Type 4 rifle
| Type 4 rifle | |
|---|---|
|
|
| general information | |
| Military designation: | Type 4 |
| Country of operation: | Japanese Empire |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Yokosuka Marine Arsenal |
| Development year: | 1944 |
| Manufacturer country: |
 Japan
|
| Production time: | 1944 to 1945 |
| Weapon Category: | Self-loading rifle |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1073 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 4.1 kg |
| Barrel length : | 590 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.7 x 58 mm |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 10 (2 × 5-round) cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Loading strip |
| Visor : | Open sights |
| Closure : | Cylinder lock |
| Charging principle: | Gas pressure charger |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Type 4 rifle ( Japanese 四 式 自動 小 銃 , Shi-shiki jidō shōjū ), also Type 5 rifle , was an experimental self-loading rifle of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces during World War II. It was a copy of the American M1 Garand rifle that had been captured during the fighting in the Pacific . In contrast to its American model, the Japanese version uses two 5-round loading strips with a caliber of 7.7 × 58 mm .
history
As early as the 1920s, the Japanese armed forces developed an interest in self-loading rifles. However, the approaches failed and did not prove to be reliable. Instead, they continued to rely on bolt action rifles.Only when enemy automatic rifles such as the M1 Garand, which had a higher firepower than their own rifles, were captured in the course of the Pacific War, did interest in such a weapon return. The army and navy both showed interest in the self-loader, but only the latter had the first prototypes developed. To save time and valuable resources, it was decided to copy or slightly modify the M1 Garand. The rifle, developed in 1944, was called the Type 4 rifle , fired the 7.7 mm ammunition common within the Japanese armed forces and was able to take two 5-round loading strips. Production was supposed to start in 1945 and so the weapon was also given the designation Type 5 rifle . Due to the capitulation of Japan in August 1945, however, only 100 to 250 rifles were produced, a large number of which were not assembled together.
literature
- Leland Ness: Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945: Volume 2: Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces Helion & Company, 2014, ISBN 978-19099-8275-8 .
- Will Fowler & Patrick Sweeney: The World Encyclopedia of Rifles and Machine Guns Hermes House, 2010, ISBN 978-184681-162-3 .
- Rottman & Takizawa: Japanese Paratroop Forces of World War II Osprey Publishing, UK, 2005, ISBN 978-1-84176-903-5 .
Web links
- Arisaka Type 4 / Type 5 (Japanese Garand) Experimental Self-Loading / Semi-Automatic Service Rifle (1944). militaryfactory.com, accessed October 25, 2016 .