From the Vault: Nagant M1895 Revolver

Brownells Gun Tech™ and resident firearm historian Keith Ford shows us a little chunk of wheelgun awesomeness: the Russian Nagant M1895 revolver. At first glance, it looks like a typical gnarly old revolver of its period (cough! - Webley - cough!), but there are two unique things about the Nagant: the whole cylinder actually moves FORWARD tight against the forcing cone, and the bullet is recessed entirely within the cartridge case, which is shaped to form a tight gas seal against the forcing cone. Due to the Nagant's sealed gas system, it actually is the only revolver that can be fitted with a silencer! Despite its complex action, the M1895 disassembles easily for cleaning. Although it's a double action revolver, spent cases have to be ejected one at a time, as on a Colt Single Action Army, but with an extra twist (literally!). Production of Nagants started in Belgium in 1895. The Russian government bought the rights and tooling in 1898, and production continued at the Tula Arsenal right through 1945. Some Nagant M1895s stayed in service with Russian police as late as 2008 or '09! There is "dirty secret" about its trigger pull, and Keith spills the beans.

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