Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters A challenge to Wolfe Publications

You must've never been married.

On #2 right now.

When you put it that way, and I have to remember my ex, yeah, I can understand that....

Personally I think the stocks on both rifles look better than Remingtons white spacers on the 700.

(This is where I duck and cover.)

In WWI the Czarist goverment ordered two million Moisin Nagant rifles from Remington and Westinghouse, not all had been delivered by the time of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the US government ended up with the remainder. They were sold off very cheap to NRA members in the 1920s and 1930s and the American Rifleman was full of articles on sporterizing them. My recollection, for what it is worth, is that at least one was built by the famous Alvin Linden and it was a beauty. But apparently there was something wrong with the American bolts and the American expeditionary force that was sent to Russia in 1918 to fight the Reds and armed with Remington and Westinghouse MN rifles found the firing pins froze up in really cold weather. If you want to find one to sporterize today probably the best bet would be a Finnish rebuild job with a heavy Finnish barrel, these are extremely accurate

Usually it's bad form to resurrect old threads, but in a C&R forum I stumbled across a photo of an Arisaka conversion that nicely answers the "challenge". The original is a Japanese Paratroop Type 2. I've linked the photo with the owner's permission.

--Bob

Gene L: I have been to some pretty fancy parties in my time. I just wondered if Wolfe served the Vienna sausages on colored toothpicks or just the plain ole everyday ones? Most of the really high class events I went to had colored picks and little umbrellas on the drinks. You wanna talk about "High Class Parties"

Having begun collecting Japanese Rifles back when if you mentioned them you were suspect I am proud to say that I am Japanese Collector today. Events have changed and value of these grand old rifles is knocking on the heels of some of the European products. To me the T99 is the best of all WW11 bolt action rifles. Its simple to field strip and with a chrome bore cleaning is not the first item of the day. Except for a few imported from China, all the Japanese rifle here today were brought back by returning servicemen. Half of all rifles manufactured by the Japanese are in the bottom of the ocean and the other half are over here.

The rifle pictured in the case started as a stripped receiver and the side plates where the two halves join. All the rest is from parts. The barrel is from a 1903A3 Springfield with a 308 insert. Here are three more pictures. riceone.

That is truly a nice-looking rifle! I remember seeing ads in the Shotgun News offering 11 Japanese rifles with every case of 7.7mm Jap ammo.

That is a nice Arisaka!

Holy crap!

I have one of those take down Arisakas in all original condition.It's a surprisingly good shooter.Always creates a stir at the range.For the twenty plus years I've had it,the only other one I ever saw was in the original version of The Manchurian Candidate.
Last fall I saw three at the Middletown ,NY gunshow.None was in quite as good shape as mine.They were asking between $1400.00 and $1900.00 for them.Don't know if they sold any.A lot of interesting stuff is coming on the market with the passing of so many WWII vets.

riceone-
Thank you for taking the time to post your excellent photos on the campfire. (I got busy and could not post the ones you emailed to me.)

Welcome to the 'fire, and I hope you can add it to the list of forums to which you contribute.

--Bob

I remember the movie Manchurian Canidate and the rifle. About the time I started on this rifle there was one sold on Auction for $1600. The most difficult part making this rifle was finding a stock. Great American Stock Co. altered this stock by leaving full wood in the area of the divide for me and sent it to me with instruction if it did not work send it back. A WW11 Vet of Normandy did the engraving as a favor, gunsmith did the blue and another did the checkering. All wood and metal I did. It was a fun job. I have three T2's in original shape. One I gave $20 for second one $895 and the last one will be worth what I paid for in in a few more years - but is in very, very good shape. Its the header picture for this forum. riceone

http://www.guncollectorsforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=34

Riceone, that is by miles and miles the finest Arisaka sporter I have ever seen in the metal or in pictures. Let's just hope that .308 insert never works loose.

Reid Coffield is currently writing a series for Shotgun News about sporterizing a Nagant. I think when you see the finished product you will never look at that rifle the same again.

"When two opposing sides of an argument are presented, one by an honest man and the other by a liar, the liar usually wins, simply because he is not inhibited by the truth."

It seems to me people are no longer interested in truth of any sort. Honest men are hard to find so the vast majority beleive every one lies.

riceone

I seem to recall a picture of an Ackley sporter based on the Arisaka. With the bent down, swept-back bolt handle, a good polish and blue job and, a nice stock, it looked pretty good (IIRC).

Just got a catalog for a March 20 auction at Holt's in London, lot no. 4317 is an Arisaka 6.5mm sporter by the famous old firm of W.J. Jeffery, 20" barrel, pistol grip, horn forend tip. Estimate is $400-600. But as an ex-military rifle I don't know if it would be possible to import it. Almost worth getting it, let the auction house throw the metal away and just send you the stock .... and maybe the barrel with the Jeffery name and address on it.

When I went to Trinidad in the early 50's Arisaka's were the cheapest action around and I have seen quite a few made into very nice rifles. The 6.5's were more popular than the 7.7's and the real drawback was the odd safety which was actually a rotating bolt sleeve as I remember. The bottom metal on the 7.7's was pretty ugly but the 6.5's were'nt too bad. I remember one in 257 with a Maple stock as being particularly nice. As a student on a budget they were popular.

Its been awhile since I posted on this thread but I have lately completed two very nice sporters made on Japanese actions The one in the maple stock is a T38 action with a 6.5 Japanese barrel that has been bored and rechambered to a 7x57 Mauser cartridge. The one in the walnut stock is fitted with a custom 22-250 barrel. I did all the fitting modification to the rifles except the bluing - a local gunsmith did this for me.



Can't seem to post another picture here but will do on next page.