28. The Worst Sidearm of the War?
The Type 94 Nambu had too many parts, which made cleaning and daily upkeep overly onerous. The parts were not finely-machined and did not fit well with each other, which led to frequent jamming. It had a small grip and a correspondingly small magazine that held only 6 rounds. The magazine, which was held in place by bolt pressure inside the pistol, was hard to reload and insert. It often disengaged and came loose if the pistol was jarred, placed on a hard surface, or simply inserted into a holster.
The biggest problem, however, which made the Type 94 one of history’s most dangerous pistols, was its tendency to discharge unintentionally. The cause was a sear bar located outside the pistol that could easily snag on the user’s holster or uniform. If that happened while a round was chambered, and the pistol was then jostled, wiggled, or placed on a hard surface in a manner that depressed the sear bar, it could discharge accidentally, even with the safety switch in the ‘on’ position.
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