Japanese WWII Sniper Rifles

Japanese WWII Sniper Rifles

- Mike Venturino

Since the end of World War II it has been popular in this country to denigrate Japanese firearms from that conflict. In truth, they do not have the finesse of American arms from the same era, or the practicality of British ones. Yet to consider them as less than adequate is a fallacy.

A good example is Japan’s World War II sniper rifles, of which it fielded two basic models, the Type 97s and Type 99s. Production of the former outnumbered the latter by a considerable margin, but manufacturing figures for Japanese rifles are spotty. I was able to find a Type 97 in 2006, but it took until 2014 to find a Type 99.

Terms for Japanese weapons can be confusing. For example, both standard infantry rifles and sniper rifle versions adopted in 1939 are named Type 99. The only differences between them are a bent bolt handle and left rear receiver rails that are drilled and tapped for a quickly detachable scope mount. However, Type 97 sniper rifles adopted in 1937 bear the same relationship to Type 38 rifles, which had been Japan’s infantry standard starting in 1905. The only difference here is the bolt handle and quickly detachable mounting system.

Types 38 and 97 are chambered for the semi-rimmed 6.5x50mm cartridge with a 139-grain bullet rated at 2,500 fps from 31.5-inch barrels. Experience gained when fighting on the Asian mainland convinced the Japanese that they needed a cartridge with longrange potential. The Type 99 was developed for a brand-new rimless 7.7x58mm. Its bullet was 179 grains with a velocity about the same as the 6.5mm, but from 25- inch barrels.