[AKwho?]

Was the Nambu type 14 a "good gun?"

I have heard many people cite the pistol's shortcomings, but rarely do I hear praise for it. What are your thoughts?

 

[JWMWITZ]

I like shooting the Type 14. It is similar (IMHO) to my Ruger Mark III target pistol in regard to "feel" and balance. I have no idea as to the ballistics of the 8 mm Nambu round and all that sort of stuff. They are fun to shoot, but kind-of expensive ammo wise! Makes for an interesting conversation piece at the range

John in Charlotte, NC

 

[03man]

Sure it was a "good" gun; finely machined, locked breech, many thousands made and used in the field.

 

[BIG ED]

It was a highly sought after war souvenir. That alone makes it "good."

 

[Pea Shooter]

Hey john;
I also like shooting my 14. It just shoots where you point it. I was at the range and I put in a buck to shoot at chicken silhouettes. I won a couple of rounds and everyone kept checking out my pistol and asking what it was. After I told them it was Japanese, one know it all guy asked why I was shooting such a crappy pistol. I called him over and had to explain that the his Ruger mark II was copied from the Type 14 Nambu by Ruger. Any way it was good for close range targets. I had to go to my 357 when we moved to 90 yards. The 8 mm. bullet just wouldn't knock over the heavier targets. Vaughn


_________________________________________

Politicians are people who,
when see light at the end of a tunnel,
go out and buy some more
tunnel.
~ John Quinton

 

[type-14]

A lot of what Pea Shooter has to say in right on the mark, about the only thing I could add; is in your original comment, that for what it was made for and the time period it "is" a good pistol still.

 

[WillRuss]

As I understand it, Bill Ruger borrowed a bringback 14 from a Marine veteran down the street to copy for his first pistol which became the "Ruger Standard Model". Here's a comparison with mine from 1955.

 

[davef]

It was quite adequate for what it was designed to do.there were a lot of far worse guns fielded by other nations in that era,the nambu was well made and reasonably reliable,powerful enough for what most nations saw as the role of a handgun.Its not 1 of the great WWII era pistols,but its "good" and far above several others.

 

[BradB]

In terms of "quality" I would rate the "standard" WWII semi-autos as follows (based on overall combination of reliability,functional innovation, knock-down power, magazine capacity, accuracy, ergonomics):

#1: Browning High Power (used by UK, China, Germany)
#2: Colt 1911A1
#3: German P38
#4: Japanese Type 14
#5: Russian TT33
#6: Italian Beretta M1934
#7: Japanese Type 94

 

[arisakadogs]

The biggest flaw, to me, is the lack of a bolt 'hold open' feature. The rear lip of the magazine follower holds the bolt to the rear after the last shot and the bolt snaps forward when the mag is withdrawn.
The Luger had the 'hold open' feature, I wonder why the Japanese didn't use it on any of their autos?

 

[davef]

Thats about the same list as mine ,Brad, tho I fluctuate between 1&2,depending on what Im using for a basis.I prefer the 1911 slightly due to it being a little simpler to sevice (might be a personal preference thing) and a little more reliable& stopping power vs the extra capacity of the browning and its clones,also the 1911 was more constant thruout vs various manufacturer "odditys" thru the thousands of high powers (and clones)... I usually relegate the t-94 to being on par with the various "pocket" pistols vs the true service pistols ie Rubys,"baby brownings,1903 clones,frommers,funny little french guns etc thousands of which saw use by everyone but not as a primary arm.

 

[okha]

Thats about the same list as mine ,Brad, tho I fluctuate between 1&2,depending on what Im using for a basis.I prefer the 1911 slightly due to it being a little simpler to sevice (might be a personal preference thing) and a little more reliable& stopping power vs the extra capacity of the browning and its clones,also the 1911 was more constant thruout vs various manufacturer "odditys" thru the thousands of high powers (and clones)... I usually relegate the t-94 to being on par with the various "pocket" pistols vs the true service pistols ie Rubys,"baby brownings,1903 clones,frommers,funny little french guns etc thousands of which saw use by everyone but not as a primary arm.

I also like the type 14, but what i didn't like was the history channels "tales of the gun". That one gal, reallly ripped into the type 14 saying it eventually got too weak in the springs if you used it alot. In general that episode painted most Japanese weapons as being underpower and obselete compared to other nations.

 

[Trenchwarfare]

The main drawback, is that it's bigger than it needed to be, for the size round it shoots. The Type 94, proves this theory. It was never intended as a tactical weapon. As a badge of rank, dispatching vermen/prisoners, "urging" your own men to advance, or last ditch self defence, it worked just fine.

 

[45Guy]

On an odd tangent, has anyone taken a look at the latest Gun Trader's Guide? $4,750 for a t14 in good condition... Think there may be a slight typo...

 

[nambu-shiki]

I have found the T-14 a very pleasant pistol to shoot. It points naturally and the low recoil makes target reacquisition easy. The long grip makes it fit most hands comfortably.
As A-Dogs said, the lack of a separate bolt hold open device is a pain when reloading. I just carefully push down on the mag follower and let the bolt return home (removing index finger, naturally), then withdraw the mag.

 

[Trenchwarfare]

For years, I pulled out the magazine, and let the bolt slam shut. That's what I was taught. Then two years ago, at Roys, I watched Dale push the follower down, and ease the bolt closed. Duh... Just like a Mauser C96. Less wear and tear, on the bolt, and magazine.

 

[AKwho?]

Thanks for the interesting responses. This was a good read. I'm considering buying a late war type 14 as an investment soon.