Last ditch Arisaka, even worth it?

[Megasaki]

A few things to consider: Even some of the last ditches are shooters.

1. Bore/rifling: Good or bad? Keep in mind, they have the Lee Metford rifling, so when you look at it, think Glock rifling. Made them VERY easy to clean, however many believe the rifling is worn upon first glance. If it is a smooth bore (not a touch of rifling), DO NOT SHOOT IT! It is a school rifle, not designed to even shoot one round.
2. Matching bolt and other parts: Do the 3 of the rifle's digits match the digits on the bolt (may have to remove it to do so)? If so, it saves you getting headspace checked (though it may be a good idea anyways).

3. What caliber? Many dealers attempt to pass off "last ditch rifles" (which actually have higher collectibility value than the shooters) as the real deal. If it is 7.7, then chances are higher it is a last ditch. If it is 6.5, then the guy is pulling your leg.
4. Reciever: Condition, cracks, etc... Also, check to see if the reciever looks thick in all areas and is it cast poorly? (lots of holes and pores) If you see a ton of pores in the metal, you have a potentially bad situation.
5. Sights: They shifted to VERY cheap looking sights, almost like a marlin rimfire situation, very cheaply made, stamped steel. If not, you may have a decent gun, not a last ditch.
6. Chroming: Yes, the good ones have a gray bore, as they were chromed. A slight accuracy hit, but VERY easy to clean with the rifling type and chroming. Only at the end of the war did they stop chroming. The non-chomers are usually last ditch but can still have good recievers and bolts, check everything, not just the sights and bore.

Keep in mind, lots of dealers/people try to pass off a good rifle as a last ditch because collectors of Arisakas (few and far between) like to collect them over shooters. School rifles fetch a HUGE price if the parts match. If they dont have the bad things above, they are great shooters. Alot of the last ditch rifles are really good safe shooters, but buying ANY Arisaka is an exercise in patience. You should have it headspaced, not due to Japanese manufacturing (VERY good might I add), but as returning GIs were asked to remove the bolts on returning rifles, then they get mixed up in a bag. They arent given the same bolt, unfortunately. Many Arisakas have survived lots of rounds by strength alone, relying on a non-matching bolt. Also, the Ackley testing was done with the 6.5, NOT the 7.7 actions. They never did pressure testing on the 7.7, people tend to generalize the Arisaka action as the best. The 6.5s were great, the 7.7s were a little hit and miss (but still stronger than the Enfield actions).

I would say buy it anyways, they make awesome projects and exercises in ridding one's self of instant gratification. The Arisaka today is still a VERY accurate rifle, however, handloading becomes almost necessary, but VERY rewarding as many Arisakas are MOA rifles with decent bores. My Father's sporterized 6.5 is a SUB MOA rifle, getting cloverleaf patterns with an old Redfield scope from the 50s mounted onto the reciever (they now offer non-gunsmithing rear sight replacements for scope mounting). Also, if you see a hole in the top of the chamber, that is okay, it was desgined for that. If I remember correctly, the 6.5 has two smaller ones, 7.7 one. They allow for gas to blow out in cases of overpressure.

What this guy said.
Also, look to see if it has the MUM on top of the receiver. Its not a deal breaker if its been ground down or has file hash marks through it, but does lower the desirability.
Also, has the stock been boinked,,= sanded, messed with, etc.
Does it have the peep sight, the little circular rear sight. Most last ditch ones have this.

There are several other factors and types of late war " last ditch; Japanese rifles also. Post pics if you get it.

 

[NKBJ]

If you'd want a 25-20 for a small game rifle why not load one of these with wheel weights and Unique?