Type 3 Heavy Machine Gun
Kokura Arsenal · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1914
Also known as: Taisho 14 Machine Gun, Type 3 (Taisho 3) HMG, Hotchkiss Type 3
Overview
The Type 3 was the Imperial Japanese Army's first domestically standardized heavy machine gun, adopted in 1914 (the third year of the Taisho era). A Kijiro Nambu reworking of the French Hotchkiss M1914, it was a gas-operated, air-cooled weapon firing the 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridge from rigid 30-round metallic feed strips. Its massive finned barrel, integral cartridge oiler and heavy infantry tripod (convertible to an anti-aircraft mount) defined its appearance. It served as the IJA's primary heavy machine gun until the 7.7mm Type 92 began replacing it from 1932, but many remained in use through the end of WWII.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 55000 g (1940.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1198 mm (47.17") |
| Barrel Length | 737 mm (29.02") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Strip |
| Muzzle Velocity | 740 m/s (2428 fps) |
| Effective Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 4000 m (4374 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 450 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 6.5x50mm Arisaka · primary — also known as 6.5x50mmSR, 6.5mm Arisaka, 6.5x50SR
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Metallic Feed Strip
- Features: Air Cooled, Finned Barrel, Metallic Feed Strip, Integral Cartridge Oiler, Infantry Tripod, Convertible Anti Aircraft Mount, Dual Spade Grips
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Army · adopted 1914 · as Type 3 (Taisho 14) HMG
- Manchukuo Imperial Army
Conflicts
- Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- World War II (1941-1945)
- Siberian Intervention (1918-1922)
Production
Production years: 1914-1930s
Built at Japanese state arsenals. Primary IJA heavy machine gun until the Type 92 (7.7x58mm) replaced it from 1932; many Type 3s remained in second-line and theatre use through 1945
Origin
Country of origin: Japan
Designer: Kijiro Nambu
Discontinued: 1932
Notes
Distinct from the Type 100 submachine gun and the later Type 92 HMG. Sources cite ~400-450 rpm (with one anecdotal upper bound under 600). The Hotchkiss-pattern action required cartridges to be oiled before chambering.
Background
The Hotchkiss-pattern action needed every cartridge oiled before chambering, so the Type 3 carried an oiler built into its feed tray, a system notorious for collecting grit and jamming, while its slow, deliberate cyclic rate gave the family its later US-troop nickname 'woodpecker'.