I am not particularly into guns and ammo (other than the fact that I have the first one I bought over 40 years ago) and occasionally like to shoot. Don’t really want to get into that scene. However, I inherited a 6.5mm rifle that my father brought back with him from Japan in WWII. Want to let my grandson shoot it but only have 2 rounds and these days it seems like nearly all ammo is hard to get let alone something on the antique somewhat exotic side of things. Would also like to learn more about the rifle if possible. Dad “sporterized” it years ago so nothing really lines up with the pictures and there are almost no markings on the barrel.
I know there is some cross-over between flashlights and guns. If anyone here knows about WWII Japanese rifles or where to find ammo (at a reasonable price) for such, please PM me.
I am not a gun-nut. However I have a good friend who collects old military arms, from flintlocks to the 60’s. That is very likely a 6.5 x 50 Arisaka rifle; as I recall he has a few of them, different models. . Too bad it has been sporterized. If original there would be collectors who might be interested. If it is not known when it was last fired I would advise against shooting it unless someone, like a gunsmith, verified it was safe to use. As for ammo there are many online sellers and I imagine there are gun stores in Minneapolis that could place an order for you. It could be a lengthy wait from what I have seen.
I have enjoyed target match shooting for decades. I still have 2 Anschütz 22LR bolt action match rifles. Even match grade ammo used to be easy to find but not so for many years now.
All ammo is hard to find right now. i bought the parts and built a 6.5 Creedmore AR this summer as part of my covid home project, and now it’s difficult to find that mess and when i do it’s 6.5 Costmore. $2 a round takes all the fun outta plinkin’.
The 6.5 CM is 6.5 x 48mm and the .260 Remington is 6.5 x 52, so it figures that nobody would pick a size that already exists—you are right between them. i would guess the remington would be the least cost and it might be possible to cut down the case and reload it for the “6.5 Jap”.
wiki has interesting history on all the various 6.5 rounds
Thanks for the help everyone! Will just have to wait until I have a bit more $$ to spend and or be patient for the time it is available.
Didn’t intend to go down that rabbit hole today but after reading the responses from here one thing led to another and I discovered why mine is different from the typical Arisaka. Apparently the Japanese Navy procured these from Italy. They were based on a Carcano receiver and bolt, but otherwise configured like a Type 38 Arisaka. That is why mine does not have Japanese markings but rather a serial number stamping.
As for the safety of using it, I am not too concerned. The last time I remember shooting it was about 40 years ago but know it to be fired occasionally since then. It is a very over-built rifle and has very little wear.
Don’t care about collector value. If ammo ever comes down and availability goes up I may shoot it from time to time. It is amazingly accurate and I enjoy that. Mostly it will be for the grandson. Family heirloom.
It is also kind of unique in that the Ammo is nearly identical, as is the bolt, to the rifle that was used in the JFK assassination.
Great picture! Mine would be right in the middle of that picture as the bullet looks like the 2nd and 3rd from L. The case is of course just a couple of MM sorter that the Carcano (3rd from L) and a couple of MM longer than the creedmore. The .260 Remington having a touch longer case but a shorter bullet.
this round is actually has some interesting history, it was a round of choice for Fedorov assault rifle . that was designed and build from 1913- 1925 in russia, \ussr. the first real assault rifle in the world. he was the first gun designer who recognized the need for intermediate round, to support full auto fire, 7.62 x54r that russians used was too powerful. amd 7.62x25 aka 7.63 mouser was too weak, arisaka round was somewhere in between from what was available at that time, tsar Nicolay saw the gun, and said we do mot need one it uses too many rounds. it was produced after Bolsheviks took power, but not nearly enough to make any impact. several decades later several countries gun designers came to the same conclusion Fedorov did in 1900s, and created 7,92x33, 7,62x39, .5.56x45
If you have buddies who reload Lee and Hornady sell 6.5 jap dies, usually around $45, brass normally available from Norma and Prvi Partizan( normally as in non pandemic shutdowns), and hodgon has load data. https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/rifle . Depending how carried away you want to get of course, but I doubt ammo will get any cheaper or more available.
