1. Carcano Serial Number
2. 6.5 Carcano Serial Number Lookup
3. Carcano Serial Number Ranges Lookup
4. Carcano Cavalry Carbine Serial Number Lookup

A contract was signed ordering tens of thousands of Type I rifles (the exact quantity is unclear – most sources say 60,000, but the serial number range would suggest more than double that number). The rifle was based on a Carcano receiver and bolt, but otherwise configured like a Type 38 Arisaka. I'd try to find out what configuration the serial number establishes, if there is such a source. It may be a situation similar to the US M1 Carbine, where a lot of upgrades kept being performed by field armorers and by ordnances. Ordnance-performed upgrades or changes should bear markings appropriate to the change.

Markings on Japanese Arisaka Rifles andBayonets of World War II

Last Updated 09/07/2000

Adapted from Japanese Rifles of World War II, by Duncan O. McCollum, 1996, published by Excalibur Publications, PO Box 36, Latham, NY12110-0036, USA, ISBN: 1-880677-11-3; and Military Rifles ofJapan, by Fred. L. Honeycutt, Jr., and F. Patt Anthony, FifthEdition, 1996, published by Julin Books, 5282 Ridan Way, Palm BeachGardens, FL 33418, ISBN: 0-9623208-7-0. Bayonet information fromBayonets from Janzen's Notebook, by Jerry L. Janzen,published by Cedar Ridge Publications, 73 Cedar Ridge Road, Broken Arrow,Oklahoma 74011-1142, USA. ISBN: 0-9619789-1-0.

Table of bayonet variations added 09/07/2000.

Production figures added 08/05/2000.

Spelling of Col. Arisaka's name updated 06/25/2000, based on informationsupplied by his great-granddaughter.

Markings on Japanese Arisaka Rifles and Bayonets of World War II

The Japanese manufactured over 6.4 million rifles and carbines in the 40years from 1906 to 1945. Most of these rifles were still in use duringthe Sino-Japanese War of the 1930s and the Pacific War of the 1940s. During the war and subsequent American occupation of Japan, thousands ofthese rifles found their way to the United States as war souvenirs, makingthem one of the most common foreign military firearms available in thecountry.

The Arisaka rifles are named for Colonel NariakiNariakira Arisaka, who headed a commission during the 1890s which wascharged with developing a new rifle to replace the earlier models such asthe Murata. The Arisaka rifles were designated with the year of thecurrent emperor's reign. Thus, the Type 38 rifle was designed inthe 38th year of the reign of Emperor Meiji (1905), and the Type44 carbine was adopted in the 44th year of his reign (1911). During the reign of Hirohito, rifles were designated by the last one ortwo digits of the adoption year according to the standard Japanesecalendar. Thus, the Type 99 rifle was adopted in Japanese calendaryear 2599 (1939), and the Type 2 paratroop rifle was adoptedin calendar year 2602 (1942).

A chrysanthemum with 16 petals (the symbol of the Japanese Emperor) wasusually stamped on the receiver of rifles manufactured for the ImperialJapanese Army, indicating that the rifle belonged to the Emperor. Thechrysanthemum resembles this:

The chrysanthemum was at least partially ground off on rifles which weresurrendered after the war, apparently as a face-saving gesture. Riflescaptured in the field, however, normally have the chrysanthemum symbolintact. The Type designation was stamped into the top of the receiverusing the character shiki for 'type' and Japanese numerals. Theshiki character and the characters for the Japanese numerals areshown in the following table.

A small number of Type 38 and Type 99 rifles had two concentric circles onthe receiver in place of the chrysanthemum. The purpose of thesespecially-marked rifles is not known, although it is speculated that theywere issued to paramilitary forces such as the Kempei Tai (Japanese SecretPolice), other military police, and guards at prisons, embassies, andother civil instillations. Some concentric circle rifles were remarkedstandard issue Type 38 and Type 99 rifles that had the chrysanthemumcompletely or partially removed and replaced with the concentric circlemarking. These rifles were serialized separately from regular productionpieces. Other rifles apparently were originally manufactured and markedwith concentric circles, which looks something like this:

Arsenal Marks

Each Japanese rifle was marked with the symbol of either the arsenal ofmanufacture or the arsenal that supervised the manufacturingsubcontractor. This mark can be found on the left side of the receiver atthe end of the rifle serial number. Rifles manufactured by a commercialsubcontractor bear the subcontractor's mark to the right of thesupervising arsenal's mark. These marks are shown in the following table.

At various times, rifles were removed from military service and sold toother countries or transferred to Japanese schools as training weapons.Normally, the chrysanthemum on these rifles was overstamped with theKoishikawa (Tokyo) / Kokura Arsenal symbol or a ring of small circles toindicate that the rifle no longer belonged to the Imperial Japanese Army.Rifles given to schools often have an additional character stamped on thetop of the receiver between the chrysanthemum and the type designationcharacters. Most of these 'school-marked' rifles also have two or threezeros preceeding the serial number. The 'school' mark looks somethinglike this:

Serial Numbers

All Japanese military rifles had serial numbers except extremely rareprototypes, other pre-production guns, and occasional rifles assembledvery late in World War II. The serial number was stamped on the left sideof the receiver, followed by the arsenal symbol. Initially, rifles makein Japanese arsenals were numbered consecutively within each Typedesignation. In 1933 this scheme was replaced by a system in which rifleswere numbered in blocks, or series, of 99,999 each [actually 100,000,according to Honeycutt, running from serial numbers 0 through 99,999].Each series was identified by a small Japanese character (kana) placed within a circle to the left of the serial number. Specific blocksof kana were assigned to each arsenal or manufacturer to use for aspecific rifle type. The series markings are illustrated in the followingtable.

Production Figures

The following table, based on information from McCollum's and Honeycutt'sbooks, provides some information about rifle production at the variousarsenals, organized by type of rifle. These figures are only estimates,and are based on recorded serial number information. Blank entriesindicate that the information in the entry immediately above applies tothe blank entry as well.

Production information for sniper rifles, paratroop rifles (Types 100 and2), Test Type 1 rifles, and Type I rifles (produced by Italy for theJapanese Navy and not based totally on the Arisaka action) are notincluded.

Notes:

1. Koishikawa switched from 'B' to 'S' barrel proof mark in the late800,000 serial number range.
2. Rifles in this series have been observed with (i) mum removed andeither an elongated M or the school mark substituted, or (ii) mumoverstamped by the Nagoya symbol, an elongated M, or other characters. The elongated M indicates 'military reserves'.
3. Some rifles have been reported stamped with the character signifying'for education' (not to be confused with the school mark).
4. Serial numbers in this range are preceded by two hiraganacharacters for 'i' and 'ro', the first two characters in the Japanesesyllabary. These characters resemble 'w' and '3', and these serialnumbers have been misidentified as being in the 300,000 range.
5. These rifles will normally be found stamped with a symbol similar tothe series mark for '4' stamped underneath the receiver or on the barrel,indicating a second class arm.
6. Carbines with a shallow '00' or '000' stamped in front of the serialnumber have been removed from service use.
7. Koishikawa switched from the 'B' to the 'S' barrel proof mark in thelate 20,000 serial number range.
8. 'T' proof mark stamped on barrel at receiver.

Bayonets

The primary kind of bayonet used on Japanese rifles in World War II wasthe Type 30, introduced in 1897. They averaged about 20 inches inoverall length and were produced in 18 distinct manufacturing patterns,but most are similar to the following 3 types (pictures copied fromBayonets from Janzen's Notebook):

• Hooked quillon:
• Straight quillon:
• Straight quillon with squared pommel:

Symbols indicating the arsenals at which the bayonets were manufactured,or the arsenal that supervised the subcontractor, are stamped on the rightricasso. These markings are identified in the following table:

The variations are too numerous to illustrate here, but the followingtable (lifted from Honeycutt) lists the more commonly found variations.The abbreviations are listed below the table. My references do not listany production information for the many variations.

Carcano Serial Number

6.5 Carcano Serial Number Lookup

The following abbreviations are used in the above table:

Crossguard:
SC - Straight contoured
SR - Straight rectangular
Grips:
C - Contoured, screw retained
CWA - Contoured, wrap around, rivet retained
SWA - Straight, wrap around, rivet retained
S - Straight, rivet retained
Pommel:
BHC - Birdshead, contoured
BHF - Birdshead, flat sides
R - Rectangular

Carcano Serial Number Ranges Lookup

As usual, I'm not responsible for any factual errors, but please reportany transcription errors to me.

Carcano Cavalry Carbine Serial Number Lookup