Type 1 Machine Gun
Kokura Arsenal · Machine Gun · Discontinued · 1942
Also known as: Type 1 HMG, Type 1 Heavy Machine Gun, Model 1 (1941)
Overview
The Type 1 Machine Gun is a Japanese gas-operated, air-cooled machine gun adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1942 and chambered in 7.7x58mm Arisaka. It is a lightened development of the Type 92 heavy machine gun, retaining the older weapon's basic mechanism while scaling down its components, deleting the heavy barrel jacket, and adding a quick-change barrel to cut total system weight by roughly half. Like the Type 92 it feeds from rigid 30-round metal strips inserted from the left and is fired from a tripod. Despite formal adoption, wartime material shortages and the continued acceptability of the Type 92 kept it from large-scale production, and very few examples survive.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 15240 g (537.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 965 mm (37.99") |
| Barrel Length | 607 mm (23.90") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Feed Strip |
| Muzzle Velocity | 730 m/s (2395 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3315 J (2445 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 1100 m (1203 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 4100 m (4484 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 500 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.7x58mm Arisaka · primary — also known as 7.7 Japanese, 7.7mm Type 99, 7.7x58mm rimless
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Metal Feed Strip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Air Cooled, Quick Change Barrel, Tripod Mounted, Metal Feed Strip, No Barrel Jacket, Flash Hider
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Army · adopted 1942 · as Type 1
- Indonesian National Armed Forces
Conflicts
- Second World War (1942-1945)
- Pacific War (1942-1945)
Production
Production years: 1942-1945
Never reached large-scale production due to material shortages and the continued use of the Type 92; only a small number were built and surviving examples are extremely rare.
Origin
Country of origin: Japan
Designer: Kokura Arsenal
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Designation 'Type 1' references the Japanese imperial year 2601 (1941), though formal adoption came in November 1942. Unlike the Type 92, it was chambered only for the rimless 7.7x58mm Arisaka cartridge rather than accepting both rimmed and rimless rounds. Production has been attributed to the Hitachi weapons factory in addition to Kokura Arsenal.
Background
Issued the 'Type 1' designation for the imperial year 2601 (1941), the gun was meant to lighten the squad's burden by shedding nearly half the Type 92's weight, yet it arrived too late and in too few numbers to displace the older 'woodpecker' that had defined Japanese heavy machine gunnery across the Pacific.