AHC: A Better Japanese Bolt-Action Rifle?

Was there anyway to improve the performance of the 6.5x50mm round?
Was there anything wrong with it? The complaints I see are generally the same as the ones against 5.56 NATO. Given that the round had been proven to effectively OHK charging Cossacks during the Russo-Japanese War, I don't think it needs more power.
 
They were already copying the Lewis Gun for aircraft, also called the Type 92. There is your LMG, rechamber for 6.5 if desired. Or as above, adopt the Brit 303 for everything if you don't want 6.5

They also built a copy of the Vickers E MG, the Type 89. Army had the type 97, pretty much same gun, different ammo

Now OTL they had three 7.7 cartridges.

The 303 British, 7.7×56mm Rimmed. Used by IJN forces,

7.7x58 Semi-rimmed. IJA MGs

7.7x58 rimless. IJA Rifles and MGs

Like the British the Japanese already had their version of the Bren gun - the type 96 in 6.5mm and the later type 99 in 7.7x 56 - no need for a Lewis clone

You have a point, but the Japanese adopted the Hotchkiss in 1914. I would guess they'd do the same with Vickers? That would give them plenty of time to produce a lot.

The Vickers was a complex and manpower intensive weapon to make compared to the Hotchkiss - so in order to match the numbers built more effort would need to be expended - but then they get a very robust and reliable weapon if they did so and one capable of sustained fire.
 
Like the British the Japanese already had their version of the Bren gun - the type 96 in 6.5mm and the later type 99 in 7.7x 56 - no need for a Lewis clone

But could have had that from day one in China in 1931, and not needing to wait 6 years for enough Type 96 to enter service.
Sure the Bren is better, but the one thing the Japanese needed was Standardization, reliability, and being easy to produce. Lewis gun was all that. It was good enough.

That's all that they needed.
 
But could have had that from day one in China in 1931, and not needing to wait 6 years for enough Type 96 to enter service.
Sure the Bren is better, but the one thing the Japanese needed was Standardization, reliability, and being easy to produce. Lewis gun was all that. It was good enough.

That's all that they needed.

Thats a fair point - perhaps replace the Type 11 (which while interesting to people Like Ian at Forgotten Weapons was gash!) at inception with the Lewis design (in 6.5) back in 22 - after all they were mates with the UK at the time so could have leveraged that relationship during or after WW1

And then they follow British development of the ZB vz. 26 along with the natural progression after encountering them in China

Maybe they skeletonize the Lewis by field modding the weapon in China after it was found to be perfectly serviceable without the shroud - thus saving a few pounds in weight.
 
Well I will look for it. I am always interested in learning new stuff from historical weapons.
 
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