I picked this up from a buddy of mine in a trade deal. The Japanese stuff is really interesting me again, especially since 98k's are getting ridiculous...and I have a bunch of them...

I was really happy to pick this up, especially since its nice to compare to my TK Series 30 I've had for a long time...The Series 30 is an early type rifle, monopod, dust cover, AA wings on rear sight, long cleaning rod, nice stock, nicely machined and finished, really pretty....This Series 11 is commonly called a "Last Ditch"...very crude, simplified, but as strong and safe as the early ones, despite rumors to the contrary...

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthre...o-Kogo-Type-99

Amazing how different they are...

This one is 100% matching, and has never been apart (screws never unstaked). Stock is two piece with the separate forend, which rattles around a good bit. Stock is very rough, as can be seen. Instead of a steel buttplate it had a thin piece of wood nailed in place with three nails. The front band is pinned and peened in place, no getting it off without major grinding. The rear band lacks the sling swivel, which makes this a rope sling variant. A piece of rope was tied to the single screw rear sling swivel, and just tied around the forend. There was an even simpler variant with no rear swivel, just a hole drilled through, which the rope was passed through and knotted.

Mum just has a few strikes to it, almost intact. The receiver is a Type B, with no "Type 99" marking, and pretty late s/n to still have the dust cover grooves. Rear sight is a simple fixed peep. Handguard is short, cut down.

It looks basically untouched, and probably unissued. Very thin urishi, but with some slobbery spots.

I just think its really cool, and very happy to add it to the collection.

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More pics...

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More....

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More....Note rough welded safety/cocking knob....early ones were finely and neatly checkered.

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Last one...overall...

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I've a Nagoya series 11 and it's everything I've ever wanted from a "last ditch" Type 99.  

It is a matching example with a struck mum. The bore/crown is excellent and it has a surprisingly crisp 4.5lb trigger pull. It's a great shooter and one of my favorite Type 99s.

It is gloriously rough as a cob. I swear the stock looks like it was carved out with a draw knife, wood rasp, and a whittling knife and may very well have been! It still has the original Urushi finish.

The barrel exterior could be used as a wood rasp what with the deep tooling marks. 3-nail wood BP and single screw sling swivels. The hardware is rough and unfinished (maybe stove black on them) with welded front and rear bands.

I found the late bayonet for it at a yard sale. To me a Type 38 or 99 is not complete without a bayonet.

Those are awesome.

Thanks for sharing.

Dang those make Mosin Nagants look like Weatherbys!  I have a Nagoya 99 that is finely machined and finished.  But the last ditch rifles are certainly interesting and shows how desperate they were getting as the war was ending.

Thanks all, yes, they are neat, and interesting...I should do a side by side photo shoot comparing the TK Series 30 to this one....amazing the difference between the two.

But the rumors that these "Last Ditches" are unsafe to shoot are just rumors. Despite the crudeness, they are every bit as safe and strong as the early ones. The problem was, there were a lot of crudely made training rifles that looked like a Type 99 (or 38) but were usually just cast iron. Some were made to take blanks, but sometimes, not knowing the difference between the trainers and the crud last ditch rifles, guys tried to fire ball ammo through the trainers with expected results...

1srelljuc...like yours a lot! I see it has both swivels for the sling as opposed to being the rope sling variant. These Series 11's can be found in the 3 different swivel configurations, receivers with and without dust cover grooves, and a couple of other variants, so you can make a collection of just variations of the Series 11...

Dig the bayo too...bayos can be found ranging from the nicely made early ones, with quillons, nice birdhead pommels, fine machining and finishing, to crude last ditches too, everything squared off and ugly, no quillons, and bamboo scabbards...like 1srelluc's...again, lots of variants to collect...

Nice looking rifles guys.  

Thanks for  sharing them.


I have three M/N 91/30s.  Two prewar and one made in '39 or '40.  I also have a couple off M44s.  Both made in 1945.

It's an interesting study in comparing the workmanship side but side as the war progressed.  

And then my 91/59 displays the same quality of workmanship as the prewar rifles.  

Just so cool to see.

Damned shame about your Series 11! But I can see some GI bringing it back, and saying "What kind of nincompoop finished this rifle, I could do better with my pocketknife...I'll just sand it nice and smooth...."

Its unfortunate, but it is actually tough to find Japanese bring back rifles that are untouched, same with 98k's...they were sandd, cut down to look like commercial guns, etc...

Thanks for sharing!