**Japanese Nagoya Type 2 Paratrooper Rifle

World War II

7.7x58mm. 25.06" barrel length. SN: 16033. Blued metal finish with wood semi-pistol grip stock featuring spliced toe and mounting adjustable ladder rear aperture sight with anti-aircraft legs, and barleycorn front blade. Bolt-action internal magazine fed repeating rifle utilizing cock-on-close action and charged with stripper clips. Top of the receiver shows the standard Kanji markings for Type 2 below a ground Chrysanthemum. Left receiver shows the {Nagoya Arsenal} marking with assembly number 919. Note, the assembly numbers for barrels and receivers typically do not match, and in this example the serial numbers match where observable with the assembly numbers for the barrel and wedge matching each other. Item comes with cleaning rod and no dustcover.

Production of the Type 2 Paratrooper Rifle began in 1943, likely as a reaction to the challenges faced by Japanese paratroopers in combat because their full length rifles were dropped separately for their intended users. At the Battle of Palembang in Sumatra between February 13 and 15, 1942, some of the weapons intended for the paratroopers were dropped in swampy terrain, forcing the paratroopers to rely on pistols and grenades. In the aftermath, Imperial Japan began developing dedicated weapons for paratroopers that could be dropped with their users. Seldom encountered, it is estimated that just over 21,000 of these rifles were produced.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.