Weapons · Japan · 1905-1945
Type 38 rifle
bolt-action service rifle
Adopted in 1905 and chambered for a relatively mild 6.5mm cartridge, the long, accurate Arisaka Type 38 was the standard Japanese infantry rifle through most of the war, prized for low recoil and reliability even in the mud of China and the jungles of the Pacific. Its distinctive dust cover, sliding over the bolt, produced a metallic rattle that some Allied veterans claimed they could hear before a Japanese ambush.
| caliber | 6.5x50mm |
|---|---|
| weight | 4.2 kg |
| length | 127.6 cm |
| produced | ~3,400,000 |
Pacific, China, Burma and India