Two points, rodmkr: First, I hope you're not proposing to chop up an original-condition military Carcano. The days of vandalizing military collectibles to provide raw materials for deer rifles is long over, even if it's a model of rifle for which a lot of people seem to have little respect. As Lancaster has shown us here, there are plenty of already-butchered rifles around to turn into silk purses! The idiots who like to say, "I own it, it's up to me what I do with it." are nothing more than drool-covered morons with no respect for history. One doesn't "own" history, but is merely a caretaker of the moment.

(For the record, I've no interest myself in collecting military-pattern rifles. I've owned and worked on many rifles made from milsurps, especially P-14/M1917's, but I would never ruin one. Everything I've touched has been "pre-Bubba'd" back in the old days of picking any one you want out of a barrel for $19.95.)

Second, you might want to think about other makes of bottom metal, if the Arisaka isn't a direct bolt-in. There's already considerable work to do on the Arisaka to fix the hideous square trigger guard. It might be easier just to find something with pleasing lines that you could modify, even cut and weld on either a piece from a different floorplate, or even flat stock and shape it. In for a penny, in for a pound...