Japanese T-38 Rifle

**Bill Grist** · 07-30-2012, 10:40 PM

Japanese T-38 Rifle. Picked up on Guadalcanal with T-

26 Revolver...BILL

**Eric Zentner** · 07-30-2012, 10:52 PM

wow Bill it looks like new. Thanks for showing, I also love your Revolver!

Eric

**SteveR** · 07-31-2012, 12:57 AM

Great rifle. Hard to find with the mum.

**GIZMO8Z** · 07-31-2012, 01:10 AM

Awesome looking rifle, Bill! No dust cover? Do all the numbers match?

**lithgow** · 07-31-2012, 05:39 PM

Very good example especially for a tropic island pick up-GIZMO8Z-the troops often ditched the action cover on active service in jungle warfare as it rattled and served no really useful purpose.

**GIZMO8Z** · 08-01-2012, 12:01 AM

by lithgow

Very good example especially for a tropic island pick up-GIZMO8Z-the troops often ditched the action cover on active service in jungle warfare as it rattled and served no really useful purpose.

I've observed two schools of thought when it comes to the accessories (or should I say the lack there of) on Japanese rifles.

One side argues exactly the point that you brought up.

The other side argues that Japanese soldiers revered and worshiped their emperor to such a high degree that they were willing to throw their lives away for him. As such, why would they carelessly throw away parts to rifles that are marked with the emperor's chrysanthemum? Wouldn't it be extremely sacrilegious/ disrespectful to discard pieces of a rifle that belonged to their god? The people who argue this side believe that most Japanese rifles were mis-matched/ parts were removed and discarded by G.I.s after the was was over and they were returning home (I've heard that G.I.s boarding ships home had to remove the bolts of souvenir rifles and toss them into a barrel to avoid any mishaps aboard ship).

**Andrew** · 08-01-2012, 02:59 PM

hi Gizmo, only flaw in that last thought, is that the dust cover was only marked with a serial number if at all. no mum on the dust cover only on the top of the rifles chamber.
andrew

**GIZMO8Z** · 08-01-2012, 03:51 PM

by Andrew

hi Gizmo, only flaw in that last thought, is that the dust cover was only marked with a serial number if at all. no mum on the dust cover only on the top of the rifles chamber.
andrew

True, but the dust cover was still a part of the emperor's rifle as a whole. If you're in church, you don't ONLY respect the cross on the wall or the stained glass windows.

If you look at the pic of Bill's rifle, you can see where some of the bluing was worn away due to repeated use of the action w/ dust cover attached. You can see where the presence of a dust cover caused a difference in the patina. I'd say that the rifle had a dust cover on it for a while before it was lost to time!

I guess the only way to resolve this debate would be to track down some Japanese WWII vets and ask!