1895 Nagant Revolver

[Shawn Grear]

I just picked up 2 of these Nagant revolvers from my LGS this past weekend . One is a 1933 Tula , the other a 1944 Tula . Got em both for $80 ea OTD . Not bad as they seem to sell for around $120-125 around here when you can find em . My dealer didn't have any Nagant ammo but said 32 H&R mag was ok to shoot out of em , so I got a box of that and headed home .
Just wonderin if any of you have a Nagant and what are your experiances with them ? What kinda ammo do you use and how is your accuracy ? (even with that horrible DA pull) Where are the better places to order Nagant ammo and what are the best brands to get ?
As always thanks and looking forward to your replies !
Shawn

[Ron James]

I purchased one several years ago as a curiosity, at that time they weren't yet common and ammo cost close to 50 dollars a box. They are an odd firearm, built like a tank and obsolete the day they started manufacturing them. I have fired both 32 long and 32 magnum in mine just to see if would work, it did. The trigger pull is a trigger pull from hell , even the single action pull is so heavy I can't measure it. It's not a fun gun to shoot, it would made a terrible self defence gun, and even worse pinking gun. They make a .32 ACP cylinder for then but I have read that are causing cracks in the forcing cone. I still have mine and several boxes of the correct ammo but other than to bring it out for my friends to look at I really can think of no other use, other than a wall hanger.

[gwp]

I purchased a fresh rebuild 1943 Izhevsk a few years ago. 7.62 x 38 Nagant cartridges were difficult to locate but I found Fiocchi Nagant for $30 for 50 rounds. I also purchased a 32 ACP cylinder from Gun Parts Corps but I never used it. I only fired one box of ammo but the pistol was accurate even with a heavy single action trigger.

You can locate the ammo online using this site:

http://ammoseek.com/?gun=handgun&cal=71

[P. Greaney]

R Guns has Russian manufactured ammunition that is reputed to be rather accurate it is also expensive. The fourteen round box fits in the pocket on the issue holster. Might be worth getting a box or two just for the fact that you can put it into the ammunition pocket.
Fiocchi, Privi Partizan, and a brand called Hotshot produce the 7.62X38 cartridge with a different type of crimp in the cartridge case to hold the bullet in the body of the case. The last three are reloadable. I suspect that Privi and Hotshot may be one in the same.
Grafs and Aimsurplus are currently out of stock. Midwayusa has Hotshot in stock but lists it as discontinued by manufacturer with the other two as not in stock.
I have one issue pistol with holster, screwdriver, and lanyard and one target pistol with heavy barrel and adjustable sights. I don't shoot them very often but are nice to drag out and shoot just for the novelty. Shooting the proper ammunition in the gun increases the velocity by about 100 feet per second due to the cylinder jutting forward to cover the forcing cone.
I enjoy shooting the pistols and do it single action. Some people swear they carry one as a CCW, I believe they have no realistic expectation of having to actually use it for self defense and do it for the novelty. You know, the "see what I have" thing. Perhaps a violent aggressor will be favorably impressed as well, but I doubt it.

[Stephan]

I own a 1932 Tula, a 1944 Tula, and a 1945 Ishevsk M1895 Nagant revolvers. I also own a .32 acp cylinder that will only work in one of these revolvers.

You can indeed shoot .32 mag(although I don't think I would try the .327 mag!!)..will shoot .32 S&W longs too. I have some older Russian 'target' ammo..genuine Nagant stuff...but it is seriously feeble..sometimes sticking bullets in 1/4" plywood at 20 paces.

I have not tried any of the newer makes of genuine 7.62mm Nagant ammo..but that or .32 longs are your best bet. The .32 mag shoots great out of two of my revolvers..and not so good out of one of them..plus it's some pricy stuff usually sold in 20 round boxes.

Using .32 mag or .32 longs..the cases will bulge in the Nagant chambers..some reporting splits...however I've never experienced any split cases..and I've shot bunches of .32 longs from my guns.

[Andouille]

There is an alternative. Go to Midway USA and search for product number 642108. This is a set of Lee dies designed to form "shootable" ammunition from 32-20 WCF brass. Reviews at Midway are somewhat mixed, but, have to say that I did stumble home from the gun show about a decade ago with one of these little monsters and did buy the Lee die set and did use it with the suggested Starline brass and the set worked "as advertised" without special fiddling or drama. It's only $30.99 including shell holder. That is considerably cheaper than the $160 RCBS die set for "real" Nagant brass and I have experienced no problem with splitting brass as reported above using the 32 S&W derivitives.

Your mileage, vary it may.

[Fred Pillot]

After reading all these threads, I am thinking about taking my Korean 32 ACP cylinder and reaming the chambers deeper to accept the 32 H&R Mag cartridge. 32 ACP splitting the forcing cone, 32 H&R Mag bulgeing in the original cylinder. What say you? Also, I have found that shooting 32 Long in the Russian cylinder, spits lead or powder because the case mouth does not open and seal against the chamber wall because of the oversize diameter of the chamber where the case mouth ends.

[Stephan]

These are 'gas check' revolvers. An oddity of sorts.

Watch the cylinder of your revolver work...when you manually cock it..it thrusts forward...this actually introduces the front of proper Nagant ammunition into the end of the barrel..the 7.62 ammo/brass case protruding from the front of the cylinder..and the end of the barrel cut to receive the end of the brass case(not really a forcing-cone...more like a continuation of the chamber).

Barrel/cylinder gap is sort of a variable thing...the cartridge rim thickness will dictate this dimension...and with proper ammo..there is no barrel/cylinder gap...it being bridged by the brass cartridge case.

A fellows best bet for decent shooting and long revolver life...proper ammo for the odd 7.62 gas-check revolver..

[mannparks]

stephan, when you say "gas check" you mean the cylinder moves forward to the barrel and seals off the gas.not a gas check that would go on the bottom off the bullet? ie:copper gas check.--charles

[Stephan]

The cartridge case(with genuine Russian or at least genuine 7.62 Nagant ammo) actually protrudes a bit from the front of the cylinder..the bullet itself is seated below the mouth of the brass cartridge case. When you cock the revolver..or run it in double-action..a wedge doo-hicky cams against the cartridge-base..forcing the cylinder forward against the back of the barrel..the cartridge case protruding from the front of the revolver's cylinder enters the back end of the barrel..when the gun fires..the case expands into the barrel itself..and there is no cylinder gap flash..the cartridge case bridging the gap....this is the 'gas check' I'm talking about..not the little copper cups for bullet bases.....The revolver itself is a '1895 Nagant gas check revolver'...made in Belgium, Poland, and Russia.

Not all revolvers chambered in 7.62 Nagant were 'gas check' style..the cartridge being popular at the time(I guess)..some manufacturers chambered conventional revolvers for the caliber. These were not neccesarily 'Nagant' revolvers, although some were...And not all Nagant patent revolvers were 'gas check' style..the Nagant revolvers were made in many different calibers..and Nagant patent revolvers armed quite a few nations militarys...The Russians choosing the M1895 'gas check' and the Polish adopting it for a few years too.

[Art]

J&G Sales currently has Privi Partizan ammo 85 gr FMJ ammo in the 7.62mm Nagant pistol cartridge for $29.95 for 50 and $429.00 for 1,000 rounds.

[P. Greaney]

Other vendors have it for a bit cheaper.
Here's one: http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=AP762Nag&name=Prvi+Partizan+PPU+7.62+Nagant+98grn+FPJ+50rd+ Box&groupid=184

[JS1]

I have a 1943 Tula I bought locally at a gun store. It's a fun little gun to shoot with the 7.62 nagant rounds. My gun shop has a fairly good stocking of these Prvi rounds. I think they used to be called Hotshot. Anyway, the 7.62 Nagant rounds are really underpowered. Not much good for anymore than plinking. I also have the 32 ACP cyclinder for the gun. To the folks that think this Nagant can't be used as a self defense weapon....think again. If you have the 32 ACP cyclinder, Buffalo Bore makes the 32 ACP+P round in 75 grain hardcast. This round screams out of a Nagant revolver. The 32 ACP+P rounds shoots at 1100 FPS from a 3.2 inch barrel. The Nagant barrel is 4.5 inches long and velocity rates are even faster from this revolver. I'm not advocating a Nagant be used as a self defense weapon, but it could be with this round.