The Type 3 (Japanese: 三年式機関銃 San-nen shiki kikanjū) was a Japanese machine gun that was produced by Koishikawa Arsenal.
History[]
Developed in 1914, the Type 3 was derived from the Hotchkiss Model 1897, with modifications to the design made by Kijirō Nambu to make it better suited to Japanese manufacturing and military requirements. It was built around the Japanese 6.5×50mm rifle cartridge. It was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy during World War I and served as their standard infantry machine gun until 1932, when it was replaced by the Type 92 model, which was largely the same as the Type 3 but was chambered in the newer 7.7×58mm cartridge and featured several detail improvements. The Type 92 remained in service throughout World War II.
Design[]
The Type 3 was a basic copy of the Hotchkiss-pattern machine gun, using the same type of gas operation and feeding mechanism, taking 30-round metal strips. The choice of caliber was the standard Japanese 6.5×50mm cartridge, but the semi-rimmed design of this cartridge caused feeding friction that required the bullets to be lubricated before use. Although this ensured a smoother feed, the lubrication also made the bullets more susceptible to dirt, which could foul up the mechanism of the gun if dirty cartridges were loaded in. Also in order to accommodate the Japanese cartridge, a pivoting extractor was used on the Type 3, a feature derived from the Lewis gun. The improved Type 92 variant was chambered for the 7.7×58mm cartridge. The barrel of the Type 3 was lined with large-diameter cooling fins.
The Type 3 used a pair of fixed spade grips. The Type 3 was by standard fitted with a unique tripod mount with socketed feet, and each foot could be fitted with a carrying pole for quick and easy transport as a single unit without having to dismantle the tripod from the gun. Knobs on the front and side of the tripod allowed its users to adjust the height and pitch of the gun, and a knob on the back allowed its users to adjust the traverse of the gun. The gun was meant to be used by a team of three; a firer, loader and ammunition bearer.
Gallery[]
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