The Japanese Nambu Pistol Part III — The Type 14In case you missed Part I, Part IIWhile th

The Japanese Nambu Pistol Part III — The Type 14In case you missed Part I, Part IIWhile the Nambu pistol was a successful design mechanically, being a reliable weapon (when maintained properly) well balanced, and very accurate, it did not gain much popularity with the military because of it’s high price tag. Recall I have mentioned before that Japanese officers were required to purchase their own sidearms, and the Nambu was simply drowned out by competition from cheap foreign imports.In 1925 Kijiro Nambu set upon a redesign of his pistol with the purpose of simplifying it to make it cheaper and easier to mass produce. First, the heavily checkered grip of the Type A was replaced with a simple grip with lines cut horizontally. The grip safety of the Type A gave way to a manual safety located on the left hand side of the pistol. The adjustable rear sights of the Type A was replaced with a fixed sight, as making 500 yards shots with a pistol was just wishful thinking. The rear cocking knob was redesigned and simplified to make it easier to cock the pistol. Finally the finishing and bluing of the Type 14 used much cheaper materials. Below you can see the differences between the Type 2 and Type 14.Kijiro Nambu found success with the Type 14 when in 1927 the Japanese Army adopted it as the standard sidearm for all non-commissioned officers. Furthermore, since the new Type 14 was much more cheaper, it was now competitive with other pistols price wise and many Japanese officers chose to purchase it instead of foreign imports. One further improvement would be made to the Type 14. One big complaint with the Type A Grandpa Nambu was that it’s trigger guard was too small. The trigger guard was enlarged slightly with the Papa Nambu, but again it’s size was a major complaint among users. After use by Japanese soldiers in Manchuria who often had to war gloves to keep their hands warm, the trigger guard would be enlarged further so that it noticeably bulged outwards.The Type 14 would be used by the Japanese Army and Navy in the Second Sino Japanese War in the 1930′s and World War II in the 1940′s. As World War II progressed and Japan suffered dire resource shortages, the quality of the Type 14 decreased, although it’s functionality remained intact. During World War II, the Type 14 became a favorite trophy pistol of Allied serviceman, much like the German Luger in Europe. Around 400,000 were manufactured between 1927 and 1945. -- source link

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