My .45 ACP Arisaka Action

[andremajic]

Hey guys,
First of all, I'm sorry if these pics aren't in chronological order, but I'm not very good at making threads.
I had posted earlier that I was planning on putting a .45 ACP barrel on my type 38 action.
Finished it last night.

Cutting the threads

Testing the thread fit in the action.

Next, I put the bolt, minus the extractor in and started using spotting compound to bore out the recess for the bolt face. Every time I got closer and closer, I would mark it with a black sharpie marker and close the bolt a couple times, which would rub the sharpie off and show that more needed to be taken off.

Here's a pic of the threaded barrel, with all the moly-dee cutting oil cleaned off.

Here's a pic of the assembled action.

[andremajic]

I still need to take the barrel off and spin it on the lathe and put a final finish on it, removing machine marks and scratches.

Here's a pic showing how the brass fits the chamber with enough of the rim for the extractor to catch.

Here's a pic showing the sharpie marker, which I used to spot in the bolt face. Wherever the sharpie rubbed off inside, material was slowly removed.

The extractor cut was the slowest to do, because I didn't have a mill I had to hand cut this out with files. A lot of short stroking files to remove the material. Probably took about 6-8 hours working on it on and off. I took a lot of breaks. When I got close, I used sharpie marker to mark all surfaces and wherever the extractor rubbed sharpie off, it was filed away. When the bolt fit in perfectly without rubbing off material, I reamed the barrel with a .45 ACP reamer. When I got close to finished reaming, I reassembled the action with the bolt already closed, and screwed it on to the barrel. Measuring the gap between the barrel shoulder and action with feeler gauges shows exacly how much deeper the reamer had to go.

Here's a pic of the threading tool I used. It's a cutoff tool made of HSS, sharpened to 60 degrees. This only takes 1 minute to resharpen, vs. the old 1/2" HSS tool blanks that I used to spend 15-30 minutes grinding.

The next steps will be to fit the action to a 90 percent inletted walnut stock from Richards Microfit in CA. It's a factory second, so it was only 65.00 shipped. More to follow later. ;D

[Artful]

Cool project...

So are you going to use standard box magazine or 1911 style to feed it?

I did the SMLE route - fun little guns.

[andremajic]

If I can figure out how to do a spacer, it would be great to use the arisaka box magazine, but since I don't have one yet, I'll have to figure it out still.

[bruce drake]

Its also one of my future project plans as well for a Mauser action I have sitting in a drawer.

Good work on using an Arisaka action.

Bruce

[Artful]

If I can figure out how to do a spacer, it would be great to use the arisaka box magazine, but since I don't have one yet, I'll have to figure it out still.

On the mauser conversion to 7.62x39 we put a block of plastic in the back of the magazine box and put the shortened follower up front, had to work over the bottom to get it feed 'em as it liked to jam in original state.

here's a link of someone else's with pick of their magazine
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...62x39-or-45acp

[oldpara]

I would love, love , love to do that with one of my old Arisaka actions !!!!!
The 45 ACP would be great and I envy you and applaud you skills.
Please keep us updated on the project.

[TheGrimReaper]

VERY VERY Neat project you got there!!!

[Reg]

Would be slick if you could come up with some way to adapt a regular 1911 magazine somehow. A aluminum block with some kind of release mechanism held in the original trigger guard ????
I think it is called a Reinland ( something like that ) conversion that comes up with about this for the 98's and 95/93 Mausers. I think they have a site. Might be good for reference.
Neat project. Keep us updated !!!

[ANeat]

Very nice, On your extractor groove that would have been a good opportunity to us the lathe as a mill. Clamp up the barrel on your tool post (on center) chuck up a cutter in the spindle, instant horizontal mill...

If you could track down one of the de-milled 1911's that had a decent magwell that might be a good way to adapt or even make something that was removable??

45acp in a rifle is very fun....

[pacomdiver]

i also was thinking about doing a mauser in 45 before the actions went thru the roof, ive seen a couple junker jap sporters at the local gun shows, so i might grab one now that ive seen it done

[TCLouis]

Great looking project.
Many do not appreciate the Arisaka but I really like them, Type 38 or 99.

Be sure to post some results pics

One of us who bought one of the 45 Mauser 45 ACP kits ought to post pics of the parts included in the Rhineland kit (Barrel, headspacing/lock nut magazine adapter).

[andremajic]

Almost finished inletting the stock. The black stuff you see on the action and barrel is black sharpie that I was using as a spotting compound. I'm still looking for some type 38 arisaka screws to hold the trigger guard on.
I'm going to be doing a bit more metal work, thinning the trigger guard, some trigger work, and since this is a .45 acp rifle, I'm planning on putting a steel buttplate on, since there isn't going to be much recoil.

After the final polish, I'll drill and tap the barrel for the front and rear sights from a handi rifle, and I'm planning on a rust blue. (It's so humid here, I might as well use that to my advantage!)

Andy.

[TCLouis]

Great looking project and fun result to boot. Are you going to make an adapter to fill the mag well and feed from a 1911 magazine like the Rhineland Mauser modification some of the folks did here a couple of years ago??

No one ever reported any results and/or chrono data from that project so I hope you will do so with yours.

[andremajic]

Sure will. I'm probably just going to single feed them for a while until I figure out the mag conversion. Chrono is a must, and since it's a bolt action, I should be able to shoot pretty HOT loads without fear of frame battering and such as it is with a 1911.

[EMC45]

Been waiting to see some updates on this project. Looking really good!

[swheeler]

Andy very cool project, those Arisaka actions are finding more uses, good for you.

[khmer6]

That is a sweet project. Some crazy skills

[n.h.schmidt]

I have had a no4 converted to 45acp for about 34years. You can hot load this only to a point. The cases are the weak point. The web will expand first .This gives you loose primer pockets. The primers will begin to fall out when you extract to fired case. I don't know any way around this. Just use it as a fun plinker.
n.h.schmidt

[khmer6]

Would sealing the primer pockets be worth it?