Type 100
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 228 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.80 kg
- Introduced
- 1942
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Type 100 is a Japanese open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine gun chambered in 8x22mm Nambu and the only submachine gun produced by Japan in any meaningful quantity during the Second World War. Introduced in 1942 and fed from a curved 30-round box magazine, it was issued chiefly to paratroopers and special landing forces. A later wartime model, the Type 100/44, simplified manufacture and raised the cyclic rate to roughly 800 rounds per minute.
Designed by Kijiro Nambu, Japan's most prolific small-arms designer, the Type 100 arrived late and in small numbers because Japanese doctrine prized the rifle and bayonet over the submachine gun, leaving Japan with no equivalent to the Thompson, MP 40, or PPSh-41.
Produced in two principal models: the 1942 Type 100/40 (firing around 450 rpm) and the simplified 1944 Type 100/44 (around 800 rpm). A folding-stock variant was made for paratroopers. The relatively weak 8x22mm Nambu pistol cartridge limited its effective power compared to contemporary Allied submachine guns.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1942 to 1945
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 228 mm
- Overall length
- 890 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.80 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Trigger
- Automatic only
- Capacity
- 30
- 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
- 335 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 280 J
- Effective range
- 100 m
- Rate of fire
- 450 rpm
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.
Curved box magazine
Bayonet lug
Perforated barrel jacket
Wooden stock
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 282 submachine guns | 3.80 kg | 3.15 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 281 submachine guns | 890 mm | 737 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 282 submachine guns | 228 mm | 213 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 287 submachine guns | 30 | 32 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Type 100
How much does the Type 100 weigh?
The Type 100 weighs 3.80 kg (8.38 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Type 100?
The Type 100 is chambered in 8x22mm Nambu.
How many rounds does the Type 100 hold?
The Type 100 holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Type 100?
The Type 100 is 890 mm (35.0 in) long overall, with a 228 mm (8.98 in) barrel.
Who makes the Type 100?
The Type 100 is made by Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company (Japan). It was designed by Kijiro Nambu.
When was the Type 100 introduced?
The Type 100 was introduced in 1942 and discontinued in 1945.
How does the Type 100 operate?
The Type 100 uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
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
- 1942
- Imperial Japanese Navy Special Naval Landing Forces
- 1942
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
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/type-100' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "type-100", "name": "Type 100", "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": "submachine-gun", "name": "Submachine Gun", "description": "Automatic firearms chambered in pistol calibers" }, "country_of_origin": "JP", "year_introduced": 1942, "barrel_length_mm": 228, "weight_empty_g": 3800, "action_type": "blowback"}