Hamada Type (Hamada Type Automatic)

History

Nippon Firearms produced less than 5,000 Hamada pistols, a semi-automatic military pistol, during World War II (1939-1945). The development of this weapon began in 1941, when the Japanese Empire went into full-scale war with the world, and its design is attributed to Fumiki Hamada (hence the name).

Production of the pistol ended in 1944, and the exact number has been forgotten by history. Before the war, Hamada worked in the sporting weapons industry until 1941, when the Japanese government authorized the company to directly support the war effort.

The Hamada's design was freely borrowed from the tried and tested Browning Model 1910 semi-automatic pistol (detailed elsewhere on this page) and ended up with either a 7.65mm Browning or a native 8x22mm, depending on the model series - Nambu pistol chambers (this also results in a difference in the number of cartridges that can be carried in spring magazines). A new striking component and a new frame plate locking mechanism were patented in 1943, and another key technical difference in the Hamada pistol was the move to the dovetail at the connection point between the barrel and frame.

The original Browning relied on interrupted studs. It operates using recoil (recoil), locks the breech action, and has a total weight of 650 grams, an overall length of 6.5 inches, and a 3.5-inch barrel assembly. Aiming is done via the V-notch above the weapon and the blade iron assembly.

The compact and lightweight Hamada-style pistol was designed to directly challenge the southern standard pistols of the then struggling Imperial Japanese Army.

In 1941, the Japanese arms authorities produced and extensively tested five pilot guns. After its success, the pistol was officially commissioned by the IJA, but most of the time it was assigned to Chinese troops, with few actually making it into the rest of the Pacific/Southeast Asia theater.

Unlike other Japanese light weapons of the time, especially those of the postwar period, where the quality of production declined as the war progressed, the Hamada-style pistol managed to maintain its relatively high standard of construction - making for a solid weapon system that deservedly of Japanese officers.

The original production model was called the "Pistol, Hamada, Type 1", which was chambered in a 7.65mm Browning American pistol cartridge. The successor form, "Pistol, Hamada, Type 2", produced by Nagoya Arsenal, was a Type 1, slightly enlarged and redesigned to use the 8x22mm Nambu pistol cartridge. This was a direct request from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) to fill a shortage of its officers' Type 14 and Type 94 pistols. The Army then gave its opinion, almost completely overhauling the appearance of the pistol, giving the weapon a more rounded shape compared to the Type 1. Internally, the system remained the same as the original, but only about 50 of these pistols were produced.

The proposed manufacturing facility was bombed by Allied forces in early 1943.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes