Type 94 Shiki Kenju
Type 94 Shiki Kenju
Type	Pistol
Place of origin	Japan
Service history
In service	1934 - 1945
Used by	Japan
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War, Second World War
Production history
Designed	1934
Produced	1934 -
Number built	72,000
Specifications
Weight	25.4 oz (720 g)
Length	7.1 in (180 mm)
Barrel length	3.74 in (95 mm)
Cartridge	8 mm x 22 mm
Caliber	8 mm
Feed system	6 round detachable box magazine

The 94 Shiki Kenju 8 mm Pistol (九四式拳銃) was a small and light-weight (1 pound 11 ounces) semi-automatic pistol, produced in large numbers by Japan prior to and during the Second World War. Image File history File links Type_94_1835. ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Combatants Republic of China Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse-Tung, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Zhu De, He Yingqin Hideki Tojo, Matsui Iwane, Jiro Minami, Kesago Nakajima, Toshizo Nishio, Yasuji Okamura. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The barrel of a gun or other firearm is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 8 mm (.315 in) caliber range. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 8 mm (.315 in) caliber range. ... Springfield Armory M1911A1 . ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

Designed by Kijiro Nambu, the pistol entered production in 1934 at the Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company. Originally marketed commercially, it is sometimes said to have been developed because it was thought that the Type 14 8 mm Nambu Pistol was too large for tank and air crews. Indeed, Type 14 was more than 14mm longer than Colt 1911 .45 ACP. The pistol, which had plastic grips rather than the horn or wood grips of the Type 14, was developed for cheap mass-production, but modifications increased its cost. Kijiro Nambu Kijiro Nambu (1869-1949) A prolific Japanese small arms designer. ... Type 14 8 mm Nambu Pistol Introduced Year : 1925 Caliber : 8 mm Barrel Length : 117 mm Length : 230 mm Weight : 900 g Magazine : 8 rounds Production Qty : 280,000 Kijiro Nambu was the designer of the Nambu pistols. ... The M1911 is a single-action, semiautomatic handgun chambered for the . ...

The Type 94 used the same 8 mm (.315 caliber) ammunition as the Type 14 and was easier to load, having a much stronger firing mechanism to reduce misfires. The gun became notorious for a design flaw that allowed it to be fired with a round in the chamber by pressing a projecting sear on the left-hand side of the receiver. Some officers told stories of slipping and falling in the mud, inadvertently triggering the pistol and injuring themselves. How often this resulted in accidental discharge is a matter of debate, but the gun was a commercial failure, and is frequently described as the "worst service pistol ever issued" by knowledgeable authors such as Ian V. Hogg. Ian V. Hogg (1926 - 2002 March 07) was a notable author of books on firearms, artillery, ammunition, and fortification, as well as biographies of several famous general officers. ...

However, this design flaw may have been intentional—it conformed to an army regulation during its period of service. According to this regulation, during a non-combat situation or when a handgun was holstered, all rounds were to be removed, including the round in the chamber, and the hammer was to be uncocked. Only when a need to use the gun arose should the officer carrying it have loaded the weapon and held it in his hand. Thus no officer would injure himself accidentally unless he had been ignoring the regulation. It should be noted that while American troops who picked up this weapon called it "suicide Nanbu", they would have carried the weapon fully loaded, unknowingly violating this regulation and endangering themselves.

Large numbers of the Type 94 were produced for military use. Records were lost during World War II, but it is believed that over 72,000 Type 94 pistols were manufactured. Quality diminished greatly during the war.