[Jim K]

Just a note about "training rifles". The Japanese, like other dictatorships before and after WWII, initiated military training for young males, even down to the grade school level. In furtherance of that program, the Japanese army contracted a number of companies to produce inexpensive copies of the Type 38 service rifle which would be used to fire blank cartridges. Those "rifles" were generally of cast iron or low grade steel (though a few were worn out service rifles), and had smooth bores with crude copies of the standard military sight. They often had small or no locking lugs, normal lugs not being needed for blanks. For safety reasons in case a live round was fired, the bores are usually way oversize for the 6.5 bullet. AFAIK, no "training rifles" were made to accept a 7.7mm blank.

While some effort was made to allow a live round to be fired without danger, anyone owning one of those rifles should be aware what they are and not even attempt to fire live ammo in them.

Common characteristics are:

1. No chrysanthemum and no sign of one being ground off.
2. No Model number marking on the receiver ring.
3. No serial number or a very low number on the left side; no series mark or maker's mark.
4. Top receiver tang cast as part of the receiver.
5. Bottom receiver tang cast as part of the receiver.
6. Trigger guard cast and differently shaped than the standard trigger guard.
7. Chamber area of the barrel cast as part of the reciever or a short "stub".
8. Barrel is straight tube and screws into the chamber piece, not into the receiver.
9. Stock is one piece, rather than the standard two piece stock.
10. Rear sight is crude and loose.
11. Bolt is crude with small or no locking lugs (locking is by the bolt handle).
12. Extractor different from the normal Mauser type.

Jim