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Arisaka Surprise

5K views 24 replies 14 participants last post by  sdeprie 
#1 ·
For years I have looked down my nose at Arisakas, thought they were ugly and awkward. I came into a 7.7 and loved the way it shot, adequate hunting ballistics (just like a 303 Brit) and very pleasant to shoot. So I acquired a 6.5. Haven't shot it, yet, but anxious to get out to the range. Anyone have experience with these. I am impressed that both came with military peep sights. Not fancy, but much better than a shallow V I have to use a magnifying glass to see.
 
#5 ·
If you look at all of the 6.5mm cartridges used during WWII, the 6.5x50 Arisaka is among the smallest of them, but delivers surprising velocity with bullets up to 140 grains. It used to be very popular to rechamber them for a variety of wildcats based mostly on the 7x57, or associated rounds. It's not that hard to get reloadable brass for both the 6.5 and the 7.7x58. I load the latter and it has served for both deer and wild boar hunting.
 
#6 ·
The early Ariska's were strong. They had a heat treating process that was 6 different grades, read that in Ackley. He claimed them one of the strongest ever until the later model's came out than toward the end they fudged on the heat treating. I have a cousin with two of them, really ornate. Never saw him shoot one and the dressing was something but a plain old Ariska just doesn't trip my trigger.
 
#11 ·
The ones you're talking about were the late war yrs models. Some of them were basically cast iron actions.

IIRC, For what it's worth, the NRA has a 6.5 model in their museum that was re-chamber to 30-06. It was brought to a gunsmith after the owner complained about the recoil of the gun. It was shooting a .308 bullet thru the .264 bore with no ill effects. The 'smith noticed the issue and couldn't believe it. Sent the gun thru to the NRA and they shot it a few more times and marveled at the results.
 
#7 ·
This thread reminds me of an auction sale dad and I went to. Among the stuff I bought was a Machinery's Handbook which had barrel threading specs in the flyleaf, including Arisaka.
Dad got a cigar box full of ground HS tool bits, probably some for cutting Acme and buttress threads and other unknown to us machine operations.
 
#8 ·
Well, I have fired the 6.5 and it is everything I wanted from it. It has very little recoil and seems accurate, at least in the few rounds I put through it. I have been intrigued about stories about rechambering the rifle. I know a number have been cut to 6.5 x 57 or 6.5 x 257. I wonder if the barrel and action are enough to rechamber in 6.5-284. I'll have to get another even less original than the one I have to do that.
 
#12 ·
I have had several over the years. My opinion is they have rifling that likes heavier bullets. The original round for the 7.7 was a 179 grain and something around 139 for the 6.5. The rear sight on the 7.7 will index really well using the 180 grain reloads. I have seen the 180 grain 7.7 loads out penetrate a 30-06 150 grain bullet in some informal shooting.

I have a sporterized 6.5 that has been a project gun for most of my life. When everything is right with the 6.5 it can shoot as accurately as almost any rifle I have owned (within a reasonable range). The 6.5 keeps getting updates so it gets better with the years. Maybe my stories about it just get better. Many of the guys I hung around with in high school had surplus military rifles bolt action rifles.
I had the 6.5 modified for a scope and it was one of the most accurate rifles we would take out.

It is true they may not be the prettiest rifles out there but they can shoot pretty well if you do your part.
 
#15 ·
I prefer the type 38 to all other Arisaka rifles. I'm not sure why they did not become more desirable here in the U.S. I suspect it might have been the safety, the extra machining required for re-barreling and the poor quality of the "last ditch" rifles seen at the end of the war.

In regards to Arisaka action strength I wonder if some of that can be attributed to how the gas vents are situated on top of the front ring. Like I said, just wondering.
 
#21 ·
Metric receiver threads, issues mounting scopes, uncommon chambering - the list goes on and on.

It is just a lot easier to start with something else (except maybe a Carcano or Mosin-Nagant).
 
#22 ·
I had one that had been converted to 30-06 by a gunsmith in Petersburg, Va. He was very well-known. Gun was a tack-driver, and had a nice trigger pull. A friend was over to hunt one day, and I let him take the bolt assembly apart(why, I don't know) and a small brass shim fell out. Never could figure where it came from, and the trigger SUCKED after that. I got rid of it.
 
#23 ·
The choice 7.7X58 rifles were the initial production runs (1939-1940?) with chrome lined bores and long barrels. They are very well made and great shooters. With the long barrel have an antique quality about them. They were somewhat obsolete with the long barrel and production soon shifted to a modern shorter barrel and I suspect many of the these early rifles ended up doing guard duty in Japan.
 
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