
It was produced in a number of locations: The carbine lacked a bayonet and the cost in 1939 was 67.9 yen per unit. Its barrel was 487 millimeters (19.2 in), overall length 966 millimeters (38.0 in), and weight 3.3 kilograms (7.3 lb). Intended for use by cavalry, engineers, quartermasters and other non-frontline troops, the Type 38 carbine was introduced into service at the same time as the standard Type 38. In the case of a firearm, "Model" is a more accurate interpretation of the SHIKI (式) character, but the word "Type" has become well-established by collectors for decades. Nomenclature note: In the West, Japanese equipment is commonly referred to as "Type XX", rather than "Model XX". military and the National Rifle Association found that the Type 38's receiver was the strongest bolt action of any nation's and capable of handling more powerful cartridges. Post-war inspection of the Type 38 by the U.S.

The Type 38 was fairly heavy, at about 4.25 kg. The rifle was even longer when the 40 cm (15.75 inches) Type 30 bayonet was fixed. The Type 38 at 128 cm (50.4 in) was the longest rifle of the war, due to the emphasis on bayonet training for the Japanese soldier of the era, whose average height was 160 centimeters (5 ft 3 in). However, while on par with the Norwegian and Italian 6.5mm military cartridges of the time, the 6.5×50mm was not as powerful as several others in use by other nations. This cartridge produces little recoil when fired. The Type 38 rifle used the 6.5×50mm Arisaka cartridge.

Designated the Type 99 rifle, this new rifle used the more powerful 7.7×58mm Arisaka cartridge already in use with the Type 92 heavy machine gun and the Type 97 light machine gun.

However, a concern that the 6.5×50mmSR Arisaka cartridge did not compare favorably to the ammunition used by the other great powers in the war led to the introduction of a further generation of rifles in 1939, during the Second Sino-Japanese War. By 1940 more than three million Type 38s had been issued to the Imperial Japanese Army. In 1939, the Type 38 rifle manufactured by these arsenals cost 75.9 yen per unit. In what is now Shenyang) arsenal from 1937 to 1944: 148,800 units (est.)

The Imperial Japanese Army introduced the Type 30 rifle in 1897.
