Late War Type 99

[Phosphorus32]

This sub-forum has been dormant for 8 months, so time for a little 7.7x58mm wake up call.

This is a Series 25 Type 99 out of Kokura Arsenal. Kokura was assigned Series numbers 20-25 with about 92,000 out of a possible 100,000 produced in Series 25, so this example is just 50K from the end of a 592,000 rifle production run. Chrysanthemum has been scrubbed but all of the serial numbers match.

It has late features that include: no "Type 99" mark on the receiver ring, generally much rougher finishing on all metal and wood parts, no grasping grooves in the stock, wooden buttplate nailed onto the buttstock, simplified lower barrel bands, upper barrel band that is fixed to the barrel, instead of a pretty knurled safety knob it just has a raw weld, abbreviated upper handguard, fixed rear sight, no ears on the front sight, a separate foreend stock piece that slips into the modified upper barrel band. Unlike other arsenals, Kokura never went to the cylindrical bolt handle; retaining the plum shaped handle to the end.  I think it's remarkable how they trimmed corners yet retained the key functions.





























SERIAL NUMBERS

[Phosphorus32]

Some comparison pictures to my Series 21 (bottom or left pic) Kokura Type 99, ca. 1940

[Phosphorus32]

It'll do. POI is about 13" above POA at 100 yds with Norma 180gr SP. Sounds about right for a rifle with fixed battle sights set for 300m. Obviously I had a lot of lateral spread in my group but it centered on the POA so windage is set just fine.

[Loose}{Cannon]

Are these jap guns still fairly cheap to buy?

lookin good.   

[Phosphorus32]

Like everything else, they aren't as cheap as they used to be, but yeah, they're still fairly inexpensive. This Type 99 was $195 so I have no complaints. Big range depending on the mum, aircraft sights, monopod, dust cover, arsenal, etc. Type 99s and Type 38 long rifles are the least expensive. Can get a good shooter Kokura or Nagoya with a scrubbed mum for $250-350.  Type 38 carbines are a bit more, and Type 44s are in the $600 plus realm. I don't follow them very close, so my numbers may be a little off.