Arisaka Type 4 / Type 5 (Japanese Garand)

History

The Type 4/Type 5 rifle was the Japanese attempt to replicate and mass produce the classic American M1 Garand in service semi-automatic rifle. Throughout the war, the Japanese infantry relied on a proven but decidedly limited type of bolt-action rifle, so a new, more modern weapon was needed with good man-stopping capabilities and smooth bolt-action fire.

Both the British and the Americans turned to bolt-action rifles, and the Germans and Soviets adopted their own designs. Instead of investing in a brand new weapon, Garland opted to rush. While the Japanese had dabbled in semi-automatic rifles before their full participation in World War II (1939-1945), none of these projects produced a viable final product.

Commitment to conflict also ensures that further development of such weapons will be hindered for the foreseeable future.

The weapon is referred to in sources as "Type 4" and "Type 5", and is arbitrarily referred to as the "Japanese Garand".

While key elements of the Garand rifle - including its form and function - were heavily borrowed, the 4/5 model was fitted for the local 7.7x58mm Arisaka rifle cartridge, the same as the .30-06 in the US gun. Unlike the Garand, the Japanese Service Rifle 5 semi-automatic rifle uses a 10-round internal magazine instead of an 8-round design. The longer magazine case protrudes from the bottom of the frame and is fed by 2 x five circular "stripper" clips. The 4/5 rifle has an Arisaka-style sling loop, a leaf-style rear sight (as opposed to Garand's porthole arrangement), and has a wooden body - the trigger group hangs below as usual.

Overall, the Japanese approach remains largely faithful to the American design.

Design work began in 1944, and in 1945 the Japanese factory began mass production of "Japan Garand". However, Japan's surrender in August ended all planned production of this semi-automatic rifle, and by the end of the war, only about 100 Model 250 guns were in production.

It is known that after the end of hostilities, the Allies captured 20 ships in the Japanese naval arsenal in Honshu.

The Japanese Garand is now a truly rare weapon and one of the lesser-known Japanese guns to appear in WWII. Its near-straight-forward reproduction speaks volumes about classic American designthe enemy would be so keen to replicate a weapon as robust and effective as the war-winning M1.

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