Hamada Type 2
Japan Firearms Manufacturing Company · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1943
Also known as: Hamada Type Ni, Type 2 Hamada, Hamada Model 2
Overview
The Hamada Type 2 is a Japanese World War II semi-automatic pistol designed by civilian sporting-gunmaker Bunji Hamada. It is an enlarged, militarized development of his original Browning Model 1910-pattern Type 1, rechambered from .32 ACP to the standard Japanese 8x22mm Nambu service cartridge with a longer barrel, steeper grip angle and lightening cutouts at the rear of the slide. Formally adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in June 1943, only around fifty examples were assembled at a converted Notobe textile factory before facilities were bombed in early 1945, making it one of the rarest Japanese service pistols.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 650 g (22.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 165 mm (6.50") |
| Barrel Length | 90 mm (3.54") |
| Action Type | Short Recoil |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 300 m/s (984 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 297 J (219 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 8x22mm Nambu · primary — also known as 8mm Nambu, 8mm Japanese, 8x22mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Browning 1910 Pattern, Lightening Slide Cutouts, Steeper Grip Angle
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Army · adopted 1943 · as Type 2
Conflicts
- Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 50 · Production years: 1943-1945
Only around fifty Type 2 pistols were assembled before the production facility was bombed in early 1945; very few are documented in collections today.
Origin
Country of origin: Japan
Designer: Bunji Hamada
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Adopted June 1943 but barely produced; roughly 50 completed before the facility was destroyed in early 1945. Distinctive semicircular cutouts at the rear of the slide lighten the reciprocating mass. Only a small number survive in collections.
Background
Bunji Hamada was a civilian sporting-gunmaker pressed into military production in 1941. His 8mm Nambu Type 2 was adopted in 1943 but barely built before the war ended; Hamada himself survived and later reopened a hunting-rifle shop in Kamakura.