Type 38 Stock Fix

[Sliver Shooter]

I have a type 38 that the wrist was cracked and there are 2 brass staples put in to fix the problem. The rifle is complete and I was told that it was probably fixed by an armourer during the war. It's kinda adds character to the ol gal. Has anyone ever seen this before?

[Guamsst]

Please add pics if you can. I have never encountered brass staples on a stock but have seen brass rod used, probably in the same way you are talking about. Normally wood dowels and glue are used. Between "bubba" gunsmiths and armorers, there are lots of possibilities.

[jangle]

The Japanese would typically use wood patches (i.e., football shaped patches for a superficial wood defect or a butterfly-style inletted repair) to fix a cracked stock as you are describing. The only time I've seen brass staples used is on rifles captured by the Chinese. Check the front underside of the barrel for any import stamps.

[Sliver Shooter]

The rifle was a GI bring back from WWII. My Dad was in the 6th Marine Div. in the Pacific and after the battle for Okinowa, the Div. was sent th Sing Tow China to await being sent home. I'm guessing that it was one such service man that aquired the rifle there and brought it home, if it indeed was a Chinese captured rifle. And I would say that it definately was repaired during that time period because of the condition of the overall stock and repair area.

[Guamsst]

What color is the stock? Not proof of anything but ALLOT of guns coming out of china have black stocks like they were soaked in used motor oil and stored in a ditch.

[Sliver Shooter]

Yes, as a matter of fact it did look rather dark and cruddy. I used some orange citrus cleaner and wiped it down and got the gunk off it. It cleaned up nicely. It's got some scares to show for it's time in battle. I maybe took some value away from it doing that but I wanted to see what was underneith. The metal is in really nice shape with the markings highlighted in white. I see that from time to time. Is that original?