type 38 arisaka rifle
japanese army infantryman posing with his type 38 arisaka rifle (china 1938)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://ww2incolor.com/gallery/japanese-forces/29047/type-38-arisaka-rifle
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://ww2incolor.com/gallery/japanese-forces/29047/type-38-arisaka-rifle
The Type 38 rifle Arisaka (三八式歩兵銃 Sanpachi-shiki hohējū) 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.
I could mention China, Nanking, bayonet, children… but I won’t because we have discussed this before!