Nambu Automatic Pistol

are a series of semi-automatic pistols produced by the Japanese company Koishikawa Arsenal, later known as the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal.Hogg, Ian, ''Pistols of the World 4th Edition'' (2004) p. 191. The series has three variants, the Type A, the Type B (also known as the Baby Nambu), and the Type 14 (十四年式拳銃, ''Jūyon nen shiki kenjū''). The Nambu pistols were designed to replace Japan's earlier service pistol, the Type 26 revolver.

The pistols were designed by Kijiro Nambu and saw extensive service in the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Pacific War. The most common variant, the Type 14, was used mostly by officers, who had to pay for their pistols themselves.

Towards the end of the war, the production quality began to decline in order to speed up manufacture. Nambu pistols were noted for their lack of reliability and stopping power compared to other handguns being fielded by other nations at the same time, such as the M1911 and Walther P38.

History

Prior to the design of the Nambu, the only pistol in Japanese service was the Type 26 revolver, which served with distinction during the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). However, in the 1890s, semi-automatic pistol designs began to emerge, among them, the Mauser C96, which was influential in the production of the Nambu, as it uses the same locking mechanism as the C96, and the Nambu was designed shortly after a Japanese commission reported on European military developments.

The first Nambu, the Type A, was completed in 1902. This version was never adopted, but some were sold to China and Siam. The Type B was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy and Royal Thai Army during the 1920s, and the later Type 14 was adopted in 1926 ( Taishō 14) as the service pistol of the Imperial Japanese Army until its surrender in 1945. Nambu pistols were symbols of prestige, often carried in fanciful holsters, and were used more as a means of ornament and status rather than actual combative purposes. Japan produced about 400,000 Nambu pistols over the course of the war, whereas in this same time period the United States had made over a million M1911 pistols.

Alongside other Japanese weapons, such as '' guntōs'' and Arisaka rifles, many American servicemen took Nambu pistols home with them as war trophies. Production of Nambu pistols ceased after the end of the war and Nambu pistols were replaced by M1911A1s provided by the US to the Japan Self-Defense Forces and police.

Design

The Nambu pistol is a recoil operated, locked breech, semi-automatic pistol. The Type A and 14 Nambus have magazine capacities of eight rounds, whereas the Type B has seven. A common flaw in the series was that the gun's safety catch and its magazine release did not enable the magazine to slide out of the gun once it was completely empty, forcing the operator to work against the weight of the recoil spring and leaf spring, making reloading difficult. In response to this issue, the magazine catch was removed from the Type 14. Another issue with the safety was that it is located just above the trigger guard, meaning that it can not be activated with the same hand that is holding the pistol.

The grip on the Nambu is slanted, which makes feeding the magazine a delicate procedure. The magazine spring is only about 60% effective, and the bullets moving against the walls of the magazine cause frictional loss, weakening the spring further. Furthermore, the size of the bullets has to be exact; soft point and cast lead bullets fail to chamber properly.

The Nambu pistol uses the 8×22mm Nambu cartridge, which made it substantially weaker than other handguns. The 8 mm round's muzzle energy is less than half that of the 9×19mm Parabellum (used in the Walther P38), and the 7.62×25mm Tokarev (used in the TT-33).

Type A

The first type of Nambu that was produced was the Type A. Type A Nambus produced from 1903-1906 have differences from those produced after 1906, and, among collectors, the original Nambus are commonly referred to as "Grandpa" Nambus.Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 8 The "Grandpa" Type A was produced until around serial number 2,400. Production of the Type A Nambu ceased as of 1923, as the Type 14 was both cheaper, and more effective.Hogg, Ian, ''Pistols of the World 4th Edition'' (2004) p. 232. The Nambu Type A somewhat resembles the Luger pistol in appearance, but this is superficial.

A later version of the Type A Nambu, the Type A modified, also known as the "Papa" Nambu, was produced until around serial number 7,000.Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 9. The trigger guard of the "Grandpa" Nambu was enlarged in later models. The Type A originally had a provision that allowed for the installation of a stock, as seen on the Mauser C96. However, there are no known instances of a Nambu pistol being fitted with a stock.

Type B

Due to failings with the Type A Nambu, an improvement, the Type B, was devised.Hogg, Ian, ''Military Small Arms of the 20th Century 7th Edition'' (2000) p. 67. Both the pistol itself, and the round it fired, are smaller than the other Nambu pistols, leading to the name "Baby" Nambu.Kinard, Jeff. ''Pistols: an illustrated history of their impact'', p. 245, ABC-CLIO, Inc. 2003. Type B Nambus were produced at the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal.Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 11. The first 450 models have the bottom part of the magazine made of wood, and only one diameter firing pin, but later Type Bs have the magazine made from aluminium, and incorporate a multiple diameter firing pin. The Type B Nambu was never adopted officially by any Japanese armed forces.Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 12. As was customary in the Imperial Japanese Army, officers paid for pistols with their own salaries, but the Type B Nambu was unable to achieve market success as it was twice the price of a comparable imported pistol, such as the FN M1900. A Type B Nambu sold for 180 yen,Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 13 making it cost roughly the same as a captain's entire monthly salary.

After the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, Koishikawa arsenal stopped producing new parts for Type B Nambus, but continued to assemble ones with pre-existing parts until 1929

Type 14

The Type 14 Nambu gets its name from the year it was produced - the 14th year of the Taishō era, or 1926. It was designed to help lower the manufacturing cost of the Nambus, and like the Type A, fires the 8×22mm Nambu.Hogg, Ian, ''Military Small Arms of the 20th Century 7th Edition'' (2000) p. 66 From 1927, it was a standard issue sidearm for officers and was being sold for 78 yen by 1939. It is believed that around 400,000 Type 14 Nambus were produced, but the exact number is unknown, as Japanese soldiers considered their weapons property of the emperor, and many chose to destroy their pistols or throw them into the ocean to avoid them falling into enemy hands.

Later production models have a larger trigger guard, following complaints by soldiers stationed in Manchukuo that it was difficult to fire the trigger while wearing gloves. Some of these models also have a knurled steel cocking knob instead of the standard "slotted" cocking knob. After 1940, an auxiliary magazine spring was added to assist in reloading.Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 22. A redesigned cocking knob was implemented in 1944 in order to simplify production. The Type 14 also lacks the grip safety used on the previous models.

Pre-1937 Type 14s are well made, with a noticeable decline in quality after the war's beginning, to meet the production demands of wartime.Kinard, Jeff. ''Pistols: an illustrated history of their impact'', p. 246, ABC-CLIO, Inc. 2003. However, later Type 14s remained mostly functional despite the decreased quality. The holsters for the pistols also had to be changed to accommodate wartime. A lack of available raw materials resulted in a move from holsters made of leather, to rubberized canvas.Skennerton, Ian, ''Japanese Service Pistols Handbook'' (2008) p. 30.

Users

* McNab, Chris, ''The Great Book of Guns'' (2004) p. 124
*
*
*
*: Used by Chang Tso-lin's warlord army and by the National Revolutionary Army.
*
* : Used by Viet Minh soldiers in the First Indochina War and later used by Viet Cong during Vietnam War.

Legacy

In 1949, William B. Ruger took design elements of the Nambu in his own design, which became the Ruger Standard. This was the first weapon designed by Sturm, Ruger & Co. The Ruger Standard would become the most successful .22LR pistol ever produced,Quinn, Boge
"Ruger 50th Anniversary .22"
Gunblast Web site. Accessed January 8, 2009.Metcalf, Dick

About.com Web site. Accessed January 13, 2009. and as of 2016, Ruger's company produced more firearms than any other American company, and was worth over $600 million.

Because of their rarity and historical significance, Nambu pistols became sought after by gun collectors, with models selling anywhere from $800 to $1,500.

In popular culture

* In '' The Mandalorian'', the character Cara Dune uses a Nambu pistol, modified to fit the sci-fi setting.

Notes

References

*
*
*
*
*

External links

Modern Firearms pageNambu 15-Shot Type A Experimental

{{Japanese WWII infantry weapons
8×22mm Nambu firearms
Semi-automatic pistols of Japan
World War I Japanese infantry weapons
World War II infantry weapons of Japan
Semi-automatic pistols 1901–1909
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1906