My great uncle's bring back Type 99

[T99Fanatic]

Hi all,

 

I just wanted to post some pictures of my great uncle's bringback Type 99. Unfortunately I did not get documentation from him while he was alive, he passed in 07. I hope one day to write down the story on a paper, but sadly it will never be worth what it was if I had gotten his story. But it is priceless to me. He was a Navy pilot on the U.S.S Hornet during WWII, and fought at the Battle of Philippine Sea amongst others.

He acquired this rifle I believe from the Marines on Saipan, as he had provided W-Day landing support for them with the men in Air Group Two. At this point he was an Air Group Commander. They gave him this one, and supposedly (I know it's the gun not the story, so this is just what I remember vaguely, and he may have been off on this no offense to him.), they took this rifle from a Japanese soldier who had been firing at them from a cave. No matter the real story, it is still the rifle he brought back.

 

I will be posting more pictures in subsequent posts in this thread. I have done some resizing of pictures that I took.

T99Fanatic

[T99Fanatic]

Here is another picture of it, with one of the most interesting parts of the rifle to me. On the left side, in the finger groove, is what I believe to be a shrapnel hit.

 

[RustyCanteen]

Nice T99 rifle.

 

The fact that it has the mum on it supports the story that it came back sooner rather than later. In any event, it was his so enjoy it.

 

RC

[doyler]

Thats nice.Original sling to boot.

 

I agree its a shrapnel or fragment hit.Looks simmiliar to one I have that took a hit to the wrist area of the stock then exited out the other side slitting the metal of the trigger guard tang.

[T99Fanatic]

Thank you Rusty and doyler,

 

I really do enjoy this rifle and I am glad that I have it. I shot it once about four years ago, the first time it was fired since WWII. I also noticed that there is a deep cut in the stock on what I guess would be known as the pistol grip. It looks almost to me like a bayonet cut, but I am not totally sure on what caused it. In any case, I treasure it as a memory of him.

 

T99Fanatic.

[doyler]

Can you post pics of the bayonet??

 

Nice to see these and not to many have ben left un-touched.I have a 99 that was sent back and it hasnt been cleaned since the day it was shipped home and shows it.Bore is like a coal mine.I purchased it from a seller who runs a lot of adds.He got it from the widow of the vet and stated it had beem in a closet for its life since the end of the war.Seller wouldnt give any other details or name of the veteran.More intrested in selling and turning a buck than its history.

[T99Fanatic]

Sure thing doyler!

In fact, I took a picture of the gash as well, which I will include! I also was given another bayonet by a good friend of mine, and this bayonet is an original. The other one is a repro we got from IMA, I think. This other one was used in the filming of "Flags of our Fathers" and is now the bayonet that I would pair with my T99, even though it is a Kokura bayonet.

The rifle itself by the way is a fourth series Nagoya T99, 1942 production.

 

T99

 

 

[doyler]

Thaks for the picture.

 

Looks like a nice early hook guard.

[T99Fanatic]

No problem! I agree with you on that. I looked up the various variants of the Type 30 bayonet and this appears to be one of the early ones. Even though it isn't matching, one like it probably was used with the rifle.