Читать книгу Gun Digest 2011 онлайн

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Neither of the M91s qualified as a first rank infantry or sniper rifle in my opinion. They were serviceable but not outstanding.

ARISAKAS

The Arisakas were a ho-hum lot, with grossly oversize chambers that complicated reloading. I am sure that some Type 38 Arisaka long rifles would turn out fine accuracy but I was unable to find any. Norma factory 140-grain soft points were not only expensive but erratic as well. Sierra 140 Matchkings could be driven no faster than about 2150 fps before pressure signs started to appear. 2-½ to 3 minutes of angle was the best I could get despite stories told by WWII veterans about snipers who “after a while you began to think couldn’t miss.” Trigger pulls were rough and upwards of 10 pounds.

A finely-finished Kokura long rifle had peep sights for both “battle ranges” and long range that gave good sight pictures. Some Koishikawa long rifles, in contrast, all had open rear sights. The light recoil generated by the 6.5x50 cartridge was easy to take and if the rifles could have been made to shoot would have invited longer range sessions. I quickly tired of errant shots and spread-out groups. So much for the Arisakas I tested.