This Week, Wyoming Minuteman opens the history book to take a look at the Arisaka. The Arisaka rifle is a family of Japanese military bolt action service rifles, in production and use since approximately 1897, when it replaced the Murata Rifle, until the end of World War II in 1945. The most common specimens include the Type 38 chambered in the 6.5×50mmSR Type 38 cartridge, and the Type 99 chambered in the 7.7×58mm Type 99 cartridge, which was comparably powerful to a modern .308 round. Many thousands of Type 99s and other Arisaka variants were brought to the United States by soldiers as war trophies during and after World War II. The Arisaka Rifle was designed by Colonel Arisaka Nariakira (1852–1915), who was later promoted to Lieutenant General and also received the title of Baron from Emperor Meiji, in 1907. Over the course of various wars several productions runs and variants were made, including the transition from the 6.5mm Type 38 cartridge to the larger 7.7mm Type 99, and the introduction of a paratrooper rifle that could be disassembled into two major parts for airborne operations. Tests on samples of Arisaka rifles conducted after the war showed that their bolts and receivers were constructed of carbon steel similar to SAE steel grade No. 1085 with a carbon content of 0.80% to 0.90%, and a manganese content of 0.60% to 0.90%.[1] During destructive tests, the Arisakas were shown to be stronger than the M1903 Springfield, Lee-Enfield, and Mauser rifles. Some of the early issue Type 99 rifles were fitted with a folding wire monopod intended to improve accuracy in the prone position. The rear sights also featured folding horizontal extensions to give a degree of lead suitable for firing against aircraft. Near the end of World War II, last-ditch ersatz models were being made in various cost-cutting feature variations with the goal of cheaply bolstering the Imperial Armed Forces; for example, the ovoid bulb-shaped bolt of earlier runs were replaced by a smaller and utilitarian cylindrical shape, the handguard on the barrel was omitted, and crude fixed sights were fitted. The Arisaka bolt-action service rifle was used heavily everywhere the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy fought. Prior to World War II, Arisakas were used by the British Navy and Russian Army, in Finland and Albania. The Czech Legions that fought in the Russian Revolution were almost entirely armed with Type 30s and 38s. Many captured Arisaka rifles were employed by neighboring countries both during and after World War II, in places such as China, Thailand and Cambodia. However, after the Japanese surrender in the summer of 1945, all manufacturing of rifles and ammunition stopped abruptly, and the Arisaka quickly became obsolete. Since most Imperial Japanese Armory contents were thrown into Tokyo Harbor after the signing of the surrender, spare ammunition also became rare. Additional 6.5×50mmSR ammunition was, however, produced in China for use in their captured rifles. The Imperial Ownership Seal, a 16-petal chrysanthemum known as the Chrysanthemum Flower Seal (菊花紋章 Kikkamonshō or Kikukamonshō) stamped upon the top of the receiver in all official Imperial-issue rifles, has often been defaced by filing, grinding, or stamping on surviving examples. There are conflicting claims that this was done on the orders of the Imperial Japanese Military prior to surrender, however it is generally accepted by most historians that the Imperial Chrysanthemums were ground off the rifles on the orders from General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of occupation forces at that time.[3] To date, no documentation from either Japanese or U.S. forces has been found that required the defacing. Most of the Arisakas with surviving insignias are in Japan, though there are a few remaining on samples taken as war trophies before the surrender, and those captured by Chinese forces. Some of the captured Sino Arisakas were later exported to the United States, examples including a number of Type 38 carbines rebarrelled and rechambered for the 7.62×39mm round. Some Type 38 rifles captured by the Kuomintang forces were also converted to fire the 7.92×57mm Mauser round. Many of the Chrysanthemum Seals were completely ground off, but some were merely defaced with a chisel, scratch or had the number 0 stamped repeatedly along the edges. The latter was usually done with rifles removed from Japanese military service (and thus no longer the Emperors property), including rifles given to schools or sold to other nations, such as the British Royal Navys purchase of many Type 38s in World War I to free up SMLE rifles for their land forces. A very small run of Type 38 rifles was also manufactured for export to Mexico in 1910, with the Mexican coat of arms instead of the Imperial Chrysanthemum, though few arrived before the Mexican Revolution and the bulk remained in Japan until World War I, when they were sold to Imperial Russia. Watch this review; https://youtube/watch?v=lVhOeFZb13A
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 15:11:13 +0000