Why there aren't Japanese rifles among "favorite WWII rifles"?

[jmoore]

I like the Type 99's light weight, good cartridge, and good utilitarian design, BUT there's several things that keep it from being the "favorite".

1) no provision for a "close in" (i.e. 100-200m) sight setting.
2) No easy scope adjustments on the sniper varients. Zeroing is a gigantic pain!
3) not visually attractive, esp. the trigger guard
4) ammo
5) not a huge issue, but the safety is harder than some to work quietly and unobtrusively when hunting.

---------- Post added at 02:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:48 AM ----------

Oh, as someone from a "loser's country" I don't think it has much to do with anything! We'uns just lost a little further back in time...Besides, I don't recall Italy or France losing WWI, or Japan losing a war from 1905 until 1945, quite the opposite, in fact!

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[Mohawk]

I have Hunted with, and taken many deer with a 2nd series Kokura. They are great shooters. The Hornady ammo is second to none, and I can reload easily with the same .311 projectiles that I reload My .303 with. The Arisaka has gotten a bum rap in the past. If You look up Col. Whelen's WW2 rifle test, that he did in the 1950's, You will see that the Arisaka had an even stronger action that the 98K. Even though the barrel blew off the Type 99, the receiver was still good to go...So to all the nay sayers out there, don't judge a book by its cover. It may just be a good read....JMHO

[jeep]

I like the T-99 mid-war substandard types 6-7 series nogoya without monopods and AA sites. They just look cleaner with nice racy lines. The M38 is very smooth and well made compared to the war time 99. A lot of Japanese collecters are called cheap and tight wads,because they still want $25-$100 rifles of a decade or two ago. Well those days are over and we all wish we could buy M-1 carbines for $150 and 303 enfields for $75-100. Those days are over and will never be back. Rifles made 65 to 80 years ago are no longer made and drying up in nice shape. Buckle up butter cup and good luck hunting for that super buy.

[Skip]

I never found anything appealing about French, Italian or Japanese firearms. Plain and simple.

[Aragorn243]

I am patiently trying to find a nice Japanese rifle to add to my collection but I doubt I would ever call one my "favorite". I don't believe they belong in the category of the French or Italian rifles by any means. With the exception of the last ditch rifles, the one's I've handled have been well built and they do not function so differently from other rifles that they stand apart from them.

I would surmise that the general lack of popularity has something to do with the prejudices of WWII lingering on after all these years. While anything German is looked upon almost automatically as being extremely well built, anything Japanese is looked upon as being a weak copy of something better that they couldn't come up with on their own. The US in general felt the same way about their aircraft and other weapons and were rather shocked when they kicked our collective butts the first year of the war.

I have a couple of issues with Italian and French rifles, the Italians being rather "toy like" to me except the earlier WWI vintages. The metal looks solid but the sights, stocks and magazine assemblies just really turn me off. The French guns are another matter altogether. I rarely see them for one thing and with each one I see, there is something more to dislike about them. No safety is a huge problem and the one sitting over at the local gun shop right now has a barrel so thin I'm amazed they don't blow up. The walls are about a thick as a shotgun barrel.

So while I eagerly look forward to adding a Japanese rifle to my collection, I'm really holding out for a WWI vintage Italian and whatever French rifle I end up with will probably just be there to look at, doubt I'd feel comfortable actually shooting one. And yes, I know they fought through one war and part of another with them but for me, that's not enough.

[blackcat_attilio]

Oh, as someone from a "loser's country" I don't think it has much to do with anything! We'uns just lost a little further back in time...Besides, I don't recall Italy or France losing WWI, or Japan losing a war from 1905 until 1945, quite the opposite, in fact!

I agree with your words, jmoore

---------- Post added at 03:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:36 PM ----------

[/COLOR]

My father, uncle and father in law all served in the WWII US Navy, Pacific Fleet. The J@@@ didn't fight in an honorable fashion, starting with the sneak attack at Pearl Harbor, followed on by the Bataan Death March, torpedoing of hospital ships, and the countless atrocities in the Philippines and mainland China. They fought with no quarter, and we learned to give none. As these raw memories fade with the passing of that generation, I suppose new collector interest will rise. I, for one, won't have any of it in my house.

That also coulda be a reason 'cause people "don't like" Japanese rifles. Anyway I belive we mustn't follow this thought line. Who in Europe would collect (have at home) any Mauser K98...? We must collect fireguns 'cause they have a history on thir background and compare their accuracy.
Many thanks for your opinion