Sigh..........What a shame....

[AFJuvat]

Was in the gun store today, saw a T-99 Arisaka on the used rack. It was in bad shape, it was missing the magazine follower and spring, and the lower guide rails look like someone had been at them with a hammer.

Front sight ears were broken, cleaning rod missing.

As an added bonus, the metal was covered in thick black paint, so thick the rear tangent sight was frozen...

On the bright side, the stock was an early type and intact. I gave my son the 'bubba' stock for the "Franken-Rifle" I put together for him last year, and this was a chance to get a unmolested stock for it.

So, negotiating back and forth, I got the rifle for slightly less than I would have paid for a complete stock + shipping from one of the parts places that carries that kind of stuff.

Brought it home, and started taking it apart.....

...and realized I could unscrew the barrel by hand.....So I did.....

Brought out the acetone, and started removing the paint from the receiver and get a better look at the markings....

And got that sick feeling after cleaning the markings that it is a Nagoya (Tokyo) Arsenal, Series 0...

Nagoya was the first factory that made the T-99, and Series 0 makes it the first production run.......

...and it has a serial number less than 50k, which puts it in the first month or two of production, and dates it before Pearl Harbor...

I hate you Bubba.....