Type 97 heavy tank machine gun

Type 97 7.7 mm tank machine gun
Type 97 Tank Machine Gun.
Type	Heavy machine gun
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1937–1945
Used by	Imperial Japanese Army
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War, Soviet-Japanese Border Wars, World War II, Chinese Civil War, Korean War
Production history
Designed	1937
Produced	1937–1945
No. built	18,000
Specifications
Weight	12.4 kg (27.34 lb)
Length	1,145 mm (45.1 in)
Barrel length	700 mm (27.6 in)
Cartridge	7.7x58mm Arisaka
Action	Gas-operated
Rate of fire	500 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	724 m/s (2,375 ft/s)
Effective firing range	540 m
Maximum firing range	3,420 m
Feed system	20-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Blade front sight and aperture rear sight

The Type 97 heavy tank machine gun (九七式車載重機関銃, Kyū-nana-shiki shasai jū-kikanjū) was the standard machine gun used in tanks and armored vehicles of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, a heavy machine gun by infantry forces, This weapon was not related to the Type 97 aircraft machine gun used in several Japanese Navy aircraft including the A6M Zero.

Initially, the Type 11 Light Machine Gun was modified by the Army Technical Bureau for use in tanks and other armored vehicles, and was produced for this application under the designation "Type 91 Mobile Machine Gun". However, the basic design issues with the Type 11 remained, including its tendency to jam because of the slightest amount of grit or dirt, and the low lethality and lack of stopping power of its 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridges.

During the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese forces captured a number of Czech ZB vz/26 light machine guns from China’s National Revolutionary Army; its numerous design advantages led to the development of the Type 97. This was used in a modified form for armored vehicles until 1940, when the Japanese Army switched to a rimless 7.7 mm cartridge.

The Type 97 was mechanically similar to the Czech ZB vz. 26, with a different stock and pistol grip. It had a straight, vertical, 20-round box magazine and used the same 7.7 mm cartridges used in the Type 99 rifle. The gun barrel could easily overheat, which meant the gunner had to fire in bursts, or the barrel would be shot out.