Type 38 rifle

Type 38 rifle
Type 38 rifle from the collections of the Swedish Army Museum
Type	Bolt-action rifle
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1906–1945 (Japan)
Used by	See Users
Wars	Mexican Revolution[1] Mexican Border War[2] World War I Russian Civil War Second Sino-Japanese War World War II Chinese Civil War Indonesian National Revolution Malayan Emergency Korean War First Indochina War
Production history
Designed	1905
No. built	Rifles: 2,999,200[3] Carbines: 579,300[4] Other variants: 403,000[5]
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	Rifle: 4.19 kg (9.2 lb)[6] Carbine: 3.3 kg (7.3 lb)
Length	Rifle: 1,275 mm (50.2 in)[6] Carbine: 966 mm (38.0 in)
Barrel length	Rifle: 797 mm (31.4 in) Carbine: 487 mm (19.2 in)
Cartridge	6.5×50mm Arisaka 7.62×39mm (post-war Chinese modified)[7] 7.92×57mm Mauser (Chinese modified)[8]
Action	Bolt action
Rate of fire	10–15 rounds per minute[6]
Muzzle velocity	762 m/s (2,500 ft/s)[6]
Effective firing range	366–457 m (400–500 yd) (with iron sight)[6]
Maximum firing range	2.37 km (1.47 mi)[6]
Feed system	5-round stripper clip

The Type 38 rifle (三八式歩兵銃, sanhachi-shiki hoheijū) is a bolt-action service rifle that was used by the Empire of Japan predominantly during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Second World War.^[9] The design was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1905 (the 38th year of the Meiji period, hence "Type 38"). Due to a lack of power in its 6.5×50mmSR Arisaka cartridge, it was partially replaced during the war with the Type 99 rifle, but both rifles saw usage until the end of the war.^[10]