Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Nambu Type B otherwise known as the “Baby Nambu” pistol was a scaled-down companion to the larger “Grandpa Nambu” made by famed Japanese arms designer Kijiro Nambu starting in 1903. Despite its diminutive size, the Baby Nambu copied the complete locking system of its big brother, making it quite expensive. As a result, only around 6,500 were manufactured between 1903 and 1929. Chambered for the anemic 7mm Nambu round and intended as a private purchase sidearm for Japanese officers, the Baby Nambu never achieved widespread military adoption due to its high cost and low stopping power. However, its quality craftsmanship and association with Nambu made this baby of a gun something of a status symbol for officers who could afford it. Though production wrapped up nearly a century ago, the elegant yet impractical Baby Nambu remains an exceedingly rare find today. Its scant numbers and connection to Nambu, one of Japan’s most famous arms inventors, make the Baby Nambu highly desirable for collectors of Japanese military firearms.
“Manufacturer: Japanese
Model: Baby Namb
Type: Pistol
Gauge: 7 mm Nambu
Barrel: 3 1/4 inch round
Finish: nickel
Grip: hardwood”
Lot 2940: Tokyo Arsenal Bab Nambu Semi-Automatic Pistol. (n.d.-am). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved November 21, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1034/2940/tokyo-arsenal-bab-nambu-semi-automatic-pistol.
