Arisaka Type 99 rebuild

[ILfarmer]

Hello all! I'm new to the forum and I have an Arisaka Type 99 Series 7 Nagoya arsenal that someone sported back in the '60's. Dude even went so far as to bend the bolt handle . I would like to get a set of wood for it. Could anyone tell me what design characteristics were specific to the series 7 wood, bands and dust cover?

Thanks

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[diss0lutus]

Honestly, unless you get the parts real cheap you'll spend more money than it's worth to restore it.
But all parts had inspection stamps that were specific to each manufacturer.

And if I remember correctly, series 7 has a ton of different variations while they kept transitioning to the substitute standard.

[ILfarmer]

Honestly, unless you get the parts real cheap you'll spend more money than it's worth to restore it.

If I were fixing it up to sell it I would probably agree with you. To me this particular rifle is more than that, and even more interesting is learning what the differences of the series 7 are, especially compared to other series rifles.

[Aragorn243]

A friend of mine has a Type 99 that needs new wood and appropriate parts. I did some looking around and the parts are out there and prices aren't crazy high like they are with some things. If you look around and are patient, parts come up at reasonable prices. Some things like the dust cover and monopod can cost more than they are worth but nice repro parts are available that look correct and more importantly, won't break the bank. Real monopod - $120, repro monopod which looks the same but is nor arsenal marked - $25. Real dust cover - $110 (these are usually serial numbered so unless a miracle occurs, you aren't going to have the correct one as a replacement anyway), repro dust cover $18. Sarco has the repros.

[ILfarmer]

Thanks, I didn't realize that the dust covers were serialized. If it is like the bolt and uses the last three digits than there should be about a 1 in 99000 chance of finding one that matches . Still better odds than winning the lottery.

I know that the sight was changed during production. I've also heard that the dust cover was eliminated and that somewhere the monopod was gotten rid of. Does anyone have an idea of when these changes happened? Also were there differences on the bayonet lug?

Thank you

[kar66]

A series 7 wouldn't have had a monopod or a dustcover. A real late series 7 would be in last ditch configuration. It would look like a series 8. A early series 7 would be like a late series 6. Full length handguard, cylinder shaped bolt handle, grooved safety and adjustable rear sight. The later ones were about the same with a shorter rear sight.

[Dragonflydf]

It can be done, just takes some time to locate the parts. I started with a Type 99 that had a cut down stock and restored it and I am into it for less than I would have paid for a original.

[Aragorn243]

Just got a book in today's mail

Series 1-4 have all the trimmings

Series 5
goes to the two screw front band
4-1/8 inch cleaning rod
Non-monopod rear band
Dust cover eliminated

Series 6
loses the anti-aircraft feature on rear sight
Groove safety knob
Cylindrical bolt handle

Series 7
goes to short ladder rear sight
rough welded safety knob (late)
Receiver marked only with chrysanthemum
Substitute Type 99 (late)
Wood buttplate
front sight without guards
fixe peep sight
No cleaning rod
Short upper handguard
Large diameter recoil bolt

[ILfarmer]

Ok, my 99 should be about middle construction with a 43xxx serial number. It has the metal but plate, grooved safety knob and short ladder sight. The type and mum were stamped on the chamber but sadly only the type remains.

So it sounds like I need to find a non-monopod stock from Nagoya with a full length hand guard and forget about the dust cover.

[Aragorn243]

According to my book, Nagoya rifles in series 5 and 6 can be found with the monopod band but no monopod. So by series 7, they must have all been used up. I don't think the stock is any different, it's just the rear band. Front band would be two screw variety. No dust cover, correct.

Book is "Japanese Rifles of World War II" by Duncan O. McCollum. Pretty inexpensive on Amazon. 61 page oversized paperback.