M1895 Nagant revolver
Izhevsk Factory 1944
Calibre 7.62 Nagant
Serial No WP549

£450

The M1895 Nagant revolver was designed by Leon Nagant, brother of Emile Nagant who contributed to the Mosin-Nagant rifle.

It is a seven shot design chambered for the proprietary 7.62X38mmR cartridge. The unique feature of the revolver and the cartridge is the gas seal system. This is accomplished by pushing the cylinder forward as the hammer is cocked so that the forcing cone of the barrel is inserted into the cylinder chamber while the mouth of the cartridge case is inserted into the forcing cone. The bullet itself is recessed into the mouth of the case so that it does not interfere with the rotation of the cylinder. This system effectively creates a gas seal which adds 200 to 300 feet per second to the bullet's initial velocity.

The Nagant was accepted by Russia in 1895, hence the model number, and initial production was in Liege, Belgium. Domestic production began in 1898 and continued until 1945

Left Side of Frame: The arrow within a triangle in a circle denotes the Izhevsk Factory with a date of 1944