Make: Toriimatsu Branch of Nagoya Arsenal, Japan

Model: Nambu Type 14 2nd Series

Serial Number: 20228

Year of Manufacture: March, 1944

Caliber: 8mm Nambu

Action Type: Striker-Fired Semi-Auto Pistol fed by Removable Magazine

Barrel Length: 4 1/2”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed into a slightly raised base on the barrel. The rear sight is a square groove milled into a raised boss on the back of the frame.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two piece wood with 24 horizontal serrations. The grips show light handling wear with some scattered light nicks, scuffs, and compressions. There are no chips or cracks. The serrations are well defined. The grips rate in Very Good-plus overall condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original to the parts. The striker has a non-matching serial number. Other serial-marked parts are matching.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is infrequent minor erosion and stubborn fouling in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 9 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 80% of its metal finish. The locking block spring is missing. The finish is thinning at all edges. There is light handling wear in the grip areas. There is some other scattered light finish wear, mostly on the frame flats above the grips. There is infrequent minor oxidation. There are scattered minor nicks, scuffs and scratches. The left of the frame has an arc of wear from the safety lever. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool-marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this handgun rates in Good condition.

Mechanics: The locking block spring is missing. Otherwise, the action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a single serial-matching magazine.

Our Assessment: This is a Nambu Type 14 pistol made by the Toriimatsu branch of the Nagoya arsenal in March, 1944 (2nd Series). The Type 14 was built between 1925 and 1945 for the armed forces, and almost all of the Japanese pistols and revolvers used unique cartridges. The 8mm Nambu is a bottleneck cartridge that pushes a 102 gr. bullet at a little over 900 fps. and has approximately the same power as a .380 ACP cartridge. This is a very nice find for the collector of WWII or Japanese weapons. It was produced fairly late in the war, just starting to show the rougher finish seen on Japanese guns of the period. When this pistol was produced, the Allies were advancing across the Marshall Islands and in Burma, but the Japanese would continue to refuse to admit that they were unlikely to win the war, even launching an invasion of India.

This pistol has its original finish and the serial numbers are matching apart from the striker, which has been replaced. The locking block spring is missing, but the pistol otherwise has good mechanics. The pistol is in Good condition with about 80% of its finish remaining. The bore is still strong. Not that many Japanese pistols survived the war, and those that did were often in poor condition or have been refinished, so this will make a great addition to a collection. Please see our photos and good luck!