rare 7,62x51 Japanese military variation

[RCS]

The Japanese developed their Howa 64 rifle in the late 50's, this rifle used some features from the FAL design, it was also semi and full auto. The Japanese also used a standand 7,62mm case with a 139gr bullet but with a 10% to 20% reduction in performance.

With the reduced loading of the JapaneseAttachment 107985Attachment 107986 7,62mm, full auto fire was greatly improved over standard NATO rifles. The average soldier also did better firing the Howa 64 in the semi auto role too. It was claimed that the standard 7,62mm NATO cartridge could be fired in an emergency situation but continued use would damage the rifle. These Howa 64 rifles were never exported from Japan and any of the cartridges are somewhat rare to find.

My photo shows a early US 7,62mm NATO tracer. and the Howa 64 cartridge with the pale blue tip. Note the head stamp on the Japanese cartridge show only a half NATO symbol indicating a reduced loading

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