Japanese Militaria at Castle-Thunder.com

[gmkmd]

Hello,
I'm new to collecting Japanese handguns. I recently got a Type 26 revolver, with the serial number 123X. I had read somewhere that the Type 26 started with serial number 10,000, but this example contradicts that. Also, I was wondering how to date these guns based on their serial number. I was able to find info on dating Type 14's, but not on dating Type 26's. Any help would be appreciated.

[gwsiii]

Welcome to the forum. There hasn't been any real attempt to do production dates on the Type 26, the Japanese weren't kind enough to mark them with month and year of production. A serial number that low is probably 1st, maybe 2nd year of production. They did not start at 10k through. Trey
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I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!

[type-14]

started at serial #1 and went though about #59227. Production started in 1893 and ran until about 1925 with a small run in production some time between 1926 and 1935. So you can see production was never really great at a any given point. My guess would be yours was produced in the late 1890's.

[seinen]

[type-14]

Hi Chip, Those internally marked Type-26's all fall within the normal production number sequence. I still have never heard/read any positive reason on why these where done to begin with. It is interesting to look at the serial number reported and recorded in JMCH 1893-1945 by Derby and Brown and you can see small blocks of numbers that have internally marked serial numbers only (297/298/530/532/534) and then you see #40 and #45 are reported as internally marked serial number while #43 is reported as having no external markings at all. I hope this put some light on the subject for you. Just another issue to give you wondering "now why did they do that?"

[gwsiii]

I've always felt the Japanese were rather thrifty. Let's say, they knew it took a little practice to get it perfect, through some other type of production. Lets say it takes 600 pieces to get a process perfected. We'll take the first 600 pieces or x-number per worker, and figure out how the best way to manufacture the parts and assemble them, once we get the process down, we want to show them off, lets send 3 to the Dept. of Education, then lets send 6 to the Undersecretary of Dept. Affairs, and 5 to the Ministry of the Navy, we are the Army Arsenal, so we have to send a buttload around here and a few more there. They aren't fully inspected yet, but they look good, they've been passed out for observation, testing, comment, exhibition and such to try to get someone to buy. Most of them come back with notes of flaws, suggestions, likes, dislikes, whatever. If the pieces that are received back pass inspection they receive serial numbers, if the don't come back, they end up without. Not scientific, but just an idea.

Ask me about 20th series Type 38s some time when we're drinking...And I'll tell you what I really think! Doss and I figured out all about 20th and 21st series production one time, we forgot to write it down, and we lost it again.
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I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!