Nagoya Arsenal Type 38 Carbine – Sporterized WWII Bolt-Action Rifle in 6.5x50mm-Japanese
This Nagoya Arsenal Type 38 Carbine offers a compact, saddle-ringless variant of the Arisaka series, produced between 1935 and 1942 and originally issued to Imperial Japanese mounted troops. The rifle now reflects common post-war sporterizing practices, combining the carbine’s strong dual-lug action and 19.2-inch barrel with a shortened fore-end, aftermarket sights, and a ventilated recoil pad.
Condition
Overall Condition: Fair – Shows extensive signs of prior use and handling.
Bore Condition: Fair – Generally clean with some residue or smudges and slight corrosion.
Rifling Condition: Fair – Worn rifling with slight loss of definition.
Specific Condition Notes: The rifle displays minor to moderate scratching, scuffing, and blemishing. The military front hand-guard has been removed, the fore-end is sporter cut, the receiver is drilled and tapped for a scope base, an aftermarket ramp front sight is fitted, and a red “White-Line” ventilated recoil pad is installed.
What’s Included
- Sporterized Nagoya Arsenal Type 38 Carbine rifle
Produced at Nagoya Arsenal, this carbine is one of roughly 206,000 manufactured, identifiable by the arsenal mark and a partially defaced Imperial chrysanthemum. The receiver serial number does not match the bolt, a common field-arsenal practice late in the war and during post-capture handling.
The action remains the robust Arisaka design, cock-on-closing with dual front locking lugs noted for strength. The bolt feeds from a five-round internal magazine and is chambered, or possibly rechambered, for the 6.5x50mm-Japanese cartridge.
Sporterizing modifications focus on weight reduction and modern hunting ergonomics. The fore-end is shortened, eliminating the upper hand-guard, and an aftermarket ramp front sight pairs with the original ladder rear sight graduated to 2,000 meters. Two drilled holes on the receiver simplify adding a scope base for optics.
The hardwood stock now measures a 13.75-inch length of pull and is finished with a red ventilated recoil pad, improving shoulder comfort while preserving the rifle’s manageable 38-inch overall length.