iambrb,I picked up a nicely sporterized Arisaka 38 a couple of years ago for under a $100 also.Someone had put a lot of work into this rifle having the barrel turned down and tapered,highly polished and blued,trigger work down,[bleep] stock and drilled and tapped for scope mounts.I shoot 120 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips over 4895 in Graf brass and I have not had any problems with the brass welling.It is extremely accurate and very pleasant to shoot because of the mild recoil.I was going to try it on deer but since it doesn't have open sights the safety is very difficult to manipulate under the scope,in fact is is a very difficult safety to use even without the scope mounted,so for safety reasons I have only used this rifle at the range and groundhog hunting as a single shot.I thought about taking it to a gunsmith to see if there was something that could be done with the safey or possibly a replacement available but haven't gotten around to it,but it's still fun to shoot.I think you like it.You should read Chuck Hawks(
www.chuckhawks.com)article on the 6.5x50 Arisaka,it gives you some helpful information.Hope you enjoy it.Bob
