Question on 'burnt' Jap model 99 rifle

[blume357]

Late friends house burned up and his daughter gave me this Japanese rifle, pretty sure it is a model 99, but no expert... Has the Chrysanthemum on it and someone has nicked it with a knife or such and so I'm assuming it was captured off of some pacific island.

anyway, the stock is toasted and there is melted plastic and aluminum on the metal .... bolt is locked and most of the screws won't turn..... I'm not interested in working on it other than a curiosity... but not sure if there are folks out there that would be interested in working on it and if it is worth it. Opinions please.

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[22/45 Fan]

Since the fire was hot enough (melted aluminum!) to do all of the damage you show I'm sure the original heat treatment has been badly compromised. You could clean it up and replace the stock as a decorator and curio but I would NEVER shoot it again.

 

[mohavesam]

I'd find a collector and offer it as-is it is a tent stake now.

Donate to a local war museum and take the deduction.

 

[blume357]

I figured it is not worth anything.... just can't figure out what to do with it. Probably not worth even shipping to someone... I was thinking about cutting the stock off of it and soaking the metal in oil for a good long time and then trying to clean the metal parts ... then possibly giving the bolt and trigger to someone. Only other option I see is to cut it in half and throw in the scrap metal pile.

 

[lipofsky]

Wait for a "gun Buy Back" turn it in and buy some ammo or gun parts or whatever.

 

[blume357]

Funny idea except I could not support one of those 'gun by backs' if for not other reason.... the term is grammatically incorrect... can't buy back something you never owned.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Here is an idea. Take a wire brush to it just as it is and then spray what is left with a clear lacquer to put a shine on it and call it a war relic. At least you hands won't get black from handling it then and you can hang it on the wall somewhere.

 

[22/45 Fan]

....then possibly giving the bolt and trigger to someone.

I would never give them to someone who may install them in a functioning rifle. As I mentioned above the heat damaged the strength of these parts more than enough to make them unsafe to ever use again. If you do give them away, be certain the new owner knows they are just to be used as decorators.

 

[nekvermont]

It is what it is and has it's own story. I would just hang it on the wall of your shop the way it is as a remembrance of your friend.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

Put a base on it and run a wire up the barrel and make a lamp.

 

[blume357]

So, anyone have a link to replacement stocks for these?

I'm used to having soot on my hands but it does get kind of old every time I pick it up

I kind of like the lamp idea.

 

[rangerbob]

Since no body mentioned it, it is a type 99 rifle. I don't where the aluminum came from, as far as I know there is no aluminum in or on a type 99. Type 99's are easy to spot. You see the three Japanese numbers across the receiver below the Imperial Seal. The first 2 are the same,ie, 99. A type 38 are different and of course one could insert a 30 caliber bullet in the muzzle in a 99, not a 38. I'd goggle type 99 stocks for a replacement. BTW, I have an early type 99 with chrome bore and bolt face. Bob!!

 

[mohavesam]

I chimed in earlier but truth be told, I had a couple of these 99s years ago when the kids were little. I painted them with leftover spray cans to have glossy white stocks and orange/red/yellow steel, after expoxy-ing the bolt faces. They had summers of fun with them and I like to think they worked on their sight picture on the ground critters while they searched for (and found) japanese spies hiding about the high desert, those old bones turned them into Minutemen of the high Mohave. Strange in a way that a couple rifles used for so much evil against Americans, found their way around the globe and into an American kid's sandbox, ready at a moment's notice to defend the hacienda. What else do you do with a $3 milsurp?

I had a working type 99 complete with monopod & strippers, but it was never accurate enough to scrounge for more ammo, and not worth a new barrel in any case.

 

[pruger45]

Wall hanger!

 

[pruger45]

A LGS gave me a type 99 trainer that some guy on a Japanese firearms forum offered me $350.00 for. Check out some forums!

 

[blume357]

The melted metal, which I assume is aluminum or such, came from some where else... just like the melted plastic.... and dripped down on the rifle.. which is/was in the fire. The stock is pretty toasted... not sure how hot the rifle actually got but y'alls suggestion of it now being unsafe is probably for the best. I did run a rod down the barrel to make sure it does not have a round in the chamber..

I think if I can get the wood off then I can clean the metal and put a new stock on it... just for show. I guess if I do this I need to figure out a way to make and mark it as non functional though.

 

[pruger45]

The melted metal, which I assume is aluminum or such, came from some where else... just like the melted plastic.... and dripped down on the rifle.. which is/was in the fire. The stock is pretty toasted... not sure how how the rifle actually got but y'alls suggestion of it now being unsafe is probably for the best. I did run a rod down the barrel to make sure it does not have a round in the chamber..

I think if I can get the wood off then I can clean the metal and put a new stock on it... just for show. I guess if I do this I need to figure out a way to make and mark it as non functional though.

Remove the firing pin from the bolt.

 

[blume357]

What I worry about is 'down the road'.... One day someone else will own my gun collection. But then you know, I guess it will not be my responsibility then. I have written documentation on all my guns as to where they came from and such and so I can do the same with this one and that is probably the best I can do.

 

[rangerbob]

Since the rifle is an original war relic, I'd try to clean it up. Once you get the wood off, a good soak in Varsol or similar solvent should get the action going again. A wire brush or steel wool will get the rust off. A black spray on gun coating would probably do a good job on all of the metal parts except the bolt body, firing pin and it's spring. If you are worried about firing it, trim the firing pin tip so that it will not protrude from the front of the bolt. I say all of this because the rifle has the mum intact and, done right, could still be a nice display rifle. Bob!!

 

[6GUNSONLY]

Most of those imported had the mum ground off. I had an action only years ago that still had the mum on it.

 

[blume357]

The mum looks good just has two dents in it.... I was assuming some solder did that just before meeting his ancestors .... did not have a file or the time and just nicked it with his bayonet.

 

[rangerbob]

My 2 cents worth of history lesson. As I understand it, McArthur ordered all surrendered or captured in mass rifles to have the mum ground off as to destroy the dignity of the Japanese Army and the Emperor. Individual rifles captured in or after a battle by individual soldiers or Marines as take home rifles could leave the mums intact. The 7.7 round used in the Type 99 is basically 7.92mm Mauser necked down to .303. The Japs were impressed with the Mauser round in fighting the Chinese in 1937 and had copied just about any good idea developed by the Brits, so they went with the best of both. A well made early Type 99 is as good as any of the other bolt rifles used in that period. While not really effective, the monopod and aircraft sights showed original outside of the box thinking. The Arisakas are really just Asianized Mausers just as the 1903 Springfield is an Americanized Mauser designed for target shooting, or very accurate service rifle. MY type 99 with handloads shoots as good as it's crude sights and my 66 year old eyes will allow. Bob!! :mrgreen:

 

[RSIno1]

Funny idea except I could not support one of those 'gun by backs' if for not other reason.... the term is grammatically incorrect... can't buy back something you never owned.

I was that way. Had an old sears bolt action shotgun. Broken stock bolted back together with bolt running through magazine tube. Offered it for $50 when you could face to face sell old guns in CA. No takers except one guy that wanted me to drive an hour to deliver it. Sold it to the City of Los Angeles for a $100 grocery store gift card. We had a great prime rib for Xmas dinner and I took $100 out of the gun grabbers hands for something that would never be used in a crime.

 

[rangerbob]

I doubt if a Japanese soldier or Royal Marine would take time out to deface the mum since they believed in the Emperor enough to die for him. I suspect it was combat damage, possible using the rifle to fend off a bayonet attack or some similar situation. Of course, we'll never know. Bob! :?:

 

[toysoldier]

I like the idea of turning it into a lamp, either restocked or just cleaned up and sealed. I have a WWI artillery shell that was hammered into a decorative shape and turned into a lamp, with my great-grandfathers name and rank engraved on it. I also have a WWII "trench art" lamp base made from a cut-off artillery shell and three .50 BMG rounds.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Most of those imported had the mum ground off. I had an action only years ago that still had the mum on it.

Hi,

I've only seen two with the mum still on them, and heard of a third, but never saw it. Each of the two I've seen had come home with the soldier/Marine who took the rifle from the hands of the Japanese soldier they'd just liberated from this life. One looked brand new, and the gentleman who had it figured it had never been fired in anger: the soldier he killed was but a kid, in a brand new uniform that wasn't even dirty yet. It was "perfect" except for a couple of rusty fingerprints, the product of the first owner's blood.

The other one looked pretty good but that was because the metal had been refinished sometime along the way. The wood still retained some dents, though, caused when its original owner, a sniper, fell from the coconut tree where he'd been working hard to pin down some Americans. The current owner's uncle had removed him from the tree! It had the aircraft sights, too. The third one was in the hands of the daughter of the fellow who'd brought it home. She said her Dad never talked about how he got it except to point out the mum as evidence it came straight from a battlefield.

Rick C

 

[~JM~]

Saw a "Sporterized" Mannlicher version that still had the Mum intact.

Someone did a real nice job on it. The interior of the barrel resembled a twisted sewer pipe though.

 

[rangerbob]

As far as Arisaka's are concerned, a Type 99 is going to be close to 75 years old and a Type 38 could be over 100 years old and most had a hard life as a service rifle. Captured rifles had weeks of sea travel to get back to the US. My first Type 38 was given to me in the mid sixties by a Pacific war veteran. It had been hanging in his barn since his return from the war and was still in excellent mechanical condition with bayonet. As it was a museum quality piece, I sporterized it with a Fajen stock, shortened the barrel, new sights and turned down bolt from Badgers Shooters. As this marks my 50th year in reloading, the first round I loaded for was the 6.5 Jap with Norma factory ammo brass, IMR 4320, and Hornady bullets. All of the Type 38's I've acquired lately, I've rechambered to 260 Remington and use plentiful 243 brass necked up for ammo. If I ever get another nice Type 38, I may go with 6.5 Creedmore or stay with 6.5 jap using PP brass. Bob!!