They say that desperation is the mother of invention, but in the case of the Japanese Type 94 pistol, the invention has a face only its desperate mother could love. Today, our friends at American Rifleman are turning their historical focus onto what has been dubbed the ugliest gun of the 20th century.
The Type 94's designer was (and remains) famous for a number of elegant pistol designs, but the 94 was the runt of the litter for a number of reasons.
"[Nambu] designed several guns for the Japanese military going into the Second World War, particularly the Type 14 Nambu, which is the official sidearm of the Japanese military during the Second World War," American Rifleman Executive Editor Evan Brune notes. "But it's kind of a big gun. It's an officer's sidearm, and there are specialized roles that needs something a little bit smaller. Notably air crew, tank crews, they need a side arm, but they need it to be as compact as possible. So Nambu in the 1930s is tasked with designing a subcompact arm that we come to know of today as the Type 94."
That subcompact, with its odd-looking grip and exposed sear bar, has absolutely no alibi. It's also not exactly safe to shoot. If the shooter accidentally depresses that sear bar when the gun is loaded, it may very well discharge. Why on earth did General Nambu think this was a good idea? Watch this excellent video to find out!
