Arisaka Type 44

Description

Highly collectable, mint with MUM intact, matching numbers & all original! Offered for sale is a highly collectable & hard to find Imperial Japanese Type 44 service rifle in original 6.5mm. Following the Russo- Japanese war of 1904-05, Japanese cavalry units saw an expansion in numbers & an elevation to the status of elite troops. This continued through the campaigns in China & up to the start of the war in the Pacific. The designation of 'Type 44' was the year of adoption, 1911, was the 44th year in the reign of the Emperor Meiji. The Type 44 entered production in 1911 & ran until 1942 but it stayed in service until the Japanese surrender in 1945. During this 30 odd year period, the cavalry of Imperial Japan had carried the Type 30, 38 & 44 cavalry carbines all in 6.5x50 Japanese calibre. With the reduction of Cavalry troops, these carbines were also issued to Transport & Artillery troops due to the convenience of the folded bayonet & shortened length. Amazingly, only around 91,900 were believed to have been manufactured making this an rare rifle, especially considering the loss rate! Type 44 carbines were manufactured by Tokyo Artillery Arsenal, Kokura Army Arsenal, Nagoya Army Arsenal & the Mukden Arsenal in Japanese-occupied Manchuria. The T-44 was extremely well made, especially the Tokyo & Kokura examples. These were also used by elite cavalry units of the Manchukuo Imperial Army. After the war, captured & surrendered Type 44's continued to be used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army & some were seen in the Korean War. The Type 44 made up only 2% of Japanese long arm production so would make an excellent addition to serious collection. This example is a Series 1 as seen by the series marking to the left of the S/N which & shows this rifle to be the 4,501st rifle made! Visible numbers match including the receiver, bolt & bayonet lug. The wood is in excellent condition with the two piece stock almost seamless although this rifle has definitely been issued, as the wood does display the usual marks of wartime service life & retains the original sling swivels. The metal retains a large percentage of the original blueing (see photos). The intact MUM lends to this being a battlefield capture, as all surrendered weapons had the MUM removed or defaced. The bore is excellent & the muzzle will not accept a Norma 6.5mm Jap round demonstrating the barrel is not worn. Of course, it will chamber & fire one of these rounds. This may be your one chance to own a rare & highly collectable Japanese WW2 service rifle which is matching numbers, has the Emperor's Chrysanthemum intact & is in mint condition. Do your own research & make your decision based on what you see, so please view the photos carefully as they form the main description & override all written information so ask for more if desired. Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an as is basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting. Call for shipping cost to your dealer.        

Specifications