7,65mm Luger - Nambu T 14
 

I've been thinking about this combination for a few years, and got a little bored with wood working on the Erma boxes over the holidays-so.... I decided to add a take off 7,65mm Luger barrel to a spare T 14 receiver with poor bore.

The combination "works", I had it out for test firing this past week.:thumbup:

The original barrel was cut from the T 14 at the receiver chamber-barrel transition point. The receiver then bored and threaded to 18mm x 20 TPI of the luger barrel.

The barrel flange was "adjusted" to headspace the barrel to the T 14 bolt; the extractor cut then made and the barrel secured by crush fit with a little loctite added.

The original T 14 extractor and ejector work fine; the magazine lips needed to be tweaked in a little to hold the slightly smaller luger cartridge within the magazine.

I wondered initially about the "recoil" of the luger round, since it is a little hotter by fps; and the 8mm Nambu is often spoken of as "weak".

First ammo I tried was Fiocchi .30 luger, it would not lock the bolt open on the T 14/.30- same problem as I have had with some .30 lugers and this ammo.

Next tried Privi Partizan .30 luger, and it worked fine, cycled and held the bolt open as it should; which is similar to my experience with it in a .30 luger.:thumbup:

So it seems with this particular T 14 and its springs, the recoil of the 7,65mm luger cartridge is quite similar to the original 8mm Nambu.

I love seeing and hearing about these types of "conversions". So glad to hear that your Nambu now has a new outlook. I have been involved with caliber changes over the years, but none as extensive as yours.

So would this be a "Gerpanese" pistol?
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Always knew them Germs and Japs were in cahoots. :D

No Bill,
it is all American now.:cool:

Afterthought. Too bad you didn't have/used a standard .30 barrel.
You would have a more harmonious outcome, me thinks. :p

Gives an a very interesting look and easier to come up with 30 luger than 8mm nambu (the stuff I have used by 'mr nambu' was disappointing to me. And my Midway boxes are too expensive to shoot !

Ed

the stuff I have used by 'mr nambu' was disappointing to me

Why disappointing?
dju

:eek:The only thing non-standard is the front sight! Normal 3 7/8" 1920 commercial bbl.

A thin 4 5/8'' bbl would look nice, but they are pretty scarce and I would likely not sacrifice one for a "fun" project.

Yes, easier to find and cheaper- easy to like!:thumbup:

I've had ok results with Mr. Nambu's 8mm- but others have not.
I think he had some problems at one time and changed his load, then had to change it back- or some such .

Don, don't forget... A pencil-tapered barrel and high, square sight block lie within the "meat" on a standard configuration bbl!

Yes,
but my barrel stretcher is broken!:eek:

Interesting conversion! :thumbup:

I think you are gonna catch hell from "Zorba, the Greek" for butchering a Nambu...!!!!

I doubt it, the Nambu now has a new lease on life and an "alter ego"!:p

Don- very interesting! When do you anticipate going into production? Bill

Around the 10th of never.:p

You could have said the 30th of February. :D At least it's a real month.:rolleyes:

To me, this conversion has changed it from a safe queen that may get shot occasionally, to a regular range gun that can be enjoyed and shown off at the range......a win-win in my way of thinking......but I am a shooter, not a collector.

Naw - at least he can now find ammo for it!

I've shot 50 rds of MrNambu ammo - had one slight hangfire of about 1/2 second, but otherwise was OK. He seems to have dropped off the face of the earth, I was going to have him reload my brass, but his email (as posted on his website) no longer works. I'll probably just have to get the stuff to reload them myself.

He hasn't listed anything on eBay for a while either... :(

I believe that Sheepherder has done the same conversion - see this same thread as a sticky :)

Old Western Scrounger has it: http://www.ows-ammo.com/store/index....products_id=85

Kinda pricey though, so reloading might be an option if you want to shoot a lot. Also, they seem to make it in batches and won't make more until they're completely out, so you need to be quick and buy when they have it in stock.

A 6" Luger barrel can be re-profiled to simulate the 'pencil-taper' barrel common on M1900 7.65 barrels... :)

The M1900/7.65 'pencil taper' is almost exactly like the Nambu profile. ;)

I followed Dave's description on how he did it and am pleased with the results...Although I had not envisioned installing it on a Nambu, Nonte does comment in his 'Pistolsmithing' book that he had converted Nambu's to 9mm... :rolleyes:

He's probably reselling it - I was recently able to pick up 150 rds at $49.99 per 50, which is about what Mr. Nambu was selling it for.

Right,
thinner is not a problem, making a 4 5/8" long bbl from a 3 7/8" bbl is a little tougher. ;)

So you think this is actually Mr Nambu's manufacture? Sounds like we're back to square one then, no Nambu ammo available... :(

You're assuming that 'Mr Nambu' loads the ammunition he sells? In that case, it would be possible for an enterprising forum member with all the tools, cases, bullets, and powder to load 8mm Nambu for resale. Lots of retired members are probably interested in a profitable sideline to add to their meager SSA benefits. :)

All it takes is a basic reloading set, and the aforementioned components. And residence in a state that has not yet banned powder and primers. :rolleyes:

$50 for fifty rounds is a dollar a round [duh!]. I haven't added up the components, Starline brass, Huntington bullets, etc to see if a dollar a round would yield a profit or not. Or how much of one. Shipping would be a factor also, both to and from.

Do we have such an individual here? :confused:

No, I was assuming that he makes (made?) the ammo sold by Old Western Scrounger.

And making and selling ammo is probably a bit more involved than what you describe. Seems like you would need an FFL 06 ("Manufacturer of ammunition for firearms") or if you intend to sell it yourself an FFL 07 ("Manufacturer & dealer of firearms & ammo"). Not sure about the 07 though, sounds like overkill even for the government. Then you have the nowadays always present risk of being held liable for what other people may do with the ammo, so good insurance would almost be a must. Can't have too much fun, can we? :surr:

*I* wouldn't need anything. I'm retired and have no interest in any side/hobby business. :thumbup:

If a group were to get together, order supplies, and split the costs it would be beneficial for all concerned. :)

Having to acquire the license and a ton of insurance to protect my butt puts me into the "no way" zone. I have plenty of equipment to turn out the product, but no desire to be arrested or sued. Anyone wanting to shoot their Nambu a fair amount, really should consider handloading.

Interest in reloading the 8mm Nambu must be picking up. Huntington has both their own branded cartridge cases and FMJ bullets in stock at reasonable prices.

Huntington

Cases 8mm Nambu brass cases (8x22) | HDS

http://www.huntingtons.com/store/pro...roductid=17191

$37.98/50
$259.98/500
$$498.98/1000


Bullets 8mm (.320") Total Copper-Plated Bullets: 8mm Nambu - 100 gr TMJ

http://www.huntingtons.com/store/pro...roductid=16171

$23.98/100
$90.98/500


Special Order Reloading Dies - 8mm Nambu

http://www.huntingtons.com/store/pro...roductid=20321

$170.95

I agree with Sheepherder that the component prices that he posted are reasonable for this antique caliber. The brass prices are not cheap, but one can use, and use the same brass forever if you don't load it hot. The bullet price is likely less then $.08 each if ordering 1K or more.....not out of line!! The dies you only purchase once.

Mr. Nambu included a slip of paper saying he could reload the brass - I took it to mean that he loaded the originals as well. *shrug*

Yeah, Ed Tinker shot off all the war surplus 8mm Nambu years ago... :grr: