For many years after the end of World War II, the Japanese army was armed with multiple-shot rifles. Several types of Mauser rifles with cylindrical bolts were used. These included Arisaka Meiji Type 38 rifles and carbines of 6.5 mm caliber, as well as Arisaka Type 44 carbines, which were put into service in 1905 and 1911, respectively. The number of standard weapons also included the Arisaka Type 99 multiply-charged rifles, which arrived in 1939, and their modifications designed for a 7.7 mm caliber.

Shortly after 1945, the American-made M1 Garand self-loading rifles were added. Cardinal rearmament with the gradual replacement of technically obsolete weapons began only in 1964, when the serial production of a rapid-fire rifle of its own design was launched.

The Japanese were engaged in the design of rapid-fire rifles even before the Second World War, and automatic rifles even before the First World War. However, things did not go beyond experiments. Conservative Japanese generals, like most military in other countries, paid just as little attention to such weapons as they did to submachine guns. Only after, shortly before the end of the war, the role of automatic small arms, they supported the efforts of the designers and even insisted on its early implementation. However, the development of both rifles and submachine guns did not lead to any significant success.
Despite the great efforts made, until 1945 it was possible to produce only about 14 thousand model 100 submachine guns in various designs. Serially produced automatic rifles were never received by the troops until last day war. Only a small number of prototypes in March-April 1945 ended up in the fleet.
Thus, it took almost 4 decades before the Japanese troops received a domestically produced self-loading rifle. The first Japanese automatic rifle was manufactured back in 1908 under the direction of Kijiro Nambu, who designed many types of weapons, including the Nambu Taisho 14 automatic pistol named after him. This rifle was reloaded by recoil. In June 1909, the rifle was presented at the military academy, but the Japanese generals did not show interest in it.

Only in 1931 did some representatives of the military leadership take up the problems of automatic small arms. By their order, small batches of not only Bergman submachine guns were purchased in Switzerland, but also Pedersen rifles in the United States. Soon after that, automatic rifles were purchased for testing in Denmark, France and Czechoslovakia, and then tests of automatic and rapid-fire weapons of Soviet designers Sergei Simonov and Fedor Tokarev were carried out.

According to special literature, in 1937, when Japan attacked China, large-scale tests of domestic rifles made on the model of American ones took place. At the end of the thirties, on the basis of Soviet models, several copies of weapons were made, which worked both under the influence of the recoil force and due to the pressure of the powder gases. However, these tests were stopped already in 1941, when Japan entered the second world war by attacking the American naval base Pearl Harbor.

If you were even a little interested in the history of the Russian army, then you can certainly recall at least a couple of examples of foreign weapons. The first machine gun that comes to mind is the Maxim machine gun, someone might remember the Lewis, and this includes the British Vickers tanks. But the "Arisaka", a Japanese-made rifle, is not known to everyone. Nevertheless, this weapon played an important role in the formation of modern Russian statehood.

How it all began

In 1914, the Imperial Army quickly realized that it ... corny lacked shells, cannons, cartridges and ... rifles. The industry in those years was never able to organize the production of the proper amount of individual small arms. Soldiers also played a role: history subtly "hinted" that the time of huge, but completely untrained armies had finally passed.

It is a known fact when one of the Russian generals, driving around the positions left by the soldiers (they were afraid of the German offensive) found ... several hundred thousand abandoned rifles and tens of millions of cartridges. And this despite the fact that by the end of 1914 weapons were already becoming scarce, the factories simply could not cope with the sharply increased volume of production.

Economic ups and downs

In a word, there was a decided lack of weapons. And then the Tsarist government decided to turn to its yesterday's enemy, Japan. The Japanese rifle "Arisaka" has proven itself well during that war. Even the genius Fedorov first created his first machine gun in the world just under her patron. In addition, oddly enough, it was the Japanese who turned out to be much more "generous", not wringing out exorbitant prices for weapons.

However, the Japanese should not be considered altruists: the fact is that initially more than 35 thousand rifles were intended for Mexican soldiers, but the US government softly hinted that the "Mexican order" should never be fulfilled. So the Land of the Rising Sun decided to get at least some benefit. One Arisaka rifle sold under the original Russian contract initially cost ... 29 rubles. And this despite the fact that domestic factories offered "three-line" at a price of 41 rubles per unit. So initially the idea looked tempting.

First problems with procurement

In total, during the period of trading with Japan, almost four million rifles were purchased. But only the first 35 thousand units were delivered on time. Very soon problems began: Mikado did not want to sacrifice the mobilization reserves of his own army. With great difficulty, it was possible to agree on the supply of only 200 thousand units, and the conditions were mocking.

The Japanese applied only 100 rounds to each rifle. After numerous petitions, it was possible to increase this number ... to 125 charges. A ridiculous stock, especially since all the cartridges were old, with an expired shelf life. They were taken from mobilization warehouses located in Korea at that time.

In the future, there were often deliveries of frankly worn out, old barrels of "very dubious dignity", as they were characterized in the army. But they were also a good help against the background of an extremely sluggish increase in production by the domestic industry. According to the sources of that time, the Arisaka rifle, which is described in the article, was in service with every tenth division. It is not surprising that the army men themselves jokingly called them "Japanese".

"China or rifles"

Soon "diplomatic bargaining" flared up around the supplies: Japan at that time put forward the famous "21 demands" to China, practically offering the country complete surrender and recognition of the Japanese occupation government. Initially, Russian diplomats were against such impudent demands ... but the onset of the German troops' offensive in Galicia dictated their own terms. With the tacit approval of the Tsarist government, China was forced to sign an onerous treaty.

And only after Japan took up our country. Inspired by the tsar's uncomplaining obedience, Japanese diplomats began to put forward "breathtakingly arrogant demands", expressed, in particular, in "requests" ... to give up the entire Far East in exchange for an unfortunate million rifles. To the credit of Russian diplomats, who could not stand such impudence, they did not even start negotiations on this. Moreover, the Japanese attaché was given a real drag, after which the trading partner did not put forward such "projects".

Moreover, Japan has agreed to a request to sell another million weapons. True, by that time each Arisaka rifle cost 32-35 rubles. But it was still cheaper than domestic models. In addition, the Japanese began to supply modern-day normal cartridges.

Interestingly, the Japanese Model 30 bayonet for the Arisaka rifle was, in fact, a slightly shortened dagger. Since the domestic "Mosinka" traditionally had needle bayonets, soldiers armed with "foreign" weapons can be easily recognized in any photo of that period.

Overseas intermediaries

Also curious is the fate of 60 thousand "Arisak", originally sold by the Japanese to England. By that time, the "Mistress of the Seas" also found herself in a difficult position, despite all the power of her metallurgical plants. But each "English" rifle "Arisaka" ended up in the Russian arsenals anyway. The fact is that by the end of 1915 the Germans again intensified their offensive, as a result of which the British government, extremely frightened by this fact, decided to "plug the Teutonic breakthrough with a Russian avalanche." The rifles went to our country.

Thus, by February 1917, a huge number of weapons and even more cartridges for them were purchased. But it should be understood that the "Japanese Arisaka rifle" is not at all a single model. Seven (!) Of its various modifications were delivered to our country in succession, which created countless problems for already coiled suppliers. It is interesting that the last 150 thousand "Arisak" were purchased literally on the eve of the October Revolution.

But after V. I. Lenin's speech on "Peace and Earth", the history of "Japanese women" in the service of the Russian army was far from over. We can say that in the future, both red and white guard units fought with them. And reviews about practical application this weapon was very different, regardless of who exactly came from. But still, most of its "users" agreed that the "Arisaka" rifle (the photo of which is in the article) is a high-quality and reliable weapon. Note that the Japanese "kept their brand" until 1944, when, due to serious economic problems, the quality of the weapons produced fell sharply.

By the way, what is the share of used rifles in the units of the warring parties during the Civil War? Here the information varies greatly. It is known that some units subordinate directly to Kolchak were armed with them practically without exception. But the number of "Arisak" in the Red Army in some periods reached 1/3 of the total number of individual small arms used by them.

The gunsmiths also say that the notorious Latvian riflemen were predominantly armed with Arisaks. So the role of these rifles in the history of our country is very great.

What did the soldiers think of the Arisaks?

Miscellaneous. And it depended, as a rule, on the technical level of the fighter himself, the level of his education, the type of rifle. If the "Japanese Arisaka rifle" was new, then there were practically no complaints about it. At the same time, it is known that the old carbines had an unpleasant property, expressed in the "sticking" of the bolt. Again, this is hardly the fault of the rifles themselves: most likely, the fighters themselves are to blame, who did not clean their personal weapons for months.

Recent use cases

After the Civil War, the Arisaka Type 30 rifle was in service with many countries. Especially a lot of these weapons were in the newly minted Finland and Estonia, where border guards were almost all armed with "Japanese women".

In 1941, in the execution of the mobilization plan, "Arisaki" were sometimes issued to the militia and rear units, but they did not receive wide distribution. In the USSR, the production of weapons was put on stream, and therefore its shortage was not so acutely felt. It is possible that somewhere in the domestic arsenals there are still remnants of these rarities. It is known that the last batch of mothballed "Arisak" was sent for melting by the Ukrainian Armed Forces back in 1993.

General technical information

Both in Japan itself and in our country, the most common were two types of these rifles: "Type 30" (the very first variety) and "Type 99". They differed in caliber. If the old "thirty" used a 6.5x50 cartridge of various modifications for firing, then for the "Type 99" a separate ammunition of increased power was developed - 7.7x58. Most likely, the caliber, unusual for the Japanese, was borrowed from the British with their Lee-Enfield.

In addition, in our country, until the very end of the use of this weapon, there was a rifle "Arisaka" type 38. This is the second modification, the time of its development dates back to the early 1900s of the last century.

As for the technical characteristics, these rifles are quite typical examples of weapons of their time, which had some distinctive features. The barrel bore is locked by a sliding rotary bolt. The latter had two lugs. Initially, Colonel Arisaka, who was the chief designer of this weapon, wanted a design with three lugs, but production realities and the need to reduce the cost of the rifle led to some simplification of its design.

Other characteristics

There was a spring-loaded ejector on the front of the bolt stem. Since all the cartridges used by "Arisaks" had rims (like the domestic 7.62x54), a reflector (cutter) was attached inside the receiver, on its left side.

The buttstock, receiver stock and barrel lining were made of wood. As a rule, they initially tried to use walnut for this, but in 1944-1945, when the economic situation of the warring Japan was greatly shaken, manufacturers had to switch to the cheapest types of wood, and in some cases the butt was completely made of low-grade plywood.

The knob of the shutter is interesting: it is very large, in its cross-section it resembles egg... The choice of this form was due to the fact that on tests it proved to be the most convenient. It is interesting that the mainspring was located inside the tubular part of the striker, as a result of which it is perfectly protected from dust, moisture and dirt. This is due to the high reliability of the weapon, which was repeatedly spoken about by both domestic and foreign soldiers.

Again, because of this feature, the spring was more sensitive to contamination with powder carbon deposits (the same "sticking", which we have already mentioned above). But nevertheless, to bring the weapon into such a state, it was necessary to "try" without cleaning for a very long time.

By the way, "Arisaki" had a special cover-casing to protect the shutter from contamination. But its practical value was extremely small: the lid constantly rattled, created many problems when carrying it (there was a risk of losing it), and therefore many soldiers preferred to remove this part and put it in pouches before the battle.

Protection against accidental shots

What else characterizes the Arisaka (rifle)? The "button" -fuse is a very characteristic feature of this weapon. The mechanism of its action is interesting. To activate the safety catch when the shutter was cocked, it was necessary to press the "button" with a corrugated texture located on back side shutter, and then turn it clockwise. At the same time, the protrusions cut out on the clutch reliably blocked the firing pin, preventing it from hitting the primer.

The striker was put into a firing position automatically when the shutter was cocked. Charging was carried out with the shutter open. This could be done both in one cartridge and in five, using special clips for this purpose.

It is also interesting that this weapon had that is, when the ammunition was used up, the bolt automatically became in the extreme rear position, which greatly simplified the process of loading the rifle.

Bayonet fight

As we have already said, the bayonet for the Arisaka rifle was made in the form of an almost full-fledged dagger. There are cases when such bayonets were used by our soldiers throughout the Great Patriotic War. The choice of the Japanese was not accidental: the concept of needle bayonets and baguettes, which guided domestic weapon designers, was already very outdated by that time.

On the contrary, it was very important for the soldiers to have a full-fledged knife with them, which could be used not only in battle, but during the daily arrangement of the camp. Due to the fact that the bayonet for the Arisaka rifle was made of high quality steel, it was very popular with soldiers on both sides of the front. In particular, many American veterans in their "storerooms" have a knife from "Arisaki", which was much more convenient and better than the American model.

And what are the Japanese soldiers armed with today? The Arisaka assault rifle is an individual small arms weapon. She, like her many predecessors, is distinguished by high reliability and original technical solutions used in the design.

It so happened that weapons made in factories and factories in Japan, with which the Russian Empire had fought shortly before, served a significant service in hostilities against imperial Germany, and then in the formation of Soviet power.

Arisaka system rifle is one of the notable specimens. On her example, the excess power of cartridges of classic rifles was indirectly proved, and under its patron Vladimir Fedorov was created The world's first machine gun . Arisaka was used not only by the Japanese. It was used by both the Finns and Albanians, and even the Russians - the purchase Arisaki in the first world war, our government compensated for the lack of three lines.

Arisakami, in particular, they armed the famous Latvian riflemen who played a significant role in the history of the revolution and the civil war.

Stocks of rifles Arisaka used in Moscow battle to arm the militias. But I bought Arisaku not only Russia - used it until 1921 and the British fleet. The Chinese had it in service even during Sino-Vietnamese War ... Due to the high accuracy of the battle, it was used as a sniper.

However, let's start in order. The history of Japanese rifled small arms began in 1877, when the Japanese major Tsuniyoshi Murata arrived in France with the aim of purchasing a batch of rifles of the system Gras to suppress the outbreak in Japan Satsuma Uprising Japanese samurai.
The choice of France was not accidental - in those years, European countries tried to preserve the backwardness of Japan, caused by prolonged self-isolation, so that it remained only a market for colonial goods. Therefore, they refused to supply the Japanese with modern weapons. The only exception was France, which even during the Japanese Civil War Bossin Senso (戊辰 戦 争, literally "War of the Year of the Dragon") supplied the shogun's army's latest Shaspo rifles. Returning to Tokyo, Murata proposed setting up the production of Namban rifles in Japan itself. Nambans, that is, southern barbarians, were called in Japan for centuries from Europeans who sailed to Japan in the 16th-17th centuries from a southern direction.
As a result of Murata's efforts, already in 1880, the Japanese imperial army received a Type 13 rifle, designated so for the 13th year of the reign of the then emperor.
The rifle was a synthesis of the constructive ideas laid down in the French rifle. Gras and the Dutch Beaumont rifle.

Murat rifle Type 13

Murata Type 13, created for an 11-mm metal cartridge with a sleeve length of 60 mm, had a 127.6-cm length with an 813-mm barrel length and weighed 4.09 kg. A 5.28-gram charge of smokeless powder ejected a 27.2-gram bullet at a speed of 437 m / s. Another modification of the cartridge with a 26-gram bullet provided a 455-meter initial speed... There was also a carbine, the barrel of which had a 459-millimeter length. A special cartridge with a lightweight 24-gram bullet fired at a speed of 400.2 m / s was used for it.

Murata Type 13 suffered from many childhood illnesses and, having experienced two improvements, eventually turned into a rifle by 1885 Murata Type 18.

Murata Type 18
The Japanese closely followed military innovations in civilized countries, and in 1889 they adopted a rifle. Murata Type 22.

Murata Type 22

The rifle had a caliber of 8 mm and was equipped with an under-barrel magazine of the Kropachek system for eight rounds.

The barrel length of the new rifle was 750 mm. From this barrel, a 15.9-gram bullet ejected by a 2.4-gram charge of smokeless powder flew out at a speed of 612 m / s. The carbine, which had a barrel of 500 mm in length, had a muzzle velocity of 590 m / s.

A carbine based on the Murat Type 22 rifle

Test for Murata became the Sino-Japanese War, and although Japan emerged victorious from it, the joy of victory did not overshadow the identified shortcomings.
Murata Type 22 possessed all the shortcomings inherent in rifles with underbarrel magazines. Firstly, filling such a magazine took time and, having quickly shot the entire magazine, the shooter was forced to manually insert each cartridge separately, turning the rifle into a single shot. Secondly, as the cartridges were consumed, the rifle's center of gravity shifted, which negatively affected accuracy. But a third problem came to light, which turned out to be characteristic of Japan. The fact is that the growth of the average Japanese conscript was only 157 centimeters, and the weight, as a rule, did not exceed 48 kilograms. The years of great changes and the associated civil wars, which were the birth and childhood of soldiers of the 1890s, did their job - almost all of them suffered from dystrophy before the army, and Murata, created by European standards, turned out to be overwhelming for many soldiers, and its return was irresistible.
That is why when switching to a rifle with a middle magazine new boss Rifle Division of Tokyo Arsenal Colonel Naryakira Arisaka(有 坂 成章), succeeding Major General in 1890 Murat, decided to abandon the 8 mm cartridge.
The weakest cartridge at that time was the Italian 6.5 mm cartridge from the Carcano rifle. It contained 2.28 g of Solemite brand smokeless powder. Such a charge made it possible to push a 10.45-gram bullet out of a 780-mm barrel at a speed of 710 m / s. True, there is evidence that sometimes this cartridge was equipped with 1.95 grams of ballistic nitroglycerin powder, which made it possible to bring the muzzle velocity to 745 m / s.

Blunt Bullet Partron Arisaki

Arisaka decided that the cartridge could be made even weaker, and put only 2.04 g of nitrocellulose flaky powder into it. At the same time, so that the gunpowder during manipulations with the cartridge does not fall into its lower part, without contacting with the primer, a cardboard wad was placed in the cartridge, which was subsequently discarded. The sleeve had a 50.7 mm length, which made it possible to designate its parameters as both 6.5 × 50 and 6.5 × 51 mm.
In those years, there was a serious dispute between gunsmiths about which sleeve is better, with a flange or with a groove. Without waiting for the end of this dispute, Arisaka provided the sleeve with both a groove and a flange. At the same time, the flange protruded beyond the dimensions of the cartridge by only 0.315 mm, while for our rifle this figure was 1.055 mm.
The capsule socket of the sleeve had a central anvil and two seed holes. The Berdan-type brass capsule usually had a convex surface. Occasionally he poked with two radial strokes.
A blunt-headed bullet weighing 10.4 g with a spherical tip consisted of a lead core and cupronickel shell and developed a speed of 725 m / s in a barrel of 800 mm length.
long length barrel in combination with a small powder charge led to an almost complete absence of muzzle flash and a significant decrease in the sound of the shot.

The rifle, put into service in 1897, received the designation Infantry rifle Type 30(三八 式 歩 兵 銃) - in the courtyard was the 30th year of the reign of the emperor Mutsuhito who ruled under the motto Meiji(明治) - enlightened government (mei 明 = light, knowledge; ji 治 = government).

Arisaka Type 30

In the trunk Arisaki there were six right rifling, and on the outer surface of the barrel had a variable cylindrical section, decreasing towards the muzzle. In the rear of it, a thread was cut, onto which the receiver was screwed with an interference. The latter was of the same type as the receiver of the Mauser rifle, but had one notable feature - the cover, which moved with the bolt.
On the rear jumper of the receiver there was a cranked cutout for placing the handle of the bolt stem, and on the left there was a tide with windows for a bolt delay with a reflector.
The bolt stem had three lugs, two of which were symmetrically located in the front, and the third, additional, was the base of the handle. To lock the barrel, you must move the bolt forward and turn the stem handle to the right. Inside the bolt stem, there is a channel for placing a striker with a mainspring, passing in the front part into a hole for the striker to exit. In the rear part of the stem, a screw cut is formed, interacting with the combat platoon of the striker, and a socket for placing the combat platoon with the bolt open.
The magazine box of a vertical type rifle with a staggered arrangement of cartridges was filled with cartridges from a clip. when squeezing the cartridges out of the clip, the lower cartridge lay on the plane of the feeder and, compressing its spring, jumped over the right edge of the lower receiver window. The second cartridge pressed on the first and, squeezing the feeder inside the magazine box, jumped over the left edge.
The fifth cartridge, entering under the right edge of the receiver window, could not fall out, as it was pressed against the edge by the fourth cartridge.

When the bolt moved forward, the bolt stem sent the cartridge into the chamber with its lower part. The cartridge was guided by the slope of the sleeve along the oval bevels of the receiver. When the bore was locked, the ejector hook jumped over the rim of the sleeve. The next cartridge, under the action of the feeder spring, rose up to the stop in the lower plane of the bolt stem, pressing against the left wall of the lower receiver window.

Frame sight Arisaki consisted of an aiming block, which is one piece with a tubular base put on the barrel with an interference fit and, in addition, a reinforced screw: an aiming frame; sighting frame springs and clip with a latch.
The aiming frame, connected to the aiming block by means of a hairpin, had three aiming slots, of which two were on the aiming frame itself, and the third on a movable clamp. Sighting range divisions are marked on the front side of the sighting frame in hundreds of meters.

Arisaka Type 38

The transition of some armies to cartridges with a pointed bullet did not go unnoticed for Arisaki, and in 1905, at the height of the Russo-Japanese War, a new 38-year Meiji-era cartridge was adopted.

Arisaki's partron with a pointed bullet. A green border means that the bullet is a tracer.

External differences: on the left Arisaka Type 30, on the right - type 38

The rifle was redesigned for a pointed bullet cartridge that had an 8.9 gamma mass. The charge of smokeless powder, increased to 2.15 g, developed a pressure in the bore of up to 3200 kg / m 2 and accelerated the bullet to 760 m / s. Improvements have also been made to the shutter and fuse. Now, to turn on the fuse, it was necessary to press on the back of the coupling, turn it slightly to the right, and to turn it off, press and turn it to the left.

In addition to the infantry rifle, a carbine was also created, which was used in cavalry, artillery and sapper units. Its barrel length was reduced to 480 mm.

Arisaka type 38 for three decades, faithfully served the Japanese militarists. With its help, they held our Far East in 1918-22. With its help, they occupied Manchuria and started a war with China with it.

Its last improvement was the introduction sniper modification, which received the designation Type 38 - by that time two emperors had changed and a new chronology was introduced from the founding of Japan. Its starting point was 660 BC, when, according to legend, Emperor Jimmu founded the Japanese state. According to this calculation, 1938 was 2598 or just 98. In this year the sniper rifle was introduced.

However, already in next year Arisaku Type 38 waiting for a replacement. The fact is that in China the Japanese encountered Chinese tankettes (more precisely, British ones supplied to China), which had bulletproof armor. Bullet out Arisaki 7.7 × 58 mm... During development, the British cartridge .303 British was taken as a basis, but, firstly, it was deprived of the flange, and secondly, it was equipped with a 3.1-gram powder charge instead of a 2.58-gram one. The barrel length was shortened to 650 mm, and an 11.3-gram bullet flew out of it at a speed of 741 m / s. The rifle for this cartridge received the designation Type 99, and in memory of the deceased Arisake, who died in 1915, she was finally officially named after him.
Shortening the barrel made it possible to replace with one modification both long infantry rifles and carbines. In this form, Type 99 rifles were produced until 1945, their total production amounted to over three and a half million pieces. By the end of the war, Japan's resources were seriously depleted, and the quality of the Arisaka rifles, initially quite high, had fallen sharply. In the design of late-release rifles, low-grade steel was used, parts without heat treatment, so that such rifles were often dangerous not only for the enemy, but also for the shooters themselves.

Arisaka Type 02

In 1942, based on Arisaki Type 99 a collapsible rifle was created Arisaka Type 02 designed to arm paratroopers. In it, the barrel was attached to the receiver using a massive transverse wedge inserted from the side through the forend, below the bore. Often, these rifles were also equipped with a folding wire one-legged bipod under the forearm. Everything Arisaki were completed with a detachable blade-type bayonet worn in a scabbard. Was targeting Arisaka without bayonet.

What makes a person a person? Mainly upbringing - culture is not inherited. That is, something, some abilities, inclinations, habits even - are transmitted. But not a social person in general. In England, one of the universities conducted an experiment: students entered the room one by one and had to put a vase of flowers on the piano. Everyone put it in the middle. A Japanese student came in and put it on the edge. It was also repeated in Japan and with the same result, only the proportion was reversed. That is, we are brought up in love for symmetry, they are for asymmetry. But what about the technology then? What to look for? And how did this, say, influence the creation of new designs?

A carbine based on the Arisaka Type 38 rifle.

Well, with regard to weapons, the same Japanese at first it was like this - as soon as the country began modernization according to the Western model, the Japanese military chose a Remington rifle with a crane shutter. She seemed more comfortable to them than the others. But already in the 1880 year of the XIX century, through the efforts of Major Tsuniyoshi Murata, Japan received a rifle of his 11-mm caliber system for flange cartridges with black powder. The rifle itself was a hybrid of the French Gras rifle and the Dutch Beaumont rifle, which received the designation "Type 13". This was followed by the improved Type 18 and, finally, in 1889, the Type 22 8-mm caliber with an eight-round magazine under the barrel of the Kropachek system - that is, again, the French Lebel was taken as the basis. With this rifle, Japanese soldiers defeated the Chinese army in the Sino-Japanese War, but it turned out that the rifle has many shortcomings, so to speak, of "foreign" origin. Like all rifles with an underbarrel magazine, it had a variable balance. In addition, the growth of the Japanese soldier did not exceed 157 cm, and the weight was 48 kg, that is, they almost universally suffered from dystrophy, which means that it was much more difficult for him to fight this phenomenon than for Europeans. In addition, the recoil when fired was simply excessive for them, and the rifle itself was too heavy. Of course, you could get the recruits to eat a lot of meat and build muscle with dumbbells, and the Navy did just that. But in the army, it was much more difficult to do this, so the new head of the rifle department of the Tokyo Arsenal, Colonel Naryakira Arisaka (he replaced Murat in this post, who had already become a major general) decided to reduce the caliber of the future rifle to 6.5 mm. Again, they turned to the experience of Europe and found out that the Italian 6.5-mm cartridge from the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle was the smallest and weakest in terms of recoil. It contained only 2.28 g of Solemite smokeless powder, which made it possible to accelerate its 10.45-gram (with a barrel length of 780 mm) to a speed of 710 m / s.

Rifle Arisaka "Type 30".

Arisaka considered that this cartridge could be even weaker, and placed only 2.04 g of nitrocellulose flaky powder in it. The sleeve had a length of 50.7 mm, which made it possible to designate its parameter as 6.5 × 50 and 6.5 × 51 mm.

Bayonet for the Arisaka Type 30 rifle. The rifle itself was fired without a bayonet.

At that time, many masters of arms business with foam at the mouth proved to each other some of the advantages of a sleeve with a flange (flange), others with an annular groove. Arisaka did not choose, but provided his cartridge at the same time with a rim, albeit small, only slightly larger in diameter than the sleeve itself, and a groove. The concepts of "big-small" are extensible, so it makes sense to give data for comparison: the flange of the Arisaka cartridge protruded by 0.315 mm, while the Mosin rifle by 1.055 mm. The bullet was traditionally blunt, had a cupronickel shell and a lead core. The speed that she developed at the exit from the 800-mm barrel was 725 m / s. The gunpowder from the sleeve with such a barrel length burned out entirely, so there was practically no muzzle flame when fired, and its sound was low. This is how the Type 30 rifle, model 1897, appeared, with which Japanese soldiers entered the war with Russia. And immediately after its completion, namely in 1906, a new Type 38 rifle was adopted, improved from its experience.

On the left is a cartridge for the Mosin rifle, on the right is a cartridge for the Arisaka rifle.

The bolt to the "Type 38" rifle.

In that 1906, simultaneously with the Arisaka Type 38 rifle, a new cartridge was adopted by the imperial Japanese army, now not with a blunt-pointed, but with a pointed bullet weighing 8.9 g and with a cylindrical bottom. This bullet had a thickened shell in the head part, but since cupronickel in comparison with lead had a lower density, the center of gravity of such a bullet shifted back, which positively affected its stability on the trajectory and at the same time increased its armor-piercing properties. In 1942, the cupronickel shell of the bullet was replaced with a bimetallic one - Japan had serious problems with raw materials. A charge of 2.15 g smokeless powder made it possible to develop a pressure in the bore of up to 3200 kg / m2 and accelerate the bullet to 760 m / s. Cartridges were produced with a tracer bullet (which was designated by green varnish), with an armor-piercing bullet (black varnish), with a bullet with a steel core (brown varnish).

Sights for the Type 38 rifle.

Sights and the emblem of the manufacturer's arsenal.

But this is something that no other rifle in the world had: a receiver cover that opened it simultaneously with the movement of the shutter. That is, neither dirt nor sand, which fell on the heads of the soldiers when the shells exploded, could not get into the mechanism.

The shutter is closed.

Open shutter. The cartridge feeder is clearly visible from the store.

For light machine guns, special cartridges were made with a charge of gunpowder reduced to 1.9 g, which helped the Japanese machine gunners carry a large supply of cartridges. Cartridges with a lower charge did not differ from ordinary cartridges, but they had a special identification mark on the box. Accordingly, for training shooting, a cartridge was used, which had a short and light cylindrical bullet, with a tompak jacket and an aluminum core. For blank firing, cartridges were used in which the bullet was twisted from paper, and the same machine-gun cartridge had a bullet made of wood. In addition, special cartridges were used for throwing grenades from grenade launchers attached to the barrel. The magazine of the Japanese rifle also contained five rounds, as in the Russian one.

The shutter handle is up. The shutter is open together with the lid.

] The shutter is open, the sight is raised.

During the First World War, the release of "Japanese cartridges" was organized not only in Japan itself, but also in England, where it was produced under the designation 6,5x51SR and exported to Russia, which purchased Arisaka rifles from Japan. The world's first Fedorov assault rifle was also made for it.

In 1915-1916. "Type 38" cartridges were also produced in Russia at the St. Petersburg Cartridge Plant, 200 thousand pieces per month. Of course, this was not enough, but it was better than nothing.

Fly with a front sight (1).

Fly with a fly (2)

The handle, located at the rear of the bolt, made it possible to reload the rifle without lifting the butt off the shoulder, so that the target was not lost from sight. The store hidden inside the box was well protected from mechanical stress and deformation. The rate of fire was 20 rounds per minute, that is, it was more than sufficient.

Purely subjectively, the rifle seemed convenient and light to me, although its weight was 4.12 kg. However, at the same time there was no feeling that a heavy iron "drin" was given into your hands, which immediately pulled them back. It was not difficult to carry it with a grip in the area of ​​the magazine and the bolt, that is, in the very center of gravity, and also aim it at the target. The semi-pistol neck of the buttstock has a very comfortable shape and makes it possible to securely fix the rifle in the hands when aiming. It was alleged that the bolt cover was knocking loudly, unmasking the fighter, and that the Japanese soldiers even removed it because of this. Yes, it clicks slightly, but not louder than the jerked shutter itself, but the advantages of this solution are undeniable. Of course, it would be desirable to shoot from it, but what is not, that is not there! True, I can't help but note that of all the rifles described earlier (except for Martini-Henry!), This one turned out to be the most "applied" one, and the worst in this indicator was the Mannlicher-Carcano carbine.

In 1914, Colonel of the Russian Imperial Army V.G. Fedorov carried out a full cycle of tests of the Japanese Type 38 rifle, which showed that it was very rationally designed, that is, all the best was really taken from different types of weapons. Further, in his review of the rifle, he noted that, although it has excessive accuracy indicators (that's how it is!), Its production is cheaper than Mosin's rifles. Logically, after that, it would seem that our caliber should have been replaced with a Japanese one and a Japanese rifle and Japanese cartridges should have been adopted, but it is clear that during the war it would have been impossible to do this, and after the 6.5-mm caliber we “went ", It again occurred to our new military men that" our gun is stronger than the Japanese one "and to convince them of V.G. Fedorov did not succeed! However, subsequent events in the world of arms showed that reducing the caliber is a necessary thing, so the Japanese in the right trend, as they say now, were, it turns out, more than 100 years ago!

	Rifle Arisaka Type 99

In 1938, the Arisaka rifle and carbine, converted to a 7.7 mm caliber cartridge, called M 92 (7.7x58), were transferred to the state department for testing small arms. This cartridge was designed for machine guns and entered service in 1932.
Tests have shown that the M 92 cartridge is not suitable for multiple-shot rifles and Arisaka carbines. The recoil and the flame escaping from the barrel were too strong. In addition, there were problems with the supply of cartridges and the ejection of casings.

By May 1939, a new cartridge with a reinforced powder charge was designed, as well as a modified rifle based on the Arisaka rifle of the 1905 model, which had a 7.7 mm caliber. In accordance with the system of chronology from the date of the formation of the Japanese state, both the new cartridge and the rifle were named Arisaka Type 99 and immediately went into production.

	Complete disassembly rifles Arisaka Type 99

Nevertheless, both the 6.5 mm Arisaka multiple-charge rifle and the 1905 cartridges remained in service until the end of World War II and even some time after that.
In addition, there was a version of the 38 model with a weaker powder charge and special ammunition for the Arisaka Type 97 multiply-charged sniper rifle, as well as another type of 7.7 mm ammunition, similar to the English .303 Lee-Enfield.
Such an unusually large number of types of cartridges, not only for rifles, but also for machine guns, as well as for other types of domestic and imported small arms, created many problems in production and supply. Old cartridges remained in circulation along with new ones, and for ordinary rifles alone, not to mention sniper rifles, there were at least five types of ammunition of two different calibers, which posed daunting tasks for the Japanese industry.
When Japan, after a long war with neighboring China on December 7, 1941, also got involved in World War II, attacking the American Pacific naval base Pearl Harbor, its reserves were completely exhausted after a few months. This applied not only to the production of small arms and the ammunition necessary for them. The situation in an already very poorly developed industry became hopeless, especially in the metalworking industry.

	Arisaka Type 99 rifle on bipod with standard bayonet knife

The Arisaka Type 99 multiple-shot rifle, like its predecessor, was designed on the basis of the Mauser system with a cylindrical bolt and an integrated magazine for 5 rounds. The latter were inserted into the store in a clip. Although the modified rifle, in principle, was constructive decision one of the oldest in the world, it, oddly enough, generally proved to be quite good during the war. If you do not take into account the typical flaws inherent in all Arisaka-type rifles, which were mainly caused by ammunition, then this rifle became the best standard weapon of the Japanese infantry.

The Arisaka Type 99 rifle differs from the 1905 model Arisaka rifle not only in its caliber. There are also differences in the design of the chamber, barrel, bolt and sight. The fuse design was improved, the rifle became not only shorter, but also lighter. A firing stop made of strong profiled wire is fixed under the barrel. It can be reclined, but it is not fixed in the unfolded position. This emphasis was provided for all rifles, but was not installed on many.

The sight frame can take up a vertical position for firing at low-flying air targets. There are two markings on the sight for anticipation when firing. Marking on outside is intended for flying past targets, and on the inside - for targets moving in the direction of the arrow at an angle. Shooting at aircraft flying directly at the arrow is carried out in the usual way, by means of a rear sight and a front sight, and auxiliary markings are also applied on the side surfaces of the latter to take into account the lead. However, rifle fire on planes, as it turned out, was ineffective with rare exceptions.

Two versions of the Arisaka Type 99 rifle were produced: a long infantry rifle and a shortened one for cavalry, artillery and other special arms. It should be emphasized that the shortened version is not a carabiner. Already at the end of 1939, the production of a long rifle was discontinued in favor of a shortened version, which was to become a standard weapon for all branches of the military. However, this still did not help meet all the army's needs for weapons. Therefore, not a single old model was taken out of service.

	Arisaka Type 99 rifle aiming frame

Among other things, the Arisaka Type 99 rifle was produced in airborne and sniper versions. Shortly before the end of the war, the so-called reserve version of the Arisaka Type 99 rifle also appeared.
The sniper rifle, also called the 99, was developed in 1941, entered service in June 1942, and industrial production began at the same time. She had the following technical data: total length 1115 mm, barrel length 662 mm, unloaded weight 4.42 kg. The rifle was equipped with a fourfold optical sight with a 7 ° viewing angle. The graduation of the sight begins at a distance of 300 m. As in the Arisaka Type 97 multiply-charged sniper rifle, production of which was discontinued in mid-1942, the sight is placed on the left side. The rifle uses not special, but standard cartridges of 7.7 mm caliber. Supposedly, no more than 10,000 of these sniper rifles were manufactured.
Another version of the Arisaka Type 99 rifle of the 1939 model was the landing rifle, which was disassembled into two parts. Perhaps it was designed already in 1940, but it entered the army only a year later. Produced in small quantities.

	Arisaka rifle Type 99, airborne variant

This rifle had a total length of 1120 mm, a barrel length of 657 mm and weighed 4.34 kg when unloaded. The barrel and the front part were attached to the body in a special way. True, this connection was fragile: it often loosened up after a few shots.
A modernized sample of the assault rifle was presented in May 1943. The connection of both parts in it is already much stronger. The total length of this rifle is 1115 mm, barrel length 645 mm, weight without cartridges 4.05 kg.

In this regard, it is interesting that for the needs landing troops the Arisaka Meiji Type 38 carbine, designed for a 6.5 mm cartridge, was also modified. Its total length is 875 mm, barrel length 487 mm, unloaded weight 3.7 kg. At the point of attachment of the butt to the body, it has a hinge. There is evidence that the Arisaka Meiji Type 44 cavalry carbine, which was put into service in 1911, with a folding bayonet, was also converted into a landing version. Prototypes were made, but they did not go into mass production.

	Upgraded model of the Arisaka Type 99 assault rifle

Since December 1943, the production of the so-called Arisaka Type 99 7.7 mm reserve rifle began. Its total length is 1115 mm, barrel length is 660 mm and weight is 3.8 kg. It is sometimes also referred to as the 99/2 or 99/3 model. These weapons, made from low-quality materials, are similar to the rifles and carbines produced in Germany for the Volkssturm militia. A large number of such weapons were captured by American troops.
The build quality of all these rifles was extremely poor. Welding seams and metalworking tool marks are everywhere. Instead of an adjustable sight, a conventional rear sight was installed, the butt plate was made not of metal, but of plywood.
The Arisaka Type 99 multiple-shot rifle and all its modifications were adopted as standard weapons. There is no data on the size of their supplies to the troops. According to experts, at least 10 million Arisaka rifles had been manufactured by the end of the war. This number includes rifles of all types since 1897, when the very first model was adopted.

In addition, Italian-made rifles were used in the battles, and special versions of the Arisaka model of the 1905 model were used for testing.