1. Very interesting, indeed. Not only that there are so many, but that they have such varied backstories and ties to so many familiar global brand names — where it’s not just a seldom-discussed operational section of those brands.

2. I still regret not buying an Arisaka 38 when it was on consignment in a local shop. A different local shop has had a model 99 for sale for perhaps a year already, but it’s not a real rifle, rather a “training” model with no magazine. Possibly it could be fired single shot, but the tag says it’s “for parts only”. It’s also ugly; one of my reference books says the 99 was made late in WW2, in a hurry, and the finish is generally very rough indeed.

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