Japanese Chuo Kogyo Nagoya Type 14 8mm Nambu Semi-Automatic Pistol 1936 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1000

LSB#: 210918MW75

Make: Chuo Kogyo Co. At Kokubunji Operating Under the Supervision of the Nagoya Arsenal.

Model: Nambu Type 14, Original Series

Serial Number: 15955

Year of Manufacture: January, 1936 (Showa 11.1)

Caliber: 8mm Nambu

Action Type: Striker-Fired Semi-Auto Pistol with Removable Magazine

Markings: The left side of the frame has 4 Japanese characters (model designation). The right side of the frame has a Nagoya Arsenal symbol, followed by the Japanese character for “NAM” (for Lt. Gen Kijiro Nambu, one of the founders of the Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company, the predecessor to Chuo Kogyo). This is followed by the serial number “15955”. Below these marks on the frame are the Japanese character for “Showa” followed by the date code “11.1” and another Japanese symbol, which was a final inspection mark. The inside surfaces of both grip panels appear to have had a portion of a serial number hand-written in pencil, but the markings are not legible. The top of the bolt in front of the cocking knob, the front face of the magazine safety, the top of the trigger guard, the left of the trigger, the front of the cocking knob, the bottom of the barrel assembly, the front face of the locking block, and the outside of the magazine release button are marked “955”. The spine of one magazine is marked “043” with a dot, “N” and with a Japanese symbol. The other magazine’s spine is marked “944” with a dot and with a Japanese symbol.

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 groove milled into a raised boss on the back of the frame.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are slab sided wood with 25 horizontal serrations each. The grips have some scattered light nicks, scratches, and general light handling wear. There is some more notable wear at the bottom edges of the panels, an arc of wear at the top of the left panel from the safety lever and wear around the magazine catch on the left panel. There are no chips or cracks. The serrations are well defined. Overall, the grips are in Good-Very Good condition as possibly not original to the gun.

Type of Finish: The pistol is blued. The trigger, magazine release, and safety have a straw colored finish.

Finish Originality: The finish is original.  

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright and the rifling is well defined. There is some minor erosion in the bore with a few spots of more moderate erosion.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 65% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are some scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. There is scattered light finish wear, some more notable wear in the grip areas, and the worn areas show discoloration from oxidation. There are some scattered spots of pitting, most notable in the grip areas, but also with a few on the barrel and its extension. The action shows  operational wear, including an arc of wear from the safety lever. The controls have handling wear. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Good-plus condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The barrel assembly is tight to the frame. 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:

-Dark brown leather clam-shell flap-holster. The holster has scattered light wear, a spot of more notable wear on the body at the location of the front sight, a short tear in the border of the flap next to the hinge where there are a couple of broken stitches, and some verdigris on the brass parts.

-Total of two magazines, neither serial-matching. One magazine has light operational wear, the other shows a little more wear with scattered minor surface oxidation, both have intact feed lips and strong springs.

Our Assessment: This is a Nambu Type 14 pistol made by the Chuo Kogyo Co. (branch of the Nagoya arsenal) in May 1937. The Type 14 was built between 1925 and 1945 for the armed forces. This example was made before the outbreak of the 2nd Sino Japanese War. This example comes with a leather clam-shell holster and a pair of magazines, though the magazines are not serial-matched to the pistol. Apart from the grips, all of the serialized parts match and the grips’ serial marking is no longer legible, making it difficult to determine if they are original to the gun or not. The pistol was made before some updates were made to the design, lacking the magazine retaining spring and enlarged trigger guard which would be added later in production. This is a nice example of a “pre-war” Type 14, though it may have seen use after the outbreak of the conflicts Japan would participate in for the next nine years. Please see our photos and good luck!