Arisaka Saga -- Well yeah, I should have known better...

[earlmck]

About 20 years ago a friend gave me a couple of 6.5mm Arisaka rifles. The bores looked like the inside of a sewer pipe, but not to be deterred I found 6.5 Jap dies from Lee, saw that I could make serviceable cases from 35 Rem, and loaded up a selection from mild to wild. Only one of the rifles had a front sight so I used that one for testing. Yuk! Shotgun - type patterns instead of rifle - type groups. Something diverted my attention and these got put away for a later day.

So a couple of months ago I was doing an inventory of the herd and came across these two old clunks in the back of the safe. Decided this was the "later day" and figured I'd give 'em another go. This time I did something I hadn't considered the first time -- I gave them a really good cleaning to get all the crud and jacket material out of the barrel. Thanks to foaming bore cleaner I finally got to reasonably clean. Voila! inspection of the barrels showed them again closely resembling said sewer pipe. Disappointment

I still had some of my 6.5x35 Rem stuff loaded so out to the range we go. Dang! No improvement, other than I didn't have any go sideways this time, which my notes indicated I'd had some do 20 years ago.

I then fitted up Rifle #2

65x57Arisaka7234.jpg

with the earlmck patent front sight thusly:

65x57Sight7237.jpg

Out to the range with my trusty ammo, fired the first round, and this is what came out of the chamber:

65JapOops.jpg

Yes, I had read that people did rechamber these with a 257 Roberts reamer to produce a 6.5X57. But I'd never before seen one. Didn't realize I'd owned one for 20 years! Here they are with 6.5x35Rem on top, 6.5x57 middle, and the fired case on the bottom:

ArisakaCases7233.jpg

Oh yeah, look at the primer of the 6.5 Jap fired in 6.5x57 chamber:

65JapIn65x57.jpg

Now wouldn't you think it must have hit 150K psi to do that? I certainly would have previously. But I poked the maxi-flat primer out and a new primer fits firmly into the ruined case:

56JapPrimers.jpg

I know these aren't leverguns, but I was just messing around on this cool, breezy day and thought I'd take some pictures of this little mis-adventure I had this summer, knowing some of you geezers like to get a laugh out of the hi-jinks us youngsters can get up to.

Oh yes. I cobbled up some 6.5x57 ammo (6mm Rem brass, 7x57 fl die for body die, 260 Rem for neck and seat) and gave rifle #2 a go with the proper ammo. Very very sad. Maybe not quite as bad as rifle#1 but pretty much a pattern rather than a group. But all is not lost: firstly I don't have to worry about attaching a nicer front sight. And secondly, since these old rifles are pretty much worthless I am taking them out of the safe (more wall hangers?) which leaves a couple of spaces for something better.

[FWiedner]

Very interesting, but I don't know that I'd hang the "worthless" tag on them yet.

Do you grow tomatoes?

[M. M. Wright]

Very interesting, but I don't know that I'd hang the "worthless" tag on them yet.

Do you grow tomatoes?

[44shooter]

I wonder if a 35 Rem rebore is possible on #1. #2 might make a good 7x57 or 8x57. Maybe not worth the money and time but you would be shooting.

A tough cheap bolt gun in 35 chopped down between 16 and 18 would be handy for a vehicle

[Sixgun]

That's it!!! I'm calling my attorney!!! Patent infringement. I've had several sights like that in the past along with epoxy jobs.

No, it was not all lost. You gained experience and now you can unload the jap junk with no thoughts of "I wonder how accurate those guns are"

No tomato stakes though.....hunt the Internet for local gun buy back programs which usually come up a month before Christmas. Out here they usually pay with a $100 supermarket card for each gun.-----6

[Griff]

Nope, six, they're worth more as tomato stakes. You're looking at the short term benefit... You'll get far more than $100 of tomatoes from them, and over the years the iron returned to the ground will enrich those tomatoes so they'll be worth more that a quick $100!

[Bill in Oregon]

Earl, glad you came out of that deal with all parts intact. They say the Arisaka action is incredibly strong ...

[Malamute]

Well, they have been made up into nice sporters, though it would be a pretty big project unless decent used sporter barrels and stocks could be found.

[ollogger]

Very interesting Earl, to bad the 6.5x57 is junk so I have to agree on the use for a tomato stake



Brad

[Ben_Rumson]

Fun read Earl
+ 1 for the tomato stakes corner

[Old Savage]

Sometimes you just have to look under every rock ... twice.

[3leggedturtle]

Earl, what you going to do with it?

[GunnyMack]

Check out gun parts, they may have both barrels and stocks.

Those actions are strong! like the Mausers, STRONG LIKE BULL- SMART LIKE DUMP TRUCK.

[44shooter]

I wouldn't destroy any salvageable firearm. Those actions are strong and useful even if the barrels are toast. I suggested reboring, but that might not be cost effective.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have seen a couple Arisakas made into very nice sporters. The pre and early war guns were well made I am told.
Problem is you cant buy the parts today for what a new quality rifle can be had for. Everyone is building quality low end sporters these days. Gunsmiths who still build sporters from military actions are few and far between and the labor would cost more than a new rifle.

[earlmck]

Earl, what you going to do with it?

I'm using both of them as wall hangers. With those looong barrels they look fairly cool, though not nearly as cool as if they had been left in their original military configurations.

I've read P.O. Ackley's action-strength testing reports and realize these things are maximum strong and could be turned into something quite useful. But there would be considerable money spent and I'd still have just another side-lever thing. At least they are no longer stuck in the back of the gun safe. Hmmm.... I wonder what else is back there?

[44shooter]

Nothing wrong with decorating with them either. I have to admit to having guns I've never shot. Some are old military rifles. Maybe if you have a burglary, the crooks will fill their arms with those and go without snooping out the good stuff!

You are probably right. Sporterizing would only be cost effective if it's minimal or you can do most of it yourself. A new barrel is more than the rifle is worth and reboring probably is too. Kind of like fixing a console tv, what's the point?