Japanese Koishikawa Arsenal Type 38 Arisaka 6.5 Japanese Bolt Action Rifle C&R

LSB#: LSB260629JH003

Make: Koishikawa Arsenal (Tokyo), Import Marked

Model: Type 38

Serial Number: 1512051, No Series Mark

Year of Manufacture: 1906 - 1935 / C&R

Caliber: 6.5×50mmSR Arisaka (6.5 Japanese)

Action Type: Bolt action, internal 5 round magazine

Markings: None of the serialized components match the receiver or each other. The top of the receiver has a defaced chrysanthemum. The right side of the barrel has an import mark.

Barrel Length: 31.5"

Sights / Optics: The front sight is an inverted V post dovetailed to a base. The rear sight is a v-notch sight attached to a flip up sight ladder assembly. The ladder uses a sliding v-notch with the ladder marked "4-24".

Stock Configuration & Condition: The two piece hardwood stock has its upper handguard, finger grooves, semi-pistol grip, straight comb, nose cap with bayonet lug and provision for a cleaning rod, stock band, 2 sling rings, and steel buttplate. The LOP measures 13 1/8" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. There are scratches, scuffs, scrapes, and compression marks throughout. The stocks have been sanded and refinished. There are cracks in the wrist at both the bottom and top tangs. Overall, the stock rates in Fair Condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Refinished

Bore Condition: The bore is dark and the rifling is defined. There is mild erosion down the length. In this writer's opinion the bore rates 4/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 80% of its current metal finish. There is thinning on the leading edges. There is light intermittent oxidation. There is light erosion under the new finish. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are sharp to tool marked. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Good condition as refinished.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.

Our Assessment: Adopted in the 38th year of the Meiji era, 1905, the Type 38 became the principal Japanese infantry rifle for decades and combined the exceptionally strong Arisaka action with the mild-recoiling 6.5mm Japanese cartridge. Early long-rifle production was centered at the Tokyo/Koishikawa Arsenal, where approximately two million Type 38 rifles were produced in a continuous, no-series serial range before production shifted elsewhere. Serial number 1512051 falls squarely within the documented Koishikawa no-series range, making this a prewar Tokyo-produced rifle rather than a later Kokura-series example.

This example retains its full-length 31 1/2" military configuration and has a defaced Imperial chrysanthemum, but it has seen considerable post-service alteration and use. The serialized components are mismatched, the stock has been sanded and refinished and has cracks at the wrist, and the metal has also been refinished, while the bore is dark with mild erosion. Despite those condition issues, the rifle remains mechanically functional and presents as a representative example of one of Imperial Japan's most important service rifles, with its early Koishikawa manufacture adding historical interest beyond that of the more common later-production rifles.