Revolver weapon. "Nagant" (revolver): technical characteristics and modern modifications. What is a turret drum

At the end of the 19th century, the Russian Empire began a massive rearmament of its army. The "Three-linear rifle of the 1891 model" was chosen as the main sample of small arms. The model of the 4.2-linear (10.67-mm) revolver of the Smith-Wesson III system of the 1880 model, obsolete by that time, served as a standard revolver. The Commission for the development of a small-caliber rifle, headed by Lieutenant General N. G. Chagin, was involved in the search for promising models. The main requirements for the new army revolver were as follows:

• Great bullet stopping power. Since one of the main types of troops was cavalry, a shot at an effective range (up to 50 steps) should stop the horse.
• "Combat Strength" should be able to penetrate four to five inch pine boards.
• Small weight (0.82-0.92 kg).
• The caliber, number, direction, barrel rifling profile, etc. must match those of the three-line rifle of the 1891 model, then defective rifle barrels can be used in the manufacture of revolvers.
• The revolver should not be equipped with a self-cocking device, because it "has a harmful effect on accuracy."
• The muzzle velocity of the bullet must be at least 300 m/s.
• The revolver must have good accuracy of fire.
• The design should be simple and technological.
• The revolver must be reliable, insensitive to dirt and poor operating conditions, and easy to maintain.
• Extraction of sleeves should not be simultaneous, but sequential.
• Sights must be designed so that the trajectory of the bullet crosses the line of sight at a distance of 35 steps.
• The capacity of the drum is not less than 7 rounds.
• Cartridge with flanged brass case, jacketed bullet and smokeless powder.
• The rejection of self-cocking firing and the simultaneous extraction of spent cartridges was caused by the opinion that, firstly, they would complicate the design (which would negatively affect the reliability and cost of the revolver), and secondly, they would lead to "excessive consumption of ammunition."

The announced competition and the potential gigantic order aroused great interest among domestic and foreign arms manufacturers. Several modifications of the existing Smith-Wesson revolver, revolvers and automatic pistols were introduced. The main struggle unfolded between the Belgian gunsmiths Henri Pieper with the M1889 Bayard revolver model and Leon Nagant with the M1892.

Leon Nagant had to remake the revolver for the Russian 7.62-mm caliber and, as in 1883, exclude the possibility of self-cocking firing, worsening the characteristics of the weapon in accordance with the requirements of the competition. Two variants were presented - 6- and 7-shot revolvers. Piper's revolver was rejected due to the large mass and unreliability of the design. Leon Nagant's victory in the competition was probably largely due to the fact that he already had long-established connections in the Russian military department.

For a patent for a revolver, Nagant requested 75,000 rubles, which he was ultimately denied and a second competition was appointed with new specified conditions. In addition to the characteristics, they stipulated a bonus: 20,000 rubles for the design of the revolver and 5,000 for the design of the cartridge; in addition, the winner "given his invention to the full ownership of the Russian government, which received the right to manufacture it both in its own country and abroad, without any surcharge to the inventor." Pieper submitted to the competition newly redesigned revolvers with original automatics, which the commission considered "witty, but not practical." The six-barreled revolver of S. I. Mosin was also rejected.

Refinements in the design of the Nagant revolver were less significant, and after comparative tests with a 4.2-line Smith-Wesson revolver, the design was approved. According to the results of military tests, the officers participating in them expressed an insistent desire to get a double-action revolver with the possibility of self-cocking fire. Returning to the self-cocking version of the revolver, the commission did not consider it completely satisfactory either, so it was decided to adopt two types of revolvers into service with the Russian army: self-cocking officer and non-self-cocking - for non-commissioned officers and privates.

After a number of minor changes, the design was approved in the spring of 1895. On May 13, 1895, by decree of Nicholas II, the "soldier" and "officer" models of the Nagant revolver were adopted by the Russian army, however, according to the military department, the revolvers were officially adopted in June 1896, by order of the Minister of War No. 186.

The contract provided for the delivery of 20,000 revolvers of the 1895 model over the next three years. The Belgian side was also contractually obliged to assist in setting up the production of revolvers at the Imperial Tula Arms Plant. The design of the Russian-made revolver underwent a slight modernization: the back of the handle was made whole (and not split, as in the Belgian version), the shape of the front sight was simplified. The production technology has also been improved. The order for five years (from 1899 to 1904) was 180,000 units.

For 20 thousand issued revolvers, Nagant received more than 600 thousand rubles. gold. One Belgian "Nagant" cost 30-32 rubles. For comparison, the price of the French M1892 revolver was 60 francs (15 rubles). After the start of production of "Nagant" in Russia, he cost the treasury 26 rubles. (which corresponded to 17 rubles 33 kopecks before the reform of 1897). In the future, the leadership of the military department set the task of reducing the cost of a revolver as much as 20 rubles. In other words, "Naganov's cheapness" is another legend. "Nagans" of Belgian production appear in Russia and on commercial sale, and at a price of only 25 rubles. (this corresponds to 16.67 rubles before the reform of 1897). We must not forget that this amount includes the retail margin of the store. In other words, the Belgian sold his products to the Russian Imperial Army at almost double the price.

Nagan revolver design

Consider the design of the Nagant revolver. The body of the revolver is composite, consists of a barrel and a frame, which are firmly connected to each other by a screw connection, a ramrod in a ramrod tube, a removable side cover and a trigger guard. The barrel is stepped, has a cylindrical shape. In the muzzle of the barrel there is a massive ledge, which is the base of the front sight, the front sight is fixed in the dovetail groove. The bore is rifled with four right-hand grooves. The breech of the barrel is threaded for connection to the frame, the breech also has a neck and a belt with a cutout for attaching a ramrod tube.

The ramrod tube is put on the neck of the barrel and rotates on it, as on an axis. The rotation of the ramrod tube is limited within the movement of the tide in the cutout of the girdle of the trunk. In the ramrod tube there is a ramrod (a long rod with a head, longitudinal and transverse grooves) with a stopper, which is a spring screwed to the ramrod tube with a screw. In the combat position, the ramrod was retracted inside the frame and the drum, and the tooth of the retaining spring was included in its transverse ramrod. In the position for unloading, the ramrod together with the ramrod tube was turned to the right until it stops and stood coaxially with the discharged drum chamber.

The frame of the Nagant revolver is closed, it is a milled part of a complex geometric shape, in which there were many pressed axles for attaching other parts of the weapon. The upper front part of the frame has a threaded hole for winding the barrel. The handle of the revolver was formed by the rear curved part of the frame, a removable side cover and wooden cheeks with a gasket. The side cover was screwed to the frame with a connecting screw. In the central part of the frame there is a rectangular window to accommodate the drum. Details of the trigger mechanism are located in the handle and the rear of the frame. At the top of the frame there is an aiming slot. The trigger guard is located at the bottom of the frame and is connected to it with an axle pressed into the frame and a screw.

The drum has seven chambers for placing cartridges. The outer surface of the drum has valleys, seven notches for the rear protrusion of the trigger and seven sockets for the door prong. To interact with the pawl, on the rear end of the drum there is a ratchet wheel made integral with seven teeth, as well as seven grooves for the protrusion of the open door. The front end of the drum has grooves to accommodate the protrusion of the barrel when it is pushed onto the drum. The axis of the drum has a profile head and is installed in the holes of the frame, the retention of the axis of the drum occurs due to the ramrod tube installed in front of the head of the drum axis with its tide.

The return device consists of a spring and a drum tube located in the central channel of the drum. It is thanks to the tube that the drum can move in a horizontal plane along the axis.

The drum has a stopper, which was a door with an axis-screw and a door spring with a screw. The drum door is located on the right side of the revolver frame and rotates on an axis fixed in the door lugs and the revolver frame rack. The door can be in two positions, which are fixed by a spring. In the closed position, it closed the chamber located opposite the door, preventing the cartridge from falling out. At the same time, a tooth of the door rests against the groove of the drum belt, preventing it from turning to the left. In the open position, the door leans to the right and down, providing free access to the drum chamber, while the protrusion of the door entered the end recesses of the drum and fixes it for loading and unloading.

The Nagant revolver has a trigger and locking mechanisms, which consist of a mainspring, a breech, a trigger with a pawl, a slider, a trigger with a connecting rod. The breech is located in the rear wall of the frame window in a special frame slot and rotates in it on an axis that is pressed into the frame. The massive head of the breech is located in the nest and rests against the bottom of the cartridge case, and the protrusion of the breech, which interacts with the slider, is directed downwards. The head of the breech has a channel for the passage of the hammer striker with walls inclined forward downwards and a bevel for the stop of the slider. In the grooves of the frame and cover, the slider moves vertically and has a channel on top for the passage of the trigger: the lower part of the channel is bevelled; the tail of the slider has a recess for the cranked trigger; the bevel affects the protrusion of the breech.

In the assembled revolver, the slider is placed behind the breech and, when moving up the wall of the groove for the trigger, presses on the bevel of the breech, causing it to turn, and stands behind the back surface of the breech head. When the breech is turned, its head moves forward, and when the revolver is loaded, it presses on the bottom of the cartridge, compresses the return spring of the drum, moves (together with the dog) the entire drum forward, while the sleeve enters the barrel chamber with its muzzle, and the barrel stump enters the groove on the front end of the drum, which prevents the breakthrough of powder gases when fired. Moving down, the slider releases the breech, then its bevel acts on the breech ledge, turning the breech and moving it away from the drum. The drum, freed from the breech as the slider lowers, returns back under the action of its return spring and the front tooth of the trigger. The muzzle of the sleeve exits the chamber of the barrel, after which the drum is free to rotate for the next shot.

Trigger - a complex shape, located below in the socket of the frame and rotated in it on an axis that is pressed into the right wall of the frame, the trigger has a shank, a cranked protrusion designed to interact with the slider, a protrusion to limit rotation, a sear to hold the trigger cocked position, an oval head for action on the crank arm. There is a hole for placing the pawl rod, and a notch for placing the lower feather of the mainspring. The pawl is placed on the trigger on the left side and has a rod to connect to the trigger. The rod has a cut end to stop the lower feather of the mainspring. In the assembled revolver, the cranked protrusion of the trigger fits into the notch of the slider, forcing the latter to move when the trigger is turned.

When the trigger is pressed, the slider rises, and when released from the pressure, it falls down. The pawl, passing through the through groove of the rear wall of the frame window, engages with the teeth of the ratchet wheel of the drum with its spout. When the trigger is pressed, the pawl causes the drum to rotate 1/7 of a turn and simultaneously move forward, and when the trigger is released, the pawl jumps to the next tooth of the ratchet wheel. The pawl prevents the drum from turning to the left with its ratchet clutch, both when the trigger is pressed and when the trigger is released. When the trigger is pressed, its rear protrusion enters the groove of the drum belt and, resting against its wall, limits the rotation of the drum to the right. Thus, when the trigger is released, the drum is in the rear position and can freely rotate to the right. From rotation to the left, the drum is stopped first by the tooth of the door, and then by the spout of the dog. When the trigger is pressed at the time of the shot in the forward position, it is completely locked.

The Nagant revolver has an open trigger, consisting of the following parts: a striker swinging on a pin, cocking spokes, a spring-loaded connecting rod for self-cocking and breaking the trigger, cocking, a ledge for compressing the mainspring, a cut platform for resting the top feather of the mainspring and a shank for closing the nest from above trigger frames. The trigger is placed on the right wall of the frame behind the slider and rotates on an axis that is pressed into the wall of the frame. The hammer striker passes through the through slots of the slider, breech and frame. The connecting rod is placed above the oval head of the trigger and interacts with it, the cocking is below the sear. The V-shaped mainspring is located inside the handle of the revolver and is attached to the right wall of the frame with its spike, which enters the hole in the frame.

The top pen at its end has a finger to act on the beveled platform of the trigger and an oval ledge to interact with the ledge of the trigger.

The thin end of the lower feather of the mainspring in the assembled revolver is placed in the trigger recess. Acting on the cut of the pawl rod, the thin end of the lower feather causes the trigger to turn and take the forward position with the pawl lowered down, and the pawl to turn and press more tightly against the ratchet wheel of the drum. The lower feather also rests on the trigger guard. The top feather with his finger presses on the trigger pad, forcing the trigger to turn slightly back and take the striker away from the primer; the oval protrusion of the upper feather of the mainspring lies under the ledge of the trigger, and interacting with it when cocked

From 35 steps (25 m) on a package of dry pine boards, 2.54 cm (one inch) thick, located at a distance of 8 cm from one another, penetration is observed: 3 boards - 100% bullets, 4 boards - 70%, 5 boards - 25%. One board breaks through at a distance of up to 200 steps (140 m).

The use of revolvers

The first successful combat use of Nagant revolvers dates back to 1900. The Russian Expeditionary Force took part in the suppression of the "Boxer Rebellion" in China. On June 3, 1900, during the capture of the Taku fortification, which blocked the mouth of the Peiho River, the commander of the consolidated company of the 12th Siberian Regiment, Lieutenant Stankevich, who was one of the first to break into the enemy’s location, shot two attacking Chinese soldiers.

The reduction in appropriations of the military department since 1903 led to a sharp decrease in the production of revolvers, and the Russo-Japanese War had just begun, forcing the government to send emergency loans for the purchase of weapons. In 1905, the Tula plant was ordered to produce 64,830 revolvers of the 1895 model, but only 62,917 copies were produced. After the war, funding for the rearmament program of the army was once again reduced, and the interdepartmental commission created in 1908 allowed the manufacture of revolvers on orders directly from military units.

The tsarist government began to prepare for a big war too late: the “Great Program to Strengthen the Army” was announced only on July 7, 1914, three weeks before the start of the First World War. At this time, the armies of developed countries begin to replace revolvers with self-loading pistols, the best examples of which are superior to revolvers in terms of combat characteristics (especially in rate of fire, reload speed and dimensions). In Russia, the next rearmament was considered inappropriate.

By July 20, 1914, according to the report card, the troops had 424,434 Nagant revolvers of all modifications (out of 436,210 laid down in the state), that is, the army was provided with revolvers by 97.3%, but already in the first battles, the loss of weapons was significant. Measures were taken to reconstruct the arms industry, and 474,800 revolvers were produced from 1914 to 1917.

The Nagant revolver became one of the symbols of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent civil war, and later the word "nagant" became a household word - in colloquial speech, any revolver, and sometimes a self-loading pistol, was often called "nagant".

Only the self-cocking (“officer”) version of the 7.62-mm Nagant revolver mod. 1895, while the technological documentation in 1918 was transferred to the metric system of measurements. During the Civil War, the Tula Arms Plant continued to produce revolvers - in the period from 1918 to 1920, 175,115 pieces were manufactured. (52,863 units in 1918, 79,060 units in 1919 and 43,192 units in 1920). After the end of the civil war, the question of re-equipping the Red Army was repeatedly raised, but even after the adoption of the TT pistol in 1930, the production of revolvers continued.

In June-July 1930, the design and production technology of the revolver underwent a slight modification: the sight slot became semicircular instead of triangular, the front sight was supposed to be replaced with a rectangular one, but then a more complex semicircular truncated shape was introduced. The cost of one Nagant revolver (with a set of spare parts) in 1939 was 85 rubles.

Until the beginning of World War II, the production of revolvers and pistols at the Tula plant was maintained at approximately the same level, from 1932 to 1941 more than 700,000 revolvers were produced. The advantages of pistols were quite obvious to the leadership of the Red Army, however, for a number of reasons, the TT pistol and the 7.62 mm Nagant revolver mod. 1895 were issued in parallel. One of the reasons was the opinion that the gun must necessarily be suitable for firing through the embrasures of the tank. The TT pistol was clearly not suitable for this, and the new models of pistols, which had a barrel not covered by a casing, turned out to be worse than the TT. In 1941, the Tula Arms Plant was evacuated to Udmurtia, to the city of Izhevsk, where the production of revolvers continued, and in 1942 a partial re-evacuation was made from Izhevsk to Tula.

Over 370,000 revolvers were produced between 1942 and 1945. The revolver was in service with the Red Army, the Polish Army, the 1st Czechoslovak Corps, the 1st Romanian Infantry Division named after Tudor Vladimirescu, the 1st Yugoslav Infantry Brigade, the French Normandie-Niemen Fighter Aviation Regiment.

In wartime, the percentage of defects in production increased - the lack of qualified personnel affected. The quality of finishing of military revolvers was lower than in peacetime. The combat use of "Naganov" revealed its low combat qualities, while the design of this sample was already outdated at the time of adoption. The most noticeable loss in comparison with self-loading pistols was the low practical rate of fire, expressed in a large loss of time for reloading.

Captured Polish and Soviet revolvers entered service with auxiliary and security police units. In particular, the police of the "governor general", separate units of the SS troops, the "eastern" formations of the Wehrmacht and auxiliary police units in the occupied territory of the USSR.

After the end of the war, the 7.62 mm Nagant revolver arr. 1895 was withdrawn from service with the Soviet army and its production was discontinued. However, the revolvers of the Nagant system were in service with the police until the mid-1950s, and in the paramilitary security system and the cash collection system - much longer. Until at least 2000, revolvers were used by geological enterprises. According to the regulations of the Ministry of Geology of the USSR, the heads of parties and expeditions, chief and senior geologists armed themselves with revolvers.

"Nagant" - a revolver with a fairly baggy loading, with the old "Smith-Wesson" this process was carried out an order of magnitude faster. In fact, the weapon became disposable, fired seven rounds, and you can no longer reload it quickly. The famous obturation only complicated the revolver and forced the production of a more complex and expensive cartridge. By the way, the very idea of ​​obturation does not belong to Leon Nagant, its author is Henry Pieper. The only plus of the new revolver is to ensure full alignment of the drum chambers with the barrel.

One might wonder if the revolver was so bad then why it took so long to produce. In 1898, Nicholas II asked the Armory Department a direct question why an unusable revolver was adopted in Russia, the tsar was irritated primarily by the "baggy" loading. The answer was amazing, the general meaning was that the revolver is bad, but everyone has them. The wall was impenetrable, it seems that the Nagant revolver could not be accepted, but having accepted and spent 5 million rubles. on the organization of production, it could no longer be produced.

The Nagant revolver of the 1895 model, as well as its modifications, were produced by many arms companies around the world. Among them: the Belgian "Lepage", "Bayar", "Frankot", the German "Enel" in Zul, the Russian Imperial Tula Arms Plant, the Spanish "Arizmendi-Goenaga", the Polish one in the city of Radom and others.

In Russia, the 7.62 mm Nagant revolver mod. 1895 were allowed for use by certain categories of employees of the Ministry of Agriculture until at least 2002, they were decommissioned by postal employees in 2003, but as of 2006 they continued to be in service with the paramilitary guards of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Okhrana of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, departmental security and collectors. In December 1998, the Nagant revolver was officially adopted by the Federal Bailiff Service. In addition, "Nagant" is included in the list of premium firearms.

In Ukraine, the 7.62 mm Nagant revolver mod. 1895, as of August 6, 2008, the Ministry of Defense had 60,000 Nagant revolvers in storage (50,000 serviceable and 10,000 destined for disposal); as of August 15, 2011, 15,000 Nagant revolvers remained in the custody of the Ministry of Defense. However, from this number, from 32 to 40 thousand revolvers at the time of 2014 were in the storage of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and some more in the SBU. As of June 2014, they remained in service with the railway guard.

Nagant revolver modifications

Nagant M1910 - Belgian model mod. 1910 with the simultaneous extraction of spent cartridges.

Combat mods

• "Soldier's" Nagant - a revolver with a non-self-cocking trigger mechanism, production was discontinued in 1918;
• "Officer's" Nagant - a revolver with a self-cocking trigger mechanism;
• Carabiners - before the First World War, a limited number of carbines with a barrel length of 300 mm and an integral butt and a revolver with a barrel extended up to 200 mm and a removable butt were produced for the border troops. These samples were developed and manufactured in the ITOS hunting weapons workshop as weapons for hunting, and not for the Border Guard, contrary to a number of sources.
• "Commander's" or "Shortened" Nagant - a compact version of a revolver that involves concealed carrying, with a barrel length reduced to 85 mm and a shortened handle. The shortened Nagant was produced from 1924 to 1930. The total number of such revolvers for this period is about 25,000 pieces. Entered service with the OGPU and the NKVD. However, shortened Nagans were produced even before the revolution, for some categories of police officers, from 1912 to 1914. in a small amount.
• In addition, in 1929, for reconnaissance and sabotage units, a revolver with a silencer was developed, equipped with the BRAMIT silent-flameless firing device of the system of the brothers V. G. and I. G. Mitin.
• Nagant wz. 30 - Nagant revolver model 1895 of Polish production, from 1930 to 1939 it was mass-produced at an arms factory in Radom, in total 20 thousand pieces were produced in Poland. revolvers "Nagant" in two versions: Ng wz.30 and Ng wz.32

Sports modifications

• Training revolver of the Nagant-Smirnsky sample of 1926 - designer A. A. Smirnsky, in 1925-1939. 3500 pieces were released. under the 5.6 mm rimfire cartridge.
• Sports revolver of the Nagant system - model 1953, had a weighted barrel, non-self-cocking trigger mechanism, adjustable sights
• MTs-4 - model of 1955 with a barrel length of 147 mm, designer - V. A. Paramonov. The revolver was produced in 1956-1966, a total of 8220 pieces were produced. MTs-4 and MTs-4-1.
• TOZ-36 - a sports revolver of the 1962 model designed by E. L. Khaidurov.
• TOZ-49 - a sports revolver of the 1972 model, designer E. L. Khaidurov. It features a shortened drum chambered for a revolver cartridge 7.62 × 26 mm.
• TOZ-96 - export version of TOZ-49 chambered for .32 S&W Long Wadcutter, produced since 1996.

Conversion to sports and hunting weapons

• The KR-22 "Sokol" carbine is a conversion model chambered for .22 LR cartridge, it is a revolver with a barrel extended to 500 mm, a wooden forearm and an integral wooden butt. The mass of the carbine is 2 kg. The production of the carbine was started in 2010.
• The Thunder revolver is a conversion model produced by the Ukrainian company SOBR LLC, a sports and training revolver chambered for the 4 mm Flaubert cartridge
• Conversion to civilian self-defense weapons
• In the early 2000s, on the basis of the Nagant revolver, several variants of gas and traumatic revolvers were developed, which are produced by reworking from combat "revolvers".
• In Russia, civilian self-defense weapons: traumatic revolvers R1 "Naganych" chambered for 9 mm R.A. and VPO-502 "Nagan-M" chambered for 10 × 32 mm T, as well as a service traumatic revolver RS ​​chambered for 10 × 23 mm T .
• In Ukraine, gas and traumatic revolvers Skat 1R, Kombrig, G-Nagan, Nagan RF and a shortened Skat 1Rk.
• In accordance with forensic requirements, changes have been made to the design of the "rubber guns", excluding the possibility of firing live ammunition.

Signal (noise) modifications

• VPO-503 "Nagan-S" ("Bluff") - signal revolver for the "Zhevelo" primer, produced since the summer of 2006. The manufacturer - the Vyatka-Polyansky plant "Hammer" carries out alteration of combat revolvers stored in warehouses. The design of the revolver excludes the reverse conversion into a military weapon (the drum chambers are converted to the caliber of the primer, the barrel is bored out, a plug is inserted into the breech breech). At the same time, the appearance of the revolver is almost completely preserved. All factory numbers, stamps of masters and controllers are also intact. The revolver is disassembled and serviced in the usual way.
• MP-313 (Nagant-07). In the summer of 2008, the curtailment of the production of revolvers at Molot began and the transfer of production to the Izhevsk Arms Plant. In the MP-313, in comparison with the Bluff, changes were made to the design of the barrel plug (the new plug has a more thoughtful shape), the barrel is bored out to a smaller diameter, the serial number of the revolver on the frame has been removed, the frame is not milled at the breech breech, number drum, and sometimes other parts, does not match the internal number on the frame, the bushings for the "Zhevelo" are not pressed into the drum chambers, but are screwed into the threads pre-cut into them. The revolver comes with a wiping tool and a double-ended screwdriver.
• R-2 - signal revolver for the Zhevelo primer, the next version after Bluff and MP-313. Manufacturer - Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. Features of the model: a pin is installed in the barrel of the revolver on the right side through the frame, which is also a plug, the insertion point is welded and ground; nevertheless, the barrel looks authentic, the rifling is preserved; the drum is drilled, it has standard inserts for Zhevelo; unlike the MP-313, the drum number and the number on the cover correspond to the number on the frame; three brand new hallmarks are applied on the cover (there were more on the first issue); there are no new hallmarks on the drum and the back of the frame..

Specifications Nagant

• Caliber: 7.62×38mm Revolver (7.62mm revolver)
• Weapon length: 235 mm
• Barrel length: 114 mm
• Weapon height: 132 mm
• Weapon Width: 40mm
• Weight without cartridges: 795 g.
• Magazine capacity: 7 rounds

The revolver consists of the following parts and mechanisms: a barrel, a frame with a handle, a drum with an axle, a double-acting trigger, a mechanism for feeding cartridges and fixing the drum, a mechanism for removing spent cartridges, sights, a fuse.

Details of the revolver "Nagant": 1 - front sight; 2 - trunk; 3- ramrod tube; 4 - frame; 5- aiming slot; 6 - drum axis; 7- movable tube; eight- spring; 9- drum; ten- door; eleven- screws; 12- door spring; 13- connecting screw; 14 - striker; fifteen- striker pin; 16- trigger; 17- connecting rod; eighteen- spring; 19- action spring; twenty- slider; 21 - breech; 22- dog; 23 - trigger; 24 - trigger guard; 25 - ramrod; 26- ramrod spring; 27 - side cover; 28 - insert; 29- cheeks; 30 - ring.

The barrel of the revolver "Nagant".

Frame with a screwed barrel of the Nagant revolver: 1 - barrel; 2- groove; 3- notch for the belt of the drum; four- notch for the front end of the trigger guard; 5- threaded hole for the trigger guard screw; 6- trigger axis; 7- trigger axis; eight- aiming slot; 9 - shield; ten- slot for the nose of the dog; eleven- vertical groove; 12- hole for connecting screw; 13 - threaded socket; 14 - a smooth hole for the nipple of the mainspring; fifteen- back of the head; 16 - ring; 17 - axis of the trigger guard.

The barrel of the revolver "Nagant"

The barrel inside has a channel with four rifling and a widening in the breech for the muzzle of the sleeve. Outside, the barrel has a threaded stub for connecting to the frame and a limiter belt for a ramrod tube (the belt has a cutout for the end of the tube tide and a line for installing a ramrod tube).

Frame with the handle of the revolver "Nagant"

The frame consists of four walls and is integral with the handle. The front wall has a threaded channel for the barrel, a smooth channel for the drum axle and a cutout for the drum axle head. The top wall has a groove for easy aiming. The bottom wall has a recess for the passage of the belt of the drum, a semicircular cutout for the trigger guard, a threaded hole for the trigger guard screw, the axis of the trigger. On the rear wall there is an aiming slot, a rear sight, a chute for facilitating insertion of cartridges into the drum, a rack of the drum door with a hole for a screw, a chute for a door spring with a hole for a screw, a drum shield that holds cartridges, a hole for the thin end of the drum axis, a window and a nest for the head of the breech, slot for the nose of the dog, slots for the slider, the axis of the breech. The handle has an axis for the trigger, an axis for the tail of the trigger guard, a hole for the connecting screw with a side cover, a hole for the nipple of the mainspring. The side cover of the frame has two sockets for the axes of the trigger and the trigger, a recess for moving the pawl and a tube for the connecting screw. The frame with the barrel, side cover and trigger guard make up the body of the revolver. The trigger guard has a semicircular cutout with a recess for the mounting screw and a tail with a hole for the axle.

Side cover of the Nagant revolver: 1- nest for the axis of the trigger; 2- socket for the end of the trigger axis; 3- outlet; 4 - tube with a channel for the connecting screw; 5 - wooden cheek.

Drum with the axis of the revolver "Nagant"

The drum has a central channel for placing a movable tube with a spring and the end of the axis of the drum, a circular groove and a groove in the channel for the nipple of the drum tube, recesses to lighten the drum, a belt with recesses for the trigger nipple and notches for the door tooth, a notch with rims on the front wall , surrounding chambers, a ratchet wheel with cutouts for the nose of the dog. The axis of the drum has a head for its fixation and a channel for the ramrod.

The trigger mechanism of the revolver "Nagant"

It consists of a trigger with a striker, a connecting rod with a spring, a trigger and a mainspring.

Trigger guard revolver "Nagant": 1- semicircular cut; 2- tail; 3- hole.

Drum revolver "Nagant": 1- ratchet wheel; 2- central channel; 3- chamber; four- excavation.

The axis of the drum revolver "Nagant";/ - head; 2 - thin end; 3- thick end.

The trigger with the connecting rod of the revolver "Nagant":I - spoke; 2- striker; 3- tail; 4 - combat ledge; 5 - toe with a combat platoon; b- connecting rod; 7- ledge.

The trigger consists of a knitting needle, a striker swinging on a hairpin, a toe with a combat platoon, a ledge and a lure for contact with the mainspring, and a recess for the connecting rod with a spring. The connecting rod has a nose for contact with the trigger sear and a protrusion with a hole and limiting bevels for placement in the trigger groove. The trigger has a cranked protrusion for raising and lowering the slider, a sear for cocking the trigger and self-cocking, a recess for the mainspring pen, a hole for the pawl, a tail for pressing when firing, a nipple for fixing the drum, a ledge for retracting the drum after the shot and an axle hole. The mainspring is lamellar, two-pronged, held in the frame with a nipple. The top feather has a protrusion for pulling the trigger back with the help of the trigger ledge after the shot and a platform for contact with the trigger lug. The chainstay provides a forward trigger position and pawl retention.

The mainspring of the revolver "Nagant":I - ledge; 2- top feather; 3- area; four- bottom pen.

Trigger revolver "Nagant": 1- crank protrusion; 2-nipple; 3- tail; four- hole for the axle of the dog; 5- whispered; 6 - ledge.

Dog revolver "Nagant": 1- nose; 2- axis.

Slider revolver "Nagant": 1- cutout for the passage of the striker; 2-recess for the cranked protrusion of the trigger.

Mechanisms for feeding cartridges, fixing the drum and locking the Nagant revolver.

The mechanism includes the following parts: trigger, pawl, slider, breech, movable tube with a spring and a door with a spring. The pawl has a spout for contact with the teeth of the ratchet wheel and an axle, half cut, for placement in the trigger hole and contact with the lower feather of the mainspring.

Movable tube and its spring revolver "Nagant": 1- nipple; 2- ledge.

Revolver breech "Nagant": 1- head; 2- ledge.

The door and its spring revolver "Nagant": 1- nipple; 2- ears; 3-tooth

The slider has a cutout at the top for the passage of the striker, and at the bottom - a recess for the cranked protrusion of the trigger. Treasury. Its configuration consists of: a head with a channel for the passage of the striker, a bevel for tilting forward under the action of the slider, a protrusion for returning the slider to its original position and a hole for the axle. The movable tube has a ledge for resting its spring and a nipple for fixing in the opening of the drum. Door. Its configuration consists of ears with holes for mounting on the frame stand, a nipple for fixing the drum when it is loaded, a tooth for limiting the rotation of the drum to the left when the door is closed.

The mechanism for removing spent cartridges of the revolver "Nagant"

The mechanism consists of a ramrod tube and a ramrod with a spring. The ramrod tube has a tide with a channel for moving the ramrod, a protrusion to hold the drum axis, a cutout in the tide for the tooth of the ramrod spring, a hole for the screw of the ramrod spring. The ramrod has a knurled head and a stem with longitudinal and transverse grooves for the spring tooth. The ramrod spring is lamellar and has a tooth for fixing the ramrod when entering the ramrod groove.

Sights revolver "Nagant"

They consist of a front sight and a slot (pillar) on the back wall of the frame. The front sight is movable and has paws with which it slides into the groove of the front sight base on the trunk.

Fuse revolver "Nagant"

The upper feather of the mainspring acts as a fuse against accidental shots, which, with its protrusion, presses on the ledge of the trigger and takes it to the rear position, removing the striker from the primer-cartridge.

The famous 7.62 mm Nagant revolver, adopted by the Russian army in 1895, was developed in Belgium and has a long history of its appearance and use.

In 1878, at the Belgian enterprise of the Nagant brothers, the elder brother Emil developed a 9.4-mm double-action revolver Nagant M 1878, which was adopted by Belgium. In 1883, for the armament of non-commissioned officers and auxiliary personnel of the Belgian army, a version of the revolver with a single-action trigger, the Nagant M 1883, was created, and in 1886, the younger brother Leon Nagan develops the Nagant M 1878/1886 revolver, improving the 1878 model of the year.

the position of the drum revolver Nagant 1895
with the hammer lowered (above) and cocked (below)

In addition to Belgium, Nagant revolvers also received wide recognition in the armies of other countries. Until the mid-1890s, they in various modifications (Nagant M 1884, M 1887, M 1993) were adopted by European countries chambered for 7.5 mm caliber and Latin America chambered for 11.2 mm caliber. However, at that time, a serious flaw in the design of Nagan revolvers was the breakthrough of powder gases between the breech cut of the barrel and the front end of the drum.

In 1892, Leon Nagant created a seven-shot model of the Nagant revolver with a powder gas obturation system. He improved his brother's weapon, embodying the best features of the 1883 and 1886 models, and also borrowed the powder gas obturation system from the Liege gunsmith Henry Pieper - in particular, pushing the drum with cartridges onto the barrel before each shot.

The creation of a new revolver of the Nagant system coincided with the efforts made by Russia to address the issue of re-equipping its army with modern models of personal self-defense weapons, when the question arose of replacing the outdated standard 4.2-linear (10.67 mm) revolver of the Smith- Wesson. The Russian military commission established that “a military revolver must have such a fight that it can stop a horse with one bullet at a distance of up to 50 steps. If the bullet penetrates four or five inch boards, then the force of the battle is sufficient. To do this, the revolver had to have: a mass of 0.82 - 0.92 kg; caliber - 3 lines (7.62 mm); a simple non-self-cocking trigger mechanism; well-aimed accuracy of fire at a distance of 35 - 50 steps (25 - 35 m); initial speed not less than 300 m/s. The design of the revolver should be easy to manufacture, maintain, insensitive to contamination and reliable in operation in difficult conditions.

The announced competition for a new short-barreled weapon of the Russian army and a potential gigantic order aroused great interest among domestic and foreign arms manufacturers. Several modifications of the existing Smith-Wesson revolver, revolvers and automatic pistols were presented, but the main struggle was between the Belgian gunsmiths Henry Pieper with the M1889 revolver model and Leon Nagant with the M1892.

USM single action (above)
and USM double action (below),
used in Nagan revolvers mod 1895

Nagan, feeling that he could make a significant profit, adapted his revolver to the requirements of the Russian military. The Model 1892 Nagant was redesigned for a 3-line (7.62 mm) revolver cartridge. Along with the weapon, the gunsmith also presented two versions of cartridges with bullets weighing 6 and 7 g, equipped with low-smoke black powder, because. the gas obturation system required a special sleeve with an elongated muzzle that would completely cover the bullet. Also, taking into account the requirements of using a single-action trigger, Nagant had to deliberately worsen the design of his weapon - he went the already beaten path, adapting the design of the new revolver similarly to the conversion of the 1878 model to the 1883 model, which excluded the possibility of self-cocking fire. In a weapon converted for non-self-cocking firing, to open fire it was necessary first to cock the trigger with the thumb of the right hand and only then pull the trigger.

However, many minor flaws were identified in the design of the Nagan M 1892 revolver. In addition, Leon Nagant offered the Russian army to buy a patent for this revolver from him for 75,000 rubles. The Russian military refused to pay, returned the revolver to the Belgian and appointed a second competition, determining a prize of 20,000 rubles for the design of the revolver, 5,000 for a cartridge with smokeless powder, as well as Russia receiving all rights to the winning model, including production, like at home , and abroad, without any additional payments to the inventor.

During 1893 - 1894, Nagant consistently developed several improved models of his weapons, in which almost all the shortcomings of the 1892 model revolver were eliminated: the sight slot was enlarged; the recess on the right side of the frame for inserting cartridges into the drum is expanded; slightly increased (by 0.2 mm) the diameter of the drum; the front sight received an inclined rib in the back to reduce the reflection of light; notches appeared on the surface of the drum to lighten the weapon; a different form was adopted and the barrel, handle and ramrod were shortened.

sleeve and cartridge 7.62x38 R
for revolver Nagant 1895

In the new competition, the compact and lightweight Nagant model 1894 revolver quickly took the lead. However, the Russian army, at the request of the officer corps, also needed a more advanced revolver with a self-cocking trigger. Leon Nagant, working for the future, at the end of 1894 presented a sample of such a self-cocking revolver to the court of the Russian military commission. In addition, a number of minor changes were made to the design of the revolver, which by the spring of 1895 had taken its finished form: the chamber sockets were deepened by 0.15 mm in the drum - the connection of the movable tube with the drum became simpler; the design of the cartridge changed - the barrel of the cartridge case received a reinforced crimp, and the bullet, shortened by 1 mm, began to have a flat tip instead of a spherical one - as a result, the edge of the cartridge case began to be located 1.4 mm higher than the top of the bullet, which significantly improved obturation during firing.

As a result, it was decided to adopt the Nagant revolver of two types into service with the Russian army: an officer - with a self-cocking trigger mechanism and a soldier - with a non-self-cocking single-action trigger. Along with the high characteristics of the weapon itself, an additional factor that persuaded the Russian military to conclude a deal with Nagant was a fairly acceptable purchase price, which did not exceed 30-32 rubles. for a revolver. On May 13, 1895, by decree of Emperor Nicholas II, the soldier and officer samples of the Nagant revolver were officially adopted by the army as a standard short-barreled weapon. According to the military department, the adoption of a 3-linear (7.62-mm) revolver of the Nagant system of the 1895 model was carried out by order of the Minister of War No. 156 of June 26, 1896.

According to experts, the Nagant M 1895 revolver was on a par with the most advanced examples of this weapon of that time. In terms of combat and operational qualities, it significantly surpassed the Smith-Wesson revolver that was previously in service with Russia. From the point of view of the concepts of that era, he was a typical representative of military weapons - powerful and reliable in operation, but at the same time simple and relatively cheap.

Revolver mod 1895
with closed (top) and open (bottom) door

The 7.62-mm Nagant revolver of the 1895 model consisted of: a frame with a cover, a barrel with a front sight, a ramrod tube with a ramrod, a drum with an axle and a return spring, a locking mechanism, a door with a spring, a trigger guard.

The skeleton of the revolver is composite, consisting of a barrel and a frame, firmly fastened together by a screw connection, a ramrod tube with a ramrod placed on the barrel, a detachable side cover and a trigger guard.

The barrel with 4 internal right-hand rifling had a stepped cylindrical shape with a massive ledge on the muzzle. The ledge of the barrel was the base of the front sight and had a dovetail groove for attaching the front sight itself. The bore had four rifling, going from left to top to right, the chamber in the form of a bored area to accommodate the muzzle of the sleeve. In the breech there was a threaded stump for screwing with a frame, a neck and a belt for a ramrod tube.

The ramrod tube was put on the neck of the barrel and turned on it, and its tide entered the cutout of the belt, thereby limiting its rotation. A ramrod and a ramrod stopper were mounted in the ramrod tube - a spring fixed with a screw on the ramrod tube.

The skeleton frame was a complex milled part with a large number of grooves, groove cutouts and pressed axles for attaching various parts of the revolver. On the front of the frame there was a threaded hole for connection with the barrel. The rear bent part of the frame, together with a detachable side cover, formed the handle of a revolver with two wooden cheeks. The connection of the side cover and the frame was carried out using a connecting screw. The steel convex butt plate of the handle had an oval shape, with a movably reinforced ring for a safety cord. In the middle part of the frame there was a rectangular window for the drum and a hole for its axis. The upper part had a groove and an aiming slot.

Revolver mod 1895
when loading

The drum was both a chamber and a magazine. He had seven chambers for placing cartridges. On the outer surface of the drum, seven notches were made to reduce weight and a belt with seven deep notches for the rear protrusion of the trigger and seven slots for the door tooth. At the rear end of the drum there was a ratchet wheel to interact with the dog. On the front end of the drum, concentric to its chambers, grooves are made along the outer diameter of the hemp of the barrel. The drum was placed in the frame window and rotated in it on an axis.

The axis of the drum with a profile head was inserted from the front into the holes of the frame, held in the frame by a ramrod tube, which was installed in front of the head of the drum axis with its tide.

The return device consisted of a drum tube and a spring. The tube was placed in the central channel of the drum and could move along its axis, limited by the ledge of the tube, which was included in the annular groove of the channel. The spring was placed in the same channel of the drum, resting against the tube in front and against the channel wall at the back.

The locking device of the drum consisted of a door with an axis-screw and a door spring with a screw. The drum door was located on the right wall of the revolver frame and rotated on an axis screwed into the eyelets of the door and passing through the hole in the frame rack. The door had a tooth for interacting with the sockets of the drum belt, a ledge for connecting with the ends of the drum and a knurled comb. In the open position, the door leaned down, freeing the chamber connected to it. The protrusion of the door entered the end recesses of the drum, fixing it for loading or unloading.

The breech was placed in the nest of the rear wall of the frame window and rotated in it on an axis pressed into the frame.

The slider moved vertically in the grooves of the frame and cover and had a groove on top for the passage of the trigger; the bottom of the groove was bevelled; the tail of the slider had a recess for the cranked trigger; the bevel affected the protrusion of the breech.

The trigger is of complex shape, was placed in the bottom of the frame socket and rotated in it on an axis pressed into the right wall of the frame. The trigger had a tail, a cranked protrusion that served to interact with the slider, a ledge to limit rotation, a sear to hold the trigger in the cocked position, and an oval head to act on the crank rod. There was a hole to place the pawl rod, and a notch to place the lower feather of the mainspring. In addition, the hook had two protrusions - rear and front, associated with the operation of the drum.

The trigger of the revolver had the following parts: a striker swinging on a pin, a cocking needle, a spring-loaded connecting rod for self-cocking and breaking the trigger, a cocking, a ledge for compressing the mainspring, a cut-off platform for resting the top feather of the mainspring and a tail for closing the trigger frame socket from above. The trigger was placed on the right wall of the frame behind the slider and rotated on an axis pressed into the wall of the frame.

The V-shaped mainspring was located inside the revolver handle and was attached to the right wall of the frame with its spike, which entered the frame hole. The top pen at its end had a finger to act on the beveled platform of the trigger and an oval ledge to interact with the ledge of the trigger. The thin end of the lower feather of the mainspring was located in the trigger recess. The lower pen also rested on the trigger guard.

The revolver had a trigger mechanism of two types: a double-action trigger for the "officer" model and a single action for the "soldier" model.

The drum was equipped with one cartridge each through a door that folded down to the right. The removal of spent cartridges from the drum was carried out alternately using a ramrod turned around the barrel with the door open.

In 1895, the tsarist government concludes a contract with the Liege company Nagant to supply the Russian army over the next three years with 20,000 Nagant revolvers of the 1895 model. At the same time, the contract specifically stipulated the obligation of the Belgian side to assist Russia in establishing the production of revolvers at the Tula Arms Plant. Therefore, the very first samples, mainly with a double-action trigger mechanism, were purchased directly from the Belgian company of the Nagant brothers in Liege and were intended primarily for arming officers and non-commissioned officers. By 1899, their production in Belgium had ceased, and Russia had its own production of Nagans.

handles of a Russian revolver (left)
and Belgian (right) production

The production of a revolver in Russia was organized at the Imperial Tula Arms Plant (TOZ) in two versions: with a self-cocking mechanism, intended for arming officers (“officer's” model) and its degraded version without a self-cocking mechanism (“soldier's” model) for arming lower ranks. At the same time, the Tula gunsmiths not only mastered the production of the 1895 Nagant revolver, but along the way improved its design and production technology. Moreover, the cost of a Russian-made revolver was only 22.6 rubles, which was almost a third less than the cost of a Belgian-made Nagant, while fully maintaining the high combat qualities of the weapon. The back of the handle was changed, becoming one-piece, not detachable, and the front sight, which received a simplified semicircular shape instead of a truncated conical one in the original sample.

In addition, the Russian gunsmiths of TOZ, in an effort to expand the functionality of the revolver, in 1912-1913 produced a very limited number of revolvers with a barrel extended to 300 mm and an integral butt by order of a separate border guard corps. The new model was supposed to equip mounted border guards. This weapon, which actually belonged to the class of revolver-carbines, was intended to hit targets at distances up to 100 m. However, the exceptionally large dimensions (the total length was almost 700 mm), the low lethal effect of a light revolver bullet at firing distances over 50 m, as well as "meshkotnost "Reloading were the main reasons for the abandonment of this sample.

view of the detachable butt mount
modification Nagant arr 1895
for the lower ranks of the technical troops

Around the same time, the designers of the Tula plant developed another version of a revolver with a barrel extended to 200 mm and a removable wooden butt, intended for the lower ranks in the technical troops (machine gunners, telegraph operators, signalmen, sappers) in order to replace two types of weapons (revolver and rifle) only one sample. However, this model turned out to be unacceptable for the army, and remained only in prototypes.

Before the First World War, the Russian army was almost completely provided with modern short-barreled weapons. According to the armament table, by July 20, 1914, there were 424,434 revolvers of the Nagant system of the 1895 model of all modifications in the troops. And in the period from 1914 to 1917, Tula gunsmiths produced another 474,800 revolvers of all modifications.

After the revolution of 1917, the revolver was adopted by the Red Army and the power structures of Soviet Russia. At the same time, the "soldier" model was abandoned, leaving only a more advanced model of a self-cocking revolver in service.

By the mid-1920s, the Soviet state, taking into account the experience of using Nagant revolvers during the years of the First World War and the Civil War, decided, along with work on the creation of new self-loading and automatic pistols, to carry out a partial modernization of well-proven revolvers. But, the changes made to their design affected only the sights: the slot of the sight became semicircular instead of triangular, and the semicircular front sight was replaced by the former, but with a “truncated” upper part, more convenient for aiming. The manufacturing technology of revolvers was somewhat simplified, although the labor intensity of their manufacture did not decrease, it was 30 machine tools / hours per product.

Revolver mod 1895 produced by TOZ (USSR)

In 1927, the Tula Arms Plant mastered, along with the production of regular revolvers of the 1895 model, the production of a new modification of the revolver - with a shortened barrel (85 mm long) and a handle. This compact revolver, the so-called "commander's" revolver, was intended primarily for arming the operational staff of the OGPU and the NKVD, where the specifics of the service required the covert carrying of personal weapons. These weapons were produced in very small quantities (no more than a few thousand) until 1932.

In 1933, the Tula Arms Plant mastered the mass production of the TT self-loading pistol, which later became famous, which was adopted by the Red Army. However, Tokarev pistols could not completely replace the 1895 model revolvers from the standard weapon system, mainly due to their high service and operational qualities. Therefore, the manufacture of both types of short-barreled weapons continued in parallel at TOZ. Between 1932 and 1941, more than 700,000 revolvers of the Nagant system were produced.

Shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War, an experimental batch of revolvers with BRAMIT devices (Mitin brothers) for silent-flameless shooting was produced especially for the state security agencies at TOZ. This muffler had a fairly efficient expansion chamber with rubber gaskets - obturators. Soon this weapon received a baptism of fire, however, on a very limited scale, being used by Chekists, abandoned as part of reconnaissance and sabotage groups behind enemy lines.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Tula people in October 1941 had to evacuate the main facilities to the Urals. Already at the beginning of 1942, the production of revolvers was launched in Izhevsk by a branch of machine-building plant No. 74, which was assigned No. 622 in July 1942. However, the ever-growing demand for weapons led to the fact that, in addition to the Izhevsk plant, from the end of 1942, the production of revolvers resumed again in Tula (and continued in Izhevsk until the end of the war). In 1942-1945, Soviet gunsmiths handed over more than 370,000 revolvers to the front. Relatively small volumes of production are explained by the fact that preference was still given to the TT pistol. The excellent combat qualities of the Russian revolver no longer met the requirements of maneuverable combat, which required a weapon with a high rate of fire - automatic, with high-capacity magazines.

The new weapon system of the Red Army, formed in 1944-1945, was focused on promising models of automatic weapons, among which there was no longer any place for the revolver of the 1895 model, and after the end of the Great Patriotic War, it was removed first from production, and then from armament. Over the entire time it was in service with Russia and the USSR, more than 2 million units of these weapons were produced.

Revolver mod 1895
with plastic cheeks

With the end of the Great Patriotic War and the removal from service in the army, part of the revolvers were stored in arsenals, and a significant number of revolvers continued to serve in the police for many years. After the re-equipment in the mid-1950s of the internal affairs bodies with more modern models of personal weapons, the revolvers were handed over to private security units (VOKhR) and cash collection services, where many of these revolvers were used even 100 years after their creation, until their circulation in Russia was limited by the Law on Weapons, adopted in 1993.

Given the many years of operation and the high demand of many interested organizations in service weapons, in the 1960s and 1970s, almost all the remaining revolvers underwent a major overhaul and, in connection with this, underwent some changes. So on most of the revolvers, plastic cheeks of the handle were installed, instead of old wooden ones worn out over many years of operation. In all revolvers until 1922, the trigger mechanism was converted into a self-cocking mechanism. All weapons produced in 1931-1932 received, instead of flies, a semicircular-shaped front sight of the 1930 model with a “truncated” upper part.

In general, the design of the Nagant revolver of the 1895 model of the year became a classic at one time. Along with the widely established production of "Naganov" in Russia, and later the USSR, many foreign firms have repeatedly copied its design. Thus, the Belgian firms Lepage, Bayard, Francott, as well as the German firm in Suhl C.G.Haenel, have established production of both direct analogues and several modified Nagant revolvers of the 1895 model. In the 1920-1930s, the Spanish arms company F. Arizmendi y Goenaga produced a modified Nagan revolver mod. 1895 chambered for 7.5 mm. From 1930 to 1935, under the designation "Nagant model 30", it was also produced by the Polish state weapons arsenal in the city of Radom using equipment purchased during the liquidation in 1930 of the Belgian company of the Nagant brothers.

In addition to combat and official use, the Nagan revolver of the 1895 model was also used in sports. In pre-revolutionary Russia, no major changes were made to the design of revolvers for target shooting. At the competition, a standard revolver with a non-self-cocking trigger was used, which was distinguished by high stability and accuracy of battle.

In 1926, one of the founders of Soviet shooting sports, an outstanding shooter and gunsmith A.A. Smirnsky proposed a project to convert a regular army 7.62 mm revolver into a 5.6 mm rimfire cartridge (.22 LR). Revolvers of this type were intended for initial training in shooting from short-barreled weapons and for sports shooting. From combat revolvers, the new training weapons, in addition to the caliber, differed primarily in the presence of a non-self-cocking trigger, a reduced height of the front sight, liners in the drum chambers for cartridges with much smaller dimensions and a sleeve diameter than regular cartridges. In addition, the upgraded revolver had a slightly different striker location, which was due to the use of rimfire cartridges. Quite deservedly, these revolvers enjoyed a reputation as a good target weapon, with good accuracy of fire and accuracy at distances up to 25 m, which was due not only to the good qualities of the weapon itself, but also to the fact that the trigger pull in the Nagan-Smirnsky training revolver was not over 1.5 kg.

In the 1930s, the Scientific Testing Station for Sports Weapons of the Osoviahim Central Council created a special training device for firing small-caliber .22 LR cartridges from a standard 7.62-mm Nagant revolver. The device consisted of a 5.6 mm caliber insert barrel and a shortened seven-shot drum. The revolver re-arranged in this way had a fairly high accuracy of battle, as well as significant survivability. The disadvantages of this design include the too high cost of manufacturing a small-caliber insert kit for regular revolvers, although such a rework cost less than the production of new 5.6-mm Nagant training revolvers.

In 1953, specialists from the Central Design Bureau of Sporting and Hunting Weapons (TsKIBSOO) in Tula create a 7.62-mm "re-barreled" sports revolver of the Nagant system. It differed from its predecessor not only in the target "weighted" barrel of a larger diameter and length of 147 mm, but also in modified sights, with adjustable sight and front sight, as well as a more comfortable orthopedic grip. In addition to changing the design of the weapon itself. especially for him, on the basis of a standard revolver cartridge, a new 7.62x38-mm target revolver cartridge "B-1" was developed.

In 1962, the famous gunsmith Efim Leontyevich Khaidurov began work on the creation of a new 6-shot sports target revolver, which later received the designation TOZ-36. In this weapon, Khaidurov retained many of the knots and mechanisms tested in the revolver. A feature of the Khaidurov revolver was the presence of a trigger force regulator (1.5-1.8 kg) and a trigger stroke (0.5-2.0 mm). Sights consist of a rear sight and front sight adjustable horizontally and vertically. For a more comfortable hold of the weapon when firing, the revolver was equipped with a semi-orthopedic walnut handle. The revolver was distinguished by high stability in the process of aiming and firing, had excellent balance and applicability, which, together with a long aiming line, ensured high accuracy of the weapon battle.

TOZ-36 (top) and TOZ-49 (bottom)

In 1969-1971, on the basis of TOZ-36, E.L. Khaidurov developed another revolver - TOZ-49. It differs from the basic sample mainly in a shortened drum and improved trigger adjustment (1.3-1.7 kg), which was due to the use of a new 4 ELP sports cartridge. 1000 with a sleeve length of 26 mm.

At the turn of the 20th - 21st centuries, on the basis of the Nagant revolver of the 1895 model, they created a traumatic rubber-shot civilian self-defense weapon R1 "Naganych" chambered for 9R. A. (Ukrainian versions - Skat 1R, Kombrig, G-Nagant and a shortened Skat 1Rk) and Nagan-M chambered for 10x32T. For the production of civilian revolvers "Naganych" and "Nagan-M" revolvers stored in warehouses were used, which have undergone modifications that exclude the combat use of weapons.

In the first decade of the 21st century, a number of Russian enterprises began to convert military revolvers of various years of production stored in warehouses into signal (noise) modifications, which are fired with Zhevelo primers. This weapon received the designations "Nagan-S" and "Bluff" (manufacturer - Vyatsko-Polyansky Molot Plant), MP-313 or Nagan-07 (manufacturer - Izhevsk Arms Plant), R-2 (manufacturer - Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant) . The design of these revolvers excludes conversion into a military weapon (the drum chambers are converted to the caliber of the primer, the barrel is bored, a plug is inserted into the breech breech). At the same time, the appearance of the revolvers is completely preserved, and disassembly-assembly and maintenance are carried out in the usual way.

• Weapons » Revolvers » Russia / USSR
• Mercenary 77111 3

The revolver of the Nagant system has forever entered the history of our country. The name has become a household name, applied to any combat revolver, and sometimes a self-loading pistol. For many, he, along with Budyonovka and checker, is associated with the revolutionary movement of 1917. Then there was the First World War, then the Finnish, then the Great Patriotic War, but the revolver always served faithfully. There are many reasons for such popularity, however, according to military experts, the main ones are the reliability of the design and effectiveness for close combat. In total, more than 2 million were produced in our country alone. Until the beginning of the 50s, weapons were in service with the army and the police, until recently they were used by collectors and fighters of the Private Guard, and many pistols are older than their current owners by two, and sometimes even three times.

It was the model of the Nagant system of the 1886 model that became the canon. All subsequent modifications did not make significant changes to the design. In addition to combat, he found a peaceful use - on its basis, a sports and signal revolver was developed.

The history of the creation and development of the Nagant revolver

The history of the formidable weapon of the revolution begins in Belgium, the city of Liege, in a small family weapons workshop of the Nagant brothers. It was here that Emil, the eldest of the brothers, developed and then patented a drawing of a multi-shot combat revolver of his own design.

At the end of the 19th century, many countries faced the problem of rearming their armies. The most promising for that time were considered short-barreled firearms revolvers.

Since the weapon invented by the Belgians met the necessary requirements, the pistol was adopted under the name "Nagant M1877 Revolver". Positive feedback from army officers contributed to the acquisition of the product and the Nagant brand of world fame. A somewhat revised and improved revolver was soon adopted by Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Brazil and Luxembourg.

Russia also tried to follow global trends and prospects in the field of military weapons. So, in 1879, a trial batch of seven-shot revolvers in a thousand pieces was ordered for the Russian Naval Ministry.

Improvement work was carried out constantly. In 1892, a model appeared in which the best characteristics of the previously developed ones were embodied: a six-shot weapon, a 7.62 mm revolver caliber, a new double mechanism, which was cocked both automatically and by hand before firing. With all the modifications of the revolver, this mechanism has practically not undergone major modifications.

In 1895, he was adopted by Russia. Senior officers received a full-fledged pistol with an automatic platoon. For junior officers, to reduce costs, weapons were supplied that were cocked manually.

The first deliveries were made from Belgium, but three years later Tula set up its own production.

Under Soviet rule, only models with a double (automatic) platoon were in service. Repeatedly, the weapon was recognized as obsolete. They tried to replace it with newer models, but it continued to be produced and was successfully used in the Finnish, Great Patriotic War. Only in the 50s of the 20th century were revolvers finally removed from service. But even after that, they were in great demand for a long time in the paramilitary guards, courier service, and collectors.

Nagan design features

Its undoubted advantages - simplicity, reliability, accuracy of shooting - he received thanks to the features of the device of the revolver:

1. Equipping with a double-action trigger mechanism made it possible to fire a shot after an automatic cocking of the trigger. The exception was models for junior officers, which required a mechanical (manual) platoon;
2. Reliability has increased and the design itself has been simplified, which ensured accuracy of fire due to the solid, one-piece pistol frame;
3. A convenient mechanism for opening the drum chamber - the valve opened the drum by turning to the side. Strong fastening excluded unauthorized actions;
4. In the stowed position, the ramrod, with which the shells were ejected after firing, is partially hidden in the hollow axis of the drum. To extract it, it was necessary to pull it forward, then turn a special lever that rotates around the barrel;
5. The flat lid of the frame box concealed the mechanism and protected it from dust and moisture;
6. The drum served as a chamber and magazine. In the 1895 model of the year and most of its modifications, it held 7 rounds;
7. The drum was equipped with a return mechanism: a spring and a tube. On the frame itself, on the right, there was a locking bracket, which, when the drum was tilted, made it possible to equip it with cartridges, and when closed, it fixed the charge and prevented rotation in the opposite direction;
8. The problem of obturation (clogging) of the barrel bore during firing was successfully solved: when the trigger is cocked, the drum moves forward, the tail part of the barrel goes into its recess. In addition, the cartridge had a somewhat elongated sleeve hidden inside. The cylindrical part of the sleeve was narrowed; when the drum moved forward, it clogged the breech breech;
9. With a complete disassembly of the revolver arr. 1895, there are 41 details.

If you look at it with a modern look, then how the revolver weapon was average: it had a complex design, it took a lot of time to equip it with cartridges, the ammunition was not very powerful. But for that time, he met all the requirements: he was reliable, had good shooting accuracy, so he was popular for many years.

The principle of operation of the revolver

The main parts and mechanisms of the seven-shot revolver of the Nagant system are:

• trunk;
• frame with handle;
• drum;
• dual-purpose trigger mechanism;
• drum feed and fixation mechanism;
• mechanism for removing spent cartridges;
• sighting devices;
• fuse.

Preparation for a shot in this pistol occurs automatically, under the influence of gases exhausted after a shot. It was only necessary to initially cock the trigger. Further, the energy of the exhaust gases did all the work - it actuated the cocking mechanism, turning the drum to the next cartridge.

Shot. Pressing the trigger hook turned the drum clockwise, the trigger was cocked, a blow to the cartridge primer ignited the powder gases.

Technical characteristics of the revolver (TTX)

Year of adoption	1895
Total Issued	2 000 000
Cartridge	7.62×38 mm Nagant
Caliber, mm	7,62
Weight without cartridges, kg	0,75
Weight with cartridges, kg	0,84
Length, mm	220
Barrel length, mm	114
Number of grooves in the barrel	4
Trigger mechanism (USM)	double action
Revolver rate of fire	7 shots in 15-20 seconds
Fuse	Missing
Aim	Rear sight with an aiming slot on the top of the frame, front sight on the front of the barrel
Effective firing range, m	50
Sighting range, m	700
Muzzle velocity, m/s	250-270
Type of ammunition	Drum
Number of rounds	7
Years of production	1895 - 1945 (1895 - 1898 Nagant, 1899 - 1945 Tula, 1943 - 1945 Izhevsk)

Cartridges for revolver Nagant

It used a revolving cartridge 7.62 × 38 mm. It has a flanged brass case with smokeless powder and a jacketed bullet. It is possible to use in revolvers of other brands, for example, Piper-Nagant. For that time, the cartridge had good combat characteristics, ballistic parameters.

This design of the cartridge made it possible to solve the main problem of revolvers of that time - the breakthrough of powder gases through the gap between the barrel cut and the end of the drum.

The main modifications of the revolver

Combat

• Nagant for non-commissioned officers and privates. The trigger mechanism had to be cocked mechanically. Issue discontinued in 1918;
• Nagant for officers. Automatic platoon USM;
• Carabiners. With non-removable stock, barrel length 300 mm. Revolver with detachable stock and extended barrel. Before the start of the First World War, a limited number was released for the border troops;
• "Commander's" revolver - issued in small batches (about 25 thousand) for employees of the NKVD and the OGPU. Designed for concealed carry: a shortened handle, the barrel is reduced to 85 mm. Created in 1927, produced until 1932;
• A revolver with a silencer, equipped with a silent-flameless firing device "BRAMIT" of the system of the brothers I. and V. Mitin. Produced for reconnaissance and sabotage units since 1929;
• Nagant wz. 30 - Polish version of the revolver model 1895, mass-produced from 1930 to 1939 at the factory in Radom. In Poland, 20 thousand Ng wz.32 and Ng wz.30 were produced.

Civil

• MMG Nagan. It was used as a collectible model-souvenir, a museum exhibit, as a stage property, a teaching aid. No difference from the original, but can't shoot. The stigma "uch" is put;
• Carbine KR-22 "Falcon". Conversion development, which has a barrel extended up to 500 mm, a non-removable wooden butt, a wooden fore-end. Weight approximately 2 kg. Produced since 2010.

Sports

• "Nagan Grom" - a sports and training model of a revolver. A 4 mm caliber cartridge is used. Produced by SOBR LLC.

Signal

• VPO-503 "Nagan-S" ("Bluff"). Signal revolver. Designed in such a way that it excludes conversion into combat: the barrel is bored out, the drum chambers are changed to fit the primer caliber, the breech breech is muffled. The appearance of the original is completely preserved. Produced since 2006 at the Vyatka-Polyansky Molot plant.

All data is taken from open sources, so if you do not agree with the information given in the article, wish to dispute or supplement it, then write about it in the comments. We are grateful.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

The Nagant revolver has received wide recognition in the armies of various countries. The Belgian model M1883, converted to the Swiss 7.5 mm cartridge, was adopted by the Luxembourg army. And the Swedish army not only bought Nagant revolvers of the 1886 model for a 7.5-mm cartridge, but also from 1897 began to produce them itself in the city of Huskvarna.

Only in the period from 1898 to 1905. The Swedes produced 13,732 units of the Nagan M1887 revolver. The Serbs and Norwegians, in turn, also began to provide their army with the “model 1893” already modified by the Swedes. 12.5 thousand revolvers for Norway were produced in Liege, 350 units in Husqvarna and several units in the Norwegian Kongsberg. Even the Argentine Navy ordered Nagant revolvers for the American caliber .440 from German factories. The appearance of high-quality rapid-fire weapons did not go unnoticed in Russia either. Just at the end of the 19th century. there is a need for a massive rearmament of the Russian army. A competition was announced, the prize of which was a huge state order from the Russian Empire for the supply of weapons.

Naturally, the most famous gunsmiths in the world hurried to take part in the competition. In accordance with the terms of the competition, Leon Nagan was again forced to remove the “self-cocking” and remake the weapon for the Russian 7.62-mm caliber. Nagant's main opponent was Henry Pipper with the M1889 "Bayar" revolver model. True, Nagan's life was facilitated by the fact that he had already received awards from the Russian military department - a bonus of 200 thousand rubles in gold based on the results of a rifle competition. As a result, the Nagant revolver was recognized as the best. The gunsmith demanded for a patent for his revolver at that time a huge amount - 75 thousand rubles. The Russian military did not pay, but appointed a second competition, while determining a premium of 20 thousand rubles for the design of the revolver, 5 thousand for the design of the cartridge, as well as Russia receiving all rights to the winning model, including production as at home, and abroad, without any additional payments to the inventor.

And again, the Nagant revolver turned out to be the best. At the request of the officers, the "double action mechanism" was returned. As a result, the Russian army, as well as the Belgian, received two versions of the Nagant revolver: an officer's double action and a soldier's non-self-cocking. The design of the revolver, already in the Russian version, was finally approved in the spring of 1895, and on May 13 of the same year, by decree of Nicholas II, the Nagant revolver was put into service.

True, under the terms of the contract, Russia was supposed to purchase 20,000 revolvers within three years, produced at the Leon Nagant and Co. factory in Luttihe (Liège, Belgium). But the Belgian side was obliged to provide tools and templates for launching the production of revolvers in Russia.

In 1897, Leon Nagant donated revolvers made by his own factory to the Tsar, Feldzeugmeister General Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich and the Minister of War, apparently hoping to receive additional orders for the supply of weapons from Belgium. However, in the same year, a decree was issued on the purchase of American and British machine tools for installation at the Imperial Tula Arms Plant, and by June 1901, 90,000 domestic-made revolvers had been produced. At the same time, if the purchase price of the Belgian revolver was 30-32 rubles, then the Tula "revolver" cost only 22 rubles 60 kopecks. The state order for the five-year plan from 1895 to 1904 amounted to 180 thousand weapons. In time, the manufacture of one such revolver took 30 machine-hours.

One of the first battle baptisms of the Russian version of the "revolver" occurred on June 3, 1900, when the Russian troops pacified the so-called "Boxer Rebellion" in China. In 1903, the production of revolvers dropped sharply. But when the Russo-Japanese War began, the Tula gunsmiths were ordered to produce 64,830 revolvers, but they managed to produce only 62,917 units. And according to the decision of the commission created after the war in 1908, revolvers began to be produced only on orders from specific military units. Before World War I, on the basis of the 1895 revolver, a carbine with a barrel length of 300 mm and an integral butt and a revolver with a barrel length of 200 mm and a removable butt were developed. At the same time, the production of revolvers did not stop either during the revolutionary years or during the Civil War. Nagant became the most famous revolutionary weapon, and in Russian the gunsmith's surname became a household name and any revolver was called a revolver. From 1918 to 1920 alone, 175,115 Nagant revolvers were produced.

Since 1919, the stamp of the Imperial Tula Plant on revolvers has been replaced by the stamp “Tula Arms Plant”, since 1921 - “The First Tula Arms Plants. R. S. F. S. R. ”, since 1924, “RSFSR” was replaced by “USSR”. Since 1929, the plant’s symbol was set - “an arrow in a five-pointed star”, which became the main for Tula-made military weapons. In the Red Army, a self-cocking version of the "Nagant" was adopted. In 1930, at the same time as the rifle and machine gun, the Nagant underwent some modernization: the rectangular slot of the rear sight was replaced by a semicircular one, the shape of the front sight was changed in order to eliminate glare towards the sight and make the front sight better distinguishable in any light. The modernization also affected the cartridge - in particular, gunpowder R was gradually replaced by the pistol P-45/1. Powder grains had the form of plates 1 mm wide and 0.1 mm thick. Such a cartridge is known under the index 57H122. In the 1930s, cartridges with steel cases were tested, and in 1934-36, cases were produced from steel clad with tompac. Then they experimented with a steel core. There were also training blanked cartridges, which were distinguished by a black color of the sleeve with red longitudinal grooves.

With the modernization of the revolver, the holster has not changed much. In the Navy, holsters were attached to the waist belt on long apiaries - so that the tunic did not interfere with the extraction of weapons. There were also left-handed holsters and handicraft converted "operational" ones (without a valve cover). The adoption of the 7.62 mm TT pistol in 1931 did not put an end to the Nagant's career, as expected. Somewhat inferior to the pistol in compactness, 3-4 times in rate of fire, 1.5 times in the muzzle energy of the bullet, the Nagant was noticeably more reliable, and its combat readiness, accuracy and stopping effect of the bullet were even slightly higher. Since personal weapons were intended "for defense and attack at close range and in hand-to-hand combat", these advantages carried a lot of weight. Yes, and the production and repair of "Nagant" were easier.

The parallel release of Nagant and TT continued until the end of the war. The role of personal weapons in combat declined markedly during the war, and the "Nagant" was often used as an additional weapon, holding it on the belt at the back or - like a knife - behind the top of the boot. The tankers highly appreciated the Nagant: the tightness of the tanks allowed a maximum of one crew member to have a submachine gun. During the war, the GAU significantly reduced the requirements for finishing weapons, and the revolvers of those years were, of course, made rougher than pre-war ones. There was also a decrease in the qualifications of workers. The sleeves at this time are made of steel. The holster is also simplified: it was now made of tarpaulin, often without a pocket for cartridges. 50 years in the service - the term for a model of personal weapons is not so rare, but still respectable. "Nagan", which went through several wars, was very popular.

Specifications:

Length: 230 mm
Barrel length: 110 mm
Weight: 0.8 kg
Caliber: 7.62 mm
Grooves: 4, right
Drum capacity: 7 rounds
Muzzle velocity: 305 m/s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NATIc88b66o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jFcZZRG0CsI

The weapons of the Russian revolution were created in Belgian workshops

The design of the "Nagant" turned out to be so successful that for a long time of its service, this revolver was not subjected to serious modification.

Two Belgians, brothers Emil and Leon Nagany, created a revolver with which Russian officers attacked in Manchuria and Galicia, and red commanders raised brave fighters on the fields of the Great Patriotic War. The dashing Lenka Panteleev brandished this weapon during his raids, and the first policemen clutched it in sweaty palms. It was him, and not the "Mauser" at all, that the "iron" Dzerzhinsky wore on his side. Without the legendary revolver of the Nagant system, Russian history would be incomplete ...

It is still possible to touch this history today. Revolvers "revolvers" in some places are still the standard weapons of the VOKhR, and retired models are now being converted into traumatic weapons.

The progenitor of our "revolver" and a whole family of his relatives was born in the city of Liege (Belgium) at the "Fabrique d'armes Emile et Le "on Nagant". True, despite the loud name, at first the "factory" was, in fact, small repair shop for small arms, which the Nagant brothers founded in 1859. Repairing other people's revolvers, they came up with the idea to create their own.One of the first models appeared in 1878 - it was a six-shot 9 mm revolver, which had the good fortune to be accepted into service in the Belgian army.

One of its features was the trigger mechanism (USM). It existed in two versions: single action - the trigger is cocked manually before each shot (with what a beautiful gesture cowboys in westerns did it with their Colts!), And double action - self-cocking. In the latter, the trigger is cocked when the trigger is pressed. By the way, in the domestic “revolver”, in order for the trigger to cock itself, it is required to apply a force of 3.5 kg to the trigger, and it is funny to watch how some beginners (especially women), having picked up a revolver for the first time, complain about “very tight descent." However, owners of weak fingers can cock the trigger manually as well - the self-cocking mechanism allows this.

But why was it necessary to produce a revolver with a single-action trigger when faster-firing double ones already existed? Very simply - in a similar way in the 19th century ... they saved cartridges. Such revolvers were issued to the rank and file and the lower ranks, who, according to the generals, had an inexplicable tendency to uselessly shoot in different directions. Like, you won’t save enough for such cartridges! So they were given, so to speak, "castrated" weapons - with a specially reduced rate of fire.

"Nagant M1883" (with a single-action USM) under the Swiss 7.5 mm cartridge was adopted by the Luxembourg army and exported to Sweden. The Swedes themselves produced 13,732 Nagant M1887 revolvers from 1898 to 1905. However, the “protonagans” had a drawback common to many revolvers at that time: powder gases broke through at the junction between the breech breech and the drum. Leon Nagant struggled with the problem for more than ten years, after which he borrowed a solution from another Liege gunsmith, Henry Pieper.

To what extent this borrowing was legal is difficult to say. At that time, the development and production of weapons began to develop at a frantic pace. To get a profitable military and get around competitors, sometimes I had to use not quite decent methods. Buying for next to nothing, intercepting or simply stealing an idea, a detail or an almost finished model - all this was quite commonplace.

The Nagan brothers themselves suffered from similar tricks when, instead of their rifle, a surprisingly similar model of Sergei Ivanovich Mosin was adopted by the Russian army, although it was they who won the competition. The brothers had to be satisfied with a consolation prize, which, however, was not small - 200,000 rubles in gold. They used them, apparently, to “bring to the people” a new model of a revolver.

In 1892, Leon Nagant presented an improved model of a revolver, in which he applied the Pieper gas obturation system. He linked new hopes with her, going to try his luck in St. Petersburg, where a competition was announced for a revolver for the Russian army. The terms of the competition today seem puzzling. They even smell of "sabotage": the Russian generals were going to equip the army with revolvers only with a single-action trigger. However, this was not wrecking, but the notorious conservatism of decrepit generals, who even saw inadmissible waste in a magazine rifle and generally believed that the army should fight with a bayonet and a saber.

In St. Petersburg, Nagant came face to face with Henry Pieper, who, with his M1889 Bayard revolver, became his main rival. But Nagan already had experience with the Russian military department. History is silent about what gifts officials and generals received from him, but the advertising offering to the “Highest Persons” (the king and his relatives) is well known - these were several specially made “souvenir” revolvers.

Leon Nagan was determined the winner of the competition - and requested 75 thousand rubles for a patent for his revolver. Compared to the amount he received for his rifle (which was never adopted), not so much. However, instead of money, he received news of ... a second competition. Moreover, the prize fund was reduced to 20 thousand rubles (plus 5000 for a revolver cartridge), and the conditions became tougher - Russia took away all rights to the winning model. The technical conditions of the competition have also changed: now, in addition to a flawed revolver with a single-action trigger, it was necessary to provide a full-fledged model with a self-cocking trigger. The first was intended for junior ranks, the second for officers.

One can only guess about the reasons: either Nagant's competitors managed to bribe someone, or Russian patriots entered the game, chasing bribe-takers, "godfathers" and conservative generals who fell into insanity. Only Leon Nagan won again. So, on May 13, 1895, the Nagant M1895, or, in Russian, the “1895 Nagant revolver” appeared in service with the Russian army.

Despite all the intrigues, only the best participated in these competitions, and the Nagant revolver really turned out to be reliable and unpretentious, for which it received well-deserved recognition. Judge for yourself: "revolvers", released a hundred years ago, are suitable for use today. True, pre-revolutionary revolvers (produced before 1917) are already valued as an almost antique thing, which bears the stamp of history!

The revolver cartridge has the following feature: the bullet is fully inserted into a cylindrical sleeve, the front part of which is slightly compressed for free entry into the barrel. Figure: Yury Yurov/Vokrug Sveta archive

Of course, the Nagan-1895 seems rather weak: the caliber of its cartridge is only 7.62 mm with a muzzle energy of 210 J (according to other sources - 170 J) and an initial bullet velocity of about 270 m/s. He was clearly inferior in power to his American and many European contemporaries of the late 19th century. Not to mention the powerful cartridges that appeared in the following decades, such as, for example, 357 Magnum (730-800 J). But the small caliber and power of the cartridges also played a positive role - the recoil of the “revolver” is small, and this is with a small revolver mass of only 837 grams along with cartridges.

A seven-shot drum in a solid frame, when fired with a special lever, moved forward, while the tail of the barrel entered its recess (the main component of the obturation system invented by Pieper), which minimized the breakthrough of powder gases and improved the accuracy of fire. True, loading and unloading the revolver is a big hassle. You need to open the window on the right side of the frame, insert the cartridges into the drum one by one. After shooting them, you need to open the window again, pull out and move aside the extractor rod (it is located under the barrel) and, again, one at a time, remove the spent cartridges. All these manipulations took a lot of time, which often did not exist in combat conditions.

Nevertheless, "Nagan-1895" successfully went through five wars (Russian-Japanese, World War I, Civil, Finnish, Great Patriotic War) and was produced until 1950. It was first tested during the suppression of the Chinese "Boxer Rebellion" (1900). The last battles of the Nagana were taken during the fight against gangs of forest brothers and Bandera in the 40-50s, but there is information that the Nagant-1895 was lit up in the Vietnam War and local conflicts in Africa.

On the eve of the First World War, a model with an elongated barrel and butt, as well as a carbine with a drum magazine, were created on the basis of the revolver. But they apparently did not go into mass production. After the revolution and the Civil War (during which the release of "revolvers" did not stop), the "soldier" model with a single-action trigger was officially withdrawn from service, and the revolver itself was slightly modernized. Interestingly, in the 20s, silencers began to be produced for the Nagan, and such revolvers entered service with the special forces of the Red Army.

However, with the advent of the TT pistol, the era of the "revolver" began to decline - although it remained in service for another twenty years. But even after its decommissioning, the “revolver” has been serving in the VOKhR for fifty years (!) For this, special lightweight cartridges were even created. According to one version - because some of the revolvers have already worn out, according to another - in order to reduce the already small lethal force of the revolvers, turning them more into a kind of "traumatic".

But the real "traumatic" revolvers based on the "revolver" appeared only a few years ago - this is the "naganych" rubber gun, which immediately became popular, chambered for round rubber bullets. Moreover, the popularity of "naganych" is explained by the fact that this is the only all-steel "rubber gun" that is made from military revolvers, boring the barrel and drum channels.