(photo courtesy of Mark Sundell)

GENERALLY:   The Murata Type 13 (M1880) (13th Year) was Japan's first attempt at a home designed, home produced standard infantry rifle.  It  designation, Type 13, comes from being formally introduced in the 13th year from the beginning of the Meiji Restoration.  Designed by Maj. Tsuneyoshi Murata, it borrowed heavily from the Europeon rifles then in regular service, principally the M1871 Dutch Beaumont and the M1874 French Gras, and to a lesser extent the M1871 German Mauser.  Like the Beaumont, the Type 13's large bolt handle is hollow and contains a conventional flat spring which drives the firing pin.  It differes from the Beaumont in the spring's mounting and assembly, (the retaining screw is on the end of the bolt handle rather than through it's face) but operates identiacally.  Like the Beaumont, Gras and Mauser,  it's long bolt handle and guide rib lock forward of the split receiver and act as the rifle's sole locking lug.  The bolt head further borrows its operation directly from the Beaumont-Gras-Mauser methods.  Interestingly enough, however, the system of bayonet mount is more closely related to the British Martini-Henry system of the lug being mounted on the formost barrel band rather than being welded to the barrel itself.  Like the Gras, the Type 13 had no safety nor ejector.  The Type 13 was shortly supplemented by the Murata Type 18 (M1885).

PHOTO:  The rifle shown is a Murata Type 13 (M1880).

DISTINGUISHING CHARECTERISTICS:   The bolt is retained by a top mounted bolt retaining screw and washer, very similarly to the I.G. Mod. 71 Mauser and its successor the Mod. 71/84 Mauser.
 

Page first sketched out January 27, 1999.