Type 99 found in cave

[Redleg0811]

Several years ago a gentleman that I have known since I was a little boy sold me multiple guns. He was selling because he could not shoot any more. didn't want his wife to have to deal with them if he passed. Also he has no kids.

Anyways one of the rifles was a Type 99. When my friend was 7 his dad was stationed at Tinian after WW2. My friend used to explore the island and would go into the caves. One of his trips he found this type 99. He took the rifle home and his dad said you are not keeping that. He some how convinced his dad to keep it and they took it all those years base to base until my friend was old enough to move out and he took it with him.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/RedLeg0811/1102152105a1_zpsi9jwqe5v.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/RedLeg0811/media/1102152105a1_zpsi9jwqe5v.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/RedLeg0811/11021521051_zpsursl0y2d.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/RedLeg0811/media/11021521051_zpsursl0y2d.jpg.html)

[psteinmayer]

Pretty sweet looking early T-99. A couple questions leap to mind:

1. What is the arsenal and series numbers? You can use this guide ( http://www.gunboards.com/sites/banzai/DataSheets/M99/M99Data.htm#Model_99 ) to bounce again the markings on the receiver.
2. Do the last three numbers of the serial match the numbers on the action cover, bolt handle, and other bolt parts?

Awesome find and a great piece of family, and military history!!!

[dave]

strange it would survive years in a cave, which are usually damp, in almost new condition. even the sling is excellent.

[Redleg0811]

Psteinmayer, I will get this information after church.

Dave, I guess it had some type of oil cloth wrapped around it until about 48. The sling wasn't originally on the rifle. I have never known my friend to fib or fudge the truth. The story wasn't to increase the price as he sold it to me for way under what I feel it was worth. He was happy it was going to me and I don't ever plan on selling it. It has now become one of my favorite rifle.

[pdawg1911]

Tinian wasn't staffed with military until late in the war when the Japanese realized it potential for the US to use it as an airbase. We took it from them late July early August 1944. The Japanese in their typical form, fought tenaciously and had over 8000+ killed with about 300 survivors. Not sure how a rifle that nice would have been on a place that brutal, but it might have been in a storage case that GI souvenir hunters missed. In any regard, it is a nice looking rifle. Can you share some pictures of the serial number, mum, and arsenal marks on the stock ?

Thanks,
Pat

[psteinmayer]

There were caves on the coast of Tinian to be sure. After the Silverplate squadron arrived (the boys who dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki), they were still finding Japanese soldiers encamped in said caves. Finding a Type 99 in a cave would not be out of the question... but I would think they would have also found an enemy soldier holding on to it! Some of the Japanese soldiers that held post in remote locations never got the word that their divisions had left, or even in some cases, that the war had ended, and they would have continued to hold that post and fight with their lives until dead, or until word finally reached them. One of the interesting thing about the Japanese back then: they simply did not give up even when they had lost the battle/war!

[Redleg0811]

My friend said he has always wondered what the story was and what happened to the soldier that put it there.

The rifle serial, bolt and dust cover all match.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/RedLeg0811/0402171607b_zpspsiqpfwm.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/RedLeg0811/media/0402171607b_zpspsiqpfwm.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/RedLeg0811/0402171607_zpsuudb29le.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/RedLeg0811/media/0402171607_zpsuudb29le.jpg.html)

[ray55classic]

That's one of the cleanest early 99's Ive ever seen . It looks like it was never uncrated .

[Allen]

That's one of the cleanest early 99's Ive ever seen . It looks like it was never uncrated .

Agree. I think this is as good as it gets.

[Redleg0811]

That is why I sold my other one. It was decent, but had a crossed out mum, No mono pod or dust cover.

[psteinmayer]

Looks like a Nagoya Series 1 in near perfect condition. They don't get much better than this!!!

[RETREAD123456]

Maybe it was crated when found. Story aside, the rifle is a gem!

[Griff Murphey]

In 1975 I was part of BLT 1-4 floating about from Vietnam to Subic. One of our collateral duties was to send an LST to Tinian to assess the idea of moving the 3rd Mar Div from Okinawa to there. At the time there was a good deal of pressure from the Okinawans to move the Marines out, which comes and goes even today. It was overgown with marijuana and the idea was abandoned.

But the B-29 runways were still there in perfect condition, I was told.

[togor]

In 1975 I was part of BLT 1-4 floating about from Vietnam to Subic. One of our collateral duties was to send an LST to Tinian to assess the idea of moving the 3rd Mar Div from Okinawa to there. At the time there was a good deal of pressure from the Okinawans to move the Marines out, which comes and goes even today. It was overgown with marijuana and the idea was abandoned.

But the B-29 runways were still there in perfect condition, I was told.

Google Maps. Still there.

North Field
Tinian 96952, CNMI

https://goo.gl/maps/YYTejwLF9NC2

[P51MUSTANG]

Really nice looking 99... Once of the cleanest I have seen in years......