Type 94 Nambu

Abulg1972 · Aug 31, 2015

Who has one, why should I buy one and how much should I pay? I'm not into Japanese weapons - in fact, I have none - but I have an opportunity to purchase one that's in very nice condition. I don't know whether it has a holster.

mawkie · Aug 31, 2015

I'll let somd_mustangs take this one, he's gotten into late war T94s in a big way. I've been on the hunt for one and would figure a matching example with rig would set you back at least $900. A lot would depend on if the rig has more than just the holster (strap, lanyard, extra mag, spares, etc). T94s were the red-headed step child of Japanese handguns until recently. Now they're nearly on parity with the T14 when it comes to market value.

Bertfish · Aug 31, 2015

I'll be watching this thread. Always found the T94 fascinating as an example of a gun which was not-so-properly designed

Abulg1972 · Aug 31, 2015

This month's edition of Guns & Ammo had a write-up about the T94. I will find out more info on this pistol, see what it comes with, etc. and get an asking price. Every firearm in this guy's collection is top notch, so I expect that it will be a nice example with all the fixins.

KH195 · Aug 31, 2015

If it isn't a rare variant, I would expect $600-750 should get you a really nice, all matching gun (with one matching mag) from one of the more prolific years of production (1941-44). The earlier ones tend to go higher as do the very late war guns. There are lots of variants, so small details can greatly affect value. Expect prices to jump dramatically for guns with two matching mags, and for rare variants (like somd_mustang's 20.6 date for example).

Holsters are fairly pricey for these, expect $200+ for a decent leather example (minus strap and cleaning rod), and $400 or more for the late war canvas style. Cleaning rods and correct shoulder straps can go for a couple hundred by themselves. I've owned three of these and still have one, an excellent all matching 19.6 with one matched mag and I paid $550 for it and thought that was a pretty good deal. The decline in fit/finish as the war progressed is very visible on T94s, making them pretty fun to collect in my opinion. As mentioned, these have started to climb in price in the past few years so now is the time to get one!

Do you have any of the specifics on the one you have a shot at?

Melnic · Aug 31, 2015

I only have a type 99, but find the Japanese engineering interesting, They seemed to keep improving things steadily but not making gigantic leaps forward. The Japanese A6M (Zero) had like 15 variants nearly doubling horsepower from beginning to end. they did not seem to make giant leaps like the Americans where they went from the WildCat to the Hellcat then creamed the Zero's in battle.

I wonder how much havoc this all put on the armory.
PICS if you pick this one up of course.
wow, just wiki'd the Nambu 94, not alot of these were made.

KH195 · Aug 31, 2015

Melnic said:
I only have a type 99, but find the Japanese engineering interesting, They seemed to keep improving things steadily but not making gigantic leaps forward. The Japanese A6M (Zero) had like 15 variants nearly doubling horsepower from beginning to end. they did not seem to make giant leaps like the Americans where they went from the WildCat to the Hellcat then creamed the Zero's in battle.

I wonder how much havoc this all put on the armory.
PICS if you pick this one up of course.
wow, just wiki'd the Nambu 94, not alot of these were made.

Bingo - exactly why they are still such a good deal (at least for the time). ~72k T94s made compared to the roughly 400k T14s, not surprising that the T94s are finally starting to climb up there in value

falconguy · Aug 31, 2015

I have 2, buy one because they're fun to shoot and are the same caliber as the Type 14. Also, they're C&R so why not? I don't remember what I paid but they're certainly not museum pieces. I load my own 8mm Nambu ammo so I'll always have some to shoot.

Top - 18.12. Matching except magazine.
Bottom - 19.5. Matching including magazine.

Abulg1972 · Aug 31, 2015

falconguy said:
I have 2, buy one because they're fun to shoot and are the same caliber as the Type 14. Also, they're C&R so why not? I don't remember what I paid but they're certainly not museum pieces. I load my own 8mm Nambu ammo so I'll always have some to shoot.

Top - 18.12. Matching except magazine.

Bottom - 19.5. Matching including magazine.

They are not lookers.

falconguy · Aug 31, 2015

Abulg1972 said:
They are not lookers.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

somd_mustangs · Aug 31, 2015

Abulg1972 said:
They are not lookers.

They grow on you!
Even ugly guns need love too.

KH195 pretty much summed it up, I've got nothing to add other than a 2 matched-mag rig can run as much as $2k or more.
I've seen first and second year guns in the 2-3K range.

One thing that no one checks (me included I admit) is if all the small parts match.
It takes some care to tear one of these down, and non-matching internals will knock the price down.

There's a lot of special (aka higher-value) variants to look for, including the "off-date" guns around the 18.6 showa date. Actually the "on-date" ones are much harder to find. Anyway, take a look at these websites for some examples, and do some googling:

http://www.p38guns.com/Type94.htm
http://lmd-militaria.com/page585.html

Abulg1972 · Aug 31, 2015

I used to say I'd never own a Mosin. Then I bought an M39 or 7, and then I bought an M91 or 4, then I bought a Finned 91/30, and then I bought an M27. Ain't nothing ugly about them guns.

Melnic · Sep 1, 2015

That barrel is so high above the barrel. Good thing it does not shoot 45acp.
Why does it remind me of a HighPoint?

The word Esoteric comes to mind when I see the Nambu 94 each time.
I kind of think that some turn of the century pocket pistols are like that as wel.

mawkie · Sep 1, 2015

Wanna see a high mounted barrel? Try the Frommer 1910...

6pack · Sep 2, 2015

I've been following one on GB for weeks, relisted three or four times now. It's never received a bid. Starting price is $750, and I don't believe it has anything special. I'm waiting for him to drop the price.

Abulg1972 · Sep 2, 2015

6pack said:
I've been following one on GB for weeks, relisted three or four times now. It's never received a bid. Starting price is $750, and I don't believe it has anything special. I'm waiting for him to drop the price.

It may not work, but I have gotten more than a few firearms that have gone through a few cycles by contacting the seller and making him an offer. GB won't let you contact a seller after the auction ends, so I send an e-mail during the auction cycle with a "if you don't sell this and you'd be willing to take $X for it, or otherwise negotiate, please send me an e-mail."

somd_mustangs · Sep 2, 2015

There are several that have been up on GB for months.
Some are pretty nasty, some are just over-priced, there's one guy that seems to think that two blurry, dark photos will sell his pistol (they won't).
There's one not-so-great that fools me into looking almost every week.
Not sure why I don't recognize it and skip it but it seems to get me every time

... and then there's the offerings of a certain pawn shop in Deland FL....

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=504425958

mawkie · Sep 3, 2015

somd_mustangs said:
There are several that have been up on GB for months.
Some are pretty nasty, some are just over-priced, there's one guy that seems to think that two blurry, dark photos will sell his pistol (they won't).
There's one not-so-great that fools me into looking almost every week.
Not sure why I don't recognize it and skip it but it seems to get me every time

... and then there's the offerings of a certain pawn shop in Deland FL....

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=504425958

Funny how our brains work when we scan for stuff. There was a SMLE bayonet up on GB with a misleading header that got me almost every time for over 5 years (yes, this item was circling the drain for that long, WTF?)!

6pack · Sep 4, 2015

somd_mustangs said:
... and then there's the offerings of a certain pawn shop in Deland FL....

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=504425958

I dont know that seller. Is he known for misleading?

somd_mustangs · Sep 4, 2015

He's known for having incredibly stupid high reserves.
A lot of the stuff is indeed lacking in the quality department if you look closely.
I don't know how he sells anything.

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