Jap Type 26 Nambu Revolver 9x22

[A. F Medic]

Images of this rearsenaled Japanese pistol. Made ca. 1893 and redone ca. 1934. Spirals on grips means rearsenaled plus other items. Obsolete cartridge.

Sorry for the number of images but one does not see these this often and in this condition. Marine bring back from Pacific.




This says, 2 10 6 year type. Type 26 Tokyo/Kokura Arsenal








Japanese cartridges. Original!




Look what happens to the 9mm.




The indent is for opening the side plate to clean action. You must first pull the trigger group down to release the lock on the indent. Somebody tried to to open the side plate without pulling the trigger group down. May not open now.





Front of pistol...



Compare original cart. to modern 9mm....



Pistol is a copied mixture of other foreign firearms including S&W....





Pistol is double action only and cylinder only locks up for firing! If cylinder is moved from outside source, you may try to fire an empty chamber! Not good!

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Bill Hollinger]

I have one as well. Mine has the same grips but the finish is original. Quite an interesting revolver. The thing I couldn't get past is the cylinder turning on it's own and not locking. Strange! I'm told that one can reload rounds for it using cut down .38 S&W with a light powder charge. I think I'll just leave it in the safe and look at it once in a while. Mine came with an original holster with Japanese writing on the inside flap but no cleaning rod. I hear the cleaning rods are like hen's teeth and when you do find one it is rotted away.

[Jim K]

.38 S&W can be used, but the rim has to be cut down from the front since the 9mm Jap rim is thinner that that of the .38 S&W. The cartridge is a 9mm, but should not be confused with the more common 9mm Parabellum and 9mm Browning Short (.380 ACP), which are rimless auto pistol cartridges.

It would also be possible to enable firing .38 S&W by reaming the rim recess deeper or filing the breech face to increase headspace, but most collectors don't want to alter the guns.

The guns are not really impressive to fire, either with service ammo or with .38 S&W cartridges. Ballistically, the two rounds are almost twins; the Japanese factory load is a 150 grain bullet at 634 fps (15 ft), the .38 S&W fires a 146 gr. bullet at 685 fps (muzzle). While I would not want to be shot with either, it would seem that the Japanese, like the British, considered a revolver more a badge of office than a serious weapon of war.

The original finish is "hard" black ("carbon") , about like the Colt black finish of the same era; since it is applied in manufacture and nearly impossible to duplicate by other means, the arsenal reworks were rust blued. The difference is immediately apparent regardless of whether new grips were used. There are matching number guns with mixed parts: barrel and cylinder refinished, frame original, and vice versa, so it seems parts were refinished only if necessary.

The question of matching parts is complicated by the use of assembly numbers which may or may not match the last digits of the serial number, and may or may not match each other.

The best information I know of is in Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893-1945, by Harry Derby III and James d. Brown. An expensive and literally weighty book, but worth the investment.

Jim

[DRB]

They are neat but they are not a Nambu as in Nambu had nothing to do with the design. The first Nambu was what we call the Grandpa Nambu and all Nambus were auto loaders. As a matter those grooved grips are original to some of the type 26 Japanese revolvers but only the tail end of production they are a arsenal replacement on yours.

[A. F Medic]

They are neat but they are not a Nambu as in Nambu had nothing to do with the design. The first Nambu was what we call the Grandpa Nambu and all Nambus were auto loaders. As a matter those grooved grips are original to some of the type 26 Japanese revolvers but only the tail end of production they are a arsenal replacement on yours.

You may be right. Most of my information came from here. Thanks!!

Nambu World: Terifs Japanese Handgun Website

[Jim K]

Those grips were also replacement grips, so a revolver may have them without ever having been reworked if the original grips were damaged.

Correct on the "Nambu"; Nambu had nothing to do with the Type 26, but Rast and Gasser did, as did Smith and Wesson.

Jim

[Bill Hollinger]

Here is mine. It has some engraving on the frame and barrel/cylinder assembly F3-499. I'm told the color of the hammer tell of it's original finish.

[doncb]

Thanks for the great pictures. don in fl.

[Dan Mcinenly]

you can use flush seated 38 spl wad cutters with scotch tape wrapped around them in an emergency! cases will still hold but I would only use them once, beats the hell out of trying to find real ammo for it, in case you just wanted to try it out!

[arisakadogs]

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