Japanese Militaria at Castle-Thunder.com

[Francis C. Allan]

Here is the third of the rifles that I have been unable to identify from the 1929-dated Reference Collection booklet. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Frank

Page 109 top:
ラポート式歩兵銃
ra-po-o-to-SHIKI-HO-HEI-JŪ
“Rapport(?) Type Infantry Rifle”

Notes:
1) The text says this rifle was invented by the Englishman G. Rapport (or possibly Rupert or Robert?). The mechanism is somewhat of a cross a Chassepot and Murata design. It is listed as being 11mm caliber.
2) The rifle appears to be Chassepot. Over a million Model 1867 Chassepots were manufactured in Belgium, Austria, Spain and England.
2) Note that the famous Japanese designer Murata is mentioned in the text for some reason. The basic characters in his name are 村田 – MURA-TA.
3) A vague possibility is that if the translation is really RUPERT, it may refer to the barrel address of the George Gibbs rifle factory, which was named “Rupert Hall”, located on St. John’s Bridge, Bristol, England. This company had a royal appointment to Queen Victoria.


_________________
Francis C. Allan
20Courtney Place
Palm Coast, FL 32137

(386) 445-4225

[DEFUC]

sure looks like a chasspot,action,sights and swivels all look right..maybe an exporters stamp from one of guns scrubbed as surplus and sold off thru england, that would be a logical cause for a Rapport (or rupert or whatever) England stamp...Did Gibbs deal in surplus arms?

[Francis C. Allan]

I am not sure about the background of Gibbs. I'll check with my contact in the UK. It sure looks like a Chassepot to me also. On another page that discusses Chassepots it mentions that the Japanese purchased many Chassepot copies and came to regret it as the quality was very poor. That probably hastened the modification of many of them with Murata bolts and the ability to fire selfcontained metalic cartridges.

More later.

Frank
_________________
Francis C. Allan
20Courtney Place
Palm Coast, FL 32137

(386) 445-4225