Strange Japanese Rifle (?)

[Guamsst]

nobody's saying that, and I think we covered that possibility quite early in the discussion. The rest of the thread got diverted into which of the possible SA-produced stocks it might be, and which of those it most resembles.

mhb - Mike

Kind of my point. It seems like you guys pretty much ruled it out but then started grasping for rarer possibilities, when the most likely answer is that it was a sporter rifle used by some officer to hunt small game.

[mhb]

having already said that the thread sorta went off on a discussion of unlikely alternatives, I'll point out that it wasn't me who lead the parade. I was and am willing to discuss alternatives proposed in the process, though my own belief, based on what can be seen in the photo, has not changed: the rifle shown is most likely a sporterized 1903 Springfield.

mhb - Mike

Kind of my point. It seems like you guys pretty much ruled it out but then started grasping for rarer possibilities, when the most likely answer is that it was a sporter rifle used by some officer to hunt small game.

[Guamsst]

agreed

[Devil Dog]

What Japanese soldier would carry a .22 rifle in combat?

[mhb]

that anyone suggested the rifle was actually a .22, though it could have been. It appears to be a sporting rifle, and speculation was that it was a sporterized 1903 Springfield in .30-06.
The rifle is almost certainly a captured or surrendered piece, and not what the Japanese soldier would have used in combat.
The topic got sidetracked on the features of the stock, itself, which led to a discussion of the various types of 'sporter-appearing' stocks used by Springfield Armory on its NRA Sporter rifles in cal. .30 and its several models of .22 rifles: both calibers were furnished with very similar stocks.
However, at the end, we don't have enough information to say with certainty exactly what the pictured rifle is, except that it is not a purely military type.

mhb - Mike

What Japanese soldier would carry a .22 rifle in combat?

[Guamsst]

Nothing about the photo would prevent it from being a .22 or any other form of craziness. I have seen plenty of soldiers holding up some seriously stupid war trophies. You don't get to pick and choose what the enemy leaves behind.