The Model 1927 (試製自動短銃 Shisei Jidō Tanjū, lit. "Experimental Submachine Gun") was a Japanese prototype submachine gun produced by Tokyo Arsenal.
History[]
In 1920, the Imperial Japanese Army established a commission for light weapons chambered in the 8×22mm pistol cartridge. The state arsenal at Tokyo designed a weapon for this commission in 1923 in the form of a submachine gun, and submitted the blueprints to the IJA, who approved of the design and granted it funding. A finished prototype was completed and submitted to military trials in 1927. It performed poorly; a trial report noted that it encountered frequent stoppages, overheated quickly, and was too delicate for field use. The striker and extractor broke during testing and had to be replaced.
The Model 1927 was subjected to comparative tests against several other submachine guns in 1930, including the SIG-Bergmann, Lahti Model 1922, Thompson, and Tokyo Arsenal's own Model 1928 prototype. The Model 1927 did not compare well to these guns and was rejected, losing out to the SIG-Bergmann, which was adopted by the Navy.
Design[]
The Model 1927 was a blowback-operated submachine gun that fired from an open bolt. It could feed from 50-round drum magazines or 30-round box magazines. The drum magazines utilized a metal tape feed; this was prone to cause feeding stoppages. The box magazine used a conventional spring mechanism.
The Model 1927 also featured a pneumatic bolt buffer device housed in its rear end, however it was of poor sustainability and failed during tests.
Gallery[]
References[]
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