The 8×22mm Nambu is a rimless, bottleneck handgun cartridge introduced in

Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

in 1904, used in the Type 100 submachine gun, Nambu pistols (Type A, the Type B and Type 14) and the Nambu Type 94 pistol. The 8×22mm Nambu cartridge was used in both the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

and

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

Origins

Towards the end of the 19th century, certain

semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol (also called a self-loading pistol, autopistol, or autoloading pistol) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridge (firearms), cartridges in its chamber (firearms), chamber afte ...

designs began to see production, such as the Borchardt C-93 and

Mauser C96 The Mauser C96 (''Construktion 96'') is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 20 ...

. Japan, in the midst of the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, was keen to not fall behind when it came to military technology, and devised a replacement for their Type 26

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

. By 1902, the first

Nambu pistol are a series of semi-automatic pistols produced by the Japanese company Koishikawa Arsenal, later known as the Koishikawa Arsenal, Tokyo Artillery Arsenal.Hogg, Ian, ''Pistols of the World 4th Edition'' (2004) p. 191. The series has three variant ...

was developed, which was chambered in 8×22mm Nambu.Hogg, Ian, ''Pistols of the World 4th Edition'' (2004) p. 191. Initially produced for Japanese army and naval officers' private purchase, the 8×22mm Nambu was not officially adopted until 1926 when it was designated as the Type 14 pistol cartridge.

Usage

The 8×22mm Nambu round was first used in the Nambu pistols, which were first used during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. Major usage didn't begin until the

and

, during which time, the Type 100 submachine gun was created, which also fired 8×22mm Nambu. By the war's end in 1945, around 400,000 Nambu pistols and 8,500 Type 100s had been produced. Small batches of Nambu pistols were also exported to Siam and China before World War II. After World War II, there were isolated reports of 8×22mm usage by the

Viet Cong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, and ...

during the opening stages of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and the Chinese Communist forces in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Afterwards there was no major demand to keep the 8×22mm round afloat, and the post-war

Japan Self-Defense Forces The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense ...

swiftly replaced it with the

9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO or simply 9mm) is a Rim (firearms)#Rimless, rimless, Centerfire ammunition, centerfire, tapered cartridge (firearms), firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer ...

, which during World War II was already in use in the United Kingdom and Germany. The JSDF replaced the Nambu pistol and Type 100 with the

SIG Sauer P220 The SIG Sauer P220 is a semi-automatic pistol designed in 1975 by the SIG Arms AG division of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (now SIG Holding AG), and produced by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, in Eckernförde. It is currently manufactured by both ...

and

Minebea PM-9 The Minebea PM-9 Submachine Gun, known officially in the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) as the or as the M9, is a Japanese-made submachine gun and machine pistol. Analogous to the Israeli Uzi#Military variants, IMI Mini-Uzi, it has the same ...

, respectively. In 1939, the cost of 8×22mm Nambu ammunition manufactured by the Imperial Japanese Army's arsenals was 390

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. T ...

per 10,000 rounds. Because of the rarity and historical impact of the 8×22mm Nambu, it has become popular among post-war collectors. A box of just 15 rounds was sold in 2009 for $250.

Performance

The standard issue military 8×22mm Nambu round has a bullet that travels at approximately at the muzzle when fired from a Nambu pistol. The muzzle energy of the 8×22mm Nambu is half that of the 9×19mm, and less than half of the 7.62×25mm Tokarev, and it is often regarded as lacking in stopping power. However, its overall

stopping power Stopping power is the supposed ability of a weapon – typically a ranged weapon such as a firearm – to cause a target (human or animal) to be incapacitated or immobilized. Stopping power contrasts with lethality in that it pertains only to a ...

is comparable to that of the 9×17mm ( .380 ACP), which was used by German and Italian officers during World War II.

References

External links

Small Arms of WWI Primer 070: Japanese Nambu Type A Modified
at C&Rsenal

at Nambu World {{DEFAULTSORT:8x22mm Nambu Pistol and rifle cartridges Military cartridges World War II infantry weapons of Japan Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1904

Origins

Usage

Performance

See also

References

External links