Any Arisaka shooters out there?

[7mmsavage]

I happened across a very well done arisaka sporter yesterday and can't stop thinking that I'd like to have it. My only worry is the 7.7 chambering, can comercial ammo still be found for these things? The store selling the rifle didn't have any. It is gone as far as a historically correct piece, it has been reblued, the mum is gone, and it has an aftermarket walnut sporter stock. This rifle is perfect for what I am looking for in a hunting rifle, it is a bolt gun with iron sights for $200. Any thoughts or input would help. Thanks

 

[Mannix]

Norma does make 7.7x58mm ammo, but it's pretty pricey($40/ 20 rnds). Alternatively reloading dies are made by Lee and RCBS, and supplies can be bought through MidwayUSA and other online retailers.

 

[Ian]

If you're going to shoot any sort of volume, it's a reloader-only caliber.

Edit - I think $200 is overpriced for a sporterized Arisaka - you can get decent "correct" ones for about that price still.

 

[GCW5]

I bought one sporterised & rechambered to 300 Savage for $50 back on April 15. It still has the 7.7 bore, i've been using 180 gr bullets for the 7.7/.303 in it, shoots great. I plan to use it on deer this fall.

 

[zedheadmc]

Currently I am not but wouldn't mind changing that. Sporters/bubbas don't bother me either.

 

[Blackfork]

Midway, Sportsman's Guide, Cheaper than Dirt

I see 7.7 for sale all over. I have a Type 44 that shoots 6.5 and there is some choice on that round as well. My 44 Carbine is the last variant- floated barrel, so it shoots X ring on an NRA 100 yard target at 100 yards. Great little gun. I shot a doe with it last year.

I've got a wrecked 44 sporterized with a bad barrel (bulges case heads) thats sitting in the gun case now.

I hear its an easy reload. Plan to shoot another deer this year with it.

 

[Navy joe]

I shoot one, albeit in 6.5jap. Once you are in the market supplies are not too hard to find, I bought Norma at anywhere from 20-40 a box until I had enough brass. Places like Graf's do runs of odd calibers for new brass mfg. I have used them for 7.5 swiss and they are excellent. $200 is a little pricey, mine was a bubba attack too, I bought it because no one, me included knew what it was. It has become a fun project rifle, glad I bought it.

 

[Spiggy]

Little past that now...

-Right, I do have shoes but I'm not allowed to wear them inside the house


the stuff I use is Miwall Reloads, which can be found for about $18 for a box of 20 at SoCal gunshows, recently price has been going up, but I'll clear all the stock they got when I'm there.

No shame in saving a bubbah! here's my beater which was lifted for 150 and came with a bayonet about a month ago.

 

[Mauserguy]

Spiggy,
I love the outfit. That's pretty cool, though I wouldn't wear it around Newport Beach.

My old Hornaday reloading manual states that many handloaders form their own 7.7 Arisaka cases from 30-06 brass. It may be something to look into for an occasional hunting gun.
Mauserguy

 

[fireflyfather]

Prvi Partizan has also been making brass, and bullets (any standard bullet of that diameter is fine), available through grafs. Prices seemed reasonable. Also Grafs has Hornady ammo for lots less than Norma. $21.99 150gr Hornady vs 34.99 174gr Norma per box. Both are SP loads. The Prvi brass is about $0.39 a round, primed, or $0.35 if you buy in 1k lots. That's reasonable, once you figure a $0.14 bullet and $0.23 powder, that comes to $0.76 per round, then the next round is $0.39 or so, since your brass is now free. If you can use each case 10 times, that's under 50 cents a pop. Not bad at all. Unprimed brass is 2 cents cheaper per cartridge, if you want to use your own pet primers for the initial load. The Prvi Partizan bullets are around 13-15 cents a pop for 150gr SP. You could probably even load some 110gr or 123 gr bullets for 7.62x39, if you wanted to go for cheap plinking/gallery loads.

 

[Z71]

I just bought 60 rounds of 7.7 ammo from Grafs for my Arisakas. Have not tried it yet. Was previously using .30-06 cases trimmed and reformed. Loaded modestly and worked ok. Just didn't feel like making any Arisaka ammo so I bought some.

 

[fireflyfather]

Just wish they made a lee loader for the 7.7 Arisaka. Don't want to shell out for a press & dies.

Might even get the wife to shoot it, though I doubt it, historical Yamato weapon or not.

 

[Spiggy]

Spiggy,
I love the outfit. That's pretty cool, though I wouldn't wear it around Newport Beach.

Too many northern Asians here that grew up hearing about Japanese atrocities... I've already been given the stern talkin' to a handful of times.

-There are two great things about the arisaka. One is the fact that the 7.7mm is built around the .303Brit round, so reload data is pretty similar. Second is that the manufacturers were pressed into rushed mass production so they worked all the rifles around just the cartridge dimensions. Creating a a robust neglectful action, they didn't invest much into headspacing! However, design makes it the second beefiest bolt action reciever in WW2, second to it's father, the Type 38. If you overload the round, so long as the rifle passes basic checks(no existing damage, fractures, and the like), the cartridge is not obscenely overloaded or have the incorrect bullet diameter, you'll stay in relatively good shape.

Not to say you shouldn't take precautionary steps before playing with your rifle. ALWAYS TAKE PRECAUTIONARY STEPS BEFORE USING A MILSURP RIFLE

Here is my reenacting arisaka. I picked this up in an estate sale for $150 and it came with a 85-90% condition bayonet and scabbard, all matching parts, matching juki kogyo arsenal mark bayonet... same series block serial 19XX however, not matching bayonet (yes, only 4 digit serial!)

wood exhibits no monopod marks, but it does have the slots for aircraft sight and evidence of a former dust cover... all where lost when bubbah decided to sporterize it. (look at the bolt handle) :banghead:

Course, you don't notice any of that with a dust cover on

 

[Ian]

Nice gear, Spiggy! Is that all original, or repros? The original stuff isn't exactly flooding the market...

 

[Spiggy]

Original stuff? maybe the shirt and jacket (which has a bullet hole or two in it)

Repro stuff? The haversack and hat... which were lifted from the set of "Windtalkers"

Everything Else
Name badge, made by myself

Subigii?

I made the leggings out of a wool blanket and dyed green ribbon.

The pants are actually standard Dickies cargo pants with the pockets ripped out (compare left and right sides). I also had to modify the pantlegs to have button and cords.

Really, everything I have was made to look like japanese gear(exception to the real stuff I do have). Problem with original stuff is that they almost never fit massive american bodies... I guess the japanese were really tiny in WW2. I'm talking size 7&1/2-8 being their average shoe size. I couldn't find any repros over size 9... I had to order customized Australian Roughout boots to find the nearest match... it was that or civil war boots, which feature hobnails. Also I ordered those fun cameltoe tabi boots and dipped them in rubber grip to look like rubberized canvas boots that were issued in the tropics.

Helmet is a repro and the stuff inside was modified to fit my head... the hat was actually cut and spliced (you cant tell until you look up close) and that now fits me.

 

[kungfuhippie]

They have bullets at bass pro (.310 or .311 ??), not hard to find. Someone said they were pulling 7.62x54r surplus bullets (or was it .303?) to make cheap plinking ammo. Use 8mm brass and you shouldn't have to trim it like you would with 30-06 brass. Just be sure to mark the brass so you don't start interchanging it.

 

[DMK]

Someone said they were pulling 7.62x54r surplus bullets (or was it .303?) to make cheap plinking ammo.

7.7, .303 and 7.62x54R will all interchange the same .311 bullets. 7.62x39 bullets will work too, but they are light (122-125gr.).

 

[cpttango30]

I have a sporterized arisaka myself. Mine was converted to the 6.5x57mm and also has an aftermarket stock on it. But Mine will shoot 2" groups at 100 yards with the old Lyman #57 peep on it. The bedding job is not the best but it shoots good. and is light and short. Living in VA it would make a great little deer rifle but where I might hunt is Front stuffer shotgun only.

have you tried http://www.ows-ammo.com/catalog/ ? They might have some.

The rifle is as strong as an Ox and should shoot well. If the mum is ground off then the rifle was a surrender rifle. If it has a mum it was a capture rifle and should not be touched or changed in any way.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Funny story about the Jap. rifles. A lot of soldiers brought them back and couldn't get any ammo. One guy had a 6.5 and was shooting a much larger caliber thru it. He took it to a gunsmith complaining about the terrible kick of the gun. The gunsmith asked him what kind of ammo he was using and told him .30-06 (I forget the exact round). Anyway, the bullet was too large, so by the time the bullet exicted the bbl. it was probably twice as long.

As it turns out even the last ditch rifles are strong - really strong. Too bad we didn't ask them what kind of steel they were using and how they were heat treating it.

 

[kungfuhippie]

I bet the bolt would close on a 30-06 round (6.5 is 2.93" long, 30-06 is 3.34" long)

He must have just shoved the bolt closed really hard to get the bullet to compress by 0.41"

 

[Spiggy]

it's been documented by the NRA, if I can pull up the article, I'll share it

 

[kungfuhippie]

Well, I can believe it, but I'm still skeptical that this isn't just internet myth. How in the world would that work? Really loose head space? Or was the chamber really eroded... I mean, try to cram a 30-06 into a 308 rifle That about the same without the bore issues.

 

[Spiggy]

I would imagine the chamber was reamed out enough to accomidate 30-06... not to mention the arisaka's extremely loose tolerances came to play, he just got real lucky

 

[TIMC]

I have a sporterized Arisaka chambered in 22-250 that is a great shooter. the ammo does look kind of lost in the action but it functions well.

 

[KI.W.]

Moi. I have two rebarreled Arisaka 38-rifles; .308 WinT and 9,3x57 Mauser. Scope mount in .308 is Redfield "Remington 742"-modell.