Hamada Type 2
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 90 mm
- Weight, empty
- 650 g
- Introduced
- 1943
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Hamada Type 2 is a Japanese World War II semi-automatic pistol designed by civilian sporting-gunmaker Bunji Hamada. It is an enlarged, militarized development of his original Browning Model 1910-pattern Type 1, rechambered from .32 ACP to the standard Japanese 8x22mm Nambu service cartridge with a longer barrel, steeper grip angle and lightening cutouts at the rear of the slide. Formally adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in June 1943, only around fifty examples were assembled at a converted Notobe textile factory before facilities were bombed in early 1945, making it one of the rarest Japanese service pistols.
Bunji Hamada was a civilian sporting-gunmaker pressed into military production in 1941. His 8mm Nambu Type 2 was adopted in 1943 but barely built before the war ended; Hamada himself survived and later reopened a hunting-rifle shop in Kamakura.
Adopted June 1943 but barely produced; roughly 50 completed before the facility was destroyed in early 1945. Distinctive semicircular cutouts at the rear of the slide lighten the reciprocating mass. Only a small number survive in collections.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Japan Firearms Manufacturing Company
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1943 to 1945
- Variant of
- Caliber 8mm nambu
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 90 mm
- Overall length
- 165 mm
- Weight, empty
- 650 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Short recoil
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 300 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 297 J
- Effective range
- 25 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
- Browning 1910 pattern
- Lightening slide cutouts
Steeper grip angle
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,909 pistols | 650 g | 794 g | Lighter than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 165 mm | 196 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 90 mm | 102 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 6 | 8 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Hamada Type 2
How much does the Hamada Type 2 weigh?
The Hamada Type 2 weighs 650 g (1.43 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Hamada Type 2?
The Hamada Type 2 is chambered in 8x22mm Nambu.
How many rounds does the Hamada Type 2 hold?
The Hamada Type 2 holds 6 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Hamada Type 2?
The Hamada Type 2 is 165 mm (6.50 in) long overall, with a 90 mm (3.54 in) barrel.
Who makes the Hamada Type 2?
The Hamada Type 2 is made by Japan Firearms Manufacturing Company (Japan). It was designed by Bunji Hamada.
When was the Hamada Type 2 introduced?
The Hamada Type 2 was introduced in 1943 and discontinued in 1945.
How does the Hamada Type 2 operate?
The Hamada Type 2 uses a short recoil action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Imperial Japanese Army
- 1943
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/hamada-type-2' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "hamada-type-2", "name": "Hamada Type 2", "manufacturer": { "id": "japan-firearms-manufacturing", "name": "Japan Firearms Manufacturing Company", "countryCode": "JP", "foundedYear": 1895, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "00548b349ba5c43089d89bcd6df6b9d8fc6770a7371c3d5c3b8eba4741b5b85e" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "JP", "year_introduced": 1943, "barrel_length_mm": 90, "weight_empty_g": 650, "action_type": "short_recoil"}