Building a Custom Type 38 Arisaka

We did a lot of work to customize this Arisaka Type 38. First, the customer wanted a new barrel installed. We removed the original barrel and ordered a Kreiger barrel blank. We cut the barrel blank down to 24 inches (significantly shorter than the original 31.4 inch barrels) and crowned it. Then, we profiled the barrel and threaded the shank to fit with the receiver. To finish up the barrel work, we chambered it in the original 6.5x50mmSR caliber.

Next, we set out to improve the accuracy of the gun. We lapped the bolt lugs to improve the fit of the bolt to the receiver. We also glass bedded the gun with a free floating barrel.

We also installed a rail and mounted a scope. After that, we cut off the original bolt handle and welded a new one on at angle so it could clear the scope.

Then, we began working on the stock. The customer ordered a new Richards Microfit Laminate Stock for this Arisaka. In order to match it to the receiver, we inletted the stock by removing material until they fit together. We also fit and ground a recoil pad for the new stock. Finally, we sanded it down to a satin-like finish and Cerakoted all of the metal parts black.

To make sure it functioned properly, we test fired the rifle before returning it to the customer.

Arisaka History

After war with the Chinese in 1894, the Japanese determined that their Murata Rifles—the first Japanese produced service rifle—were outdated, inferior, and needed to be replaced. Just three years later, Arisaka Nariakira, a general in the Imperial Army, designed the Arisaka Type 30. With the help of Kijirō Nambu, a gun maker sometimes referred to as the Browning of Japan, Arisaka later designed a more popular variant known as the Type 38.

Designed in 1905, this variant is known as the Type 38 because it was made in the thirty-eight year of the emperor’s reign. This rifle was adopted by both the Imperial Army and Navy and used as a service rifle until 1942. With over 3.4 million built, the Type 38 Arisaka was the most mass produced model.

Using a Mauser-patented bolt action system, the Type 38 is known for its reliability. It’s also an extremely durable gun—some even claim that they were more destruction-proof than both Mausers and M1903 Springfield rifles.

Though it was over four feet long (larger than both the M1 Garand and the Model 1903 Springfield) the Type 38 was considered light for its size. Due to its length, it was accurate and had limited recoil.

Most famously, each military service Arisaka receiver was stamped with the imperial Chrysanthemum Flower Seal. This symbolized that it was property of the emperor and the military.

Arisaka Type 99 Carbine
By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7702393

During World War II, the Japanese sought to improve upon the Type 38 Arisaka. Known as the Type 99, the Japanese built 2.5 million between 1941 and 1945. Both the Type 38 and Type 99 were widely used by Japanese troops during this period.

After the Japanese surrendered, they stopped production of both rifles and ammunition and threw much of the armory surplus into Tokyo Harbor. Though the Arisaka was no longer used by the Japanese military, other countries such as China, Thailand, and Cambodia continued to use Arisakas.

Many U.S. soldiers brought back Type 38s and Type 99 Arisakas as trophies after the war. The Imperial Seal has been defaced or ground off on most of the remaining Arisakas. Some historians claim that the Japanese military ordered this before surrender, but most agree that the orders came from General Douglas MacArthur of the U.S. occupation forces.