Type I
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta · Rifle · Discontinued · 1938
Also known as: Type I rifle, Japanese Carcano, Type I Arisaka, I-Shiki
Overview
The Type I is a bolt-action service rifle produced in Italy from 1938 to 1939 for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Combining an Italian Carcano action with a Type 38-pattern five-round internal box magazine fed by stripper clips, it was chambered for the Japanese 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridge rather than the Italian 6.5x52mm Carcano round. It was contracted under the Anti-Comintern Pact after the 1937 invasion of China consumed all domestic Arisaka production.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3950 g (139.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1285 mm (50.59") |
| Barrel Length | 797 mm (31.38") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 765 m/s (2510 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2634 J (1943 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2400 m (2625 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| 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: Repeating
- Feed systems: Stripper Clip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Carcano Action, Type 38 Pattern Magazine, Stripper Clip Loading, Type 30 Bayonet Lug, Split Buttstock
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Navy · adopted 1939
- Imperial Japanese Army · adopted 1939
- Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China
Conflicts
- Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 120,000 · Production years: 1938-1939
Approximately 60,000 by the state arsenal at Gardone Val Trompia and 30,000 each by Beretta and Fabbrica Nazionale d'Armi di Brescia; barrels supplied by Terni.
Origin
Country of origin: Italy
Designer: Fabbrica d'Armi Terni
Discontinued: 1939
Notes
An Italo-Japanese hybrid: Carcano bolt action mated to an Arisaka/Mauser-style box magazine. Barrels were produced at Terni and shipped to one of three completing plants. Stocks were delivered untreated for finishing in Japanese arsenals, and no accessories were supplied with the rifles.
Background
The Type I exists because the Imperial Japanese Navy needed rifles that the Army's busy arsenals could no longer spare after the 1937 push into China. Turning to its Anti-Comintern partner, the Navy commissioned Italian gunmakers to build a rifle that paired a familiar Carcano action with an Arisaka magazine and the Navy's standard 6.5mm cartridge.