8×22mm Nambu

The 8×22mm Nambu is a rimless, bottleneck handgun cartridge introduced in Imperial Japan in 1904, used in the Type 100 submachine gun, Nambu pistols (Type A, the Type B and Type 14) and the Nambu Type 94 pistol. The 8×22mm round was used during the Pacific War and Second Sino-Japanese War.

8×22mm Nambu
Japanese military pistol cartridge.
TypePistol
Submachine gun
Place of originJapan
Service history
In service1904–1945
Used byJapan
WarsRusso-Japanese War
World War I
Second Sino-Japanese War
World War II
Production history
DesignerKijirō Nambu
Designed1902
Specifications
Case typeBottleneck, semi-rimmed
Bullet diameter8.13 mm (0.320 in)
Neck diameter8.71 mm (0.343 in)
Shoulder diameter10.00 mm (0.394 in)
Base diameter10.23 mm (0.403 in)
Rim diameter10.50 mm (0.413 in)
Rim thickness0.92 mm (0.036 in)
Case length21.43 mm (0.844 in)
Overall length31.56 mm (1.243 in)
Primer typesmall pistol
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
6.6 g (102 gr) FMJ 315 m/s (1,030 ft/s) 328 J (242 ft⋅lbf)
Test barrel length: 117 mm (4.61 in)

Origins

Towards the end of the 19th century, certain semi-automatic pistol designs began to see production, such as the Borchardt C-93 and Mauser C96. Japan, in the midst of the Meiji Restoration, was keen to not fall behind when it came to military technology, and devised a replacement for their Type 26 revolver. By 1902, the first Nambu pistol was developed, which was chambered in 8×22mm Nambu.[1] Initially produced for Japanese army and naval officers' private purchase, the 8×22mm Nambu was not officially adopted until 1926 when it was designated as the Type 14 pistol cartridge.[2]

Usage

The 8×22mm Nambu round was first used in the Nambu pistols, which were first used during the Russo-Japanese War. Major usage didn't begin until the Second Sino-Japanese War and Pacific War, during which time, the Type 100 submachine gun was created, which also fired 8×22mm Nambu. By the war's end in 1945, around 400,000 Nambu pistols[3] and 8,500 Type 100s had been produced. Small batches of Nambu pistols were also exported to Siam and China before World War II.[4][5]

After World War II, there were isolated reports of 8×22mm usage by the Viet Cong during the opening stages of the Vietnam War[6] and the Chinese Communist forces in the Korean War.[7] Afterwards there was no major demand to keep the 8×22mm round afloat, and the post-war Japan Self-Defense Forces swiftly replaced it with the 9×19mm Parabellum, which during World War II was already in use in the United Kingdom and Germany. The JSDF replaced the Nambu pistol and Type 100 with the SIG Sauer P220 and Minebea PM-9, respectively.

In 1939, the cost of 8×22mm Nambu ammunition manufactured by the Imperial Japanese Army's arsenals was 390 yen per 10,000 rounds.[8] Because of the rarity and historical impact of the 8×22mm Nambu, it has become popular among post-war collectors. A box of just 15 rounds was sold in 2009 for $250.[9]

Performance

The standard issue military 8×22mm Nambu round has a 6.6-gram (102 gr) bullet that travels at approximately 310 metres per second (1,030 ft/s) at the muzzle when fired from a Nambu pistol.[10] The muzzle energy of the 8×22mm Nambu is half that of the 9×19mm, and less than half of the 7.62×25mm Tokarev,[11] and it is often regarded as lacking in stopping power.[12][13] However, its overall stopping power is comparable to that of the 9×17mm (.380 ACP),[14] which was used by German and Italian officers during World War II.[15][16]

See also

References
  1. Hogg, Ian, Pistols of the World 4th Edition (2004) p. 191.
  2. 佐山二郎 (2008). 小銃 拳銃 機関銃入門 日本の小火器徹底研究. p. 45. ISBN 978-4-7698-2284-4.
  3. Kinard, Jeff (2003). Pistols: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. p. 245.
  4. Ramsey, Syed (2016). Tools of War: History of Weapons in Early Modern Times. p. 245.
  5. 馮玉祥及孫岳軍より申出に係る兵器に関する件,"Letter regarding the procurement of Japanese arms for Chinese warlords Feng Yü-hsiang and Sun Yue, 1925"
  6. McNab, Chris (2004). The Great Book of Guns. p. 124.
  7. The Marine Corps Gazette: Volume 46. Marine Corps Association. 1962. p. 44.
  8. 兵器臨時定価、予価、表送付の件,"Military catalogue of the Japanese military, 1939"
  9. Henrotin, Gerard (2017). The Nambu Type 14 pistol explained. HL Publishing. p. 5.
  10. ２６年式及南部式拳銃射撃表送付の件,"Ballistic performance of Japanese military handgun cartridges, 1923"
  11. Rottman, Gordon (2013). The Big Book of Gun Trivia: Everything you want to know, don't want to know, and don't know you need to know. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 74.
  12. Dougherty, Martin (2017). Pistols and Revolvers: From 1400 to the Present Day. Amber Books Ltd.
  13. Rottman, Gordon (2005). Japanese Army in World War II: Conquest of the Pacific 1941-1942. Osprey Publishing. p. 45.
  14. Campbell, Dave. "A Look Back at the Japanese Nambu Pistol". American Rifleman. Archived from the original on 2015-11-14. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  15. Feist, Paul (2012). The Redwood Stumper 2012: The Newsletter of the Redwood Gun Club, Arcata, CA. p. 47. ISBN 9781300470571.
  16. Smith, W.H.B. (1943). A Basic Manual of Military Small Arms 1943, Small Arms of the World.
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