Description
NOTE: Federal Firearms or Federal Curio and Relic license required for purchase and transfer (unless local and you have a valid permit). Any weapon over 10 years of age is NOT warranted safe to fire even though the mechanical action is flawless. It is recommended, before firing, that you have the weapon checked out by a gunsmith.
This is a beautiful and rare example of the Type 14 Japanese Nambu 8mm pistol as manufactured in July, 1927 by the Chigusa Branch of the Nagoya Arsenal (lowest production of any facility, about 7,800 weapons total). Chigusa was the only Japanese military contract which used a comma instead of a dot in the date code on the frame. The serial number is super low, 930, and the production date of 2.7 is beyond rare to encounter! Decoded, the date is determined by adding the Showa era date of 1925 to the number stamped on the frame–hence 1925+2=1927–and the months of the year are coded 1-12, so a number “7” indicates July.
This rare handgun has the early round trigger guard and knurled cocking knob which are far less common that the oval elongated guard and solid cocking knob and retains 90% +/- original finish overall. The magazine is original to the weapon but is NOT matching numbered. This weapon also retains the original arsenal marked leather holster which also is in fine original as-issued condition.
Efforts to reduce the production cost of the early types of Imperial Japanese military semi-automatic Nambu pistols resulted in production of the Type 14, introduced in 1925. Three years later it was adopted for issue to non-commissioned officers, but officers were still expected to purchase their own pistols. The Type 14 chambered an 8 mm cartridge (equivalent to a .32 caliber), and early pre-World War II examples exhibited fine workmanship. As the war drained resources, the quality of Type 14 pistols went downwards. Later examples featured an oblong trigger guard for easier access with gloved fingers, but the modification appears more like an afterthought than a deliberate design change. Early Type 14 pistols had a slotted cocking knob while later examples had a knurled cocking knob. Type 14 pistols were marked with the month and year of manufacture, according to year of the reign of Emperor Hirohito. They lacked a grip safety, a feature of the earlier style Type A and B pistols. The Type 14 was produced from 1925 until the end of World War II with approximately 200,000 pieces made.