Maruhna Type Rifle???

leadchucker · November 28, 2013, 10:19 AM

I found a bring back letter in my dad's WWII stuff. It describes a Japanese "25 Calibre Rifle, Maruhna Type". I have to assume he got it in India. Unfortunately I don't recall him ever having a rifle like that, or even mentioning it to anyone. I have to guess he got rid of it before my time.

I've never heard of this type of rifle. Neither has Google.

Anyone have any idea what it might have been?

tahunua001 · November 28, 2013, 10:37 AM

such a rifle was never used by the japanese military. this was more than likely something that a soldier bought at a market. I was thinking it may be a typo and that it could have been a murata but those were only made in 11mm and 8mm and there was nothing ever adopted for 25 anything except for maybe 25mm heavy weapons.

**Mike Irwin** · November 28, 2013, 04:02 PM

Well, it was apparently fairly common at one time to refer to the 6.5 Arisaka as the .25 Japanese, and the 7.7 as the .31 Japanese. I suspect that it was simply a Japanese Arisaka rifle that the registering officer didn't know squat about.

PetahW · November 28, 2013, 08:22 PM

.

6.5 Jap = .26 caliber, easy enough for a non-gunnut to call a ".25".............

"Murata", also easily enough garbled as a "Maruhna".

I agree with Mike - a 6.5 Japanese Arisaka, the successor (in Japan) to the Murata rifle.

It'd have been nice, if you could have found it - All I brought home during WWII was a popsicle from the local candy store .
(I was only 3 y.o. @ the time

)

.

James K · November 29, 2013, 04:30 PM

In WWII, Japanese rifles were almost always called either ".25 Jap" (6.5mm) or ".31 Jap" (7.7mm). It was a common belief that the ".25 Jap" was little better than a .22 and worthless. Oddly, I never heard that from anyone who had been shot with one of those "worthless" rifles, only from armchair warriors and "he man" magazine writers.

Jim

leadchucker · November 29, 2013, 10:14 PM

Finally, some answers that make some sense.

I am certain that this rifle is long gone. Dad and my other uncles were all in the war, but none of them ever liked to talk much about it. I'm guessing that they didn't care too much for reminders of it. Sounds like I might have inherited a nice Arisaka, if my dad had opted to hang onto it.

Thanks a bunch for the info, guys!

James K · November 30, 2013, 07:12 AM

We need to remember that the people who made out those "capture papers" were not gun experts. They typed or wrote what they thought they knew or what someone told them about a gun. I have seen capture papers that called a P.38 a "Luger" and a Type 14 a "Jap Luger". As long as the paper was enough to let the GI bring back his souvenir, no one really cared.

Jim

November 28, 2013, 10:19 AM	#1
leadchucker Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2011 Location: NC Posts: 252	Maruhna Type Rifle??? I found a bring back letter in my dad's WWII stuff. It describes a Japanese "25 Calibre Rifle, Maruhna Type". I have to assume he got it in India. Unfortunately I don't recall him ever having a rifle like that, or even mentioning it to anyone. I have to guess he got rid of it before my time. I've never heard of this type of rifle. Neither has Google. Anyone have any idea what it might have been? __________________ JOIN THE NRA!

November 28, 2013, 10:37 AM	#2
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	such a rifle was never used by the japanese military. this was more than likely something that a soldier bought at a market. I was thinking it may be a typo and that it could have been a murata but those were only made in 11mm and 8mm and there was nothing ever adopted for 25 anything except for maybe 25mm heavy weapons. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

November 28, 2013, 04:02 PM	#3
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Well, it was apparently fairly common at one time to refer to the 6.5 Arisaka as the .25 Japanese, and the 7.7 as the .31 Japanese. I suspect that it was simply a Japanese Arisaka rifle that the registering officer didn't know squat about. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

November 29, 2013, 10:14 PM	#6
leadchucker Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2011 Location: NC Posts: 252	Finally, some answers that make some sense. I am certain that this rifle is long gone. Dad and my other uncles were all in the war, but none of them ever liked to talk much about it. I'm guessing that they didn't care too much for reminders of it. Sounds like I might have inherited a nice Arisaka, if my dad had opted to hang onto it. Thanks a bunch for the info, guys! __________________ JOIN THE NRA!

November 28, 2013, 08:22 PM	#4
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	. 6.5 Jap = .26 caliber, easy enough for a non-gunnut to call a ".25"............. "Murata", also easily enough garbled as a "Maruhna". I agree with Mike - a 6.5 Japanese Arisaka, the successor (in Japan) to the Murata rifle. It'd have been nice, if you could have found it - All I brought home during WWII was a popsicle from the local candy store . (I was only 3 y.o. @ the time ) .

November 29, 2013, 04:30 PM	#5
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	In WWII, Japanese rifles were almost always called either ".25 Jap" (6.5mm) or ".31 Jap" (7.7mm). It was a common belief that the ".25 Jap" was little better than a .22 and worthless. Oddly, I never heard that from anyone who had been shot with one of those "worthless" rifles, only from armchair warriors and "he man" magazine writers. Jim

November 30, 2013, 07:12 AM	#7
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	We need to remember that the people who made out those "capture papers" were not gun experts. They typed or wrote what they thought they knew or what someone told them about a gun. I have seen capture papers that called a P.38 a "Luger" and a Type 14 a "Jap Luger". As long as the paper was enough to let the GI bring back his souvenir, no one really cared. Jim