Encyclopedia of Guns, Volume 1016 “RIFLE, US, TYPE 99, JAPANESE CAL. 30”
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“RIFLE, US, TYPE 99, JAPANESE CAL. 30”
is the official designation of the Arisaka Type 99 (九九式短小銃) converted to chamber the original .30-06 Springfield (7.62×63mm) cartridge. The U.S. Army initiated a program to modify the Arisaka Type 99 to chamber the .30-06 Springfield cartridge
after the U.S. Army inspected seized Arisaka Type 38 & Type 99 rifles in conjunction with the National Rifle Association. They found that the Arisaka Type 38 & 99 had very strong frames and bolt carriers, and were capable of withstanding the higher pressure ammunition used. As a result, the U.S. Army The project was set up to arm the South Korean army with surplus from the Japanese Empire modified to fire American ammunition
. However, since most of the modified Arisaka Type 99 rifles were last ditch, their quality was not very good. Later, the US government sought cooperation from several private companies to launch a production line for the US Rifle, Caliber .30, M1. This left the US government with a large supply of M1s to send to South Korea, causing the modification project to be abandoned. However, some modified Arisaka Type 99 rifles were still sent to South Korea, but they were stamped “US CAL 30” instead of "“RIFLE, US, TYPE 99, JAPANESE CAL. 30"”. The Americans originally brought them into service so that US soldiers could bring techniques to train South Korea