Type 96 Light Machine Gun
Kokura Arsenal · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1936
Also known as: 96 Shiki Keikikanju, Nambu Type 96, Type 96 LMG
Overview
The Type 96 light machine gun was developed by Kijirō Nambu and adopted in 1936 as a modernization of the troublesome Type 11. It chambered the standard 6.5x50mm SR Arisaka cartridge fed from distinctive 30-round top-mounted curved detachable box magazines. Borrowing heavily from the Czech ZB vz. 26, the Type 96 introduced a quick-change finned barrel, folding bipod, carrying handle, and provision for a 2.5x telescopic sight on the right side of the receiver. While vastly more reliable than the hopper-fed Type 11, it retained an internal oil pump that lubricated cartridges as they fed - a design choice that continued to attract dust and grit, causing jams in the Pacific theater. It served as the standard Imperial Japanese Army squad automatic weapon throughout the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 9000 g (317.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1070 mm (42.13") |
| Barrel Length | 550 mm (21.65") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Full Auto Only |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 732 m/s (2402 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2410 J (1778 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 3500 m (3828 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 550 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
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: 30 Round Top Mounted Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Lever
- Features: Top Mounted Box Magazine, Quick Change Barrel, Finned Barrel Air Cooling, Carrying Handle, Folding Bipod, Optional 2-5x Telescopic Sight, Bayonet Lug, Internal Oil Pump Cartridge Lubrication
Variants
- Type 96 (base) — Standard Production
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Army · adopted 1936 · as Type 96
- Special Naval Landing Forces · as Type 96
- Wang Jingwei collaborationist forces · as Type 96
- People's Liberation Army (captured) · adopted 1945
- Republic of China Army (captured) · adopted 1945
- Korean People's Army (captured)
- Indonesian National Revolutionary forces (captured) · adopted 1945
Conflicts
- Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- Soviet-Japanese Border Wars (1938-1939)
- World War II Pacific Theater (1941-1945)
- Chinese Civil War (1945-1949)
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Indonesian National Revolution (1945-1949)
Production
Estimated total produced: 41,000 · Production years: 1936-1945
Produced primarily at Kokura, Nagoya, and Mukden arsenals. Replaced in production by the 7.7mm Type 99 LMG from 1939 but used alongside it through the end of the war.
Origin
Country of origin: Japan
Designer: Kijirō Nambu
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Source variance: weight figures range 8.4-9.1 kg; rate of fire 550-650 rpm. The optional Type 96 telescopic sight was unusual for an LMG and reportedly used to mark distant targets. Bayonet attachment was retained from the Type 11 lineage despite limited tactical utility on a top-magazine LMG.
Background
American Marines facing the Type 96 on Guadalcanal nicknamed it the 'Woodpecker' (a name later more famously applied to the Type 92 HMG) for its slow distinctive cyclic rate. Captured Type 96s saw widespread post-war use - Indonesian independence fighters, Chinese communists, Korean partisans, and Vietnamese guerrillas all carried Nambu LMGs into battle decades after the Imperial Japanese Army that designed them had ceased to exist.