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Back to the drawing board: The worst firearms ever made

See the most ill-conceived weapons of ever made.

Type 94 Nambu 8 mm Pistol is a semiautomatic pistol developed by Kijir Nambu and his associates for the Imperial Japanese Army. Development of the Type 94 pistol began in 1929, and after several redesigns the final prototype was tested and officially adopted by the Japanese Army in late 1934 (Japanese calendar, 2594). The Type 94 pistol entered production in 1935. Approximately 71,000 pistols were manufactured before production ended in 1945. The Type 94 pistol was designed for, and popular among, Japanese tank and aircraft crews who preferred a smaller, lightweight design. Japanese weapons experts have subsequently criticized some design elements of the Type 94; in particular the pistol could be fired unintentionally before the breech was fully locked if the sear bar on the side of the receiver was jarred loose and the pistol was improperly handled. The Type 94 pistol is operated by a different mechanism than previous Japanese sidearms. Unlike previously designed Nambu pistols, the Type 94 operates with a concealed hammer and with a firing pin rather than a hammer. According to authors, Harry L. Derby and James D. Brown, the firing pin is inherently weak and is prone to breakage because of a recess cut provided for the crossbolt and is prone to breaking at this point. The sturdier hammer firing mechanism was developed and included in the Type 94 to replace the poor striker on the Type 14 Nambu. The locking system is a rising-block type which floats independently between the lugs underneath the chamber end of the barrel. The single coil mainspring is positioned around the barrel around the barrel instead of to the rear of the barrel as found on other Nambu pistols. The grip is smaller than other Japanese pistols and is finished with smooth wood but according to author Jeff Kinard, are more comfortable for use by men with smaller hands. The magazine holds a maximum of six rounds because of the smaller grip and it is considered difficult to reload the weapon, with
Type 94 Nambu 8 mm Pistol is a semiautomatic pistol developed by Kijir Nambu and his associates for the Imperial Japanese Army. Development of the Type 94 pistol began in 1929, and after several redesigns the final prototype was tested and officially adopted by the Japanese Army in late 1934 (Japanese calendar, 2594). The Type 94 pistol entered production in 1935. Approximately 71,000 pistols were manufactured before production ended in 1945. The Type 94 pistol was designed for, and popular among, Japanese tank and aircraft crews who preferred a smaller, lightweight design. Japanese weapons experts have subsequently criticized some design elements of the Type 94; in particular the pistol could be fired unintentionally before the breech was fully locked if the sear bar on the side of the receiver was jarred loose and the pistol was improperly handled. The Type 94 pistol is operated by a different mechanism than previous Japanese sidearms. Unlike previously designed Nambu pistols, the Type 94 operates with a concealed hammer and with a firing pin rather than a hammer. According to authors, Harry L. Derby and James D. Brown, the firing pin is inherently weak and is prone to breakage because of a recess cut provided for the crossbolt and is prone to breaking at this point. The sturdier hammer firing mechanism was developed and included in the Type 94 to replace the poor striker on the Type 14 Nambu. The locking system is a rising-block type which floats independently between the lugs underneath the chamber end of the barrel. The single coil mainspring is positioned around the barrel around the barrel instead of to the rear of the barrel as found on other Nambu pistols. The grip is smaller than other Japanese pistols and is finished with smooth wood but according to author Jeff Kinard, are more comfortable for use by men with smaller hands. The magazine holds a maximum of six rounds because of the smaller grip and it is considered difficult to reload the weapon, with

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