aliceinchains
04-04-2004, 04:51 PM
The commonly called last ditch Type 99 rifle had an official name.It was called the substitute.And this is why.
The basic design of the type 99 "short" rifle remained practically frozen untill 1943.The seriousness of the war situation resulted in simplification of it.So that vital war materials could be conserved and production increased.
Changes in the design included, but were not limited to,deleting the use of a sling and bolt cover, shortening the cleaning rod, substituting inferior steel for such parts as the bolt and barrel,eliminating chromium plate in the barrel and on the bolt face, substituting an inferior grade of wood for the stock, substituting a fixed peep zeroed to 300 meters, and simplifying component configurations to minimize the number of machining steps in manufacture of the weapon.
The basic design of the type 99 "short" rifle remained practically frozen untill 1943.The seriousness of the war situation resulted in simplification of it.So that vital war materials could be conserved and production increased.
Changes in the design included, but were not limited to,deleting the use of a sling and bolt cover, shortening the cleaning rod, substituting inferior steel for such parts as the bolt and barrel,eliminating chromium plate in the barrel and on the bolt face, substituting an inferior grade of wood for the stock, substituting a fixed peep zeroed to 300 meters, and simplifying component configurations to minimize the number of machining steps in manufacture of the weapon.