Nambu Pistol

The Type 14 was actually introduced into the Imperialist Japanese Navy in 1915. The later productions were fitted with a mush larger trigger housing to fit the hand of a shooter wearing gloves. The Pistol was only used by officers and MPs of the Imperialist Japanese Army until Japan’s surrendered.

It is seriously flawed, both in construction, and ammunition used. The pistol utilized a weak 8 mm cartridge, which was considerably less powerful than comparable Western rounds like the .45 ACP, the 7.62×25mm Tokarev, the .455 Webley, and the 9×19mm Parabellum. The safety catch was completely useless, and the magazine springs were week and often resulted in jams. On the positive side, the Nambu was accurate, and low recoil of the 8mm round helped improve that accuracy.

However, there was one redeeming quality that had apparently caught the eye of William B. Ruger who had acquired a captured Nambu from returning to the U.S. Marines, shortly after WWII ended in 1945. Bill Ruger duplicated two “baby” Nambus in his garage, and although he had decided against marketing them, the handgun’s rear cocking device and the Nambu’s silhouette was incorporated into one of the most popular .22 semi-automatic pistols ever to enter the U.S. firearms market, when in 1949 the Ruger Standard (and later Mark I, II, and III) pistols were sold in U.S. public.

The original Nambu was the Type 14, designed by General Kijiro Nambu in 1902. The Type A has two basic variants, the Type A model 1902 and the Type A 1902 Modified. The Type 14(Baby Nambu) replaced the Type A (Grandpa and Papa Nambu) in the mid 1920s. The Type A Model 1902 was the original variant and fires the 8mm round. It is distinguished by a fixed lanyard, a small trigger guard, and grips that did not cover the grip safety pin. Magazine bases were made out of horn on early models and wood on later models. The Type As were built to accept wooded shoulder stock which doubled as a holster. About 2,400 Type As were manufactured during the time they were commissioned in the war.

The Type A Model 1902 Modified, or Papa Nambu, is generally similar to the Type A but had a swiveling lanyard and aluminum magazine base. The sights, grip, safety and magazine finger pad were also different. The Papas were the most common Variant of the Type A with about 10,300 manufactured.

The Baby Nambu was a scaled down version of the Grandpa Nambu that fired a 7mm round. About 6,500 Babys were manufactured. The Baby Nambu is a variant most sought after by modern collectors. The approximately 550 Babys produced by Tokyo Gas and Electric are the rarest and most desirable.

The Type 14 Nambu was designed in 1925 (the 14th year of the reign of Emperor Taisho, hence the designation). The Type 14 was an improved version of the Type A Nambu, but is generally smaller in dimensions and performance. Later productions are distinguished by an enlarged, oblong shaped trigger guard.