Type 38 rifle

The Type 38 rifle Arisaka (三八式歩兵銃, san-bachi-shiki hoheijū^?) is a bolt-action rifle. For a time it was the standard rifle of the Japanese infantry. It was known also as the Type 38 Year Meiji Carbine in Japan. An earlier, similar weapon was the Type 30 Year Meiji Rifle, which was also used alongside it. Both of these weapons were also known as the Arisaka, after the inventor.

It used the Japanese designed 6.5×50mm Arisaka calibre cartridge. This cartridge produces little recoil when fired. However, while on par with the Norwegian and Italian 6.5mm military cartridges of the time, the 6.5×50mm was not as powerful as several others in use by other nations. The Arisaka Rifle at 1280 mm (50 inches) was the longest rifle of the war, due to the emphasis on bayonet training for the Japanese soldier of the era who stood 160 cm (5 feet, 3 inches on average).^[1] The rifle was even longer when the 400 mm (15.75 inch) Type 30 bayonet was fixed.

These two concerns (among others) led the Japanese Army to adopt the Type 99 Rifle, a shorter rifle using more powerful ammunition. Japanese authorities also wished to adopt a new long arm that needed fewer machining steps to be produced given Japan's metallurgic capacity.

The Type 38 Cavalry Carbine is a short-barreled version of the Type 38. It was used by cavalry, engineer, quartermaster and other non-frontline troops. It was introduced into service at the same time as the Type 38. The barrel was shorter at 487 mm, giving a length of the rifle of 966 mm and a weight of 3.3 kg.

Other variants of the Type 38 were the Type 44 Cavalry Rifle, Type 97 Sniper Rifle. The Japanese Imperial Navy also purchased a number of Type I Rifles from Italy at the beginning of World War II. The Italian-built rifles were chambered for the same 6.5×50mm cartridge as the Type 38 rifle. The Type I Rifle were similar in appearance and length to the Type 38 rifle, but were based on the Italian Carcano action.

Post-war inspection of the Type 38 by both the U.S. military and the National Rifle Association showed that the Type 38's receiver was the strongest bolt action of any nation^[2] and capable of handling more powerful cartridges.

Users

•  Empire of Japan
•  Indonesia: Captured Japanese weapons after Japan's World War II surrender and used them in the Indonesian Independence War.^[3]
•  Mexico: The Mexican government ordered 40,000 rifles chambered for the 7x57mm Mauser cartridge in 1910, but less than 5,000 were delivered before the overthrow of president Porfirio Diaz in 1911 canceled the order.^[3]
•  Russian Empire: During World War I, bought the 35,400 7x57mm Mauser rifles originally intended for Mexico. Also received 128,000 Type 30 and 38 rifles from Britain in 1916. ^[3]
•  United Kingdom: Bought a mixed batch of 150,000 Type 30 and Type 38 rifles from Japan at the start of World War I. Most were used by training battalions and the rifles were declared obsolete in 1921.^[4]

References

1. ^ "Battle of the Pacific: How Japs Fight". Time magazine, February 15, 1943. Accessed June 24, 2009.
2. ^ Hatcher, p. 206, 210
3. ^ ^{a b c} Walter, John (2006). Rifles of the World (3rd ed.). Iola, WI: Krause Publications. p. 34. ISBN 0896892417. http://books.google.com/books?id=Eq2Dnj4sDZIC&pg=PA34. 
4. ^ Walter, John (2006). Rifles of the World (3rd ed.). Iola, WI: Krause Publications. p. 33. ISBN 0896892417. http://books.google.com/books?id=Eq2Dnj4sDZIC&pg=PA33. 

• Daugherty III, Leo J. Fighting Techniques of a Japanese Infantryman 1941–1945: Training, Techniques and Weapons. Staplehurst: Spellmount, 2002. ISBN 1-86227-162-3.
• Hatcher, Julian S. General. Hatcher's Notebook. (1966) The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, PA.

External links

• Japan's Intriguing Arisakas