Arisaka Sporter value

[SA1911a1]

A friend is looking at an Arisaka in 6.5 described as defaced mum, with intact metal and chopped stock. I am thinking $200.00 max. Any other ideas?

[Junk Yard Dog]

I used to get these for jack shit after Bubba got done with them, that's NY speak for free, zero dollars. Most were not worth trying to rebuild after Bubba did shit like try and sand smooth the late war machine marks or put 30 layers of poly on everything. This one sounds like it might be rebuildable, maybe. Hardwoods are not a Japanese home island thing so much of the Arisaka stock woods can be crap, I have seen them made using multiple parts dovetailed and glued together. I have also seen them dry rotted to the point that they fell apart. Hard to put a dollar value on something like this without detailed pictures. 50-125 in todays market, a small bit more if things like stripping the blue, or bobbing the barrel hasn't been done. What's a fair to good unaltered except for mum type 38 going for these days? $400? keep in mind replacement parts like bands, cleaning rod, screws, sights, stock, and handguard can quickly add up.

[SA1911a1]

I did not search closed auctions, but it looks like $400.00 may be an average for an intact type 38. I was a bit surprised as the last one I bought was about a hundred bucks. I would think that it would be awfully hard to find a good stock for one.
I wouldn't want an Arisaka with a sporter stock at any price. I learned the hard way, saving a bubba rifle entails too much time and money.

[Junk Yard Dog]

30 years back Arisaka was one rifle I always found, and many times they were free, or very low priced. Most I ever paid for one was a hundred bucks for a nice type 38 with sling, action cover, bayonet with frog, and five clips of ammo. The flea market seller was the veteran who brought it home from the islands ( intact mum) He and the ol' lady were blowing town for Arizona and dumping household goods at the market. The 38 was lashed to a weak tent pole to steady it up, and getting wet in the rain. He had collected the rifle in the Philippians, I don't recall what island. I bought him a cheap broom to lash to the pole in place of the rifle. That generation had zero respect for the Arisaka as a collectable, to them it was just an old Jap rifle, and worth maybe ten bucks in a poker game back in '45. I am pretty sure he thought he was getting one over on me at the time with that hundred bucks, when they could be had for 45 or less, but it had that intact mum, even then I knew that was special, and something I rarely saw.