The more official guns had the triangular Arisaka front sights put back on the new barrels, while the more unique gun used the SKS barrel complete with bayonet, front stock cap, and bayonet. The major element in both conversions was replacement of the original barrel with an SKS barrel, but clearly done in different ways. The bottom one is much more like a field conversion. The top rifle is of the most common type, converted as part of a fairly organized effort. We have photos of two converted Type 38s, one relatively typical and one less so: Some guns were converted in batches by decently equipped shops, while others were made in a much more independent, ad hoc manner. I like the idea of a nice light carbine in that caliber, but what makes these guns particularly interesting to me is the variety of ways the conversion was done. Once China had adopted the SKS and then AK as front-line weapons, a large number of captured Type 38s were converted to use the standard 7.62x39mm cartridge. The Japanese lost a significant number of them in China, and they were not overlooked by their captors. One such captured weapon was the Type 38 Arisaka rifle. Some purchased under contract, some locally manufactured, and some captured. For many decades, the various Chinese military forces used an interesting variety of different weapons.
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