Made in Japan------Part II

On August 23rd of this year, I wrote an article about the  Japanese Type-99 rifle, which you might or might not remember.  Anyway, it's in the archives if you want a refresher on the story.

When we left off, I'd written about my original "99" with the "chrysanthemum" ground off, as was "PC to do under Douglas MacArthur.  You might also remember the OTHER one I had that HAD the "mum" on it, but had been foolishly re-stocked and converted to a 30.06........and as the story was closing, I was debating on whether or not to have the receivers switched.  But even DONNA was in favor of it, so the project was on.

With the passing of our late gunsmithing buddy Sam Beach,  I took the two guns to Buckhorn up in Boise, where they have two smiths working there, and I'd had them do some work for me earlier this year.  It would be no easy task because the 7.7 barrel would have to be re-head-spaced and the "mum" receiver would need to be "cold-blued' to match to barrel......there was some work involved here, but it would be worth it.  My original "99" still has all of it's factory wood, complete with monopod, "anti-aircraft sights," and it's DUST COVER, which you seldom see on a "99", because they fit loose and rattled.  Some Japanese soldiers took them off and threw them away.

So.......time went on, and early yesterday afternoon, they called me and said it was ready.  I wasted no time getting up there.

From the Arsenal Markings, I've been able to find out it was made in the Kokura Arsenal sometime after 1939, but have been unable to pin it down even closer------as of yet------I'm working on it.......

The steel-shrouded dust cover was a good idea in theory, to keep dirt and debris from getting down into the bolt & chamber area, but it fit so loosely in the rails that it rattled as you walked along........not a good thing when you're sneaking around in the jungle, so most were discarded.

The "monopod" swung down from a steel band on the upper-stock, and allowed the soldier to better-steady the rifle for long shots.

But to ME, the strangest piece on the rifle is this "anti-aircraft rear sight."It's a normal rear sight, but those two little "wings" flip down, to exposed graduated marks "left-to-right", in case a low flying airplane comes your way.  You're supposed to aim in front of him, somehow computing those side-marks in your head, and take a shot, hoping he'll fly right into your bullet.

Well....you'd first of all need a lot of luck!  Secondly though, if you HIT his plane and didn't hit anything vital-------and he HEARD or saw the muzzle flash in the direction it came from.......you might be in serious trouble.  A lot of those old Hellcats and Corsairs carried napalm rockets along with those winged-50's.........and a Type-99 Arisaka rifle against a Navy or Marine F4U was by no means an "even exchange!"

If luck was WITH you, though, it COULD be done.  The 7.7 Japanese cartridge had ballistics that were not far behind our 30.06, and could punch through a cockpit to get a pilot.  (Norma DID,  and I believe Hornady still DOES, make this cartridge in limited quantities, and you can sometimes find it at large enough gunshows.

But here's what makes THIS rifle the "whole enchilada" as they say.  The "Chrysanthemum" embossed into the breech over the chamber.  it was the family crest of Emperor Hirohito.  These rifles were seen as "gifts from God".......because the Emperor was thought to be Divine.

At the time of surrender, all Japanese commands were ordered to mutilate that mark before surrendering the weapons so as not to bring shame upon the emperor.  General MacArthur likewise ordered all American troops with souvenir  rifles to do the same so the Japanese wouldn't "lose face,"

As you can see, not everybody got the word............or cared!