Japanese School Rifle

[echo1]

Howdy Fellow C&R Junkies,

A piece of history I happened across, a youth training rifle 佐原青年学校 = Sawara Youth School. One lug bolt, smooth bore and one-piece stock, based on a T38 receiver. Only numbers I could make out are the serial. PAX

[highpower]

I have one also. I think they are an interesting variant of the Type38 rifles.

[Rogerbutthead]

Ah, the reason why Japanese rifles are considered poorly made and death traps.

You'd think there should be a requirement that some sort of notification be required so that future owners will know not to ever load it with real ammunition as they tend to blow up in people's faces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaznkI2yF7s

[echo1]

Ah, the reason why Japanese rifles are considered poorly made and death traps.

You'd think there should be a requirement that some sort of notification be required so that future owners will know not to ever load it with real ammunition as they tend to blow up in people's faces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaznkI2yF7s

Yes, for people that don't know about Aisakas or examining ex-military or ANY firearm, there should be an idiot warning. I'm pretty sure the training rifles used wooden boolits. But like mentioned in the provided link, milsurp Arisaka rifles are virtually destruction proof. PAX

[BrokerB]

So.... these are .22lr? They can actually seat a round, with firing pin, and discharge a rifle caliber round when they weren't made for that?

Hard to believe you would build a training rifle, that fires live ammo. I know they lost the war, but they built some pretty dam good hardware.

[echo1]

So.... these are .22lr? They can actually seat a round, with firing pin, and discharge a rifle caliber round when they weren't made for that?

Hard to believe you would build a training rifle, that fires live ammo. I know they lost the war, but they built some pretty dam good hardware.

I don't think ALL training rifles were created equal. I'm no expert on them, as there are many variations from different sources. This particular example, a "Peace Rifle" pattern, uses a T38 action, has a smooth bore (for use with wooden boolits/false centerfire sized cartridges(?) - caliber unknown to me), one lug bolt, no receiver or trigger guard tangs (because it didn't fire live rounds), and a one-piece stock. Additionally, it isn't struck with a MUM and wasn't scrubbed of one. It's my understanding that rifle's that were purpose built for schools weren't struck with a MUM and former service weapons that went to schools for live fire training, had the MUM scrubbed. I have a T38 carbine that was supposedly decommissioned and went to a school that has the MUM scrubbed as a result of the reassignment. It seems that there were a couple of different "types" of training rifles used by school's that were dependent on the students age and the training application, tear down, handling & drill, or shooting. Youth trainers that were full sized but cycled blanks or wood cartridges and de-milled rifles that used live rounds for target practice. PAX

https://www.gunboards.com/threads/japanese-military-training-small-arms-companies.1156585/

[highpower]

As echo1 said, not all these school rifles are the same. Mine will chamber a standard 6.5 round, but has a smooth bore and as you mentioned, was designed to shoot blanks or wooden bullets.

Echo, I notice that yours is missing the safety. I have seen a couple of other bolts in the same general configuration and they also were sans the safety and firing pin.

[echo1]

As echo1 said, not all these school rifles are the same. Mine will chamber a standard 6.5 round, but has a smooth bore and as you mentioned, was designed to shoot blanks or wooden bullets.

Echo, I notice that yours is missing the safety. I have seen a couple of other bolts in the same general configuration and they also were sans the safety and firing pin.

Yes, the rifle is incomplete, missing the bolt's internals, lower sling swivel, sight ladder and cleaning rod. The bolt deal seems to be a common de-mill occurrence with Arisaka bring backs. I have other rifles that were missing the bolt or bolt guts. Took me decades to find the correct bolt for my uncle's capture. I originally acquired the school rifle as parts for a T38 short rifle resto but decided against cannibalizing it because of its uniqueness. Other T38s that I have the bolts won't interchange in its receiver, there's something different that I have yet to determine what it is. So now I've ended up with one more project gun, which doesn't really hurt my feelings, because I already don't have enough crap to do PAX