Japan
6.5 mm/115 (0.26") 3rd Year Type Kihô
Updated 27 May 2012
This was a Japanese version of the Hotchkiss 6.5 mm Model 1900 machine gun, which had proved very successful during the Russo-Japanese War.  The Japanese version was adopted by the Army in 1914 as the Type 3 Kikanhô (or Kikanjû) with the Navy following on 6 December 1916.  The Navy designated this weapon as 3rd Year Type 6.5-mm Kihô (machine gun).

The Japanese version had a slightly modified ejector mechanism and additional cooling fins on the barrel and was chambered to use standard 6.5 mm Japanese rifle cartridges.  Magazines were metal strips holding 30 rounds each.

This gun was considered to be both strong and reliable, its main drawback being that the cartridges had to be oiled before firing.
WNJAP_65mm-115_Kiho_pic.jpg

6.5 mm Type 3
.
Gun Characteristics
.
Designation 76.5 mm/115 3rd Year Type (Model 1914) Kihô
Ship Class Used On Many ships from 1910s through 1930s
Date Of Design 1914
Date In Service 1916 (naval version)
Gun Weight 62 lbs. (28.1 kg) unloaded
Gun Length oa 54 in (1.37 m)
Bore Length 29.5 in (0.75 m)
Number Of Grooves 4 LH twist
Length Of Rifling N/A
Chamber Volume N/A
Rate Of Fire 400 to 500 rpm
.
Ammunition
.
Type Fixed
Weight of Complete Round N/A
Projectile Types and Weights Solid bullet - 0.02 lbs. (9 gms)
Bursting Charge N/A
Projectile Length N/A
Propellant Charge 0.07 oz (2.05 gms)
Muzzle Velocity 2,428 fps (740 mps)
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun N/A
Note:  The bullet was the standard 6.5 mm Type 38 (Model 1905) rifle cartridge, although with a reduced amount of propellant.
.
Range
.
Elevation With 0.025 lbs. (11.35 gms) Bullet
Maximum Range N/A
.
Mount / Turret Data
.
Designation Single Mounts
Weight  N/A
Elevation About -25 / +85 degrees
Elevation Rate Manually operated, only
Train 360 degrees
Train Rate Manually operated, only
Gun recoil N/A
.
Data from
"World War II Fact Files:  Machine-Guns" by Peter Chamberlain and Terry Gander
"Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War" by Eric Lacroix and Linton Wells II
---
Special help from Paul Roome
Page History

10 May 2006 - Benchmark
27 May 2012 - Updated to latest template