Arisaka 35th Year Rifle
Notes: The old
30th Year Rifle was a disappointment to the soldiers who had to use
it. Therefore, the 30th
Year Rifle was improved, with an enlarged cocking piece, a better port to bleed
off excess gas, an enlarged bolt knob, more reliable feeding of cartridges, and
a longer handguard. The 35th
Year Rifle (also known as the M-1902) was also somewhat of a disappointment; it
was issued primarily to naval forces.
Between World
Wars 1 and 2, the Siam (later called Burma, and even later Myanmar) took
delivery of a few thousand modified 35th Year rifles.
These rifles were modified to fire the two standard Siamese service
rounds (8mm Lebel and 8x51mm Mauser – but not both).
The modifications for these cartridges included a modification of the
magazine to accommodate the larger rounds, a change to tangent-leaf rear sights
graduated for the different effective range, and a change in barrel length to
30.35 inches (from 31.1 inches).
The Siamese also used a one-piece stock instead of the two-piece stock used by
the Japanese. They carry Sanskrit
markings instead of Japanese markings.
Though most of these rifles have literally fallen apart from use, some
can still be found amongst rebels in Myanmar.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
35th Year Rifle |
6.5mm Arisaka |
4.07 kg |
5 Clip |
$1189 |
35th Year Rifle |
8mm Lebel |
4.6 kg |
5 Clip |
$1610 |
35th Year Rifle |
8x51mm Mauser |
4.54 kg |
5 Clip |
$1558 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
35th Year Rifle (6.5mm) |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
109 |
35th Year Rifle (8mm) |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
4 |
Nil |
116 |
35th Year Rifle (8x51mm) |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
4 |
Nil |
116 |
Arisaka 38th Year Rifle
Notes:
This is an early 20th century Japanese service rifle based on
the Mauser action. The “38th
Year” in the nomenclature refers to the 38th Year of reign of the
Emperor at the time of introduction (1905, which why this rifle is also commonly
called the M-1905). The Japanese
chambered it for the 6.5mm Arisaka cartridge. The 38th Year Rifle was
designed to address shortcomings in the designs of both the 30th Year
and 35th Year Rifles, with the primary changes being a simplified
bolt, a non-rotating extractor, a reciprocating bolt cover, and a larger shroud
for the safety (which was at the end of the cocking piece, and could easily be
accidentally tripped on the earlier rifles).
The 38th Year Rifle had a 31.45-inch barrel and was 50.2
inches in total length, making it an accurate but rather unwieldy weapon,
particularly for the short-statured Japanese soldier.
Nonetheless, over 5 million were built, and they appeared quite
frequently in World War 2. The 38th
Year Rifle could take sword, knife, or spike bayonets designed for the 30th
Year or 35th Year Rifles, or a new pattern of sword bayonet designed
specifically for the 38th Year Rifle.
The 38th
Year Carbine was a shortened version of this rifle, originally produced for
cavalry, but later issued to troops such as artillery and support units.
It is virtually identical, except for the shortened 19.15-inch barrel and
the sights, which are graduated to match the shorter barrel.
It’s a handier weapon, but the muzzle blast is extreme.
The 38th Year Carbine can use only the sword bayonet designed
for the 38th Year Rifle.
During World War
1 (right after it began, in fact, in August of 1914), the British ordered a
batch of 38th Year rifles (and some 30th Year Rifles), as
well as some 38th Year Carbines.
These retained their 6.5mm Arisaka chambering, but were given the British
nomenclature of “Rifle, Magazine, .256 Caliber, Pattern 1907” (or simply the
M-1907). They were ostensibly
obtained for the training of recruits in basic marksmanship, but for a time TE
Lawrence’s troops and irregulars in the Middle East were also equipped with some
20,000 of 38th Year rifles.
They were also issued in small numbers to the Royal Navy and the RAF.
The rifles used in actual combat service had been replaced by June of
1917 by Canadian-made Ross rifles (which was a bad decision, in my opinion).
The “British” 38th Year rifles had English markings instead of
Japanese (except for some Japanese manufacturing markings).
After 1917, most were sent to the White Russians who were fighting the
ultimately successful takeover of the Bolsheviks, though some remained in
British service until 1921.
Large numbers of
38th Year rifles were used during and after World War 2 by the
Indonesians. They were taken off
dead Japanese soldiers, and were therefore essentially the original articles.
They were later used by insurgents fighting against Dutch rule, and then
by the newly-formed Indonesian Army from 1949 until the early 1960s.
Most of these rifles found today are in the hands of various village
militias, in collectors’ hands, or in museums, and most Indonesian examples have
had their stocks replaced (the originals long having been broken or rotted
away), and the metalwork blued. The
Indonesians also added the emblem of the Indonesian Army after 1949.
Mexico ordered
about 40,000 38th Year Rifles and Carbines in 1910, being faced with
an imminent revolution. They were
almost identical to standard 38th Year rifles, but chambered for 7mm
Mauser instead, which also meant that they required a different rear sight leaf.
The bayonet lugs and nose caps were also modified to accept standard
Mexican bayonets. Markings for
these rifles were largely in Spanish.
However, less than 5,000 of these rifles and carbines were actually
delivered – in 1911, the rebel forces of Porfirio Diaz overthrew the government
that had ordered the rifles, and the Japanese did not support Diaz’s government.
The remainder of the order was later sold to Russia in 1914, ironically
still carrying Mexican markings and designed to accept Mexican bayonets.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
38th Year Rifle |
6.5mm Arisaka |
4.12 kg |
5 Clip |
$1193 |
38th Year Rifle |
7mm Mauser |
4.47 kg |
5 Clip |
$1461 |
38th Year Carbine |
6.5mm Arisaka |
3.35 kg |
5 Clip |
$1068 |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
|
38th Year Rifle (6.5mm) |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
111 |
38th Year Rifle (7mm) |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
4 |
Nil |
113 |
38th Year Carbine |
BA |
3 |
2-Nil |
6 |
3 |
Nil |
59 |
Arisaka Type
99
Notes:
The Sino-Japanese war in the early 1930s made the Japanese believe that
the 6.5mm Arisaka round they were using in their rifles was not powerful enough
for their purposes. They thus
designed a new rifle based on the 7.7mm semi-rimmed cartridge developed for
their Type 92 machinegun; the round was modified slightly for use in a
bolt-action rifle, which they called the Type 99 (also known as the Type 99 No.
1, or Type 99 Long Rifle). The Type
99 was a modified form of the 38th Year Rifle, and had some strange
features such as a folding wire monopod (a rather poor and weak substitute for a
proper bipod), and sights that were designed primarily for firing against
attacking aircraft rather than antipersonnel sharpshooting.
The original Type 99 rifle was little more than a 38th Year
rifle modified for use with the new cartridge, and had the same 31.45-inch
barrel and essentially the same features along with the new ones.
After only a few
thousand Type 99s were built, experience in China showed that the Type 99 Long
Rifle was simply too long, heavy, and clumsy for easy use, especially by
fast-moving infantry. This resulted
in 1940 in the primary version of the Type 99, the Type 99 Short Rifle (also
known as the Type 99 No. 2). This
weapon was basically the same as the Type 99 Long Rifle, but was shortened to
use a 25.85-inch barrel and rear sights appropriately modified.
Another variant
of the Type 99, the Type 99 Sniper Rifle (also known as the Type 99 No. 4), was
introduced in 1942. Other than
being shown to be slightly better-made by testing, the Type 99 Sniper Rifle
primarily differed in its mount for a compact telescopic sight (at first a
Kokura 2.5x scope, but later a Nagoya 4x scope).
Only about 10,000 of 3.5 million Type 99s built were sniper rifle
versions.
In 1943, after a
long period of testing, the Type 2 Paratrooper’s Rifle was also introduced.
This is essentially a variant of the Short Rifle, with a 24.4-inch
barrel, and could be taken apart at the junction of the barrel and receiver to
create a smaller package for parachute jumps.
The monopod was also deleted.
Some 25,000 of these rifles were built starting in mid-1943, and they
tend to have rather rough finishes on the metalwork and stock, due to the
declining standard of production in Japan late in World War 2.
The Type 99
Substitute Rifle (also known as the Type 99 Model 2 or Type 99 Type 3) was built
starting in late 1943, mostly to conserve raw materials for other purposes, and
designed for issue to non-infantry forces.
It was essentially a Type 99 Short Rifle in appearance, but the steel
used was of middling to low-quality, the bolt cover and sling swivels were
deleted, and the bolt face and bore were not chromed as those of normal Short
Rifles were. As the war went on,
they declined further in quality, taking on dull, rough appearances, with
two-screw nose caps, cylindrical bolt knobs, fixed rear sights, stocks with poor
shaping, solid barrel bands, and welded safety shrouds.
It has been remarked by firearms expert John Walter that the only reason
late-war Type 99 Substitute Rifles worked at all was due to the strength of the
Arisaka action. Note that the
weight listed below is only approximate; the weight of the Substitute Rifles
could vary wildly.
After World War
2, the Nationalist Chinese used large amounts of Type 99 rifles for a while.
These were, of course, early-war rifles that were of better condition,
re-chambered for the 8mm Mauser round that was the standard rifle round of the
Chinese military until the takeover of the Communists. Little work was done on
the rifles other than to re-chamber them and refurbish them so they would last a
few more years (and Long Rifles had their barrels shortened to Short Rifle
length), and they were allegedly used until the late 1950s by Peoples’ Militia
forces.
As with the 38th
Year Rifle, the Indonesians used large amounts of the Type 99 rifle (of all
types) until the 1960s, little modified except for the replacement of worn
stocks or the occasional spare part.
The newly-formed
Republic of Korea was given some 127,000 Short Rifles and 6700 Long Rifles after
World War 2, in order to equip their police forces and to a small extent
military forces. These versions of
the Type 99 were re-chambered for .30-06 Springfield, with appropriate changes
in the magazine and sights, and also had slots cut in the top to allow for the
use of the ammunition’s stripper clips.
Normally, the monopod was also deleted.
Japanese markings were also removed, and the metalwork was re-finished in
gray phosphate. These weapons
served in surprising numbers in South Korean hands in the Korean War, but most
were junked or placed in museums or private collections after the Korean War.
The Thai
military also received thousands of Short Rifles after World War 2; these were
also re-chambered for .30-06 Springfield ammunition.
They are the same as the modified Korean Type 99 Short Rifles for game
purposes, but bear markings in Sanskrit and the
Chakra symbol of the Thai military
forces, as well as Japanese markings.
Their fates were also similar to their Korean counterparts.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Type 99 Long Rifle |
7.7mm Type 99 |
4.15 kg |
5 Clip |
$2385 |
Type 99 Short Rifle |
7.7mm Type 99 |
3.96 kg |
5 Clip |
$2214 |
Type 99 Sniper Rifle |
7.7mm Type 99 |
4.45 kg |
5 Clip |
$2609 |
Type 2 Paratrooper’s Rifle |
7.7mm Type 99 |
3.8 kg |
5 Clip |
$1662 |
Type 99 Substitute Rifle |
7.7mm Type 99 |
3.6 kg |
5 Clip |
$1552 |
Type 99 Short Rifle (Chinese) |
8mm Mauser |
4.04 kg |
5 Clip |
$2307 |
Type 99 Long Rifle (Korean) |
.30-06 Springfield |
3.82 kg |
5 Clip |
$1804 |
Type 99 Short Rifle (Korean/Thai) |
.30-06 Springfield |
3.75 kg |
5 Clip |
$1747 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Type
99 Long Rifle |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
4 |
Nil |
122 |
Type
99 Long Rifle (Monopod) |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
2 |
Nil |
159 |
Type
99 Short Rifle |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
96 |
Type
99 Short Rifle (Monopod) |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
2 |
Nil |
124 |
Type
99 Sniper Rifle |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
4 |
Nil |
125 |
Type
99 Sniper Rifle (Monopod) |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
2 |
Nil |
163 |
Type
2 Paratrooper’s Rifle |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
88 |
Type
99 Substitute Rifle |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
83 |
Type
99 Short Rifle (Chinese) |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
100 |
Type
99 Short Rifle (Chinese, Monopod) |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
2 |
Nil |
130 |
Type
99 Long Rifle (Korean) |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
5 |
Nil |
116 |
Type
99 Short Rifle (Korean/Thai) |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
5 |
Nil |
87 |
Howa Type 64
Notes: After
World War 2, Japan had virtually all of their weaponry confiscated by the Allies
(especially the US). After a few
years, much of this was replaced with mostly US-made weapons, including the M-1
Garand, but the Japanese always felt that the Garand was too cumbersome a
weapon, firing too-powerful ammunition for their small-statured troops.
In 1957, released from their post-war military restrictions, they began
to design a new rifle for their troops, one that it was felt they could handle
as one that was more modern. This
resulted in the Type 64 rifle.
The Type 64 uses
a gas system and bolt that are sort of an amalgamation of the FN FAL and the
Russian SVT-40. The gas system has
a manual regulator, allowing it to fire rifle grenades as well as better operate
in difficult conditions. The
charging handle is above the receiver, just below the sight line.
The trigger unit includes a rate reducer holding the cyclic rate of fire
down to 450-500 rpm. The Type 64 is
built using as much stamped steel as possible, both to lighten the weapon and to
make manufacturing easier and less expensive; the stock is wooden and the pistol
grip plastic. The 17.7-inch barrel
is tipped with a long multi-baffle muzzle brake, and a folding bipod is attached
under the front sight. Both the
front and rear sight fold, allowing the use of other optics such as night vision
devices if desired. The buttplate
is adjustable for height, to a limited extent.
Perhaps the most
unusual aspect of the Type 64’s design is the primary type of ammunition it is
designed to fire. The Japanese,
again citing the shorter stature of their troops, designed a reduced-charge
version of the 7.62mm NATO round, using about 10% less propellant and a somewhat
lighter bullet. This round further
reduces recoil, along with the long muzzle brake.
The Type 64 can still fire standard 7.62mm NATO rounds, but this requires
adjusting the gas regulator (which is one of the settings of that regulator).
Production of
the Type 64 stopped in 1985 as Howa began designing the assault rifle which
would become the Type 89, and it was never exported.
By 2006, virtually none of them remain in service with regular Japanese
Self-Defense Force units, though they are stored for possible future use and a
very few have been retained for use as platoon sharpshooters’ weapons (with the
addition of a low-power scope).
Twilight 2000
Notes: There were still a lot of Type 64s in use by the time of the Twilight
War; in addition, some of them were sold to South Korea and the Philippines
during and after the war.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Type 64 |
7.62mm Howa or 7.62mm NATO |
4.41 kg |
20 |
$1462 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Type 64 (7.62mm Howa) |
5 |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
6 |
2 |
6 |
49 |
(With Bipod) |
5 |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
6 |
1 |
3 |
64 |
Type 64 (7.62mm NATO) |
5 |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
6 |
3 |
7 |
52 |
(With Bipod) |
5 |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
6 |
1 |
4 |
67 |
Mannlicher-Carcano I-Type Rifle
Notes: This rifle was
built for the Japanese Army by the Italians at the beginning of hostilities
between Japan and China. Japan
found herself with too few rifles for all its troops, and made an emergency
order for rifles from Italy. Italy
offered a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle modified to fire 6.5mm Arisaka ammunition, a
butt 20 millimeters shorter, and using the Japanese 38th Year
bayonet. In addition, most of the
makings on the rifle were translated to their Japanese equivalents.
Some 60,000 were bought by the Japanese and distributed to their troops.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
I-Type Rifle |
6.5mm Arisaka |
4.07 kg |
5 Clip |
$1184 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
I-Type Rifle |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
107 |