Developed from the
Type 38 carbine to provide a cavalryman a carbine with a bayonet and not be encumbered with weapons as before the trooper was required to have a Type 32 cavalry saber, a Type 38 carbine and a bayonet., the main difference being the
bayonet is a needle type and it can be folded backwards and locks underneath the barrel. A hook was located directly below the front sight on the right side of the rifle, replicating the hooked quillon of the
Type 30 bayonet for use in the bayonet fencing techniques taught to Japanese soldiers of the period. The Type 44 also included a compartment in the buttstock for which to store a unique two-piece cleaning rod. The cleaning rod storage compartment was accessed via an ingenious rotating door. It fired the
6.5×50mm Arisaka round, and capacity was an internal five-round box magazine, it was fed via five-round chargers. The Type 44 was briefly used to experiment on using the
7.7×58mm Arisaka before it was dropped due to problems regarding recoil.
Variants The Type 44 was produced in three variations (referred to as first, second, and third variations). The major differences between variations was in the folding bayonet housing, which increased the length and durability with each variation. The changes to the bayonet housing was because of accuracy issues and to strengthen the stock. Two versions of the converted Type 38s and Type 44s consisted of rifles with just a SKS barrel or of a SKS barrel with a front stock cap and folding bayonet. ==Users==