Quote:
Originally Posted by DJForrestA
Brand new here and my first post. I haven't lurked at all so if I cross some lines or disturb some unwritten rules I apologize. I am resurecting this thread to do some research on a project I have left idle for too long. My father just passed away and was a veteran of the US Navy in WWII. His ship took the surrenders of several Japanese islands bypassed during the war. On the island of Ponepe he disarmed a surrendering Japanese officer and along with a 7.7 rifle he also got a pistol that looks like these Ruby pistols I have seen pictures of. It is marked
Automatic Pistol Cal 7.65 on the slide and underneath that it say ROYAL.
It is really just sentimental but I would like to refurbish this firearm. As a young teenager I lost the magazine and broke the firing pin and lost one of the screws to the grips. Because it was my fathers it went with me on my battles VS Darth Vader, Alien and basically everywhere I could pack it as a 10 to 14 year old. I then just moved around with it and basically forgot about it until he got sick and ran across it going back through his memorabilia. I have 4 boys and would love to get it in working order and somewhat restore it so I can pass it on when the time comes. I know this isn't Japanese issue and he assumed it may have been taken off a Allied combatant earlier in the war before he took it off the officer. He snuck it off the ship by having a friend keep it and mail it to him when he was discharged in early 1946. I would love some help on this project as I have drawn a blank. Any help you could provide or parts sources would mean more than you know. I know these are not valuable to the common buyer but this one even in its sad condition could't be bought for all the money in the world from me. Thanks and Happy new year.
Forrest
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The Japanese did issue Spanish pistols, along with other handguns made in Germany, etc. If your Spanish pistol was issued, it will have an inspeciton stamp in the form of a rather small Japanese kanji character stamped into the side of the frame, you will need to use a glass to get a good look at it.
Quality: Have a gunsmith examine the pistol as far as safety for shooting. Most of the Spanish pistols I have examined of this type have been heavily made of solid steel parts. I have three of them which I shoot from time to time. After I fitted them with proper springs and magazines I found my old Spanish pistols to be extremely reliable. The steel can be soft, but this is not a big deal as long as they have not been abused. When your gunsmith examines the pistol, have the sear checked for hardness. Sometimes parts have not been hardened properly and can ware out too fast.
Parts: You will have to ask a gunsmith to make you a firing pin, it's a simple lathe turning and faster to make than to try to find a replacement. Magazines are available for these pistols, I suggest going to a large gunshow with the pistol and ask a magazine vendor to see what he has which might fit it. Be sure the mag feed lips reach the recesses in the slide so it will work. Most of these pistols held 9 shots, so your looking for a long magazine.
The grip screw is another gunsmith item. Maybe a hardware store will have a screw which will fit. The length of the screw may have to be adjusted with a file to keep it from going into the magazine well and blocking or damaging the magazine.