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

[AFJuvat]

Originally Posted by sdmc530

Wow impressive info. I will try to get the symbol for you. The butt plate is just tacked on to the stock. Looks really cheap too. The bolt looks like it was quickly welded and no finishing on the bolt or stryker assembly or any place. It shoots will with the fixed peep sights.

I attached a picture of the series symbols, Look at number 8, number 10, and maybe number 12 (unlikely) in the attached picture, and see which one matches your rifle.

Originally Posted by sdmc530

The butt plate is just tacked on to the stock. Looks really cheap too. The bolt looks like it was quickly welded and no finishing on the bolt or stryker assembly or any place. It shoots will with the fixed peep sights.

All of those features were eliminated in an attempt to speed up production and conserve metal. Added a few pictures that compare the early T-99 to the 'Last Ditch' ones.

The T-99 constantly evolved over its production lifetime. The earliest models had a monopod and fold down anti-aircraft wings on the rear sight (pictured in attachments). The intent was that a squad or platoon would fire at the aircraft 'en volley'. It worked fairly decently against Chinese biplanes that flew low and slow, not so much against US aircraft, so they were eliminated in late 1942 - early 1943.

Trivia: The Arisaka T-99 was the first military rifle with a chrome lined barrel. The original intent was to protect the barrel during the island hopping campaigns in a marine environment. This is why the surviving rifles are good shooters given their age. Chrome lining was eliminated by most of the manufacturers sometime in late 1944 - early 1945.