History
Designed by Kijirō Nambu, the pistol entered production in 1934 at the Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company. Originally marketed commercially, it is sometimes said to have been developed as a compact pistol intended for pilots, air crews, and tank crews because it was thought that the Type 14 8 mm Nambu Pistol was too large. As such, it was meant to be replaced in IJA service. Indeed, the 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.
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. As with most weapons produced by the Axis, quality diminished greatly during the last stages of the war.
Read more about this topic: Nambu Type 94 Pistol
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