The following intelligence report on WWII Japanese machine guns was originally published in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 8, Sept. 24, 1942. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

JAPANESE MACHINE GUNS In all their campaigns in the Far East, particularly in the close-in fighting of the jungle, the Japanese have relied heavily on the automatic fire of their light and heavy machine guns. The following table gives available figures on the performance of these guns. Types 92 and 96 are the latest.   Type      Total Weight      Weight without Mounting      Maximum Range      Effective Range      Length Overall      Length of Barrel 6.5-mm LMG "Taisho 11" (1922 Model) (Nambu) 22.4 lbs --- --- --- 43.5 in 19.1 in 6.5-mm LMG "Type 96" (1936 Model) --- Without magazine or telescope, 19.14 lbs 1,640 yds --- 41.26 in 21.65 in 6.5-mm Hv MG "Taisho 3" (1914 Model) 127 lbs 67 lbs 2,400 yds --- --- --- 6.5-mm Hv MG "Taisho 3" (1914 Model) 127 lbs 67 lbs 2,400 yds --- --- --- 7.7-mm Hv MG "Type 92" (1932 Model) 122.1 lbs 61.6 lbs 2,952 yds 875 yds 43 in 25 in 12.7-mm Hv MG "Arisaka 90" (1930 Model) 187.3 lbs 88.1 lbs 3,280 yds --- --- ---   Type      Max. Rate of Fire      Practical Rate of Fire      Type of Feed      Magazine or Belt Capacity      Remarks 6.5-mm LMG "Taisho 11" (1922 Model) (Nambu) 800 rpm --- Hopper and clips Hopper contains 6 clips of 5 rds each Gas-operated; fitted with bipod, tripod occasionally used. 6.5-mm LMG "Type 96" (1936 Model) 550 rpm --- Magazine 30 rds Gas-operated; bipod mounting; also used for AA fire; a bayonet can be fixed. 6.5-mm Hv MG "Taisho 3" (1914 Model) 400 rpm --- Strip 30 rds Gas-operated; tripod mounting; Hotchkiss (1914) model. 7.7-mm Hv MG "Type 92" (1932 Model) 500 rpm --- Strip 32 rds The standard Hv MG; gas-operated; tripod mounting. 12.7-mm Hv MG "Arisaka 90" (1930 Model) 400 to 500 rpm --- Drum or belt Drum 25 rds belt 250 rds Tripod mounting.

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