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Make: Lee Enfield
Model: No. 4
Calibre: .303 Mk VII Ball
Action: Bolt Action
Magazine: 10 Rounds - Detachable
Predecessor: SMLE
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By the late 1930s the need for
new rifles grew and the Rifle, No. 4 Mk I was officially adopted in 1941
Unlike the SMLE, the No 4 Lee–Enfield barrel protruded from the
end of the forestock
The iron sight line was redesigned and featured a rear receiver aperture
battle sight calibrated for 300 yd (274 m) with an additional ladder aperture
sight that could be flipped up and was calibrated for 200–1,300
yd (183–1,189 m) in 100 yd (91 m) increments.
The No. 4 rifle was heavier than the No. 1 Mk. III, largely due to its
heavier barrel and a new bayonet was designed to go with the rifle: a
spike bayonet, which was essentially a steel rod with a sharp point and
was nicknamed "pigsticker" by soldiers.
During the course of the Second World War, the No. 4 rifle was further
simplified for mass-production with the creation of the No. 4 Mk I* in
1942, with the bolt release catch replaced by a simpler notch on the bolt
track of the rifle's receiver.
In the years after the Second World War the British produced the No. 4
Mk 2 (Arabic numerals replaced Roman numerals for official designations
in 1944) rifle, a refined and improved No. 4 rifle with the trigger hung
forward from the butt collar and not from the trigger guard, beech wood
stocks and brass buttplates
With the introduction of the No. 4 Mk 2 rifle, the British refurbished
many of their existing stocks of No. 4 rifles and brought them up to the
same standard as the No. 4 Mk 2
No. 4 Mk 1 rifles so upgraded were re-designated No. 4 Mk I/2, whilst
No. 4 Mk I* rifles that were brought up to Mk 2 standard were re-designated
No. 4 Mk I/3
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Make: Arisaka
Model: Type 99
Calibre: 7.7 x 58mm Jap
Action: Bolt Action
Magazine: 5 Rounds - fixed
Predecessor: Type 38

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During the Second Sino-Japanese
War in the 1930s, the Japanese soon found that the 7.7mm cartridge being
fired by their Type 92 heavy machine gun in China was superior to the
6.5×50mm cartridge of the Type 38 rifle, necessitating the development
of a new weapon to replace the outclassed Type 38
The Type 99 was produced at nine different arsenals. Seven arsenals were
located in Japan, with the other two located at Mukden in China and Jinsen
in Korea.
The IJA had intended to completely replace the Type 38 with the Type 99
by the end of the war. However, the outbreak of the Pacific war never
allowed the army to completely replace the Type 38 and so the IJA used
both rifles during the war. As the war progressed, more and more cost
saving steps were introduced in order to speed up production.
Late war rifles are often called "Last Ditch" or "Substitute
Standard" due to their crudeness of finish.
The Type 99 was produced in four versions, the regular issue Type 99 Short
Rifle, the Type 99 Long Rifle (a limited production variant) and takedown
Type 2 Paratroop Rifle and the Sniper Rifle Type 99.
It utilized a cock-on-closing action, which improved the rate of fire
from the standard Mauser cock-on-open design. Also unique is the rifle's
safety mechanism, operated by pressing in the large knurled disk at the
rear of the bolt with the palm of the hand and rotating it in a 1/8 clockwise
turn, which is often misunderstood by Western shooters who are used to
the Mauser's thumb lever safety. It featured a quick-release bolt and
antiaircraft sights, as well as a sliding bolt cover and monopod.
The Type 99 was the first mass-produced infantry rifle to have a chrome
lined bore to ease cleaning. All of these features were abandoned by mid-war.
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