The Japanese Type 38 and Type 44 carbines,In 1905 the Japanese military adopted the Type 38 rifle, a

The Japanese Type 38 and Type 44 carbines,In 1905 the Japanese military adopted the Type 38 rifle, a Mauser type bolt action rifle based upon the earlier Type 30.  The Type 30 was Japan’s first modern bolt action rifle but it had several flaws that needed to be corrected.  The Type 38 was a redesign of the Type 30 conducted by famed Japanese gun designer Kijiro Nambu. After the adoption of the Type 38, it became apparent that a shorter and more compact carbine would be needed for cavalry forces.In 1906 the Type 38 carbine was introduced.  The Type 38 carbine featured a barrel that was 6.3 inches shorter than the full sized rifle. The carbine also lacked a bayonet, something that irked the Japanese military who obsessively mounted bayonets on everything short of battleship cannon.  Thus, in 1911 an improved model called the Type 44 carbine was introduced, featuring a folding prong bayonet located beneath the muzzle.  The Type 44 also featured a storage compartment in the stock containing a two piece cleaning rod and cleaning kit. While they Type 44 was considered an improvement of the Type 38 carbine, production of the Type 38 continued, greatly eclipsing production of the Type 44.Both the Type 38 and Type 44 carbines were manufactured and used up until the end of World War II.  Both were chambered for the standard Japanese infantry cartridge, the 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridge.  Both also used a dust cover over the action, a common feature to almost all Japanese bolt action designs.  However, this feature is rare as Japanese soldiers typically pried them off and discarded them, as they were more of a nuisance than they were worth.  The two pictured above lack dust covers.  While they were designed for cavalry use, the obsolescence of cavalry meant that few were used as such.  Most were issued to engineers, artillerymen, supply troops, and non-combat personnel. Around 517,000 Type 38 carbines were manufactured, while  another 91,100 Type 44 carbines were produced.  -- source link

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