OK #1 fave Rifle here.
I may have told this story more than once, but while looking for photos on my two hard drives, I don't think I've posted any photos before, cuz I couldn't find any, so these are freshly taken today. This Rifle does shoot pretty good...good enough I guess, this story is more about my Buy-Sell-Trade habits.
.
Jap Type-38 Customized and re-chambered to 257R x 6.5 (that is what is stamped on the barrel). Now there is a bunch of names for these conversions and I likely have the only one marked like that. I bought it at a gunshow with a set of Bystrom Dies that were labeled the more typical 6.5 x 257R. It came with a Rear Peep sight. I put the Weaver rail on it. Two things were going on when I bought this rifle, I was just started to melt Lead and unbeknownst to me, my right eye was developing an astigmatism. I struggled shooting this rifle with a Peep, so I opted for the ugly rail. I had Lee make a couple custom dies, a collet neck sizer and a collet FCD. When I planned my big gun auction, this one got the cut. I got rid of several nice custom Mausers at that sale.
.
After the auction, every time I look through my dies, I see those custom dies and wonder about this T-38. Now the Auctioneer told me when I signed the contract for the auction, that there will be no contacting the buyers, if I get seller remorse. I did get the list of buyers names and numbers for my records, after much discussion, but he was reluctant...told me multiple times, don't contact them.
.
About a year after the auction, I contact the Auctioneer about contacting the buyer of the T-38, I did have his name and number, but I figured I better get his permission, I figured he probably would know the buyer and would know if it was a bad idea, most of the buyers were my Gunshow associates, but there were the local auction regulars and well as the "Randoms" that just show up for a gun auction. I tell the Auctioneer the name. He says, I'm glad you asked, cuz I wouldn't want you contacting any of the "Randoms," But, that fella is a gun flipper and and a friend of mine, your T-38 is probably already sold.
.
I call the guy and get quite the story. I won't include his story here, cuz this is already getting long. But it is one hell of a coincidence. He tells me he was just packing up for a Gunshow in southern MN and this Rifle was on the list. He had bought some vintage Lyman dies (marked 6.5 Robt) and loaded some .264 jacketed bullet ammo and accuracy was poor, so he was ready to part with it, only hoping to get his investment back out of it. BTW, this gun has the original military barrel with Metford rifling and a Groove Dia of .2685 which of course I already knew, so that's probably why the inaccuracy. Also, inspecting his reloads, besides the loads being quite hot, his craftsman left a lot to be desired.
.
I ask about buying it back...He says five "hundred dollar bills" will buy the gun with some cheapo scope on it, Dies and about 500 pcs of 257 Roberts brass in various prepped conditions. So, I kind of lucked out.
.
I have tried all four 6.5 molds that NOE has made, the fat (270) copy of the 266469 worked best for this rifle, because of the tapered nose. The other three mold designs all had a nose for a old warhorse with a worn throat. I've never did a pound-cast (chamber), but I suspect the fella that rechambered this, did so in such a fashion to make a short leade/throat, cuz the 3 fat nose designs had to be seated quite deep in the case.