Type 3 Hotchkiss
Koishikawa Arsenal · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1914
Also known as: Taishō 3 machine gun, Type 3 heavy machine gun, Type 3 (1914) machine gun
Overview
The Type 3 Hotchkiss is a Japanese gas-operated, air-cooled heavy machine gun adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1914 as its first domestically produced design of the type. Designer Kijirō Nambu adapted the French Hotchkiss Mle 1897 system to Japanese requirements, retaining the Hotchkiss-style gas piston and 30-round rigid metal feed strips while adding a distinctive ribbed barrel shroud for improved cooling during sustained fire. Chambered for the 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridge and fired from a heavy tripod, it served as the IJA's standard heavy machine gun until the Type 92 began to replace it in the early 1930s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 28000 g (987.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1200 mm (47.24") |
| Barrel Length | 762 mm (30.00") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 740 m/s (2428 fps) |
| Effective Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 4000 m (4374 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 500 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 6.5x50mm Arisaka · primary — also known as 6.5x50mm SR, 6.5mm Japanese, 6.5x50mm Meiji 30
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Metal Feed Strip
- Features: Air Cooled, Ribbed Barrel Shroud, Integrated Cartridge Oiler, Tripod Mounted, Dual Spade Grips
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Army · adopted 1914 · as Type 3 (Taishō 3)
- Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
- Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Production years: 1914-1932
Standard IJA heavy machine gun until superseded by the Type 92; production figures not precisely documented.
Origin
Country of origin: Japan
Designer: Kijirō Nambu
Discontinued: 1932
Notes
Designated for the third year of the Taishō era (1914). An integrated oiler on the feed tray lubricated cartridges to ensure reliable extraction. Largely superseded from 1932 by the 7.7mm Type 92, but remained in service through World War II.
Background
Kijirō Nambu, Japan's most prolific small-arms designer, modeled the Type 3 on the captured and licensed Hotchkiss guns Japan had used since the Russo-Japanese War, beginning the lineage of Hotchkiss-pattern strip-fed machine guns that would culminate in the Allied-nicknamed Type 92 'Woodpecker'.