Nambu

The Nambu pistol was a semi-automatic pistol used by the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy during the First and Second World Wars. The pistol had two variations, the Type A (also called the Type 4), and the Type 14. Only the Type 14 is seen in any Call of Duty game. It was designed by Kijiro Nambu, a prolific designer of Japanese small arms. He also designed the Type 99 light machine gun and the Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun, both of which are seen in Call of Duty: World at War.

History
The Nambu 14 was in many regards the same design as the disappointing Nambu 1904 handgun, but was cheaper to manufacture. It entered the Japanese market in 1925 and was officially accepted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1927. The main difference from the Nambu 1904 was a safety catch on the receiver and, in 1939, the trigger guard's dimensions were expanded to enable the shooter to fire with gloved hands. These changes did not, however make the weapon a reliable combat tool for those unfortunate enough to be issued with it. The Nambu 14's magazine retaining spring and two recoil springs were always prone to failure in corrosive environments- the pressure they imparted could make it difficult for a soldier to reload his weapon with sweaty or wet hands, thus making the Nambu 14 a dangerous weapon on which to rely. It fired the weak 8x22mm pistol round used by the Type 100, compared to the .45 ACP used by the Colt M1911 and the Thompson.

Kijiro Nambu was the designer of the Nambu pistols. He was a General in the Imperial Japanese Army who also developed the Type 38 Heavy Machine Gun and Type 11 Light Machine Gun. In 1904, he developed the first model of the Nambu pistol. Though it was not introduced into the IJA, the Nambu pistol was produced by private enterprise and it was issued to the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1915. According to Japanese data, this pistol was not really designed by Nambu. The real Nambu pistol is another design which is also similar to the Luger P-08: due to misidentification by Americans, Japanese also call this pistol a Nambu Type-14 post-war. Although it looks alot like a luger, the nambu function completely differenty. Unlike the luger the nambu's uses a recoil spring action in which bolt blows back instead of the toggle recoil action of the luger.

In 1925, IJA also introduced the improved model of Nambu pistol as the Type 14 Pistol which was almost the same as the early model except some small improvements. About 279,000 Type 14s were produced. Later production models were fitted with a much larger trigger housing to fit the hand of a shooter wearing gloves. Due to the fact that the Nambu pistol was obsolete, and that IJA officers were required to purchase their own pistols, most bought European models. The Nambu was used by Japanese forces until the end of World War II.

Call of Duty: World at War
The Nambu reloads quickly and has good sights. It has the shortest mid-magazine reload delay, and the second shortest reload delay when out of ammunition. This could make it the best side-arm (excluding the .357 Magnum, of course), as all of the side-arms (again, excluding the .357 Magnum) are the same except for appearance and reload speed. In single player, the Nambu goes mainly unseen and unused. One is given to Pvt. Miller by Sgt. Sullivan after he is rescued from the Japanese camp, but subsequently it is rarely seen unless a Japanese soldier goes into Last Stand mode. Its appearance in single player is usually due to Japanese soldiers pulling it out on Second Chance. It is also noted for its thin design much like the Luger P08, but the vague similarities are very minor. Mechanically the Luger and Nambu are very different pistols.

Multiplayer
The Nambu is unlocked very early on in multiplayer. It is just as powerful as the M1911, Tokarev TT-33 and Walther P38, although many players think otherwise. It has low recoil, fast reloads, and what are generally considered good sights. It has a capacity of 8 cartridges, just like all of the other sidearms, except for the .357 Magnum that has a capacity of 6 cartridges.

Technically, this sidearm is very underated, as it does just as much damage as the M1911, Tokarev TT-33 and Walther P38.

Trivia

 * From Call of Duty 3 onward, the Luger was replaced in-game by the Walther P38, much to the dismay of Luger fans. The Nambu has found its place with those who enjoy using the Luger, as they are somewhat similar in appearance.


 * The Nambu is the first weapon you can actually use in Call of Duty: World at War. However you are told to "Grab a rifle" a second after it is given to you.


 * It cannot share ammo with the Type 100, even though they use the same ammunition.


 * The Nambu, along with the Springfield, have what are considered to be the worst, and most confusing, iron sights in World at War. (See picture below)
 * This Pistol, along with all other pistols in the call of duty games, are unusually held. Since you can only see the player's hand, it should be held right next to your face, rather than your arms reaching forward with the gun, as seen on multiplayer
 * In Call of Duty World at War (DS), the Nambu is the only weapon that has a difference in speed when reloading mid-magazine.