How a Type 14 Nambu works

The Nambu pistols (南部拳銃 or 南部大型自動拳銃 Nanbu kenjuu or Nanbu ōgata jidou-kenjuu) were a series of semi-automatic pistols produced by the Japanese company Koishikawa Arsenal later known as the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal. The series had five variants, the Type A Model 1902 (also called the Grandpa Nambu), the Type A Model 1902 Modified (also known as the Papa Nambu), the Type B (also known as the Baby Nambu), the Type 14 (南部十四年式自動拳銃) and the Type 94. The pistols were designed by Kijiro Nambu and saw extensive service during the Russo-Japanese War, Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. The Type A was made in very small numbers. Type A Modified and Type B Nambus were never formally adopted by any branch of the armed forces of Imperial Japan but were sold to officers through officer stores. The Type 14 was adopted as an official sidearm. As World War II progressed, and particularly in the final year of the war, in order to speed production, Type 14s began to be more hastily manufactured with a subsequent decline in quality.

The origin of the Nambu pistol series goes back to a design by Lieutenant General Kijiro Nambu. General Nambu claimed the design originated with experimentation during the "30 year Automatic Pistol Plan" of 1897 in Japan. It is probable that the pistol series was influenced by the Mauser C96, after a Japanese commission toured Europe and reported recent developments. The first Nambu type known as the Type A was completed in 1902. The Type A underwent trials with the Imperial Japanese Army but was never formally adopted. Many Original Type As were sold commercially to China and Siam. Coinciding with British customs, Japanese army officers were expected to purchase their own side arms. The Nambu Type A Modified pistol was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1909 and the Thai Army in the 1920s.

Most of the Type A Modified and Type B Nambu pistols were produced by the Tokyo Arsenal with a few pistols being produced by the Tokyo Gas and Electric Company. The Type 14 Nambu was produced by the Nagoya Arsenal in either Nagoya's Atsuta or Toriimatsu factories.
The Nambu pistol series withdraw the magazine from the grip of the pistol by pressing the magazine release button on the left side of the frame. The magazine is loaded by hand, as there is no charger clip for loading. The A Nambus and the Type 14 Nambu have 8-round magazines while the Type B Nambu has a 7-round magazine.

The Nambu pistol series is a recoil operated, locked breech, semi-automatic pistol. The pistols are slender barreled with a single piece frame. The barrel is forged integrally with the receiver. The breech-lock was achieved by a propping system similar to the breech lock system used in the Glisenti Model 1910. As the barrel moved forward, the block would be lifted as it rode across the frame forcing the lug upward to lock into the bolt. The Nambu series is well balanced despite the main spring chamber protruding from the left side.

The Nambu pistol uses a low pressure 8 mm cartridge, which is considerably less powerful than contemporary pistol cartridges like the American .45 ACP, the Soviet 7.62×25mm Tokarev, the British .455 Webley, and the German 9×19mm Parabellum. The safety catch on the Type A requires both hands to operate; it was omitted entirely from the Type 14.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nambu_pistol

Type 14 Nambu: full disassembly & assembly
https://youtu.be/ENT7OnQjcpg

This video was made with the help of the game World of Guns: Gun Disassembly:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/262410/

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