Japanese Handguns

[A. F Medic]

Long article in Shotgun News of April 20th on Japanese handguns. "Were they as bad as they looked?"

I was really surprised how rare some of them are and how poorly some of them functioned.

Information

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[Jim K]

The early guns were well made and finished to the equivalent of, say, German civilian Lugers. I will stack a Baby Nambu up against the best of European guns any day for fit and finish.

The designs are not bad, but the reality was that the Japanese national pride led them (especially Nambu) to put a lot of effort into designing arms that were uniquely Japanese, rather than simply copying foreign ideas as they had done earlier (and afterwards). Whether that approach is good or bad, it precludes use of some good ideas.

Perhaps the best word for those designs is "clever", but there was innovation. I think some of those ideas could have been used later, but they were not. (Example: The Type 14 design could have been used in a center-fire pistol based on the Ruger Standard Model.)

Even the much despised Type 94 actually shows considerable thought as to manufacturing a pistol using a combination of common tooling and fine handwork. And of course, all Japanese arms deteriorated in quality as the war went on, though essentials, like proper hardening, were maintained to near the end.

Were the Japanese pistols good? Not really. They have too many problems, like continual firing pin breakage on the Type 14. But some of their "problems" were just the strange appearance and the American idea that anything that does not look like a Model 1911A1 just has to be junk.

Jim

[Gibbs505]

I think that i have only seen one jap pistol.

[enbloc8]

the reality was that the Japanese national pride led them (especially Nambu) to put a lot of effort into designing arms that were uniquely Japanese, rather than simply copying foreign ideas as they had done earlier (and afterwards). Whether that approach is good or bad, it precludes use of some good ideas.

With that in mind, I always find it a little ironic that many Japanese officers who did carry pistols (and many did not) chose European or American pistols for their sidearms.

[mike113]

I recall (I believe it was the Nambu) had a little problem with firing without touching the trigger, I can't recall if it had to do with touching the magazine or something along the side of the pistol. Apparently they'd go off without any notice.

[enbloc8]

I recall (I believe it was the Nambu) had a little problem with firing without touching the trigger, I can't recall if it had to do with touching the magazine or something along the side of the pistol. Apparently they'd go off without any notice.

That's the Type 94. The sear bar runs along the left side, below the slide, and is exposed. Squeeze the pistol just right and it will discharge. A friend has a Type 94 he brought back from the Philippines and I demonstrated it for him a while ago.

[Jim K]

That design quirk resulted in a lot of silly stories about how the Type 94 was a suicide surrender pistol. Supposedly, a Japanese officer would approach an American, holding the pistol with his finger off the trigger, as if he were going to surrender it, then he would push the sear bar, killing the American.

This is the same kind of nonsense as the M1 clip "ping" attracting an enemy who would bayonet the helpless American while his rifle was empty. Does anyone think that an American would allow an enemy soldier to approach him with a gun in his hand, no matter where his fingers were? Or that anyone would deliberately design a gun to be used in such a way?

Jim

[Johnny Peppers]

The German Luger also had an exposed sear bar, and if the pistol was disassembled with a round in the chamber, the barrel and receiver assembly would fire if the sear was pushed in. This led the police to have a sear safety installed on their Lugers. With the barrel and receiver dissambled from the frame, the sear safety prevented the sear from being tripped accidentally.

[DERF]

hello guys ...... i'm usually on the m1 carbine forum with cadfw ....... i just inherited a type 14 nambu pistol , according to markings was mfg'd in august , 1943 , ( 18 . 8 ) .....it was left to me by my late best friend of 43 yrs who passed away in feb from cancer surgery . the pistol is " about " 80 - 90 % and he shot it once in a while . however , the safety is missing . does anyone have a link to someplace i can get a replacement safety for less than $67.00 that Numrich Gun Parts want ? Any comments are appreciated , I'm an fng to japanese pistols , i do have an Arisaka Type 99 Rifle , 7.7 that is 90 % plus ..... thanks ......... derf

[lboos]

A pic. of my type 14 i got a few years ago to go with my 1911a1 colt USGI, and my S42 luger. it look's like a well made gun to me, the holster is very well made also. i have not shot it yet. a few week's ago i bought two box's of ammo. $43 a box of 50.
mfg'd 12.3 = 1937.