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March-April Number 1

U.S. 8 Canada, $3.50 - Foreign, $4.50

The Sporting Firearms Journal

Number 128

March-April 1990 Volume 22, Number 2 ISSN 0162-3583

FEATURES

I

Page 2 5 . . .

Page 28. . .

A Poor Man’s Ballistics Lab Terminal look at bullet performance.

Arisaka Type 30

A Bolt Like Lightning Speed and accuracy - British style. Notes on African Hunting - Conclusion

Mauser Rimfire Training Rifles

Whitworth Rifled Musket

Texas Ranger Winchester

Keeping Shotguns Clean

18 2 2 Japan’s battle rifle.

25 28 Rifles and ammunition.

32 Sought after collectors prize.

34 civil War sniping rifle.

38 The legend begins.

39 Maintenance tips for smoothbores.

DEPARTMENTS

Gus Cotey, Jr.

David Webb

Peter Mackenzie-Philps

Layne Simpson

Lester Womack

Sam Fadala

Ken Kogan

Wallace Labisky

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8 10

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14 17

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Spotting Scope AI Miller Remington for 1990. Famous Riflemen Sam Fadala Sam Colt. Capitol Watch Neal Knox Interesting Year Coming.

Custom Corner Charles E. Grace Model 70 .30-06. The Armsmaker Wayne van Zwoll Marlin, Lever Guns to Last.

Dear Editor Hatcher’s Textbook, Ballistic Calculations, More on the Ward-Burton. Air Rifles Jess Galan Some Thoughts on Plinking. Reader Research Jeffrey W. Houck .30-06 Gallery Loads.

Book/Video Reviews Dixie Gun Works Black Powder Annual, 1990; The Remington 700; Best Guns.

Product & Service News Hercules Incorporated, losso Marine Products, Fibercomb, Buckeye Sports Supply.

ProducTests Bell & Carlson Wood-Grained Synthetic Stock, Pentax 1.5-5x Variable Riflescope.

COPYRIGHT WOLFE PUBLISHING CO. 1990

On the cover . . .The photograph of the apple was one of a series taken in a darkroom with the bullet’s shock wave serving as the synch;onizing signal which was detected by a microphone and trans- mitted to an electronic synchronizing interface which triggered three short-duration flashes. The camera was a Canon A-1 equipped with a 135mm lens set at f5.6. Ektachrome 100-plus film was employed. Photo by Andrew Davidhazy.

March-April 1990 3

PUBLISHING STAFF

President Dave Wolfe Publisher

Mark Harris Editor

Dave Scovill Copy Editor

Holly McLean-Aldis Advertising Manager

Jana Kosco Art Director

Gerald Hudson Production Supervisor

Becky Pinkley Circulation Manager

Tammy Rossi Circulation

Mardell Harms Carol Miller

Ruth Robinson Angie Wilde

Book Sales Manager Sharon Zalitis

Publication Assistunt Caralee Beattie

Executive Secretary Roberta Montgomery

TECHNICAL STAFF

AI Miller Associate Editor

Sam Fadala Ludwig Olson Jess Galan Gil Sengel Layne Simpson Bob Hagel Charles R. Suydam Neal Knox Wayne van Zwoll Ken Waters

Advertising Information Jana Kosco

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The Rifle is published bi-monthly by the Wolfe Publishing Company (Dave Wolfe, President), 6471 Airpark Dr. Prescott, Arizona 86301. (Also publisher of Handloader magazine.! Telephone (602) 445 7810. Second Class Postagt paid a t Prescott, Arizona, and additional mailing ofices Subscription prices: U S possessions and Canada - single issue, $3.50. 6 issues, $19 12 issues, $35, 18 issues, $50 Foreign single issue, $4.50; 6 issues, $25; 12 issues, $47 18 issues, $68. Advertising rates furnished on request. AI rights reserved.

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Publisher of R~fle is not responsible for mishaps of an j nature which might occur from use of published loading data, or from recommendations by any member of The Staff No part of this publication may he reproduced without written permission from the editor. Manuscripts from free lance writers must be accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. Publisher assumes all North America Rights upon acceptance and payment for all manuscripts Although all possible care is exercised, the publisher cannol accept responsibility for lost or mutilated manuscripts Writers send for free editorial guidelines.

SPOTTING SCOPE AI Miller

Remington for 1990 HE biggest news in Remington’s T 1990 catalog - and the most ex-

pensive - centers around a new, single- barreled trap gun dubbed the Model 90-T Super Single. Built around a break-action monobloc system, the 90-T features functional sideplates, a top- lever release and internal, full-width, horizontal bolt lockup. Barrels are over- bored, with elongated forcing cones and can be ordered in 30, 32 or 34-inch lengths. There is also an optional, heavier 34-inch barrel. Factory porting is available. Barrels may have fixed chokes or be equipped with the new in- terchangeable Trap Choke system. A medium-high, tapered, ventilated rib includes a white, Bradley-style front bead and a stainless steel center bead. The firing pin and retract spring can be cleaned and serviced easily by removing the sideplates and modular trigger assembly.

Options are almost endless: straight comb, Monte Carlo, different lengths of pull, matte finish, high-lustre blue, ad- justable stocks, extra-fancy walnut, ex- tra barrels with fixed chokes or the in- terchangeable Trap Choke system, ex- tra trigger assemblies, extra stocks - the line-up is almost as long as a five- year old’s Christmas list. The standard model retails for $2,595.

Over on the centerfire side of the aisle, another caliber, 7x57mm, has been added to the Model 700 Mountain Rifle’s chamberings. That brings the total to seven, including 2 4 3 Win- chester, .270 Winchester, 7mm-08 Rem- ington, ,280 Remington, .308 Win- chester and .30-06 Springfield.

Left-handed Model 700 BDLs will feature two additional calibers for 1990: 22-250 Remington and .338 Win- chester Magnum.

Model 700 AS caliber options will in- clude the ,300 Weatherby Magnum this year. Its stock is made of Arylon, a fiberglass-reinforced thermoplastic resin, strong, light and weather resistant.

The limited-edition Classic for 1990 will be chambered in .25-06Remington.

A companion-gun to the XP-100 will be available this ye&-. Based on the Model Seven action, it is called the XP-100R - with the R standing for

“repeater.” It will be produced in Rem- ington’s Custom Shop with a 14%-inch barrel. An adjustable rear leaf sight and front bead are standard. It will be mated to a rear-handled Kevlar stock. The receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts while the stock is equip- ped with front and rear sling swivel studs. XP-100Rs will be chambered for the 2 2 3 Remington, 7mm-08 Rem- ington and .35 Remington. Magazine capacities will be four rounds for the .35 Remington and 7mm-08, and five for the 223.

Only one new centerfire round has been added this year: a 147-grain jacketed hollowpoint with a muzzle velocity of 990 fps for the 9mm Luger.

Cantilever Scope Mount barrels with 23h-inch chambers will be available as optional extras for all standard 12-gauge Model 1100 autoloaders.

Purchasers of Model 11-87 and 870 Special Purpose Magnum shotguns will enjoy a choice of 26 or 28-inch bar- rels in 1990. The 30-inch barrels have been discontinued.

New shotshell loads include 2%-ounce charges of Nos. 2, 4 and 6s in 10 gauge; a 3-inch, 12-gauge, 1%-ounce Nitro Mag load of 6s; and five more 12-gauge steelshot loads: two 3-inch Magnum recipes with 1%-ounce charges of BBB and T-pellets plus three 2%-inch short magnum shells carrying l%-ounce charges of BB, BBB and T-pellets.

Another choke has been added to the Rem Choke system: a full choke made of specially-hardened, maraging stainless steel capable of accom- modating the largest steel pellets cur- rently available.

For those addicted to cutlery, there will be three new knives carrying Rem- ington’s logo this year: the Out- doorsman has a single four-inch lock- ing clip blade; the Stockman is serpentine-shaped with a 3’/,-inch clip blade, a 2’/,-inch spey and 2%,-inch scalloped sheepfoot blades. This year’s replica Bullet Knife is R-1306, the Tracker, a single-bladed lockback. Blade and backspring are of 440 stainless, handles are made of Delrin acetal resin, bolsters are nickel silver and liners are rustproof brass. The clip

Rif le 128 4

I Model 90-T Super Single

blade is 3% inches long with the original Remington logo on one side. The traditional bullet shield is mounted on the right handle.

Two six-inch sharpening stones - one hard and one soft - are offered as accessories, as is-a separate 5%-inch leather belt sheath with a button flap.

The accessory portion of the catalog has been expanded to include Rem Clean, a non-chemical bore cleaner; Rem Action Scrubber, an evaporating spray designed to remove dirt and powder residue from actions and hard-

to-reach corners and Rem Drilube, an aerosol spray containing Teflon.

One final note: Don't bother rushing down to your favorite gun dealer's yet - most of the new items won't be on his shelves until sometime next June or July.

Remington Model 700 .17 Remingtons Recalled

The Remington Arms Company is recalling all .17 Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifles sold since January 1, 1981. The action has been taken

because some barrels could develop a crack and eventually split when fired due to a combination of characteristics common to the .17 Remington car- tridge. No other Remington rifles or shotguns are affected. Remington is at- tempting to identify and recover all .17 caliber rifles sold during this period. Call 1-800-634-2459 (United States) or 1-800,634-5401 (Canada) with the model and serial number of your rifle and Remington will be able to tell you if your rifle is affected by the recall. Rifles returned to Remington will have the barrels replaced a t no charge. 0

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16 Rifle 128

Arisaka Type

David Webb

OST HISTORIANS generally M agree that the first firearms were introduced into Japan by the Dutch and Portuguese during the mid- dle of the 16th century. The Japanese considered the use of firearms in war- fare cowardly because the doctrine of Bushido stated that one’s enemy should be met face to face with cold steel - the blade of a sword - conse- quently, nearly 300 years passed with no real development of Japanese firearms.

History books also relate the fact that Japan had long practiced the doc- trine of isolationism. During the first part of the 19th century foreign vessels began to dock at Japanese ports and the wall of isolation began to fall. Trade with other countries soon brought firearms and new weapons.

The shoulder arms supplied to the Japanese soldier during the middle of the 19th century were smoothbore muskets imported from Holland. In 1865 a rifled percussion musket was adopted that was based on a French army design. Five years later the Japanese government, through a series of changes in the military organiza- tional structure, established the Koishikawa Tokyo Arsenal for the manufacture and repair of all military arms.

By 1876 the arsenal, with assistance of technical engineers from several European countries, had progressed to the point of being able to manufacture complete rifles based on the Snider breechloading action. In 1880 Japan adopted a single-shot bolt-action rifle chambered for an l l m m cartridge, the 1lx60R Murata. The rifle and car- tridge were named for their designer, Major Murata Tsuneyoshi.

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30 It was claimed that the single-shot

Murata was of purely Japanese design. In reality it was similar to the Dutch Beaumont and French Gras rifles. In 1887 Japan adopted an improved ver- sion of the Murata designated the Type 22 and chambered for a new 8mm car- tridge. A short cavalry carbine was also adopted in 1894. The new repeating bolt-action rifle incorporated the Kropatschek eight-round tubular magazine system and remained the standard Japanese infantry rifle dur- ing the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. It also saw use by rear guard troops during the 1904-05 war with Russia.

The various models of Japanese military firearms have been identified on the basis of three different time periods since 1868. They refer to the reigns of individual Japanese em- perors: Meiji (1868-19121, Taisho (1912-1926) and Showa (1926 to present).

Until the conclusion of World War 11, the Japanese used dates or numbers, as well as a character, to identify the different types. The character used to indicate type classification was known as Kanji or Shiki. Before the develop- ment of the phonetic alphabet between 774 and 835 A.D., Japanese writing consisted of ideographs (picture- characters). The Kanji characters were used to designate the year of an emperor’s reign. For example, the Type 30 rifle was developed during the 30th year of the reign of the emperor Meiji in 1897. Thus the Japanese Kanji ideographs for year and type, along with the abbreviated date of the emperor’s reign, 30, ean be found on the receiver of a Type 30 rifle.

In December 1895, the development

The Arisaka Type 30 rifle was adopted in 1897 and was chambered for the new 6.5x50mm cartridge.

of a new military arm to replace the 8mm Model 22 rifle was initiated under direction of Colonel Arisaka, then Chief Superintendent of the Koishikawa Arsenal. The new proto- type had the Mauser-style magazine and was chambered for a recently developed 6.5mm semi-rimless car- tridge. Some characteristics of the newly designed small arm included a hook-type safety and two-piece beech buttstock. The non-rotating bolt head was characteristic of the German Model 1888 rifle.

This rifle was first put into produc- tion in July 1896. The manufacturing run was completed in April 1897. The designation was the Type 29 infantry rifle (29th year of Meiji). It was similar to later Type 30 rifles except that it lacked upper and lower wrist tangs.

Rifle 128 22

Following an exhaustive test evalua- tion of the Type 29 rifle, some minor changes were made and the arm was re-designated the Type 30 infantry rifle (30th year of Meiji). After tooling changes were made at the Koishikawa Arsenal, a trial run of Type 30 carbines and rifles was manufactured without serial numbers. These early specimens were marked with the letter “M” stamped on the receiver bridge.

Subsequent field experience with this initial run of Type 30 rifles and carbines showed a weakness in the stock design caused them to be suscep- tible to breakage at the wrist. Metal tang extensions were added at the ends of the receiver and trigger guard. The use of tang extensions was incor- porated in subsequent Japanese rifles and can be found on all designs through the end of World War 11.

Although adopted in March 1897, the first rifles and carbines were not manufactured until 1899 and were chambered for the new smokeless powder 6.5x50mm cartridge. This semi- rimless round served as the Japanese military standard until 1932 when the 7.7x58mm semi-rimless cartridge was adopted. (In field tests the 7.7mm round proved to be more suitable for combat aircraft.) Even after the 7.7mm cartridge replaced the 6.5mm, the lat- ter found considerable service during World War 11.

Even though the Arisaka 6.5mm Type 30 was similar to the Mauser, it has features that are all its own. The most notable was a hook-type safety lever. The bolt has a non-rotating detachable head and a button bolt stop similar to the Mauser Model 88’s. The

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The front of the rear receiver ring i s slotted to accommodate a five-round stripper clip.

rifle cocks on the closing stroke of the bolt and the magazine has a five-round capacity in a staggered column. Both features are similar to those found on the Mauser Models 93 and 95. The zigzag magazine spring, however, is of a round wire construction.

The trigger mechanism is similar to the Model 93 Mauser’s, which prevents firing before the bolt is completely locked. It features the usual two-stage pull.

The unique design of the Type 30 safety allows it to be activated whether the bolt is cocked or uncocked by pull- ing back and turning the hook to the straight-up, safe, position. The hook safety can also be used as a cocking piece by pulling the hook straight back in the “off’ position until the bolt recocks and the trigger can be pulled again.

Another unusual feature of the Type

]apane\e ideographs on emperor’\ reign.

March-April 1990

the front receiver ring i dent I ty the abbreviated date. vear and of th

30 Arisaka was the wood stock that was used on the carbine and rifle. The fore stock was the conventional single piece of wood that extended forward of the receiver ring. The buttstock, however, was made of two pieces, dovetailed and glued together. The use of smaller pieces of wood for the stock was initiated with the Type 30 and was subsequently used on all remaining models of Japanese bolt-action small arms service rifles.

The stock wood used on the Type 30 appears to offer further evidence of European influence. The Type 30 rifle that is in my collection, as well as five other carbines and rifles that I have had the opportunity to examine, have all been stocked with wood that is not native to Japan, or even Southeast Asia. It is European beech (Fagus sylvatica). The choice of beech probably depended on availability and cost.

In 1899, the Type 30 design was finalized and full-scale production began. When the projectile in the 6.5 ball ammunition was changed from the 161-grain roundnosed cupro-nickel jacketed (FMJ) bullet to the 139-grain FMJ spitzer in 1905, it was necessary to change the rear sight calibration.

The original Type 30 ball ammuni- tion with the 161-grain bullet was charged with approximately 32 grains of a square flake nitrocellulose powder for a muzzle velocity of 2,200 fps. The powder charge for the 139-grain bullet was slightly increased to 33 grains, resulting in a velocity of 2,500 fps.

The Type 30 was used by the Japanese foot soldier in the war with China and two world wars, showing up

23

in such places as Guadalcanal and Okinawa during the latter part of World War 11, and remained the stan- dard Japanese military infantry arm until it was replaced by the Type 35 rifle.

Surplus Type 30 rifles, carbines and military ball ammunition were supplied to the British Navy and second line troops during World War I. At the same time the Japanese sold weapons, un- doubtedly including Type 30 rifles, to Russia. After the war the arms bought by the British, along with the military ball ammunition, were sold to Finland.

Soon after its adoption, the Imperial Army and Navy recognized the need for some refinements and an improved version of the Type 30 was developed,

Left, the Type 30 rifle bolt featured a hook safety and dual locking lugs. Above, the original 6.5x50mm cartridge ( I ) , included a 161-grain round- nose cupro-nickel FMJ bullet that was replaced by a 139-grain FMJ spitzer (2, 3) in 1905. A Norma 139-grain factory load (4) is shown for comparison.

the Type 35. This improved design in- cluded a larger cocking piece to prevent injury from blown cases and primers, a larger bolt handle knob, a simplified bolt assembly with an improved bolt head configuration, a gas port in the bolt body and a gas shield on the bolt opposite the extractor clearance cut in receiver ring. To assist cartridge feeding from the magazine, the chamber configuration was improved and a sliding breech cover was added to help keep sand and dust out of the action. There was also an improved tangent rear sight.

Even though the Type 30 was redesigned after only five years of ser- vice, it started the modern era of the bolt-action rifle for the Japanese military.

Beginning with the Type 30 rifle, the buttstock on Japanese military rifles is manufactured from two pieces of wood that are dovetailed and glued together.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain original condition military rifles that were produced during the first 40 years of the 20th century. Ser- vicemen who brought them home as souvenirs of the war often had them altered, sporterized and converted to hunting rifles. Even when the flood of surplus military weapons hit the American market back in the 1950s and O OS, prior to the enactment of the 1968 Gun Law, large numbers of those military arms were also altered.

Many times, however, some of those used rifles were in very excellent con- dition, showing very little actual military use. One of those rifles is a Japanese Arisaka Type 30 I managed to acquire. Its exterior was in good con- dition but the bore was rather dark, in- dicating a fair amount of use with cor- rosive ammunition. After a thorough cleaning, the bore was scrubbed with Hoppe’s No. 9 and allowed several over- night soakings to remove the copper fouling, and the rifle was ready for a firing evaluation. This included check- ing for proper headspace and detennin- ing that all mechanical parts func- tioned properly - springs, firing pin, etc.

The mechanical operation of the Type 30 was in satisfactory working order but there was approximately .020-inch excessive headspace; thus, I never fired a shot. That is the condition in which the rifle will stay, with a note placed in the magazine, wrapped around a %-inch dowel three inches long, that states this particular rifle has excessive headspace and should not be fired. 0

24 Rifle 128

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