Howa Magazines

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   2023-A   

Howa Magazines

Howa: a brief synopsis from our web pages http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_Howa.html

Howa Heavy Industries of Aichi, Japan, was established in 1941 to manufacture  war materiel for the Imperial Japanese Army such as the Arisaka rifle. With the end of the war in 1945 and the subsequent US occupation of Japan, Howa changed its name to Howa Machinery Limited, a private company that produced a wide range of tools, machinery, and equipment for non-military purposes. 
The U.S. Government sent over machinery to occupied Japan for the repair, service, and manufacturing of replacement parts for the M1 carbine and M1 rifles being used by U.S. forces until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect on April 28, 1952. Howa was the sole contractor for this. 
The National Police Reserve (NPR) was founded in 1950. The NPR was reorganized into the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) in 1954. During this time Japan received M1 carbines and M1 rifles through the Military Assistance program. 

1960 Howa Model 300
A Howa brochure for the later Model 300 commercial M1 carbine indicates Howa manufactured complete M1 carbines and M1 rifles for the JSDF. Subsequently, Larry Ruth  contacted Howa and was told that 5000 M1 carbines were produced and marked "U3 M1". None of which have ever been reported to the club.
Circa 1959 Howa received permission for the manufacture of sporting rifles for domestic hunting and target shooting. Howa is still producing sporting rifles and introduced the M1500 in various calibers in 2015.
In 1960 the Howa Model 300 commercial carbine was being manufactured and sold as sporting rifles. These rifles came with distinct 5-round magazines. 

A brochure for the Howa Model 300 depicts the 5-round magazine as well as a 10-round magazine with the description
"Detachable box-type magazine. Capacity: 5 shots, with one in the chamber making six quick shots possible. Extra 15 shots"
There is no mention of a 15-round magazine. The description may be suggesting the two available magazines are giving you an extra 15 shots.

Military Assistance Program to Thailand between 1950 and 1963
Thailand Army received 48,421 U.S. M1 and M2 carbines from the U.S. Dept. of Defense. 
The carbines would have been supplied with magazines and spares. 

 1965 the Royal Thailand Border Police M1 carbine
According to M. Nozu, Firearms Sales Division, Howa Machinery Ltd., Aichi, Japan. 10,000 units of our carbine in total had exported to Thailand government in 1965 and 1966.
These carbines are absent any markings except for the Royal Thai Police logo on the front ring, the serial number, and the "HP" Howa proof mark on the barrel flat. 
The receiver is identical to the Model 300 except for the dovetail being absent on the commercial model. 
When these were imported to the United States it was reported that they included the appropriate amount of slings and oilers with no mention of magazines. Is it possible that Thailand had enough magazines from the military reserves or were they issued with Howa-made magazines?
The magazine below has been under the club's nose for over 30 years and is described as having a ribbed bottom plate with a hole in it. Compare all the features of this 15-round magazine to the 5-round magazine above. 

It is clear they were manufactured by Howa.
However I will point out that we have no way of knowing they were made for the Thailand Police or as an accessory for the Model 300. 

Military Assistance Program to Thailand between 1967 and 1976
 Thailand received an additional 15,066 U.S. M1 carbines and 9,525 U.S. M2 carbines from the DoD. Thailand's army is known to have received a large number of U.S. M1 and U.S. M2 carbines which they used during the Vietnam War. 

It is unknown if Thailand issued any of these U.S. carbines to any of the other various government agencies in Thailand. However there have been a few reports of U.S. M1 carbines with scrubbed receivers with the Thai Royal Police logo added to the front ring. Could this be evidence of Military Assistance Program M1 carbines going to police agencies?

The Carbine Collectors Club Copyright© 2023 www.USCarbineCal30.com
This
 article and/or its images are the property of the author and or the Carbine Collectors Club. They're not 
to be distributed or for commercial use without prior written permission (Title 17, Chapter 5, 
Section 501(a) U.S. Code)

Edited by New2brass - Nov 05 2023 at 1:41pm

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New2brass Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Dan Pinto, How Can I help Joined: Nov 29 2015 Location: CCC Status: Offline Points: 5527	Post Options Post Reply Quote New2brass Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Topic: Howa Magazines Posted: Nov 04 2023 at 10:42am
	2023-A Howa Magazines Howa: a brief synopsis from our web pages http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_Howa.html Howa Heavy Industries of Aichi, Japan, was established in 1941 to manufacture war materiel for the Imperial Japanese Army such as the Arisaka rifle. With the end of the war in 1945 and the subsequent US occupation of Japan, Howa changed its name to Howa Machinery Limited, a private company that produced a wide range of tools, machinery, and equipment for non-military purposes. The U.S. Government sent over machinery to occupied Japan for the repair, service, and manufacturing of replacement parts for the M1 carbine and M1 rifles being used by U.S. forces until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect on April 28, 1952. Howa was the sole contractor for this. The National Police Reserve (NPR) was founded in 1950. The NPR was reorganized into the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) in 1954. During this time Japan received M1 carbines and M1 rifles through the Military Assistance program. 1960 Howa Model 300 A Howa brochure for the later Model 300 commercial M1 carbine indicates Howa manufactured complete M1 carbines and M1 rifles for the JSDF. Subsequently, Larry Ruth contacted Howa and was told that 5000 M1 carbines were produced and marked "U3 M1". None of which have ever been reported to the club. Circa 1959 Howa received permission for the manufacture of sporting rifles for domestic hunting and target shooting. Howa is still producing sporting rifles and introduced the M1500 in various calibers in 2015. In 1960 the Howa Model 300 commercial carbine was being manufactured and sold as sporting rifles. These rifles came with distinct 5-round magazines. A brochure for the Howa Model 300 depicts the 5-round magazine as well as a 10-round magazine with the description "Detachable box-type magazine. Capacity: 5 shots, with one in the chamber making six quick shots possible. Extra 15 shots" There is no mention of a 15-round magazine. The description may be suggesting the two available magazines are giving you an extra 15 shots. Military Assistance Program to Thailand between 1950 and 1963 Thailand Army received 48,421 U.S. M1 and M2 carbines from the U.S. Dept. of Defense. The carbines would have been supplied with magazines and spares. 1965 the Royal Thailand Border Police M1 carbine According to M. Nozu, Firearms Sales Division, Howa Machinery Ltd., Aichi, Japan. 10,000 units of our carbine in total had exported to Thailand government in 1965 and 1966. These carbines are absent any markings except for the Royal Thai Police logo on the front ring, the serial number, and the "HP" Howa proof mark on the barrel flat. The receiver is identical to the Model 300 except for the dovetail being absent on the commercial model. When these were imported to the United States it was reported that they included the appropriate amount of slings and oilers with no mention of magazines. Is it possible that Thailand had enough magazines from the military reserves or were they issued with Howa-made magazines? The magazine below has been under the club's nose for over 30 years and is described as having a ribbed bottom plate with a hole in it. Compare all the features of this 15-round magazine to the 5-round magazine above. It is clear they were manufactured by Howa. However I will point out that we have no way of knowing they were made for the Thailand Police or as an accessory for the Model 300. Military Assistance Program to Thailand between 1967 and 1976 Thailand received an additional 15,066 U.S. M1 carbines and 9,525 U.S. M2 carbines from the DoD. Thailand's army is known to have received a large number of U.S. M1 and U.S. M2 carbines which they used during the Vietnam War. It is unknown if Thailand issued any of these U.S. carbines to any of the other various government agencies in Thailand. However there have been a few reports of U.S. M1 carbines with scrubbed receivers with the Thai Royal Police logo added to the front ring. Could this be evidence of Military Assistance Program M1 carbines going to police agencies? The Carbine Collectors Club Copyright© 2023 www.USCarbineCal30.com This article and/or its images are the property of the author and or the Carbine Collectors Club. They're not to be distributed or for commercial use without prior written permission (Title 17, Chapter 5, Section 501(a) U.S. Code) Edited by New2brass - Nov 05 2023 at 1:41pm
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