Type 62 machine gun on tripod
| Caliber | 7,62x51 NATO |
| Weight | 10,7 kg (gun with bipod) + 6,4 (US M2 tripod) |
| Length | 1200 mm |
| Barrel length | 635 mm |
| Feed | belt |
| Rate of fire | 550 rounds per minute |
Type 62 general purpose machine gun was developed during early 1960s and adopted by Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) in 1962. It is still in use by JSDF, and it was never exported from Japan.
The Type 62 universal machine gun is automatic weapon with air-cooled, quick detachable barrel. The gun is gas-operated, with a long-stroke gas piston located below the barrel. Barrel locking is achieved by tilting the front of the bolt up, so its lateral lugs can engage recesses in the receiver walls. Upon discharge, cams on the gas piston / operating rod first drop the front of the bolt down to unlock and then retract it to complete the reloading cycle. The extraction system is also quite unusual. Instead of the traditional spring-loaded hook extractor, the Type 62 bolt has a solid claw-shaped hook made above the breech face of the bolt. Upon unlocking, as the bolt head is tipped down, this hook also goes down and firmly engages the ejection groove of the fired cartridge case. Spent cases are ejected downwards.
The gun is belt-fed, using US M13 disintegrating-link belts with open pockets. The feed direction is from the left side only. The feed system pulls the belt in two strokes, a half-step on bolt-opening and half-step on the bolt closing. Cartridges are then pushed from the belt directly into the chamber.
The gun is fitted with a pistol grip and a single trigger, which permits automatic fire only. Additional furniture includes a wooden buttstock and a folding bipod that is attached to the gas tube below the barrel. For the sustained fire role the Type 62 can be installed on the US M2 tripod.
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