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**Alan Smith** · 03-08-2010, 03:15 PM

Ronnie,

I've often wondered the same. Here is a Japanese Type 99 LMG (October, 1942 production) that I have and, based on the other battle damage, I've often thought these discolorations on the left side of the receiver to be the result of body fluids, parts, etc. In the affected areas the blue is completely gone and the metal has a uniform fine pitting; the adjacent areas of blue/metal are normal.

If you look at the bullet damage in this and the subsequent photos, you can see that one (or more) .30 caliber bullets came straight down the side of the barrel (damaging the cooling fins), striking the ejection port cover, and then impacting in the area where the gunner's head would have been during the firing of the gun. Also, shell fire was apparently coming in at the same time, as the gas piston tube is damaged with a portion of the brass/copper rotating band from an HE artillery projectile embedded in it. This shell fragment put such a dent in the gas tube that the piston would not reciprocate, thus knocking the gun out of action.

OK - let the opinions fly: What do you guys think caused the blemishes on this gun's finish?

Alan

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**Alan Smith** · 03-08-2010, 03:16 PM

Detail of left side of receiver

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**Alan Smith** · 03-08-2010, 03:17 PM

Bullet damage to barrel cooling fins

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**Alan Smith** · 03-08-2010, 03:17 PM

Close up of bullet damage to ejection port cover.

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**Alan Smith** · 03-08-2010, 03:19 PM

Schrapnel (brass or copper) embedded in gas piston tube.

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**Alan Smith** · 03-08-2010, 03:19 PM

Close up of schrapnel damage

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**Chris D.** · 03-08-2010, 04:03 PM

Looks like it could, in fact, be blood pitting on the side of the receiver there, Alan

**Matt Weber** · 03-08-2010, 04:20 PM

Alan,

In the case of your gun, I'd have to agree! It definately looks like blood pitting.

Ronnie,

To answer your question is difficult, as every example is different. Blood left on a firearms will discolor finish, remove finish, and cause a "whitening" look in the medal, depending on how long the blood is left on the surface.
Blood of course is a liquid at first, but when dried becomes more of a solid. So, looking at the item in question is key to determining if it's blood pitting or not. Basically you have to try and be a CSI guy and look closely at the patterns and determine if it's possibly blood.

With Alans MG shown, I can almost see the Japanese gunners head resting on the reciever, and the blood patterns coming from it. Great example Alan!

Thanks for sharing it.

Matt

**Ronnie Fry** · 03-08-2010, 04:29 PM

Alan, thanks for your excellent reply and graphic example. I would agree with you that the pitting might well be where blood or other bodily fluid would/could have spilled/splattered.

O.K. Chris, thank you for your answer ---- And I'm not being critical here at all, but our answers beg the question of what makes us think it is "blood pitting"? Is there some particular pattern or something that leads us to that conclusion?

And, are there any documented studies or research on "blood pitting"? How long would it take to look like Alan's example?

If you'll pardon a poor pun, it's kind of a gory subject, but one I feel sure would have been done by someone at sometime.

Do not Law Enforcement folks have some kind of chemical they use to spot even the faintest traces of blood? Reckon that might work on Alan's MG.... Even after all these years?
I'm just throwing stuff out here to get us all to thinking...

Jim Nasium

**Alan Smith** · 03-08-2010, 04:35 PM

Chris,

Most of the so-called "blood pitting" we collectors hear about is simply the result of poor storage. Quite frankly, I get tired of hearing the "blood pitting" excuse for what is otherwise a piece of s*#t gun that a serious collector would not touch.

I have never handled a gun that I had personal knowledge of being damaged by blood pitting, so I've always wondered what blood pitting looks like and whether it is different from any other pitting/damage.

On the Type 99 LMG, it is the other physical damage that, IMO, makes the gun a strong candidate for the finish having been damaged by bodily fluids.

**Ronnie Fry** · 03-08-2010, 04:43 PM

Alan,
You have hit exactly on the point of this discussion. I've often thought that what I was told was "blood pitting" was simply an excuse or ruse to cover poor storage.

C. T. Beauregard

**Ronnie Fry** · 03-08-2010, 04:45 PM

And by the way, Alan, the circumstancial evidence on your MG is overwhelming, IMHO.. For "blood Pitting".

Roscoe Rocket

**muddinman04** · 03-08-2010, 05:14 PM

I have always wondered the same about this CZ Duo that I acquired a while ago.
The finish is in perfect condition except for the spots on the slide that fit perfect to where your hand goes to cycle the slide and near the "DUO" on the slide. Also, the metal has a white patina to it instead of the usual brown patina you see to an aged finish like this.

**Alan Smith** · 03-08-2010, 06:22 PM

Yes, on the Type 99 LMG, to me it looks like the gun came out of a shot up Japanese pillbox sometime after the battle - maybe a few days to weeks. My theory is that some "rear area" type guys went souvenir hunting (as is well documented in the books about the PTO) and came across the gun and gunner, with someone deciding it a good idea to haul the gun home with them.

The gun was in really poor condition when I got it - missing the bipod and some small parts, covered with a layer of rust, plus the wood was all rotten. The gun's main claim to fame was the 1968 Amnesty registration paperwork that came with it. Over time I found originals to replace the missing and/or damaged parts. For example, if you look at the damage to the receiver and wonder why it does not extend down onto to the trigger frame/grip assembly, it is because this component is off of another gun. Of course, I still have all of the original (damaged) parts.

What drew me to this gun was the bullet damage to the barrel cooling fins and the ejection port cover. On the schrapnel stuck in the gas tube, I did not even realize this was present until I started to clean up the gun. On the "blood stain" pitting to the receiver, NONE of this was visable when I got the gun due to the even coat of rust over everything; it was only when I cleaned up the gun that the original finish came out and you could see the strange damage patterns.

Needless to say, when I first observed these patterns while cleaning the gun in my workshop, it caused me to put everything down and step back a few minutes to reflect upon what I had my hands on. At first I was puzzled at the strange damage patterns to the finish and, quite frankly, angry that the gun's finish was "messed up". However, I quickly realized that these damage patters are (more than likely) telling us the story of the gun's history of use in the PTO.

I always like stuff that is sort of "so-so" when you buy it then, once you get it home and can digest more of the facts, you discover that the "chance purchase" you made was really a home run. I feel this way about this particular gun, as I'm a big history buff and like my guns to tell a story.

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