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The Type Hei (Japanese: 試製自動小銃丙, Shisei jidō shōjū hei, lit. Experimental Automatic Rifle Hei) was a Japanese prototype self-loading rifle that was produced by Nippon Special Steel (a.k.a. Nittoku Metal Industry).

History[]

The Type Hei rifle was one of three self-loading rifle designs commissioned by the Imperial Japanese Army for military trials. It was designed by Dr. Masaya Kawamura and produced at the Nippon Special Steel company. The first prototypes were constructed in 1932 and it is estimated that around 50 models were made. The trials took place in 1935, however none of the rifles tested were considered suitable for service, and the projected costs were too high to justify a full production run, so the project was cancelled.

During World War II, the small numbers of Type Hei rifles that were available were allegedly pressed into service and some were captured by US troops in the Pacific Theater.

Dr. Kawamura also developed a fully-automatic variant of the Type Hei rifle with an extended 20-round magazine, which was not taken into service. This version was called Experimental Ultra Light Machine Gun (Japanese: 試製超軽機関銃, Shisei Chō Kei Kikanjū). This variant was tested in 1938, but adoption was rejected due to low reliability and too high rate of fire.

Design[]

The Type Hei was a toggle-action self-loading rifle that derived its action from the Pedersen rifle, modified to utilize a basic gas piston to unlock the bolt.

Earlier prototypes of the Type Hei used a detachable 5-round magazine, whereas later models had an extended 10-round capacity. Both magazines could be reloaded through Arisaka stripper clips. The magazine catch was located in front of the trigger, within the trigger guard. The rear sight was an adjustable aperture and could be graduated from 300 - 1500 meters.

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