Arisaka Type 38 Question

[Marty T.]

What would be approx. value of a type 38 that is a "vet bringback" (no documentation of course, rifle, not story, I know)? Went to an auction today to take a shot at one. Went for nearly $400. Is that the ball park or too high? Too high for me for just collecting anyway. Thanks.

[dave]

Depends on three things---condition, condition, originallity! Almost all jap rifles are bring backs as they were never imported, except for a batch from China in the 90's I believe. Those are usually in rough condition and may have Chinese markings on them. Jap rifles were actually "issued" or given out to US troops and Navy personal during the occupation, many were dumped in the sea. Jap rifles are going up in value as more collectors get into them!

[psteinmayer]

Did it have a full mum or was it ground?

[Marty T.]

I didn't lay eyes on it, but the auctioneer said it had been "defaced" because the Japanese didn't like to have their rifles captured with the mum intact. Rifle was supposedly captured on Okinawa and brought home from there. So it had quite a "story" to go with it. Had a little rust on the barrel, stock looked good and blueing looked decent. Like I said, I really didn't get to give it a real good look, but didn't seem like it had been treated very bad. So now what is the opinion of you in the know, I'm not up on these but sometime in the future would be nice to have an example. I've come to the conclusion that you can't get a good deal at an auction on anything anymore.

[Guamsst]

Captured on Okinawa could still be defaced before going home.

A nice 38.... I mean 85%+ can get $300 if you are patient around here, $250 if you don't want to haul it around for 6 months from show to show. Things vary from place to place. This is one reason you should atleast put a general area in your profile so we can see what the trends are.

Given that there are a bunch of idiots who go to auctions and throw money at things they think are rare then take them to gunshows to double their money with other idiots, I wouldn't say $400 is surprising at all.

Add a good original sling, dustcover and cleaning rod and $400 is reasonable.

[Marty T.]

I'm in western half of Tn., and there was nothing except the bayonet with the rifle and they auctioned it off separately from the rifle. So it was $380 for the rifle and then you had to buy the bayo if you wanted it. Didn't stick around for that. Was tired of wasting my time at that point.

[dave]

Rifles were not de-mumed till after the war. So if rifle was 'captured' on Okinawa it was kept for awhile before being shipped home. A soldier in combat would not bother with a captured rifle, hes got enough to carry and is just too busy! So it may have been captured by the US after the fighting had stopped or picked up by a GI at that time.
Buy the gun, forget the story, 99% are just BS!

[Guamsst]

This one might be believable a little bit since 99.9% of rifles were captured on Iwo Jima and swords on Guadalcanal. Just ask anyone selling an overpriced gun or sword. They usually "have the guys name somewhere" but darn it, they forgot to bring it with them. They have a photo copy of the capture papers though with no serial number given for the rifle.

I had to chuckle today. I found a Relic rifle my buddy gave me a while back. It was a "Custer battlefield dig up" someone brought him. They wanted a small fortune for it until my buddy told them that A.) It is a federal offense to dig on the battlefield without authorization and B.) Neither side would have been using a French model 1907/15. You can still clearly read the model designation 1907/15 on the receiver........LOL

[p246]

Rifles were not de-mumed till after the war. So if rifle was 'captured' on Okinawa it was kept for awhile before being shipped home. A soldier in combat would not bother with a captured rifle, hes got enough to carry and is just too busy! So it may have been captured by the US after the fighting had stopped or picked up by a GI at that time.
Buy the gun, forget the story, 99% are just BS!
My Grandfather was a rifleman withe the second Marine Division on both Okinawa and Saipain. I have two guns and an NCO sword he sent back. He never sent back an Arisaka for some reason. He always looked for weird stuff. He sent back a VZ 24 and a Hammada and Sons 20 gauge single shot. I remember him saying either when relieved off the main line or after the fighting was over was when he did his collecting.

[Guamsst]

p246 I think I'd get along with your grandfather....LOL The weirder, the better for me. I have no real lust for an Early 99 with all the bells and whistles. I am frothing at the mouth for a last ditch "Naval Special" a very late 99 with rope sling, or a North China Type 19!! I'd be excited about that VZ24 as well. Very hard to find the Jap VZ24s

There is a guy in South Dakota that wanders the gunshow once in a while with a very nice G43. He said his grandfather brought it back. They let his unit into a German warehouse and told them they could each have 1 rifle. His grandfather said guys were literally fighting over K-98s and he saw a big rack full of these weird looking rifles so he went and grabbed one. Apparently he was one of very few, if not the only guy in his unit to grab one.

[p246]

The VZ 24 is E serial numbered and not one of the Japanese ones. During his research he found out a large group of the E serial numbered 1937 guns were sold to China. He never learned if it was bought by the nationalist or communist for sure. He believed it was a battle field pick up by a Japanese soldier in China then taken to Saipan by that Soldier. After the main resistance was broken they put his company along with others piling rifles while their version of EOD blew found enemy ordinance ( he bitched about this jib alot, he thought the rifle companies deserved a break). In the piles of Arisakas he noticed the VZ24. He admits he just knew it was different at the time and shipped it home. From 1947 to 1976 it was his one and only deer rifle. Sorry for high jacking the thread I just like telling that story.

[Guamsst]

I like that story, provenance with the rifle would make it a prize piece for a guy like me who collects oddball stuff. One of my favorite pieces is a Jap Type 30 bayonet stuffed into a dried out British scabbard with half rotted British frog. I picked it up in England so my guess is that a Brit lost or broke his bayonet and snagged the Jap. Could have been the other way round and a Brit took it home at the end of the war, or it could just be some goober stuck the two together because they fit and he didn't know better or didn't care. It has that look though, like it has been that way for 70years and has correct wear to show it has been a set for a long time. I also have a Chinese Mauser which was converted into a Jap trainer and has the original (I think) sling. Odd is cool, I've seen a few SS contract rifles ( legitimate ones ) and they bore me. My Type 38 with the buttstock cartouche that reads "Japanese type teeth" or "Big teeth"......I love that gun.