Nagant M1895

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Nagant M1895 Revolver
Type	Service Pistol
Place of origin	Belgium, USSR
Service history
In service	1895-Present
Used by	USSR
Wars	Russo-Japanese War, World War I, World War II, others
Production history
Designer	Emile & Léon Nagant
Designed	1895
Manufacturer	Nagant, Soviet Arsenals (Tula & Izhevsk)
Produced	1895-1945
Number built	approx 2,000,000
Variants	Single-action NCO version, .22 calibre sporting model
Specifications
Weight	1.8lb (0.8kg), unloaded
Length	10.5in. (235mm)
Cartridge	7.62 x 38 R
Caliber	7.62 x 38 R (7.62mm Nagant)
Action	Double Action revolver
Rate of fire	14-21 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity	750ft/s (272m/s)
Effective range	25yds
Maximum range	200yds
Feed system	7-round cylinder
Sights	fixed front post and rear notch

The Nagant M1895 Revolver was designed and produced by a Belgian industrialist, Léon Nagant. It was adopted, in various forms, by the police and military services of Sweden (in 7.5 mm. calibre), Poland, France (in 8 mm.), and, most importantly, Russia, as the model of 1895. 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, the Mosin-Nagant model of 1891. The Nagant M1895 became the standard issue side arm for Russian army and police officers, later including the special services, the NKVD and the KGB.

Production began in Liege, Belgium, but was soon moved to Russia. The revolver began to be replaced by a more modern, semi-automatic pistol, the Tokarev, in 1933, but it was still produced and used in great numbers during the “Great Patriotic War” (World War II). Its 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. Production and usage continued until 1950, making it one of the longest-serving side arm in modern military history, however not longer than the Webley Service Revolver (1887-1963) and the Colt M1911 (1911-1984). It is still in use with the Russian Railways and various remote police forces.

[edit] Technical Characteristics

Most other (non-gas seal) revolvers have a small gap between the cylinder and the barrel, this gas system originated on the 1880's Henri Pieper designed Gasdicter built at Steyr; the small gap between the cylinder and barrel on a revolver is necessary to allow the revolver's cylinder to revolve, presenting a new loaded chamber for firing. This necessitates a cartridge jumping the gap, which may have an adverse effect on accuracy, especially if the barrel and chamber are misaligned, also presents a path for the escape of high-pressure and high-temperature gases from behind the bullet.

The M1895 has this mechanism which, as the hammer is cocked, first turns the cylinder and then moves it forward, closing the gap between the cylinder and the barrel. The cartridge, also unique, plays an important part in sealing the gun to the escape of propellant gases. The bullet is deeply seated, entirely within the cartridge case, and the case is slightly reduced in diameter at its mouth. The barrel features a short conical section at its rear; this accepts the mouth of the cartridge, completing the gas seal. By sealing the gap, the velocity of the bullet is increased by 50 to 150 ft/s (15 to 45 m/s).

This closed firing system is similar to that of semi-automatic handguns and this means that the Nagant revolver, unlike other revolvers, could be effectively fitted with a silencer, as indeed it was[1]. During World War II, a small number of Nagant revolvers used by Russian recon and scout troops were outfitted with a variety of silencer known as the “Bramit device.” The NKVD were known to use the silenced Nagant for assassinations. Silenced Nagant revolvers, modified in clandestine metalshops, also turned up in the hands of Viet Cong guerrillas during the Vietnam War, also as assassination weapons. There is an example of a silenced Nagant M1895 in the CIA Museum in Langley, Virginia.

However, the success had its price. Nagant revolvers had to be reloaded one cartridge at a time through a sliding door with the need to manually eject each of the used cartridges. Therefore, reloading was labourous and time consuming. However, the loaded revolver was safer to carry around and could stay loaded for longer periods of time. This was a major factor in the longevity of the weapon: such features made the weapon a good choice for those who had to carry the gun a lot but didn't need to fire it often, like officers or policemen. This, the ability to use a silencer, and the large number of "free" Nagant revolvers available from Russian army reserves put the weapon on the short list of options whenever a self-defence gun was needed.

The Nagant M1895 was made in both single-action and double-action models before and during World War I; they are known colloquially as the “Private model” and the “Officer’s model”, respectively. Production of the single-action model seems to have stopped after 1918, with some exceptions, including examples made for target competition. Most single-action revolvers were later converted to double-action, making original single-action revolvers rather rare.

[edit] Cartridge

Main article: 7.62x38R

7.62x38R (7.62 Nagant) cartridge, shown next to a .32 S&W Long Cartridge and a .22 LR cartridge for comparison.

The Nagant M1895 fires a unique cartridge, the 7.62 mm Russian Nagant, also known as 7.62 x 38 mm Rimmed or "Cartridge, Type R." The projectile is seated below the mouth of the cartridge, with the cartridge crimp sitting just above the bullet. When fired in the Nagant revolver, the crimp expands into the forcing cone, completing the gas-seal and ostensibly increasing muzzle velocity by approximately 75 ft/s.

The 7.62 mm calibre was chosen, in part, to simplify the tooling used in barrel making and manufacture or projectiles—the Russian service rifle of the time—the Mosin Nagant M91 featured an identical bore diameter, being chambered for the 7.62x54R rifle cartridge.

Handloading supplies (proper brass especially) have been difficult to obtain for the 7.62 Nagant.

Three other cartridges—.32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, and .32 H&R Magnum—will also chamber and fire in the revolver, but will not achieve the gas seal.

At the moment, a variant of Nagant redesigned for use with 9 mm cartridges is manufactured in Ukraine under brand name "SKAT-1" ^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] References

Wilson, Royce: "The Nagant M1895 Revolver". Australian & New Zealand Handgun, Issue 4 (January 2006).

[edit] External links

• Modern Firearms: Nagant model of 1895 (Belgium - Russia)
• Know Your Nagant M1895 Revolver
• The M95 Nagant Dicsussion Board