"As a matter of fact, that Arisaka's design elements made it the STRONGEST bolt-action rifle ever produced, at least up through the time when the quality control was removed from the manufacture of everything Japanese....."

From the Frank de Haas book, Bolt Action Rifles, revised edition. De Haasran a .30-06 reamer into the chamber of sorriest Japanese rifle that he had everseen. He fired three rounds each of three different loads in it by remote control.

Load#1: Case full of IMR 3031 and a 180 grainjackeded bullet: Flattened primers.

Load#2: Case full ofIMR 4198 and a 180 grain jacketed bullet: Primer pockets expanded and webs split.

Load#3: Case full of Hercules 2400 and a 180 grain jacketed bullet: Things happened; barrel, receiver and bolt were intact. Bolt stop was sprung, extractor gone, floor plate, follower spring and follower were gone. The case head had welded itself to the bolt. Right side of receiver over the extractor cut was slightly sprung. De Haas gave the barrel to a gent who installed it on his rifle and used it.

My first tour in Korea i was in an Army EOD unit. The Koreanpolice often gave us weapons to blow up. We kept the nice ones and fired them to our hearts content when we could get the ammo. The Koreans were always digging in the Japanese ammo dumps and we usually had a good supply of ammo. My pride and joy (i still have it) is a 7.7mm Type 99 Japanese rifle made in 1939, the first year of production. The mum is intact. The only ammo i could get was the stuff in 30 round brass strips for the Hotchkiss MG. Met an Army NCO who is a Niesiand who had been forced to serve inthe Japanese Army in WWII. i complained about the recoil of my pristine Type 99 rifle. He nearly had a coronary when he found out that i was firing semi-rimmed very high pressure MG ammo in my rifle.