Japanese Militaria at Castle-Thunder.com

[swiss]

hello everybody
i just bought a t 38 carbine, probably nagoya arsenal. these carbine has a bent bolt handle, i couldn't find any information in the internet about it. everything i found were pictures with straight handle. has anybody informations for me?

thank you very much

i tried to upload pictures, but wan't able to do it

[gwsiii]

Welcome to the forum, email me your pictures and I'll post them for you. Your bolt handle was most likely turned down over here in a sporterization attempt. Go to the Datasheet page and download a Type 38 datasheet and fill it out for Frank Allan. Would need to know what arsenal, series, and serial number you rifle is before we could tell you much more about it. Thanks for posting, Trey
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I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!

[ronin48]

Roy Boone, a 'mossey-back' grit tree farmer in the MS Delta can make that bolt handle look like that 'monkey' never got 'aholt' (MS term) of it. If interested Trey or I can provide his address, (Shucks, I'm not that lazy)

Riceone@bellsouth.net. He's one of the few in that part of Mississipii that actually takes his boots off before he goes to bed! But it took MS Riceone several years to' learn' him to remove them 'afore' bed.

[swiss]

pic's

[swiss]

Series notations: 27th, but difficult to read, serial number: 56144

Nagoya

[gwsiii]

Very nice rifle. Don't straighten that bolt. I think that is a Siamese 38 conversion to .30-06? I'll let Frank know. The series/serial range, and Mum cancellation, indicate its one of the rifles sold to Siam (Thailand). Is there any Siamese writing, or inspection marks? The link below is to the datasheet for the siamese mauser (Type 46/47) and the copy of the Type 38 made for Siam (Type 66), it includes the siamese numbers and inspection markings which may be of help until we hear from Frank Allan. Siamese Type 46/47/66 datasheet. Don't do anything to it just yet. Trey
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Fill out a Japanese Rifle Datasheet.
I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!

[Francis C. Allan]

Dear Swiss;

Siamese/Thai weapons have always held a special interest for me, at least those of Japanese origin. What you have is a Thai Type 83 short rifle. It should have been re-chambered to fire the .30-06 cartridge. This round is known as the Type 88 in Thailand. Thus the full designation is Type 83/88. The barrel step is probably marked 83/2502 in Thai numerals. This indicates that the basic classificaiton is Type 83 and that the conversion/modification was made in the Buddhist year 2502 or 1959 in our Gregorian calandar.

The 83 in the designation is base on the Buddhist year 2483 or 1940, when approximately 15,000 Japanese Type 38 infantry rifles were bartered from Japan in exchange for various raw materials; lumber, rubber, etc.

The few examples that have been encountered have striaght bolt handles and I think that this is standard. However, later Type 91 carbines do have their bolt handles turned down. If you do have the bolt straightened, PLEASE take some photos for me for inclusion in the upcoming book on the Type 38 that includes an entire chapter on the Siamese use of Type 38 variations. I only have a couple of old photos and they are not very good. Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated. I need a full length view of the right side and a close up of the front sight & barrel band.

If you would like to know more on this subject just give me a call.

Frank
_________________
Francis C. Allan
20Courtney Place
Palm Coast, FL 32137

(386) 445-4225

[gwsiii]

Frank, thanks very much for the additional information! Trey
_________________
Subscribe to BANZAI!
Fill out a Japanese Rifle Datasheet.
I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!