Type 11 Light Machine Gun

Kokura Arsenal · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1922

Also known as: Taisho 11, Juichinen Shiki Keikikanju, Nambu Type 11, 11th Year LMG

Overview

The Type 11 light machine gun, adopted in 1922, was Imperial Japan's first purpose-built squad automatic weapon and the foundational design from which every subsequent Nambu LMG (Type 96, Type 99) descended. Designed by Kijirō Nambu based on the French Hotchkiss M1909, the Type 11 used a long-stroke gas piston and an unusual hopper feed system: instead of a magazine, the loader dropped six 5-round stripper clips of 6.5x50mm SR Arisaka into an open hopper on the left side of the receiver, where a toothed lateral rack stripped rounds sequentially into the chamber. The same clips supplied the Type 38 rifle, simplifying squad ammunition logistics. To prevent over-stress from full-power rifle ammunition, the Type 11 was issued with reduced-charge 'Genso' ammunition. The hopper, while clever in concept, was a magnet for dirt, sand, and grit and required cartridges to be oiled as they fed - both flaws inherited by later Nambu designs and the source of the Type 11's notorious unreliability in field conditions.

Specifications

Weight (empty)	10200 g (359.8 oz)
Overall Length	1100 mm (43.31")
Barrel Length	443 mm (17.44")
Action Type	Gas Operated Long Stroke
Firing Mechanism	Open Bolt
Trigger Type	Full Auto Only
Magazine Capacity	30 rounds
Magazine Type	Stripper Clip
Muzzle Velocity	730 m/s (2395 fps)
Muzzle Energy	2398 J (1769 ft·lbf)
Effective Range	600 m (656 yd)
Maximum Range	3200 m (3500 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

6.5x50mm SR Arisaka · primary — also known as 6.5mm Japanese, 6.5x50mm Japanese, 6.5 Arisaka, 6.5mm Arisaka Genso

Features

Firing modes: Full Automatic
Feed systems: Hopper Six 5 Round Stripper Clips
Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Lever
Features: Hopper Feed System, Accepts Six Rifle Stripper Clips, Finned Quick Change Barrel, Folding Bipod, Internal Oil Pump Cartridge Lubrication, Right Offset Bent Buttstock, Carrying Handle, Uses Reduced Charge Genso Ammunition

Variants

Type 91 Tank MG — Tank Mounted 50 Round Hopper

Service history

Operators

Imperial Japanese Army · adopted 1922 · as Type 11
Manchukuo Imperial Army · as Type 11
Wang Jingwei collaborationist forces · as Type 11
People's Liberation Army (captured) · adopted 1945
Republic of China Army (captured) · adopted 1945

Conflicts

Chinese Civil War (Northern Expedition era) (1927-1936)
Mukden Incident / Manchurian Operations (1931-1932)
Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
Soviet-Japanese Border Wars (1938-1939)
World War II Pacific Theater (1939-1945)

Production

Estimated total produced: 29,000 · Production years: 1922-1941

Production halted in 1941 in favor of the Type 96 and Type 99. Limited surviving examples remained in second-line and garrison use through 1945.

Origin

Country of origin: Japan

Designer: Kijirō Nambu

Discontinued: 1941

Notes

Approximately 29,000 units produced 1922-1941. The buttstock is canted to the right, earning the Chinese nickname 'bent buttstock', because the top-loading hopper would otherwise obscure the gunner's line of sight. Type 11 is mechanically full-auto only; sustained fire was managed by the quick-change finned barrel.

Background

The Type 11's hopper was loaded using the same 5-round stripper clips that fed the Type 38 Arisaka rifle - meaning, in theory, any infantryman could resupply the LMG gunner directly from his own bandolier. In practice, the open hopper became infamous for ingesting Manchurian dust, Mongolian grit, and Pacific island volcanic sand - Imperial gunners often wrapped the action in cloth between firings. By 1945 the Type 11 was so obsolete that captured examples were considered souvenirs rather than serviceable weapons; today they are among the rarest Japanese WWII firearms in collector circulation.