I need some advice. I'm being offered a free Arisaka for

>>34672930
he's going to buy you one? not just give you one he has sitting in his basement? isn't that called being paid? or is it paid + straw purchase?

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>>34673073
>>34672930
answer these questions anon. how many guns does this guy have to have to give you options?

Type 38 rifles typically were made better than the Type 99 rifles, especially the wartime productions. The 6.5 Jap shoots much softer than the 7.7 Jap. The Type 38 is older, and the lower serial numbers have potentially survived both world wars. Find a Type 38 with a shiny bore and the Chrysanthemum intact.

>>34672930
Go for early/mid war Type99.

Both 6.5 and 7.7 are pretty expensive to shoot.

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The Type-38 is one of the most aesthetically-pleasing rifles; much more so than the T99.

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>>34674052
Agreed. Type 38s are beautiful, well made rifles. I like the type 99 too, but mainly as a historical artifact, not as a nice rifle. They mostly have ugly plywood stocks, crude sights, roughly machined parts, braised on bolts, and they often don't shoot well. Ammo cost and availability is more or less the same between the 38 and 99. Very expensive, and rarely available. I suggest reloading if you plan on shooting more than a box if ammo or two a year.

>>34673073
He's an FFL. My buddy runs a shop and basically, it would be me buying a rifle for $0.00 paperwork and everything are the same. Just a nice low price.

>>34672930
If he has a Type I, go for that. Most of the stocks were cut for someone of European decent, so they will fit most Americans better.

If that is not an option, go with a Type 38. You have many more options when it comes to handloading 6.5 Jap (if you are going to shoot it, you will have to make ammo for it). Bullets are cheaper on average too.

All of this is assuming he isn't offering you a Type 30. If he is offering you a Type 30, take it. Based completely on rarity, take it.