Type 44 Carbine
Kokura Arsenal · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1912
Also known as: Type 44 Cavalry Carbine, Arisaka Type 44, Yonjuyon-nen Shiki Kihei-juu
Overview
The Type 44 Carbine is a Japanese bolt-action cavalry carbine introduced in 1912 (Meiji Year 44) as an evolution of the Arisaka Type 38 carbine, chambered in 6.5x50mm Arisaka. Its defining feature is a permanently attached folding 'needle' bayonet that swings forward into the firing position and folds back into a recess beneath the forend when stowed, sparing mounted troopers from managing a separate detachable bayonet on horseback. It retained the five-round internal magazine, stripper-clip loading, and sliding bolt dust cover of the Arisaka family.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3300 g (116.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 966 mm (38.03") |
| Folded Length | 966 mm (38.03") |
| Barrel Length | 487 mm (19.17") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 685 m/s (2247 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2110 J (1556 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 10 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 6.5x50mm Arisaka · primary — also known as 6.5x50mmSR Arisaka, 6.5 Jap, 6.5mm Japanese
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Stripper Clip, Internal Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Wing Safety, Bolt Dust Cover
- Features: Permanent Folding Bayonet, Stripper Clip Loading, Five Round Internal Magazine, Sliding Dust Cover, Flip Up Ladder Rear Sight, Shorter Barrel For Horseback
Variants
- Type 44 First Pattern — Early Production
- Type 44 Second Pattern — Production
- Type 44 Third Pattern — Late Production
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Army Cavalry · adopted 1912 · as Type 44
- Republic of China
- Korean People's Army
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
- Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- World War II (1939-1945)
- Chinese Civil War (1927-1949)
- Korean War (1950-1953)
Production
Estimated total produced: 92,000 · Production years: 1912-1942
Approximately 92,000 units produced across three pattern revisions at the Imperial Japanese state arsenals (Koishikawa/Kokura and Nagoya).
Origin
Country of origin: Japan
Designer: Colonel Nariakira Arisaka
Discontinued: 1942
Notes
The Type 44 was produced in three patterns distinguished chiefly by the bayonet nose-cap design. It served from before World War I into the Pacific Theater of World War II, with captured examples later reissued by Chinese and North Korean forces.
Background
The Type 44's permanently mounted folding bayonet let a cavalry trooper convert from carbine to improvised lance with a flick of the wrist, but it also made the carbine a single-purpose weapon: with no way to remove the bayonet, a bent or damaged blade could send the whole arm back to a depot armorer.