Pair of Matching Numbered Mags...but to what?

[William J]

I recently was able to purchase a large and wonderful group of items that belonged to a Marine who served with the 2nd Marine Division on Iwo Jima and with the 1st Division at Chosin Reservoir. He lived only about 20 miles from me and died earlier this year.

Included in this grouping (there were several boxes of items!) was this leather and canvas pouch containing two large matching numbered magazines. I am totally unfamiliar with these and would really like to know the country and period and, of course, the weapon type that these belonged to.

The pouch shows considerable age and has a broken strap as well as some damage to the rear.

[William J]

Magazines

The magazines are quite large and my first thought was perhaps they were for a top loading machine gun, perhaps?

[William J]

Number Stampings

The numbers are struck deeply. Along with the matched serials, there is also a "6" over one mag and a "14" over the other. I thank you all in advance for any assistance you can provide!

[Bill Grist]

Japanese Type 96 if in 6.5 cal. or Type 99 if in 7.7 cal... Cannot tell from picts...BILL

[MikeP]

Home run on those mags.
The sharks will be circling.

[William J]

Wow! Great News!

Thank you Bill! When I first saw the mags and looked at the stamping, my initial impression was that the numbering reminded me of the serial numbering I had seen so often on the hilt of Japanese bayonets. I'm very pleased to find out that I was correct.

In the boxes of items, there was a very large number of WWII marine corps item but very few Japanese souvenirs. I wish I knew the reason he chose to bring these home....could the type 99 machine gun be stored out back in a shed, perhaps?

[Alan Smith]

William,

Nice find. I am not sure if the mags are for the WWII Japanese Type 99 LMG or the Type 96 LMG; both mags are very similar. I think the main (visual) difference in the two types of mags is that the Type 96 mags have a more pronounced "curve" to them than the Type 99 mags. This difference, however, would be hard to spot unless you had the different types of mags side-by-side for comparison.

My gut feeling, however, is that your mags are for the Type 99 LMG. Here is a shot of my Type 99, along with a few of its friends, at an informal shooting session earlier this year.

[Alan Smith]

I'll add a few shots of my mag (as I know for certain it is a Type 99 mag b/c I shoot it in my gun). Possibly these photos will help you positively ID your mags.

Starting off, here is the mag's serial number and other markings.

[Alan Smith]

Maag photo #2

[Alan Smith]

Mag photo #3

[Alan Smith]

Mag Photo #4.

The more I look at your mags, the more I think they are probably for the Type 96. In particular, do you notice the little hole in the side of the Type 99 mag in the area where it fits into the gun's mag well (i.e. near the end of the mag where you load it)? My recollection is that the Type 96 mags do not have this hole. I have no idea why the hole is present on the Type 99 mags; it appears to have nothing to do with the mag's fit and feed in the gun.

[Alan Smith]

Ok - I hope the photos help you a bit. There are some very knowledgeable guys on this form so hopefully more of them will jump in and we can get a positive ID on your mags. In any event, you have a nice find with the mags regardless of whether they are for the Type 96 or Type 99.

Regards,

Alan

[William J]

Many Thanks Alan!

Wow, what a beautiful group of weapons you have! I can only imagine how much fun the type 99 and the Machine Pistol must be to shoot!

Thank you for your fantastic help on the mags, and thank you again for the email. We'll definitely be in touch.

I went back to check for the holes you showed on your mags, and they were not present in the sides like yours. However I did find holes on the leading edge, but perhaps both types have these features. I have included pictures below.

And MikeP, I had to laugh when you posted. One small items in the past, I've probably been one of the "sharks" myself! But if people are interested, I encourage them to drop me a pm or an email at wjabour@bellsouth.net . This set belongs with someone who will appreciate them more than myself.

I truly appreciate all the help and comments!

[Alan Smith]

William,

Thanks for the additional photos. Yes - the Type 99 LMG mag has an identical hole in the same position as the holes shown in your additional photos.