Japanese Militaria at Castle-Thunder.com

[Kavan]

I would like to know the progression in time between the features of my Series 1 Nagoya as compared with the Last Ditch products.

Do we know for example the year of cut-off for the Monopod, the anti-aircraft wings, 2 drain holes, the wide metal butt plate, knurled safety knob, receiver and chamber date markings, chrome bore.

Was there a slow progression where each one was individually phased out by the different arsenals, or was it consistent with the arsenals but based more on the series of issue. Did one arsenal over the others keep the Cadillac version in production longer than the rest.
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Remembering the battle of GUAM 1944 and the 3rd Marine Division

[gwsiii]

Not to my knowledge. There are documents that indicate the standards were changing, but whether or not any have a specific on this date these feature will no longer be inspected I do not know. Pods went out at the end of the 4th series at Nagoya, late 23rd series at Kokura, early in the 32nd series at Toyo Kogyo, earlier in the 37th series, and I've never seen a 40th series with a pod that I thought was correct.
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I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!

[Kavan]

Interesting that Nagoya would stop so early with monopod while other arsenals kept it going almost to the end. What was the official utility of this. It is two long to be a used for sighting and support in the prone position (like most common tripods) would be used for in a crew served weapon, which it is not. Awkward at best in trench or fox hole unless you were locked in to hold one defensive position and built your cover and protection around just one aiming point. Good for support in a tree position as a sniper. Not much utility in a basic assault charge. Early in the war the Japanese were on the offense taking territory, perhaps the monopod might be good in urban warfare when using window sills or standing blocks of construction material to steady your aim on a target. I don't know of another army that used a monopod in their basic infantry rifle. I wonder what the inventor had originally in mind.
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Remembering the battle of GUAM 1944 and the 3rd Marine Division

[DEFUC]

They all quit in pretty much the same time frame,within reason the differnt arsenals all had blocks of series's assigned so while nagoya was on single digits, kokura was in the 20's TK in the 30's etc