Home Forums Gear Free Classifieds Need help pricing an odd Arisaka

Have a Arisaka rifle in an odd configuration that I need some help in pricing. It is for sale.
Here is what I do know:
Barrel stamped 7.62:39 but is actually cambered in .308
Butt pad reads "Pachmayr"
The Mum has been nicely removed
Deep nice blueing
Jeweled bolt

Was told that this rifle was confiscated from the Japanese by the Chinese and converted to the 7.62:39 then at a later date was taken to Vietnam as a sniper rifle and was converted to the .308 to utilize US ammo. A while back I found an article on forgotten weapons that talks about the first conversion but never found anything myself on the second conversion.
Have more pics if needed.

your Arisaka started out as a type 38 rifle.

Your Arisaka started out as a Type 38 rifle. It looks like it was convertd to 7.62x39 without setting the barrel back - a chamber sleeve was likely used as the breech end of the barrel shows the chamber portion mostly intact. Then the gun was reblued and restocked with a pachhmayer pad added. I doubt very much if you gun was used in RVN as a .308 rifle. Whoever chambered the rifle in .308 should have restamped the barrel as to correct caliber. It was probably not a good idea to rechamber to .308 if the gun used a chamber sleeve. I have a Type 38 rifle, a T38 carbine and a T38 rifle converted to 7.62x30 by the Chinese by reboring and chamber sleeving and am familiar with Arisakas. I hope that you don't have too much invested in the gun,it is probably worth what the components are worth - the commercial stock with pad for a T38 rifle, the drilled and tapped action with lowered bolt , etc. Good luck with it! Melchung

Interesting rifle. I have no information that would be helpful other than to note that I saw an Arisaka on consignment to a gun shop in southwest Arkansas last month.

The stock was similar but with a reddish coating, metal butt plate. Caliber was 6.5. Bluing seemed original but much worn. Mum was missing. Receiver drilled and tapped and Redfield rings in place. Had a $200 price tag on it. Don't think they will get it.

I have seen them in bad shape and not in this configuration for $300. One guy that pointed me to this info priced it at $1000. Sounded high to me and the reason for the post.

Bad original shape can be worth more than nice sporterized, which is what you have.

Have bought several similar to yours over the years, none approached $300.

I have seen several of these at gun auctions over the last few years that are very similar to this one. I really don't want to talk down your rifle,as I think old sporterized rifles are cool, but they aren't worth much. These typically only go for about $100 or so. If it were mine, I would put a jap made tasco scope on it, have it checked out by a gunsmith to make sure its safe to shoot, and use it for a truck gun , loaner gun, or give to a kid that needs his first deer rifle. Again please don't think I'm downing your rifle in any way, as I like it, and one of these days I will pick one up to go along with a few other old sporterized rifles I already have.

I have $300 in it and thought it would be close to the value because of the condition. It has been to a gun smith and I have shot the gun. When I heard $1000 because of the history it had me curious.

As the old saying goes "Buy the gun, not the story".