Nambu Type 14 Pistol

[Olle]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

They would be fatherless step-children without you guys... I would have melted them down to make something useful

They wake up your fatherly instincts, that's for sure. Kind of the same feeling you get when you find a three legged dog, a blind cat or a Dreyse 1907. They just can't help that they're not normal.

[rhuff]

Originally Posted by Olle

Kind of the same feeling you get with a Dreyse 1907. They just can't help that they're not normal.

I know what you are saying about the Dreyse 1907!! I have owned mine since the early 1970s, and still can not find any hidden beauty in it......sort of a red headed step child so to speak.

[sheepherder]

I browse through Nonte's Pistolsmithing book frequently, and he had this to say about caliber conversions on the 8mm Nambu...(scan attached)...

No mention about boltface or extractor modifications...So I stripped my bolt down [removed firing pin], stuck a couple Fiocchi 7.65 Luger cartridges in the mag, and cycled it a couple times...Fed & extracted OK...

Further examination convinced me that if the extractor was removed, I could measure headspace from the ejection port...

I'm not contemplating converting to 7.65mm or 9mm in the near future, but barrel replacement looks do-able...For caliber change purposes...

[Olle]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

I'm not contemplating converting to 7.65mm or 9mm in the near future, but barrel replacement looks do-able...For caliber change purposes...

You mean cutting the barrel off and boring/threading the receiver for a new one? Makes me wonder if a Luger barrel can be retrofitted, an artillery Nambu would make a very interesting conversation piece, or maybe even a carbine...

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Olle

You mean cutting the barrel off and boring/threading the receiver for a new one? Makes me wonder if a Luger barrel can be retrofitted, an artillery Nambu would make a very interesting conversation piece, or maybe even a carbine...

Here's a pic showing the external barrels, the Luger is the 120mm 'pencil' 7.65 cal barrel...Almost exactly alike...The flange/shoulder could be turned off or left...

[sheepherder]

OK, I took some Q&D measurements...The Luger receiver is .941" minor dia; the Nambu is .858"; the Luger barrel thread is .714" OD...That leaves a .113" wall on the Luger receiver, and if you were to tap the Nambu receiver to Luger barrel thread size you'd get a .072" wall...That's kind of thin, I think...

The Luger barrel/breechface is .628", I'd re-thread the Luger barrel (or make a new barrel) to 5/8" x 18 and saw/tap the Nambu receiver to the same thread...The Nambu has almost no feed ramp, so that wouldn't be a problem...

I'm thinking 7.65 cal...If you did 9mm and wanted a similar profile, you'd need to thin it down quite a bit...Like Ithacaartist did with his 120mm barrel...

An Artillery Nambu??? I dunno...

OK, tell you what...There was a Type 14 barrel on GB last week for $76 start; nobody bid on it...It's relisted; I put in a bid today; if I win, I'll sacrifice it for a longer/different caliber barrel...