The Hino–Komuro M1908 was a blow-forward operated, semi-automatic pistol of Japanese origin and was patented by Yujiro Komuro.
The designer, Kumazo Hino, was a contemporary of the legendary firearm inventor
Murata Tsuneyoshi
was a Japanese samurai, swordsman, marksman, firearm inventor, gunsmith, soldier, and military officer. He also used the assumed names and .
Biography
He was born the eldest son of , a retainer of the Shimazu clan. In his youth he studie ...
, and was himself known as a great inventor and an aviation pioneer. Most of the records were lost when Hino's home in
Tokyo was fire bombed during World War II.
It was chambered in
8mm Nambu,
.32 ACP
.32 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol, also known as .32 Automatic) is a centerfire pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pi ...
, and
.25 ACP
The .25 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol) (6.35×16mmSR) is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled centerfire pistol cartridge introduced by John Browning
John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855 – November 26, 1926) was an American firearm designe ...
. The 8mm chambering was later dropped, as the cartridge proved too powerful for the design. Roughly 1200 guns were made between 1908 and 1912.
In December 1992, a cache of 17 Hino–Komuro Pistols chambered in .32 ACP were found in a warehouse that are believed to have been stored for 45 years and seven were retained by Japanese authorities for evaluation when the rest were scheduled for destruction as they were not legally registered. As there are only a small number of these weapons, they are considered highly collectible firearms.
References
* "The Rare Japanese Hino-Komuro Pistol" by Harry Derby. ''Gun Collector’s Digest'' Third Edition, 1981, pp. 61–71
External links
*
Forgottenweapons.comYouTube.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hino-Komuro pistol
.25 ACP semi-automatic pistols
.32 ACP semi-automatic pistols
8×22mm Nambu firearms
Blow forward firearms
Semi-automatic pistols 1901–1909
Semi-automatic pistols of Japan
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1908