North China Type 19 handgun

The North China Type 19 (北支一九式拳銃) is a military sidearm produced during World War II by the Empire of Japan and China. Produced in China during the final stages of World War II, the North China Type 19 was most likely made in an effort to supply troops based in Manchuria when supply lines from Japan became disrupted by Allied submarines and bombing. Officially approved by the chief of the ordnance bureau, the Type 19 is very scarce with only eleven surviving examples known. The pistol appears to be a redesign of the Type 14 Nambu pistol but all pertinent ordinance records were lost during World War II.^[4]

North China type 19 pistol
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Japan/China
Service history
In service	1944–1945
Used by	Japan Collaborationist Chinese Army[1]
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	North China Engineering Co Ltd, Shenyang
Produced	1944–1945[2]
No. built	c. 100[3]
Specifications
Mass	1106 g (2 lb 7oz) unloaded [3]
Length	235 mm (9.25 in)[3]
Barrel length	118 mm (4.65 in)[3]
Height	158 mm (6.22 in)[3]
Cartridge	8×22mm Nambu[3]
Caliber	8 mm
Action	Short recoil, locked breech[3]
Feed system	8–round magazine[3]
Sights	Blade, V-notch

Design

The Type 19 pistol is an adaptation of the Type 14 intended to simplify manufacture and improve the original design. The safety lever was relocated to the left side of the receiver behind the top of the grip panel for easier access. A takedown lever was added on the right side of the receiver forward of the trigger guard to simplify the disassembly process.^[5]

Notes

1. Jowett, Philip S. (2004). Rays of the Rising Sun: Armed Forces of Japan's Asian Allies 1931-45: Volume 1: China and Manchukuo. Helion & Company Limited. p. 75. ISBN 9781906033781.
2. Derby, Harry L. Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893–1945 (2003), p. 260
3. Derby, Harry L. Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893–1945 (2003), p. 263
4. Derby, Harry L. Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893–1945 (2003), p. 258
5. Brown, James D. Collector's Guide to Imperial Japanese Handguns 1893-1945 (2007), p. 53

References

• Derby, Harry L.; Brown, James D. (2003). Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893–1945. Atglen, Philadelphia: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-1780-6.