Posted on 09/17/2020 8:05:51 AM PDT by w1n1
The Idea looked better on Paper - In World War Two Japan had a paratroop corps, Germany provided the technical assistance with equipment implementation in the late 1930’s. One of the methods was the use of parachute-equipped containers housing the firearms, this was dropped separately from the paratrooper. In the combat drop at Sumatra (Japanese) and Crete (Germany), both drop zones had problems of weapons containers landing far from troops, resulting being out gunned.
Especially, the experiences of the airborne attack on Palembang in Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, February 13-15, 1942. In that battle, the airborne troops were equipped with standard rifles that were dropped in separate canisters and ended up landing in swamps some distance from the men, who then had to fight with just pistols, bayonets and grenades.
At the outcome the Japanese obviously thought this wasn't a good idea, and looked at alternatives methods. One idea is to have the paratroops jump with a compact gun. This resulted in a modified Type 38 Arisaka rifle (similar to a Winchester .308) and a folding-stock version. The first proposed plan was the Type 1. The rifle was basically chopped in half at the chamber and McGyvered a hinge door mechanism onto it, thus producing a folding rifle. These rifle were also fitted with bayonet bars under the barrel.
Archives recorded that several hundred folding rifles were used for trials and performance was not very good. Such as the latch system was not very tight, stocks would wobble around, the threaded stud and wing nut would often catch on things and become damaged. Read the rest of Japanese paratroop folding rifle.
It has always surprised me that Japanese firearms were so bad, when in other areas (the Zero, their naval gunnery) they were so technically advanced. Of all the major powers in the war, they easily had the crappiest personal weapons.
I have an Arisaka. It isn’t too bad but looks like an obvious rip off of another design (KAR-98 maybe)
The pre and early war stuff was actually pretty darn good but the later ones really sucked. I have one and it really sucks.
Some British paratroopers jumped with folding bicycles.
Our M1 carbine was
A little flakey with
It’s Folder.
It weird. The Japs made really goods things and really really bad things. Torpedoes were excellent and their tank sucked. But even their tanks were a conundrum. The tank intercom, optical sites, radios and fire control were top notch wrapped in a really crappy tank.
I saw a barrel of Arisakas with the chrysanthemum stamp in a gun store back in the ‘90s. They were all in good shape and going for less than $100. I passed by because I figured I’d never find ammunition for them.
I always liked the German curved barrels....
They also had a Royal Enfield motorcycle for the British paratroops called "The Flea".
Because the ammo is pretty uncommon, you can actually find it now. 9MM, not so much. Go figure.
[It has always surprised me that Japanese firearms were so bad, when in other areas (the Zero, their naval gunnery) they were so technically advanced. Of all the major powers in the war, they easily had the crappiest personal weapons.]
I don’t think you can compare japan, an industrial power to Mexico a 3rd world country.
I own one that I refinished. The ammo is refered to as the 7mm Jap round Only available from Graff and sons. Costs $1.85 a round but man is that rifle accurate!
And fun to shoot. You should have bought one.
[I don’t think you can compare japan, an industrial power to Mexico a 3rd world country.]
Mexico hasn’t been led by generals seeking personal glory via territorial gain for over a century. But if that ever came to pass, it could arm up to much greater extent than prewar Japan. Of course, for that to happen, the government would have to exterminate the cartels. For now, there’s no danger of that. The thing with Spanish-speakers is you never know when they’re gonna go all Fidel Castro or Augusto Pinochet on you, with mass graves of the people who stood in the way to match. Between the Reconquista and the Spanish Civil War, peninsular Spain has shown itself quite capable of ruthless and decisive action in the course of civil conflict, so it’s not as if the Indio admixture of Latin America is the decisive factor here.
I’ve read the Arisaka had the strongest action and it was almost impossible to blow one up.
Early war production was excellent. A friend of mine had one rechambered to 30-06.
At a large shooting range in Tulsa OK, a man came in while we were preparing for a competition. I noticed his rifle was an Arisaka with the top wood missing. From a prone position he began to knock over the steel targets hundreds of yards away with no problems.
Late war production were junk. A local business man had a late war production. Talk about a piece of junk.
If it had the chrysanthemum stamp on it then it was a war trophy. After the war, thousands of Arisakas were sold as war surplus in the US with the chrysanthemum stamp ground off as it was the “property” of the Emperor.
Not bad for a nation that was still in the Feudal age in the 1850s. Within fifty years they were able to kick Russian butt all over the place, and ninety years had conquered Korea, half of China, and attacked the British, Dutch, French and later the US.
***that Japanese firearms were so bad,***
The early war Arisaka still got more respect than the Italian Carcano.
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