The 6.5x50SR Arisaka cartridge was first issued in 1897 along with the Arisaka Type 30 rifle, and became the standard ammunition of the Japanese armed forces until the end of WW2. The original version of this caliber was loaded with a round-nosed bullet, which was changed to a more modern pointed (spitzer) bullet with the introduction of the Arisaka Type 38 Rifle in 1905-6.
This round was used in a number of Japanese bolt-action rifles and machine guns. After WW2, many weapons of ex-Japanese origin remained in use in the South East Asian region for a significant period.
No modern firearms are produced for this ammunition, and production of this round is all but finished. However a few ammunition manufacturers still make this round for the sake of those who still own vintage Japanese weapons.
|Designation||Bullet weight, g||Muzzle velocity, m/s||Muzzle energy, J||Comments|
|Type 30||10.1||630||2000||with round-nose FMJ bullet, from long rifle ballel|
|Type 38||9||720||2330||with pointed FMJ bullet, from long rifle ballel|