The Nambu Type 14 was adopted in 1926 as the service pistol of the Imperial Japanese Army and served as its military sidearm until the Japanese surrender in 1945. It was designated the Type 14 because it was adopted in the 14^th year of their current emperor’s reign, 1925. Of the estimated 400,000 Type 14 Nambu pistols made, many found their way home to the U.S. as war trophies of WWII. There they languished as lack of ammo prevented their use. Now, Steinel Ammunition is making 8mm Nambu ammo and I had 100 rounds of it for test firing.

Shooting these pistols is an eye-opening experience. This a super easy-to-hit-with pistol that is fun to shoot. It delivers pinpoint accuracy, easily hitting one-inch targets at 25 yards firing the pistol with one hand, like pistols are supposed to be fired. Recoil is the about the same as a .22 pistol. It points perfectly and hangs steady. Workmanship on all but the late war production guns is flawless, and the gun functions reliably as is expected of a military issue pistol. Trigger pull on the test gun was so perfect that it could not be improved on. The sights were high visibility with the rear sight opening broader at the bottom in order to let in more light in low light conditions.

I also let two other men and one of their wives shoot the Nambu and all three wanted to buy one. I have never had that universal reaction to a gun that I let others fire.

DESIGN CRITERIA

This ease of hitting with the Nambu was a design necessity for the Japanese and Colonel Kijiro Nambu was up to the challenge. The average Japanese officer of the day was not a pistol shooter and he dreamed of cutting down the emperor’s enemies with his samurai sword, not shooting them. In order for him to be effective with a pistol, he had to be given every advantage possible. The Luger pistol was the best pointing pistol of the day, but it had a little more recoil than the Japanese designers wanted. In addition, the Luger’s grip was a bit large for some of the Japanese hands of the period. While the Imperial Naval Marines had a 6-foot minimum height the poor diet of most of the Japanese of this period left a lot of small men as a result. You need good nutrition to grow big.

CALIBER SELECTION

At this time the Japanese were looking toward Europe as a model for their modernization and the 32 ACP was considered a perfectly adequate military and police caliber in Europe in the early 20^th Century. A lot of Japanese officers were carrying various private purchase .32 automatics. One big reason for this was the fact that the 32 ACP is the largest pistol caliber that has about the same recoil as a 22 LR making it easy to master. This is why that even today it is the most produced pistol caliber in the world.

The Japanese military felt that their status demanded their own cartridge though, so they developed the .32 caliber 8mm Nambu cartridge which looks like a 30 Luger but performs like a relatively hot loaded 32 ACP. The Steinel ammo, which shoots to the sights of the Nambu perfectly, has an 83-grain FMJ bullet moving at 1040 FPS. Like the 32 ACP FMJ, it is a very good penetrator, and the Japanese military were quite happy with it.

ERGONOMICS

The grip angle of the Luger was copied but the grip was made smaller by the expedient of placing the two recoil springs mounted alongside the bolt and leaving the grip as just a magazine well. Great attention was paid to getting a perfect balance and the final result was a gun that pointed fast and accurately yet had no real recoil to disturb the shooter. This also makes the Nambu the ideal gun for teaching a small child to shoot a pistol. It is certainly not too big being only 32 ounces and 9 inches overall with a 4 3/4-inch barrel.

The magazine is copied from the German Luger, and, like the Luger, its angle causes enough friction that the magazine spring is only 60% efficient, so you have to have a heavier, stronger spring. There is a loading button to pull the follower down for easier loading.

MAGAZINE RETENTION AND OTHER STRANGE FEATURES AND FLAWS

The Japanese lack of expertise with a semi-auto pistol was shown by the fact that the Japanese did not like the magazine coming out easily when the magazine release catch was pushed in on the first model of the Type 14 (which had a smaller, round trigger guard.) Apparently, they were afraid of dropping and possibly losing magazines. So, they added a spring to the front of the grip to retard the magazine from dropping free. Add to this the fact that the bolt is held open by the magazine at the last shot and removal of the magazine can become difficult. I have fired Nambus where magazine removal was not a problem and others where it was.

The first models with the round trigger guard usually do not have a magazine safety while the second model always was fitted with one. In addition, not all the parts interchange. For example, the first model has a long firing pin that stops short of the bolt lock while the second model has a short firing pin that passes through a notch cut into the bolt lock.

The safety is too far forward to be operated by the shooting hand but apparently the Japanese figured your left hand had to be doing something so let it handle the safety.

The most serious flaw is that the pistol can be reassembled and fired without the locking block which could result in damage to both the gun and the shooter. Perhaps the Japanese were too prideful to admit that the emperor’s second lieutenants could do something stupid.

CYCLE OF OPERATION

The operating cycle of the Nambu begins with the chambered cartridge being fired. The bolt is locked firmly in to the barrel extension by the locking block and the recoil drives them all to the rear until the barrel hits the barrel stop where the locking block is cammed down by a cut in the receiver permitting the bolt to continue its journey to the rear alone as it extracts the fired case and pulls it along until the case hits the ejector and is thrown clear of the gun. Upon going back as far as it can go the compressed dual recoil springs begin throwing it forward again where it meets the next cartridge in the magazine which has risen in the space left by the retreating bolt. As it continues forward it drives this cartridge out of the magazine and into the chamber. During this time the locking bolt swings up on its pivot through its slot in the receiver locking into the underside of the bolt as the completed assembly is rammed home. Now the disconnector unblocks the striker, and the pistol will fire at the next pull of the trigger.

TEAR DOWN

Field stripping is relatively easy. Just remember to not put it together without the locking block. Take out the magazine and clear the chamber. Put the safety on fire. Now push the head of the firing pin extension at the rear of the bolt and turn the bolt head to unscrew it. Now the firing pin, firing pin spring, and firing pin extension will come out. Push the muzzle against a hard object until the barrel is forced all the way back holding it there while you push in on the magazine catch and pull the trigger guard straight down and out of its groove in the grip.  The barrel and bolt may now be pulled off the front of the receiver. Take the locking block out of its pivot and then the bolt and the 2 recoil springs. Reassemble in reverse order being damn sure you put the locking bolt back in.

VARIATIONS

While the type 14 is the most common version of the Nambu it was not the first. In about 1904 Colonel Nambu came out with the first of his pistols which was not adopted but was sold for private purchase by military officers. Large scale production began with WWI hence this is also mistakenly known as the M1914. These guns were made by Kayoba Mfg. Co. in Tokyo.

The Improved Type 14 was officially adopted in 1925 and remained in production throughout WWII at the Nagoya Arsenal in Nagoya and the Kayoba Manufacturing Co, Ltd. In Tokyo. After the war it saw service in all the lands previously occupied by Japan especially in China who used large numbers in the Korean War.

The design had sufficiently good features to help inspire Bill Ruger when he made his .22 semi-automatic pistol after the war. A close look at the two guns shows clearly the Nambu’s influence on the design of the Ruger Standard. While the Ruger handles well it still does not attain the ease of hitting the Nambu has.

A lack of ammo has left the Nambu mostly unfired and thus unappreciated. This gun is a joy to fire, and I love a gun that is easy to hit with just as I despise one that is hard to hit with. We can thank Andy Steinel at Steinel Ammunition for finally making it possible to have the pleasure of shooting this most enjoyable pistol again. Steinel also makes other previously unobtainable military rifle and handgun rounds as well as a full line of modern cartridges.

By Edwin Libby

The standard heavy machine gun employed by Imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific War was the Type 92, commonly called the “Juki” by the combatants of both sides. This weapon derived its name from its Japanese designation Jukikanju, or “heavy machine gun” and, although this weapon was regarded a medium machine gun by U.S. forces because of its infantry rifle caliber, the gun’s 122-pound weight with tripod readily demonstrated the logic of its “heavy” classification. The gun was air-cooled and 61 pounds was accounted for by a very heavy barrel housed in a massive receiver casing with large radiator flanges to draw heat away form the mechanism during firing. A slow rate of fire of 350 to 400 rounds per minute, and a hollow-sounding report at a distance, earned the Juki the derisive name of “woodpecker.”

The design of the Japanese Type 92 originated with the French Model of 1897 Hotchkiss heavy machine gun, several of which were purchased from the Paris-based Hotchkiss Company, and these guns were used with great success against the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. In that war the Japanese Army originated the technique of overhead fire in support of their infantry assaults, but they also used their tripod-mounted Hotchkiss guns to deliver direct fire from front line positions. Although this latter tactic proved to be exceedingly costly in Japanese lives, its success signaled the need for mobile firepower to support infantry on the battlefield. It also stimulated the quest for a light machine gun among the nations who recognized this need from their participation or observation in this first great modern war. After building the French Hotckiss MG under license and after modifying this gun to improve its reliability, the Japanese Army adopted a heavy machine gun of indigenous design, designating it the Taisho Type 3 Model of 1914. This gun was a much developed and refined version of the original French gun with a new and original locking system created by the gun’s designer, Kijiro Nambu, a Japanese Army officer who was to become Japan’s premier firearms designer. Several years later Nambu further refined his Type 3 heavy machine gun with greatly improved iron sights, with added optical sights, and with a new and powerful 7.7mm cartridge for which the refined gun was chambered. In 1932 this gun was adopted by the Japanese Army as the Type 92 heavy machine gun, and this gun was the Japanese heavy machine gun most frequently encountered on the battlefields where U.S. troops were engaged.

Ammunition of various types – ball, tracer, and armor-piercing – on 30-round rigid brass or steel feed strips was used in the Type 92 heavy machine gun. The strips offered a marked contrast to the flexible ammunition belts used by U.S. light, medium, and heavy Browning machine guns and captured Japanese Juki positions littered with empty feed strips and spent cartridge cases remain vivid in the memories of many U.S. combat Marines and soldiers. Each feed strip was packaged in a cloth-covered cardboard sleeve which, with its top removed and the strip engaged in the gun’s feedway, was used to guide the strip and to protect the cartridges on it from dirt and debris. To deliver sustained fire, strips were easily hooked together as they were fed into the gun by the assistant gunner; each cartridge was oiled by a brush in the feedway as it was drawn into the gun.

Ball ammunition of 7.7 diameter (.303 in. caliber) used in the Japanese Type 92 heavy machine gun was loaded typically with a bullet of 204 grains, one of the heaviest rifle caliber ball bullets used in World War II, and very heavy in comparison to the 154-grain ball bullet of the .30 caliber M2 cartridge used in U.S. Browning machine guns. This ammunition gave the Japanese Juki an effective range of 1500 yards, and a remarkable maximum range of 4500 yards. Three different types of optical sights of various powers (4-, 5-, and 6-power) enhanced the accuracy and effectiveness of this weapon. Whenever opportunity was presented the Japanese carefully located and concealed their heavy machine guns and the support positions for these guns, established fire lanes and precise target areas, and registered the fire of these weapons. A Juki in a prepared position and manned by a competent crew was a deadly weapon and a formidable obstacle for any attacking troops.

In 1944, Japanese Army Ordnance recognized demands that came from infantry who had found the need for a submachine gun in the jungle fighting in the Southern Pacific Zone. Paratroop forces also needed a less complicated and more reliable weapon than the Type 100 submachine gun, Model of 1940, then in use. Given the pressing needs of the progress of the Pacific War at this time, the decision was made to direct all submachine gun development efforts towards improving the functioning and simplifying the construction of the 1940 Model Type 100 to prepare it for production en masse. In so doing, the costly and time-consuming machining of the 1940 model was dispensed with. A firing pin lock-out device on the breech bolt of the 1940 model was eliminated, and the removable barrel assembly became permanently fixed. A rear tangent sight was replaced with a welded-on sheet metal peep, and the hinged, folding stock of some 1940 model guns was replaced by a solid straight stock of two-piece wood construction. The stock had fixtures that allowed quick separation from the receiver and its components to facilitate convenient maintenance and cleaning. Production of the carefully finished thirty-round box magazine of the 1940 model was accelerated by redesigning the follower and magazine spring, and by finishing assembly welds only as necessary to assure proper fitting of the magazine to the magazine well. The product of these efforts, the Type 100 submachine gun, model of 1944, was crude in appearance but reliable in functioning and it delivered accurate fire within its intended range limitations at a cyclic rate of approximately 750 rounds per minute.

The relatively small number of Type 100 model of 1944 submachine guns manufactured during their brief production period undermined the Japanese Army’s intended purpose for general distribution of these weapons to Japanese infantry units, with the result that the larger portion of these guns were issued to Army parachute troops and to Special Attack (suicide) Units. U.S. Army forces encountered the Type 100 model of 1944 submachine- gun in use by the Japanese Third and Fourth Parachute Regiments of the Second Parachute Group that raided the Burauen Army Airfields and the San Pablo Airfield on Leyte in the Philippine Islands in November of 1944. It also made its appearance in the battles for Luzon. In May, 1945, ten members of the Japanese Special Attack Unit armed with Type 100 model of 1944 submachine guns, with explosives and other weapons, rushed out of their twin-engine “Sally” bomber that crashed landed at Yontan Airfield on Okinawa, and began tossing grenades and incendiaries into American aircraft parked along the runway. Before the last of these Special Attackers were killed two days later, these men had destroyed two Corsair fighter aircraft, four C-54 transports, one Privater, damaged twenty-six other aircraft, destroyed two fuel dumps with 70,000 gallons of gasoline, killed two Americans and wounded eighteen others. Given the proper application and in the hands of determined troops, the Type 100 model of 1944 submachine gun proved to be an effective weapon. Fortunately, this weapon was not put into the field by the Japanese in quantity to be of serious consequence in changing the outcome of any significant battles.

By Edwin F. Libby

In the jungle fighting of the Pacific War the deadliness of the “Nambu Light,” as it commonly was known, was legendary. Its accuracy, mobility, reliability, and skillful use by Japanese gunners who sought glory in death made a fearful combination. At a distance the hollow popping of the .25 caliber Nambu through heavy jungle foliage often was mistaken by the trooper uninitiated to this battle environment for the report of a Thompson submachine gun, and this misidentification occasionally led to unnecessary casualties from “friendly fire” among our forces. Even in the static defenses which characterized Japanese tactics of the later Pacific engagements the Type 96 Nambu gunners gave good accountings of themselves, often moving their positions and firing from clever concealment where they were least expected. A Nambu Type 96 light machine gun was the penultimate souvenir for anyone who came up against this weapon in combat, but sending home such a souvenir from the combat areas was an opportunity found by few. Owning and shooting a Japanese Nambu Type 96 today establishes a connection to the violent Pacific battles, now distant in time as well as in space, which were hard fought in exotic lands of rain forests and jungles, and on remote and obscure tropical islands, atolls, and archipelagoes in defense of our American culture, society, and freedoms. This article is written to enhance appreciation of the historical significance of the Nambu Type 96 light machine gun, one of the most important Japanese infantry weapons of the Pacific War, and to do so as a remembrance of those who fought that war.

Type 96 History

Combat experience in China during the 1930’s heightened the awareness of the soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army to the limitations of their 11th year Taisho (1922) Model Nambu light machine gun, a gas-operated Hotchkiss derivative fitted with a unique but somewhat complicated ammunition feed hopper which accepted 6.5mm Japanese service rifle cartridges in five-round stripper clips. This gun was accurate and reliable, but it was difficult to maintain on the battlefield, its action having been susceptible to dirt and debris, and its mechanism requiring oiled cartridges, which added another dimension to its maintenance problems. The Chinese enemy frequently were equipped with the excellent Czechoslovakian ZB 26 light machine guns in the powerful 7.92mm German service caliber, which either were imported from the Czech State Arms Factory at Brno or were made under license in some of the Chinese arsenals. The Japanese captured great numbers of the ZB 26 light machine guns and immediately put them into service, having recognized quickly the advantages of superior reliability. The ZB’s convenient and ample supply of loaded box magazine, and the ease of handling this well-balanced weapon had it all over their own light gun. Dissatisfaction with gun production costs and perhaps with the handling and general performance of the 11th Year Taisho Model Nambu precipitated a Japanese Army requirement for a new light machine gun, and a competition for a new design was held. Although there were several competing designs tested, the outcome of the competition resulted in the 1936 appearance and subsequent official adoption of an excellent new weapon – the Type 96 Nambu light machine gun. This weapon officially was designated Kyuroku Shiki Keikikanju, or “Type 96 light Machine Gun,” and it commonly was called Kyuroku Shiki Keiki, or “96 Type Light,” by the Japanese soldiers and marine troops who used it.

The Type 96 Nambu light machine gun was of indigenous design and was created by Japan’s most prominent arms designer, Lieutenant General Kijiro Nambu who, at the time in 1936, had retired from a long Army career and was owner of a factory in Tokyo which manufactured training rifles. In 1937, General Nambu’s Company merged with Chuo Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Ltd., also in Tokyo, and this large, state-supported corporation became the first manufacturer of the Type 96. Eclectic in his approach to firearms design, General Nambu sought to incorporate the best mechanical features of his approach to firearms design. He sought to incorporate the best mechanical features of his earlier 11th Year Taisho Model and of the Czech ZB light machine guns in developing this Type 96. Although he employed in the Type 96, the gas cylinder and piston-driven operating rod beneath the barrel of his 11th Year Taisho Model, features common to the best foreign designs, Nambu used a vertically sliding breech lock which held the action closed at the moment of firing. The lock was unique among light machine gun designs for it was made in the shape of a hollow square and was actuated by the operating rod which passed through it. This locking system was very reliable and it provided for adequate primary extraction which eliminated the need for the oiled cartridges of the 11th Year Model.

General Nambu was mindful, however, that the success of his design would be measured by soldiers in the field who judged these weapons by their reliability, accuracy, ease of handling, weight, and overall effectiveness in combat, rather than by the technical excellence of design pursued by designers and engineers. He knew from experience that the criteria of soldiers, designers, and engineers would have to be met if a weapon were to win a competition for adoption. The politics of the military establishment where decisions were made would have to matter, but General Nambu was an old campaigner in such matters. The sterling reputation in firearms design, which was embossed indelibly on his career, assured him of success. General Nambu’s light machine gun design won the Army’s competition and this weapon was adopted in 1936 to replace the 11th Year Model. The Type 96 light machine gun went into mass production in 1938 and was delivered shortly thereafter to troops in the field to support the invasions of Malaya and the Philippines. In December of 1941 the military forces of the Western World encountered the Type 96 light machine gun in combat – in defense of the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong by commonwealth troops, in the defense of Malaya by an Anglo-Indian army, and in the Philippines by a composite force of U.S. and Philippino troops. In August of 1942 U.S. Marines faced the Type 96 at Guadalcanal in the first U.S. invasion of Japanese territory of the Pacific War. The Marines commonly referred to this weapon as the “Nambu Light.”

Physical Characteristics and Accessories

Gas-operated and air-cooled, the Type 96 Nambu Light was a full automatic, magazine-fed shoulder weapon fired principally from the prone position on its bipod. Its pistol grip was conveniently mounted beneath the rear of the receiver to provide a sturdy hold on the weapon, and its long leather sling provided shoulder support for the gun’s weight. Its bipod folded to provide a comfortable fore grip protected from barrel heat, and this weapon was very effective when fired from the hip in an assault. The Type 96 fired with unusual accuracy the standard Japanese 6.5mm x 50mm Semi-rimmed Type 38 service cartridge used with both rifles and machine guns. The ammunition was supplied to the gun by a detachable 30-round box magazine mounted on top of the gun’s receiver. As long as the Type 38 improved, “reduced-charge” ammunition was used, the gun worked reliably and without lubrication of the ammunition. Despite occasional supply of poor ammunition insufficiently waterproofed and protected inadequately against the heat of the tropics, the Type 96 was exceptionally reliable in its functioning. A spare barrel assembly was carried with the gun, ostensibly to provide a quick change to extend sustained fire on the battlefield, but the spare was often lost or left behind in the confusion of jungle combat.

The sights on the Type 96 Nambu Light were of iron with an inverted V blade protected by side guards at the front, and the rear sight was a drum-controlled peep which was adjustable for windage as well as for elevation. The front sight blade encased a tiny glass cylinder that contained a phosphorescent substance to gather light under low-light conditions and improve the sight picture for the gunner. The sights were offset to the left because of the top-mounted magazine and hence a prismatic 2.5 power optical sight was issued to allow for this feature. The optical sight was carried by the machine gun team leader. The typical machine gun team consisted of a team leader, who was usually a sergeant, and three or four men trained as gunners and who kept the gun in action. The sight was effective only under condition of good light and clear visibility – conditions seldom found in the rain forest and jungles – and the sight infrequently was used in these environments.

A Complement of 12 or more magazines were issued with each type 96 Nambu light machine gun, and they were carried in canvas and leather constructed pouches with carrying straps. Each of these pouches held two magazines which were non-disposable and were charged with magazine loaders carried by the members of the machine gun team. Supplemental ammunition was carried in canvas shoulder bags which held 150 rounds – ten 15-round boxes of 6.5 mm Type 38 improved “reduced charge” ammunition. A spare parts wallet and a field maintenance kit – both carried in canvas belt pouches – were standard gun support accessories.

To facilitate the portability of the gun, a rigid carrying handle with a grooved wooden grip was fixed on the tip of the barrel just ahead of its joint with the receiver. A bayonet stud was machined into the forward portion of the gas cylinder beneath the gas block on the barrel, and the bayonet’s muzzle ring was supported by the front of the gas regulator plug. Early-manufactured Type 96 Nambu Lights had a barrel for a muzzle cover and cleaning rod guide secured by a stud and socket lock. Later-manufactured guns were threaded at the muzzle and fitted for a flash Hider. Weighing only 20 pounds with sling, the Type 96 was two and a half pounds lighter than its predecessor, the 11th Year Taisho Model, and its weight favorably was competitive with the best light machine guns of its kind used in the Pacific War.

Epilogue

Even as it went into production, the Type 96 Nambu Light was displaced by the Imperial Japanese Army’s adoption of another light machine gun – the Type 99 Nambu – which was made in a heavier 7.7mm (.303) caliber. The type 96 was phased out of production in 1943, its manufacturing machinery having been converted and reassigned to the production of the Type 99, which was really a slightly redesigned and strengthened Type 96. Probably because of its great accuracy, and because it was lighter and had less recoil than its Type 99 successor, the Type 96 Nambu Light that was in service remained the favorite of the Japanese gunners. U.S. Marines and soldiers prized their captured Type 96 Nambu and often carried them many miles to fire the few rounds of ammunition they had at their most resolute Japanese enemies.