A Russian Classic

[farook]

It's called Nagant M1895 and deserves a special mentioned at IFG

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[timmy]

Did you forget to mention why it is special? What is your point?

[brihacharan]

Yes! wish to know to know more about this impressive revolver.....
Briha

[farook]

It wouldn't have got my attention otherwise Timmy. Its believed to be the only service revolver to be gas sealed. Thought the way the cylinder moves forward was well thought of. The cartridge is unique as well, believe its the only one which is recessed.

Are we aware of any other revolvers with these features.

[brihacharan]

Did you forget to mention why it is special? What is your point?

> A bit of Google search revealed this interesting information

A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE M1895 NAGANT REVOLVER

The Nagant M1895 Revolver is a seven-shot, gas-seal revolver designed and produced by Belgian industrialist Léon Nagant for the Russian Empire. The Nagant M1895 was chambered for a proprietary cartridge, 7.62x38R, and featured an unusual "gas-seal" system in which the cylinder moved forward when the gun was cocked to close the gap between the cylinder and the barrel.

Léon Nagant and his brother Emile were well known in the Russian Tsar's court and military administration because of the important part they had played in the design of the Russian service rifle Mosin-Nagant Model 1891. The Nagant M1895 became the standard issue side arm for Russian army and police officers, later for Red Army and Soviet law enforcements. Production began in Liège, Belgium, but was soon moved to Russia.

The M1895 started to be replaced by the more modern Tokarev semi-automatic pistol in 1933 but was still produced and used in great numbers during World War II. Despite being supplemented after 1930 by the Tokarev it was never fully replaced until the arrival of the Makarov Pistol in 1952. The distinctive shape and name helped it achieve cult status in Russia, and in the early 1930s the presentation of a Nagant M1895 revolver with an embossed Red Star was one of the greatest honours that could be bestowed on a Party Member. It remains in use with the Russian Railways and remote police forces.

The M1895 revolver was used extensively by the Russian Imperial Army and later by the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution. In Russian service, it was known for its extreme sturdiness and ability to withstand abuse. As one former Imperial Russian officer stated, "If anything went wrong with the M1895, you could fix it with a hammer". It was widely employed by the Bolshevik secret police, the Cheka, as well as its Soviet successor agencies, the OGPU and NKVD. In the police role, it was frequently seen with a cut-down barrel to aid in concealment by plainclothes agents. Despite the advent of the more modern Soviet TT pistol, the M1895 remained in production and use throughout World War II.

The way the cylinder on this weapon not only turns but moves forward to seal the cylinder to the chamber is a remarkable piece of engineering. Ammo is hard to find but not impossible. You will not find it at Walmart but an internet search will probably turn some up. If you do find it these are fully functional and are ready to fire. The condition on these is very good to excellent and they have some really nice cartouche markings. These are really nice and no Russian Arms collection is complete without one.

Briha

[farook]

Great info Bhihaji

[timmy]

Did you forget to mention why it is special? What is your point?

> A bit of Google search revealed this interesting information

Yes, Wikipedia would be the obvious first stop to address the issue, wouldn't it?

[farook]

Waiting for personal opinions from Timmy and Xl_Target

[xl_target]

Well, they work and the design has some redeeming features. No one can say they were not effective.
It is the only revolver that can be suppressed and the lack air gap means a slight gain in velocity.

cons
In its stock form, it is hard to target shoot with as it has the most god awful trigger.
once the surplus Russian ammo stops coming in, you can forget about feeding it. In fact that day might already be here as a cessation of ammo imports are one of the casualties of sanctions against Russia.

[Hammerhead]

38 in Russian ammo, never seen that kind of ammo, may be i'm novice but it's not
your everyday shooting gun. In a war time, usually you were given different kind of ammo
so that your enemy can't use it, in case it falls into their hands.

Seems like unique piece but 20 lb trigger pull, way too heavy for regular shooting.