[Okazaki Tomoya]

Alright, this is merely a discussion on the various firearms, model or real, that my heroine, Tatsumiya Mana, uses. The purpose of the discussion? Mainly to talk about it, and find a possible trend in her preferences and just have a place for me to post my theories. As well as possibly decide why that specific firearm was featured in the Negiverse.

So, to start off, my small speculation rant on the M40A1, how it fits into our world and Negima. Keep in mind though folks, I am still rushing to catch up with the series, and would like some help and insight.

M40A1

The M40A1 Mana uses is a faithful recreation of the famed M40A1 used by the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam conflict. As an airsoft weapon, it fires 6mm BBs enhanced for exorcism purposes. According to the Artifacts and Items article on Wikipedia, the weapon is supposedly Semi-Automatic in the manga, thus leading to the speculation that her weapon either uses pressurized Gas (CO2) kept in cylinders or an internal pressure tank most likely kept in the stock of the weapon, or uses the familiar AEG. I would discount the Spring system, mainly that would have Mana use the bolt action, thus cocking the internal spring. I would highly guess she modified it to achieve a higher velocity in order to achieve some range, counting if the round was magically altered, and if this was so, and drag is nearly ineffective, she would possibly have a limitless range on this weapon.

While this may not count in a factor, due to Japan's inherent Gun Laws, this may be the weapon she needs, as it is stated in the article that she uses this weapon for Biathalon events, and I highly doubt a sane Japanese official will allow a middle schooler to have access to even Hunting rifles. Within the world of Negima though, it would be quite wise, seeing that a good box of match grade .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm NATO rounds end up being between USD$30 - USD$45 for a box that usually have 50 rounds. Where in the world will she get that in Japan?

There are some speculation why Akamatsu decided to give her the M40A1 instead of the standard Remington 700 which the USMC Precision Weapons Shop in Quantico uses to create M40s. The notable design differences would be the 5 round detachable magazine, which is nice to have in an Airsoft capability. The original, real Remington 700 had 4,5,6 round internal magazines, although the police/government model uses the magazine. I believe it is just part of an overall theme within anime. Middle and Highschool students who end up being mercenaries usually use mil-grade weapons.


In the end though. I just like the fact she uses it. The M40A1 is a good weapon, and for her to use the airsfot replica, which I assume has been modded, suits her.