Type 94 Nambu pistol

The Type 94 Nambu 8 mm Pistol (Type 94 Handgun, Japanese: 九四式拳銃 Kyūyon-Shiki Kenjū) was a semiautomatic pistol developed by Kijirō Nambu and his associates for the Imperial Japanese Army. Naming of the Type 94 pistol reflects the change in Japanese nomenclature with the 94 reckoning back to the mythical foundation of Japan in 660 BC therefore year 2594 instead of the traditional emperor reign period used to name the Type 26 revolver or Type 14 Nambu pistol. Design for the Type 94 pistol began in 1924 and it entered production after repeated redesign in 1935. Approximately 71,000 pistols were produced before production ended in 1945.

The Type 94 pistol is considered to be poorly designed. The process to disassemble the pistol is considered overly complex and awkward. The pistol could be fired unintentionally before the breech was fully locked if the sear bar on the side of the receiver was jarred loose and the pistol was improperly handled. The quality of the Type 94 pistol degraded during its production history with pistols made in 1945 being crudely manufactured. The Type 94 was popular among Japanese tank and aircraft crews for its smaller and lightweight design.

History
Design for the Type 94 Nambu pistol began in 1929 with the goal of reducing the bulk and price of previous Nambu designs. The Imperial Japanese Army felt a smaller pistol of domestic design that could accommodate the standard 8mm Japanese cartridge was needed to substitute the larger, heavier and only official military pistol, the Type 14 Nambu. The demand for officer's handguns had increased as a result of Japan's invasion of Manchuria during the Second Sino-Japanese War. A new design was also wanted by the Japanese Army to include a magazine safety, to prevent unintentional discharges during cleaning which was a considered a serious problem among Japanese personnel. The final prototype for the Type 94 was tested and officially adopted by the Japanese Army in late 1934 (Japanese calendar, 2594) after several redesigns. Production began under the supervision of the Nagoya Army Arsenal at the Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company and later its successor, Chuo Kogyo Company, Ltd.

Design
The Type 94 pistol is recoil operated, utilizing a separate block that floats between two lugs under the chamber of the barrel. A sturdier hammer firing mechanism was developed and included in the Type 94 to replace the poor striker on the Type 14 Nambu. The firing pin is considered inherently weak and is prone to breakage because of a recess cut provided for the crossbolt. The magazine catch protrudes far enough to occasionally disengage when the pistol is placed on its left side on a hard surface. The safety lever is located on the left rear of the frame and has the kanji for fire and safe stamped onto the frame. The grip is smaller than other Japanese pistols and is finished with smooth wood but was considered more comfortable to use by men with smaller hands. The magazine holds a maximum of six rounds because of the smaller grip and it is considered difficult to reload the weapon, with pressure from the bolt holding it inside the pistol.<ref name="JMCH191"

Final production
The quality of Type 94 Nambu pistols decreased towards the end of World War II as the Japanese faced bombing raids from allied forces and material shortages increased. This drastic change in quality from late March 1945, onwards with all standards appearing to disappear towards the end of June 1945. The smooth wooden finished grip was replaces by a bakelite checkered pattern. Many pistols were not serialized and no pistols have been reported that bear July 1945 manufacture date. Only four unserialized and undated pistols are known to exist and include mismatch parts with no inspection marks, lanyard loops, and extractors. A small number of pistols made during the final production stages include earlier production dates and appear to have been salvaged from previously discarded pistols who had minor or cosmetic defects.



Unintentional firing
The poor design of the breech allowed the Type 94 Nambu to be fired unintentionally. The sear bar on the side of the pistol could be jarred loose during engagement if the pistol was cocked and handled carelessly. The forward end of the sear bar would need to be depressed approximate 2mm to cause the weapon to fire. The ability to fire the Type 94 without pulling the trigger gave rise to war stories of Japanese soldiers surrendering, only to fire the pistol, earning the pistol monikers such as the "suicide special" and the "surrender pistol". These stories are widely discredited because of the difficulty to fire the weapon by squeezing the sear bar. If the safety is engaged on the Type 94 it is impossible for the weapon to discharge unintentionally.

Holster
Holsters for the Type 94 pistol were generally made from either pigskin or cowhide leather and ranged in color from tan to dark reddish brown. Holsters faced the same degradation in quality as the Type 94 pistol. As supplies of leather were exhausted in Japan, holsters manufactured in 1944 became fabricated from olive drab fabric. The Type 94 pistol holster is distinguishable from other Japanese holsters having a pointed closure flap and a vertically positioned magazine pouch. The pouch tow has a narrow extension to accommodate a cleaning rod. The majority of holsters were made in civilian owned tanneries with some ink stamped with arsenal and inspection marks. A belt loop and two shoulder strap "D" rings are provided on the rear of the holster and are made from brass, galvanized steel, or nickel plating.