The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

I noticed a Type 99 stamped US cal 30 on a GB auction yesterday, it looks like it was made at night in a blacksmith shop, are those late war? Safe to shoot? I've heard of some that were potmetal?

Without seeing it it would be tough to say yes its safe, there where some training rifles that had receivers made out of cast Iron, but these where never meant to be fired. A lot of Arisaka's where converted in both Korea and China right after the war to arm there fledgling armies. I have read though that the action on an Arisaka is amongst the strongest ever designed

It's what collectors like to call " last ditch" these are just type 99's made in the last years of the war. Past 1942 things started getting tight for Japanese industry, as the war progressed and US bombers blew the shit out of Japanese city's, they started eliminating features and finishing. Think 1942 Soviet M91/30, but the Soviets never got to the point the Japanese did. By 1945 the 99 had the most crude sight imaginable, muskets had better, heavy machine marks on the metal, rough wood of the cheapest sort. I do not recommend firing these rifles, they should be kept for display.

Any Arisaka with proof markings are safe to fire. Even the last ditch. Multiple studies have shown Arisakas to have the strongest metal and are able to handle the highest pressures of any WWII bolt action infantry rifle. This does not apply to any trainer.

As for the .30 caliber marking many were converted to hunting rifles here years ago.

I saw that one also. Definitely a last ditch. Weld marks on the bolt safety, wood buttplate, and simplified sights. I guess it was converted to 30-06 stateside, but was probably done quite awhile ago. Don't quote me on this, but I thought I read the Japanese started taking short cuts with their steel on some of these near the end, so the steel quality is not up to snuff on some of these. My guess is this one was converted and fired safely, but I am a bit wary of firing a last ditch myself.

Yes, that is a possibility, things got very rushed and slipshod in all the Japanese factory's by the wars end. By late 1944 there was pretty much uncontested bombing going on round the clock. A lot of things can happen with that sort of interruption going on, and that includes proof marks put on things not proofed, or with improperly heat treated low quality steel that might survive a dozen rounds fired. The Soviets weren't being bombed at Izhevsk or Tula, they had a good supply of materials coming in to the arsenal and they had full staff running 24/7. They cut corners in final finish in order to speed up production, but they never cut back on sights or other parts, nothing important was left half finished. The level of chaos never reached the same heights in Soviet factory's as it did in Japanese ones. The Japanese could only dig holes in the ground when the bombing started, the Soviets just packed everything onto a train and shipped it beyond reach of enemy bombers.