The Armoury - Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills

Type - 94 Shiki Kenju

Type - 94 Shiki Kenju

Description

When Japan invaded China the army wanted more military pistols. To satisfy the demand the army purchased all the stock of a commercially produced pistol designed in 1934. Few had been sold commercially because of the odd and clumsy appearance. The commercial buyers were more astute than the military who ended up with one of the worst pistols ever made. Its design was dangerous because part of the trigger mechanism protruded from the left side of the frame - when pushed against when the gun was loaded caused the gun to fire. Cartridges could be fired before being fully chambered. Poor manufacture and poor materials resulted in a weapon that was alarmingly unsafe. Despite all the failings the Japanese Forces used all they could get and over 70,000 were issued.

Marks and Stamps: (L side) Japanes characters (R side) Serial no 20.4

Specifications

Accession Number: 75 Period of Use: 1934 - 1945
Type: Self loading/automatic pistol War Zones: Second World War; China; Malaya; Korea
Country of Origin: Japan Type Date: 1937
Manufacturer: State arsenals Serial Number: 69655
Manufacture Date: Unknown Calibre/Ammunition: 8mm
Weight: 790g Length Overall: 180mm
Cyclic Rate: Semi-auto Length Barrel: 79mm
Deactivation Certificate Number: DA 30030

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