The Type 88, sometimes known as "Hanyang 88" or Hanyang Type 88 () and Hanyang Zao (Which means ''Made in Hanyang''), is a Chinese-made bolt-action

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

, based on the German Gewehr 88. It was adopted by the Qing Dynasty towards the end of the 19th century and was used by multiple factions and formations like those in the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

, until the end of the Chinese Civil War. The name of the rifle is derived from Hanyang Arsenal, the main factory that produced this rifle. The rifle was due to be replaced as the standard Chinese rifle by the Chiang Kai-shek rifle. However, manufacture of the new rifle never managed to match demand, and the Type 88 continued to be manufactured and to equip the

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; ), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army () before 1928, and as National Army () after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in China ...

during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

History

This firearm was a rifle directly patterned on the German Gewehr 88 and was initially fielded by the New Armies of the Qing Dynasty. From the start of production in 1895, the Type 88 was modified twice to improve performance in 1904 and in 1930. It served as one of the standard battle rifles used by the

from its founding in 1925 until the late 1940s, after the end of World War II. Japanese forces in China captured large amounts of Hanyang 88s and issued them to second-line units and collaborationist Chinese troops. It was also used by the Chinese Communists, who not only used it during the same time period, but also during the Korean War. Some were reportedly supplied to the Viet Minh. Production of the rifle ceased in 1944, 1.1 million rifles having been produced. Initially manufactured at Hanyang Arsenal, production was moved to the 21st Arsenal in Chongqing after Wuhan fell to Japanese forces in 1938. Further production halted when the Chiang Kai-Shek rifle was instead being produced in 1944. When the rifles were used by the People's Liberation Army, they were either used by militia forces or were used as training/drill rifles.

Design

The Hanyang 88 was essentially a copy of the Gewehr 88, with a few minor differences, including the absence of the barrel shroud, and an extension of the bayonet. It was a bolt-action rifle that cocked on opening, and its Mannlicher-style magazine could hold 5

7.92×57mm Mauser The 7.92×57mm Mauser (designated as the 8mm Mauser or 8×57mm by the SAAMI and 8 × 57 IS by the C.I.P.) is a rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. The 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge was adopted by the German Empire in 1903–1905, and was the ...

rounds. The magazine was loaded by using a 5-round en-bloc clip. When the last round was chambered, the clip would fall out of the magazine via a hole in the bottom. It can also be equipped with a bayonet. The main advantage of this kind of loading mechanism was that it allowed the user to reload very quickly. The disadvantages, however, were that the hole in the magazine could allow dirt to get in, thus possibly causing reliability issues. In 1904, the rifle's design was changed to remove the barrel shroud and more wood placed on it to protect the person's hands from being burned. Other changes included the rear sight based on the Kar98. Although the 5-round en-bloc clips of Hanyang 88 can accept the new round, mass conversion of Hanyang 88 to accept the spitzer bullet, despite having been planned, did not take place. The Hanyang 88 also had a carbine variant, which was shorter and lighter, albeit with inferior accuracy and range, similarly to the Gewehr 1891 carbine and a short rifle variant.

Performance

The Hanyang 88 was originally chambered for the German round-nose 7.92×57mm I round. By World War I, this round had already become obsolete. Nevertheless, it was the most numerous rifle used by the Chinese

in their engagements with the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Users

* : Known to be used in the Boxer Rebellion. * : Used by various Warlords and the NRA. * : Used by the PLA before they were phased out. * : Some used by second line units. ** Some Hanyang 88s used by Collaborationist Chinese Army forces. *: Used by second-line units of the Manchukuo Imperial Army * : Some supplied covertly to Viet Minh forces.

References

External links