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6.5 Jap Problem

GUTSS
I have a Type 38 Japanese Carbine. I went to shoot it today and after the first shot I noticed the brass was reshaped. I wonder if the chamber in this rifle has been changed to something else besides 6.5 Japanese.
here is the fired case beside an unfired round.
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002-36.jpg
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The loads chamber just fine when loading them with the bolt, there is no feeling of binding or jamming while chambering. What is going on here? The largest part of the bulge at the lower end of the case measures .469" and the largest part of the shoulder measures .434" as opposed to .446" and .412" on the unfired round.

Here are the approximate dimensions of the fired case.
002-37.jpg
It almost looks like a .257 Roberts.
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • Fatstrat
    .
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  • Fatstrat
    IMO it's obviously been rechambered.
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  • heavyiron
    Hi,

    You can purchase a material called cerrosafe which is used to make a chamber cast of the rifle. Cerrosafe is relatively inexpensive and melts at low temperatures - something like 190 degrees - and can be obtained from Midway USA or Brownells. The chamber cast can then be measured to determine what the rifle is actually chambered for based on the cast dimensions.

    Heavyiron
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    MANY 6.5 JAP'S WERE RECHAMBERED TO 6.5X57MM, NOT SAYING YOURS WAS BUT IT'S A PLACE TO START
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  • Hawk Carse
    quote:It almost looks like a .257 Roberts.

    Very likely.

    When Mike says: "MANY 6.5 JAP'S WERE RECHAMBERED TO 6.5X57MM"

    That is how it got that way. The usual conversion was to rechamber to 6.5 x .257 Roberts and use Roberts brass necked up and loaded with .264" bullets. But since the .257 Roberts was originally based on the 7x57, there is hardly any difference between the 6.5x257 and the European 6.5x57.
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  • 11echo
    The swelling is a common occurance in Japanese weapons. They found that if they put in oversized chambers in their weapons, this would aid in shell exaction! Initially started in full auto weapons, but carryed through to the rifles. HOWEVER yours looks like it was re-chambered to something else! Re-chambering to a .257 Roberts was popular back when. You might try checking against that cartridge?
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  • varian
    had one many years ago that did exactly the same thing. took mine to a gunsmith and he determined it had been rechanbered to 257 roberts but the barrel was still 6.5. gave sufficient accuracy with this arrangement. take it to a knowledgeable smith
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