Looking for a high-powered rifle? Consider the Japanese Arisaka
Author’s daughter Katie with original Japanese 7.7mm Arisaka.
The phrase “intact mum” will elicit from a firearm collector much the same reaction as a ranch hand hearing the dinner bell on a chuck wagon: immediate interest.
Why would a reference to a flower, the chrysanthemum, pique such curiosity? Because it refers to the World War II Japanese battle rifle, the Arisaka.
The Arisaka rifle was a bolt-action repeater which came in two calibers: 6.5 x 50mm and 7.7 x 58mm. The 6.5mm rifles were referred to as Type 38, the 7.7mm as Type 99. The rifle was designed by a colonel in the Japanese army, Nariakira Arisaka.
The 6.5mm version saw service against China early in the 20th century, and some problems were noted, mostly to do with the relatively weak energy of that cartridge. As a result, the Type 99 in 7.7mm was developed. As any serious rifle enthusiast will tell you, there is no substitute for bullet diameter and velocity. Bigger is (most of the time) better.
The 7.7mm Arisaka round was an almost direct copy of the .303 British cartridge. And why not? If you were tasked with creating a new cartridge that was a proven man-stopper, why re-invent the wheel? The .303 was a battle-proven cartridge the world over. The Japanese cartridge was one millimeter longer than the .303 (7.7 x 58 vs. 7.7 x 57), with the rim removed. Power-wise, it is a virtual twin.
By the time the United States entered World War II in late 1941, most of Japan’s Imperial Army had transitioned to the 7.7mm rifles.
They were equipped with five-round internal magazines fed with stripper clips, and many had a feature unique to the Arisakas: flip-down calipers, or “lead bars,” on the rear sight. These were supposed to allow the soldier to accurately shoot at enemy aircraft by providing them a way to lead the plane.
Author’s daughter Katie with 7.7mm Arisaka in a Bishop stock.
The effectiveness of this device is questionable, to be generous, though it may have been psychologically positive for the shooter. Some rifles also came with a wire monopod toward the muzzle end of the stock, which aided the shooter by steadying the rifle. Many rifles brought back as war souvenirs or imported post-war as military surplus lack one or both of these features. And this brings us back to the “intact mum.”
On the top of the receiver the rifle manufacturers stamped the image of a 16-petaled chrysanthemum, the royal mark of the Japanese Emperor. After the Japanese surrender at the end of the war, the mums were either ground off the receivers or intentionally defaced in some way, so that the surrendered weapons would no longer bear the intact symbol of the Emperor, which the Japanese saw as a disgrace if left untouched.
Even the majority of weapons brought back as battlefield souvenirs had the mums struck before they were authorized to return with U.S. soldiers. However, a few have survived with the intact mum, and those are highly prized, and correspondingly valued, by collectors.
I own a brace of Arisakas, both Type 99s, one sporterized, and one in military configuration.
They are fun to shoot, although the ammo can be a bearcat to find. Serious reloaders frequently fire-form brass from .30-’06 cases, but commercially produced rounds are occasionally still made.
Large (and clumsy) knob safety on back of bolt. Note turned down bolt handle to allow for scope when used.
I found a box of Norma cartridges at Bass Pro Shop in Omaha not too long ago.
The original military load for the 7.7 was 181 grains, moving at 2,370 feet per second muzzle velocity. Today, it is not much seen as a hunting round, but is fully capable of taking most North American big game at normal hunting ranges with soft-point bullets, when available. It is hard-hitting and flat-shooting.
If the Arisaka has a design drawback (both Type 38 and Type 99), it would be the safety. Like the Mosin-Nagant of an earlier article, it is clumsy to operate and requires the user to press a round knob on the back of the bolt inward while rotating it, generally done with the bottom part of the palm. Releasing the safety is done in the same manner, with opposite rotation. It requires significant pressure to do either.
Left: Scrubbed mum on receiver of Japanese Arisaka. Right: Mum partially covered by installed scope base on Arisaka. Previous owner had drilled through the mum to install the base. What a shame.
If you want a high-power rifle to shoot for fun, Arisakas are still fairly readily available (I picked up my first one at a local gun shop). If you are looking for a highly collectible piece with an intact mum, a stock monopod, and rear sight aircraft calipers, well…they’re out there, but you’re gonna have to spend some time looking.
One caveat: Beware of Type 99 “Last Ditch” rifles. These were made in a last-ditch effort to save the Japanese Homeland when it became apparent that an invasion was likely. They were produced to arm both soldiers and citizens. These were hastily made and the metal and furniture will have a rough appearance. These versions belong hanging on a wall and not in a working gun cabinet.
Mark Heino is a western Iowa law enforcement officer. He can be reached at finncop@outlook.com