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Curated by: Type 56: The Story of China's Army (16 videos)
Why did Communist China adopt the Soviet Mosin system when it already had huge numbers of Japanese Type 38 Arisakas, knew how to make 6.5mm ammunition? On the surface, the Type 38 looks like a serious alternative—and in some respects, a very attractive one. But Beijing wasn't just choosing between two bolt-action rifles. Beyond that, it was deciding what military-industrial system the new People’s Republic would build around. In this follow-up to "China’s 'Never Again' Gun," we look at the case for keeping the Arisaka, what really happened to the old Mukden/Shenyang arsenal, how part of that industrial lineage was redirected toward the Type 50 submachine gun and future Factory 626, and why the Soviet connection offered far more just a rifle design. Unlike an exotic orphan like the Carcano, the Arisaka already had deep roots in China. But "New China" had no pristine, turnkey national Type 38 production system ready to become the foundation of its future army. By the early 1950s, Beijing was choosing between preserving an isolated legacy system or adopting a great Soviet system of weapons, ammunition standards, technical packages, advisers, training, production methods, and future development. What really happened was that China chose the Soviet system, and the Mosin came with it. Support Type 56: The Story of China’s Army on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/type56 Type 56 explores the history of the People’s Liberation Army through its weapons, people, institutions, and ideas.