I made a two piece scope base from a Browning BBR base by cutting the front and rear section off and then used a milling vise on my lathe to re-contour the bottom to the radius of the Arisaka action.

Rocky

If the bore is good, and the type 99s usually are as they are chrome plated, just leave it in 7.7; get some Norma brass and go with that. You won't gain anything rechambering or re-barreling. Spend that money on wood, optics, bolt handle, bluing, etc. Of course, you realize that an Arisaka can't be helped by anything, value wise. Just shoot it.

I tried to turn a 6.5 Arisaka into a sporter when I was in high school, and that was the only rifle I could afford. One of the few pleasures of my youth I would not care to revisit.

.......if the bores .312(7.7) any .303 british reloading components should work and the Arisakas can be made into nice rifles.I know some of the 6.5 models were re-chamdered to 6.5/ 257 Rob, so I would think anything on a 57mm mauser case should work. Check Frank De Haas "bolt action rifles" book for details.





Roger

already mounted with a herters stock, bolt is bent, two piece weaver base installed, has a sporter trigger that needs tuning and I know a fellow that likes arisakas that has re-barreled a few. Do not want to mess with 7.7 jap ammo, just not my thing.

Think you could wedge a 450 marlin cartridge in a type 99 action?

I have one I sporterized in my youth. It has a Timney trigger, Fajen stock, and a welded bolt handle. I fitted it with some cheap bases and a passable scope. Maybe I'm lucky but it is extremly accurate with Hornady .312 bullets (0.5" at 100Yds). I stopped buying the expensive Norma brass and formed my own from 30-06 brass. The 06 brass required inside neck reaming due to being a somewhat shorter round.