>>62516775
>Could someone please educate me on what the deal is with these Japanese Type 38 "school training rifles" I see now and then for cheap. The ones with a "00" stamped before their serial number and unique receiver crest marks.
There are "school" rifles and then there are "trainer" rifles. "School" rifles are legit Type-38 rifles & carbines first used by the Japanese military and subsequently transferred to the Ministry of Education for use in military training of young men in universities. They will retain the proper "Three-Eight-Type" symbols on the receiver ring. The chrysanthemum was cancelled-out by stamping the Tokyo Arsenal mark through it –or sometimes some other symbols like circles– to show it was no longer Imperial property. A character for "Education" was also stamped between the 'mum and the model designation to show that it now belonged to the Ministry of Education. These rifles were still perfectly capable of firing live ammunition. The "00" prefix was also added to the serial number. These rifles were turned over to US occupation forces post-War and then many of them had their 'mums removed entirely.

"Trainer" rifles were meant for blank-firing only, and were made of low-quality materials with comparatively crude workmanship. They were intended for military training in high schools and the like, and were manufactured by a bewildering variety of makers who often did not use any identifying marks and usually featured no government ownership marks other than perhaps the name of the school that purchased them. They are usually smooth bore barrels, and may be single-shot or magazine-fed. These were also collected by occupation forces post-War and many GIs seeking souvenirs didn't understand the difference.

Pic related, a 1909-vintage T38 made at Tokyo Arsenal and later given over as a "school" rifle, next to a blank-firing-only "trainer" rifle.

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