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Howa Type 64

1964 COLD WAR MODERN

History

After World War II, the Japanese were conquered, and the United States served as the majority overseer. As a result, its defense industry remains heavily regulated, and many of its Cold War weapons often come from the United States, which at one point did not allow the maintenance of a large military presence, especially for operations abroad.

As such, their infantry squads were inevitably equipped with the war-winning American 1930s-era M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle, which had been in service with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces until at least the 1960s.

By 1960, however, the Japanese felt the need to modernize their Garands stockpile with a fully Japanese-designed homegrown battle rifle. The Japanese general Iwaishita was allowed to participate directly in the design process, and development was carried out by Howa Heavy Industry. Headquartered in Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Howa represents a machine manufacturer founded in 1907, whose products range from civilian and military firearms to construction machinery, doors and windows, and power tools. The resulting "battle rifle" that is, a military rifle that fires a full-power rifle cartridge was evaluated to show better accuracy than the American rifle it would replace.

The rifle then entered service with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in 1964 as the "Type 64".

Externally, the Type 64 shares some design similarities with the Belgian-made FN FAL. The weapon has the same straight-line magazine, mounted on a plate-side receiver, with very little detail. The trigger is an elongated ring attached to an angled, ergonomic pistol grip.

The contour of the stock follows the thin line on the rear of the receiver. Iron sights are mounted on the gun body. The barrel and cylinder are surrounded by a rounded front end that is flat and tapers from the front of the receiver to the muzzle.

The barrel extends a short distance from the front sight structure. A foldable bipod can be mounted below the front sight for sustained fire and improved pinning accuracy. Overall, the Type 64 is a clean-cut battle rifle with excellent lines and seemingly fine craftsmanship.

The gun weighs only 9.7 pounds. The overall length is 39 inches and the barrel is 17.7 inches long. The cartridge is the 7.62x51mm NATO round, but it is slightly modified with a smaller charge and is stacked in a 20-round detachable magazine. The firing action of the pneumatic toggle bolt.

The rate of fire is 500 rounds per minute, the initial velocity is 700 meters per second, and the effective range is up to 400 meters. In addition to iron sights, operators can install telescopic sights as needed to create "designated marksman" rifles and reels.

Despite the extra scope, the Type 64 leaves a lot to be desired as a sniper rifle. Because it is attached to the receiver with only one screw, it can easily become misplaced during normal battlefield handling. Aiming of the lens itself is also done against the black "T" reticle, which doesn't compensate for the use of dark targets or low-light activity.

As a sniper, the Type 64 has been replaced since 2002 by the US Army's proven US M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS) based on the Remington 700 series.

There are four selector switch settings on the Model 64 receiver - one safe, semi-automatic fire, one fully automatic fire, and one interestingly marked "hit on target". The butt plate on the stock is hinged, while the cyclic rate of fire is regulated by an external gas regulator. While the weapon uses the 7.62x51mm NATO caliber, these cartridges are specially designed with a smaller charge to accommodate the typically smaller stature of the average Japanese soldier - a smaller charge actually reduces the weapon's firing time recoil output.

Especially in fully automatic mode, accuracy and handling can be improved. While the weapon can fire the basic 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, it cannot fire a "standard load" 7.62mm round without affecting the internal mechanics.

Despite its origins in the 1960s, the Type 64 is still commonplace among the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, Japan Coast Guard and Special Commandos - the latter a civilian counter-terrorism paramilitary organization. Some 230,000 of the Type 64 are said to have been produced to date. The weapon is not sold outside Japan due to the country's strict military export restrictions due to its World War II operations.

For the most part, the Type 64 has been largely replaced by the newer and greatly improved "Type 89" rifle, another product from the Howa company.