In my private collection, I have carrying cases (Shūyō-nō/収容嚢) for the Type 97 Sniper Scope (Kyūnana-shiki Sogeki Gankyō/九七式狙撃眼鏡), designed for the Type 97 sniper rifle (Kyūnana-shiki Sogeki Jū/九七式狙撃銃). As a matter of fact, I have two of them.
It’s not a standard piece of equipment, and originally, I had planned to introduce it at a later time. However, due to a recent opportunity, I’ve decided to pass one of them on to an acquaintance. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to compare the two carrying cases for the sake of record-keeping, leading me to write this article.
These two acquisitions come from entirely different sources, yet they bear a striking resemblance down to the smallest details. Searching online, I’ve come across carrying cases that are slightly different from the ones I possess, suggesting that variations may arise due to differences in production batches or manufacturing facilities.
Detailed Photos of the Carrying Cases
Let’s start by examining the exterior. I don’t have the actual Type 97 sniper scope, so the one pictured is a replica from S&T. Unfortunately, the S&T replica is slightly larger in size, and it couldn’t fit into either of the carrying cases.
As you can see, the carrying case on the left is missing its shoulder strap. The one I’m offering this time is the one with the missing strap. However, the buyer is skilled at creating intricate replicas, and he plans to recreate the shoulder strap himself.
When you open the lid of the carrying case, the interior looks like this. The cord on the right side, the cloth-like tongue, and the loops inside, I believe, are intended for storing cleaning brushes. In the Japanese military, there was a rule to clean the lenses of sniper scopes using a brush.
It seems that, for loss prevention, they tied the brush to a cord, passed the body of the brush through the loop hole, and stored it, protecting the brush tip with the cloth tongue. The longer of the two cords measures approximately 35cm (including the tied portion). The shorter one appears to be cut midway, indicating it was likely of a similar length originally.
On the bottom of the lid, a velvety black fabric is affixed. Perhaps, it was a part that the sniper scope frequently touched, as both carrying cases exhibit thinning of the fabric in a similar position.
Finally, regarding the shoulder strap, it seems to follow the specifications of the Type 93 Binoculars Case (Kyūsan-siki Sōgankyō-nō). Although the threading of the strap is slightly different, the width of the strap and the shape of the buckle match.
Chat of Soshu
The first Japanese military airsoft gun I acquired was the KTW Type 97 Sniper Rifle “Modified”. KTW seemed to have trouble finding a manufacturer to replicate the scope, so they opted to reproduce only the base of the sniper scope. Users could then attach a modern scope to that base.
I was dissatisfied with the considerably larger and less elegant appearance compared to the actual Type 97 sniper scope. Despite this, I wanted to carry it in a carrying case, so I referenced photos found online to create a handmade case. However, with limited and unclear photos available, I ended up making more of a box that could accommodate it. This prompted me to desire obtaining an actual carrying case.
As for the sniper scope, I was contemplating what to do since the actual items are rarely available. However, when S&T released the Type 97 sniper rifle, I had hopes that they might sell the sniper scope separately. As expected, it was indeed offered for sale, so I promptly acquired it.
Unfortunately, the S&T sniper scope did not fit into either of the carrying cases I own. However, as is common with Japanese military equipment, it may not easily fit into setups other than the original due to the craftsmanship that closely resembles handmade processes. Nevertheless, I am grateful to S&T for offering the sniper scope separately.
Later, it became apparent that something extremely regrettable had occurred. I had assumed without actually trying that S&T Type 97 sniper scope could be attached to KTW Type 97 sniper rifle. However, when I attempted to attach it, I found that the shape of the mount was subtly different, preventing it from fitting properly. Furthermore, it was also discovered that with S&T Type 97 sniper scope, the actions of “detach/脱” and “attach/装” were reversed (where “detach” would actually secure it, and “attach” would release it).
I had intended to take the sniper scope from S&T and attach it to KTW for use, but it turned out to be a disappointment.
