Baby Nambu (Type B)
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 83 mm
- Weight, empty
- 610 g
- Introduced
- 1909
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Baby Nambu (Type B) is a scaled-down version of the full-size Type A Nambu pistol, chambered for the smaller 7mm Nambu cartridge. Mechanically near-identical to its larger sibling, it faithfully reproduces the short-recoil, locked-breech, striker-fired action and grip safety in a compact, three-quarter-size package. Privately purchased by Imperial Japanese officers as a status symbol rather than issued as a standard service arm, only around 6,500 were made.
Never general-issue, the Baby Nambu was privately bought by officers as a compact badge of rank. Because it reproduced the costly locking mechanism of the full-size Nambu in miniature, demand stayed slim and only about 6,500 were ever made.
First-pattern guns (roughly the first 450) have a wooden magazine base and a single-diameter firing pin; later guns use an aluminum magazine base and a multi-diameter firing pin. Production passed to Tokyo Gas & Electric Co. around 1923.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1909 to 1929
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 83 mm
- Overall length
- 170 mm
- Weight, empty
- 610 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Short recoil
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 7
- 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
- 340 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 208 J
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.
Scaled down nambu action
Locked breech- Serial numbered parts
Fixed sights
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 | 610 g | 794 g | Lighter than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 170 mm | 196 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 83 mm | 102 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 7 | 8 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Baby Nambu (Type B)
How much does the Baby Nambu (Type B) weigh?
The Baby Nambu (Type B) weighs 610 g (1.34 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Baby Nambu (Type B)?
The Baby Nambu (Type B) is chambered in 7x20mm Nambu.
How many rounds does the Baby Nambu (Type B) hold?
The Baby Nambu (Type B) holds 7 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Baby Nambu (Type B)?
The Baby Nambu (Type B) is 170 mm (6.69 in) long overall, with a 83 mm (3.27 in) barrel.
Who makes the Baby Nambu (Type B)?
The Baby Nambu (Type B) is made by Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company (Japan). It was designed by Kijiro Nambu.
When was the Baby Nambu (Type B) introduced?
The Baby Nambu (Type B) was introduced in 1909 and discontinued in 1929.
How does the Baby Nambu (Type B) operate?
The Baby Nambu (Type B) 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
- Japan
- Imperial Japanese Navy
- Japan
Provenance
Confidence in this record
68%
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/nambu-type-b-baby' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "nambu-type-b-baby", "name": "Baby Nambu (Type B)", "manufacturer": { "id": "nambu-rifle-manufacturing", "name": "Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company", "countryCode": "JP", "foundedYear": 1927, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-26 23:12:00", "updatedAt": "2026-04-26 23:12:00", "version": "ed3508cfb07d8f70c22afd161f88e29ab4c253d4b166ea149dab080f439cef0f" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "JP", "year_introduced": 1909, "barrel_length_mm": 83, "weight_empty_g": 610, "action_type": "short_recoil"}