The Type Otsu (Japanese: 試製自動小銃乙, Shisei jidō shōjū otsu, lit. Experimental Automatic Rifle Otsu) was a Japanese prototype self-loading rifle, a copy of the Czechoslovakian ZH-29.
History[]
The Type Otsu rifle was one of three self-loading rifle designs commissioned by the Imperial Japanese Army for military trials. It was reverse-engineered from 285 Czech ZH-29 rifles seized from China during the invasion of Manchuria in 1931. The lead designer on the project was Sadamitsu Taguchi, with assistance from Kijirō Nambu. The trials took place in 1935, however the IJA ultimately decided against adopting any of the rifles tested.
Design[]
The Type Otsu was derived from the Czechoslovakian ZH-29, however there were some differences in design between the Type Otsu and the ZH-29. Most notably, the Type Otsu had a separate non-reciprocating bolt handle, while the ZH-29's bolt handle was directly fixed to the bolt carrier body.
The Type Otsu suffered from inferior accuracy, and the failure to address the accuracy issue led to the eventual withdrawal of Type Otsu from the competition.
See Also[]
External Links[]
- Japanese ZH-29 Copy by Tokyo Gas & Electric - YouTube
- Tokyo Gas and Electric Co. - Prototype Rifle
- https://hennahanashi.militaryblog.jp/e913386.html
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZH-29%E5%8D%8A%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E5%B0%8F%E9%8A%83
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