1942 Tula M1895 Nagant Revolver

[Phosphorus32]

Well I mentioned many months ago on MEBears "Nagant" post (below) that I saw one of these Nagant revolvers in my LGS, and that I'd been resisting its allure...eventually it wore me down, so here it is 

http://sks-files.com/index.php?topic=2161.0

This is a refurbed 1942 "Tula" M1895 chambered in the unique 7.62x38R cartridge.  Most of the workers, and much of the equipment and material (parts) from Tula were evacuated in late 1941, so this revolver was likely assembled at Izhevsk from Tula parts.  I don't see any Izhevsk triangles on any of the parts but plenty of Tula stars.

These revolvers have a reputation for a very stiff DA and fairly stiff SA trigger.  I can verify that but I found shooting it SA it was reasonably accurate and a lot of fun. Very mild kick even with the military surplus ammunition that is reported to be a hotter load than current commercial ammo, from PPU for instance.















OPERATION

One of the aspects of firearms that fascinates me, is examining and understanding their operation first hand.  Regardless of whether it's a sub $200 pistol or a $1000 M1 Garand, the engineering and ingenuity is always interesting.  I guess this explains why I'm a generalist collector.  The Nagant family of revolvers is no exception, as they have an interesting gas lock design.

Note the gap between the cylinder and barrel when the hammer is not cocked


Cocking the hammer rotates the next chamber into position and also pushes the cylinder forward to form a seal between the unique setback cartridge and the barrel. The barrel also nestles into the inletting on the individual chambers.


Note how about 2mm of the slightly tapered case protrudes from the chamber. This nestles into the slightly flanged barrel.


FIELD STRIPPING

Rotate the ejection rod about 200 degrees (just over 1/2 turn, that's as far as it goes) and pull it forward until it stops (end of the barrel)


Now rotate the collar housing the ejection rod about 45 degrees (this is also the position for pushing the ejection rod aft to eject empty cases!)


Pull out the cylinder retaining rod


Open the loading gate...


...and push out the cylinder from left to right






For assembly: close the loading gate, depress the center spring loaded collar on the cylinder and push it in from left to right, insert the retaining rod, rotate the ejection rod back 45 degrees into position, press the rod all the way in and turn the knurled end 200 degrees to secure the cylinder.

[CARBINE]

Being a Russian guy, I got to get me one of those, sweet gun....awesome write up.

[Greasemonkey]

Nice, real nice... P32 fought the urge and the urge won   next mission...RM and a Mosin..

The only revolver you can effectively use a silencer on due to the gas seal design..actually it was known as the Bramit Device, and they were known to be used by the Cheka/NKVD and the KGB. 

Wait..Carbine.. the "Enabler" is there for ya buddy


yeah.. your sure not missing much with commercial loadings, seriously...weak, like a starter pistol with a projectile. And they use a different crimp, below is a PPU with a 38spl.  PPU in 7.62 Nagant PPU = Pretty Pathetic & Useless    The Fiocchi seems just a tad hotter(not by much) than the PPU, it's not as common, but still relativity weak against surplus stuff.

[Loose}{Cannon]

Cool... Wood grips.  Wanna trade?   

This is the only revolver I have.   

[Dannyboy53]

Fascinating pistol Phosphorus, thanks for a really nice write up. I'll be looking for one at the gun show this weekend! What is a good price for one of these assuming good condition?

[Phosphorus32]

Thanks all!

Danny, the $99 retail days are gone. You might luck out and find a refurbed WWII-era piece like this for $150 but more likely around $200 +/- these days. Like any firearm with a long production run, and therefore a lot of variants, there are certain rare low production years, bring-backs, or variations (DAO) that bring big, bigger and biggest bucks   

[Dannyboy53]

Thank you Phosphorus, I have looked at and considered one of these for some time. This write up you made sorta tipped me over the edge.

[Phosphorus32]

Thank you Phosphorus, I have looked at and considered one of these for some time. This write up you made sorta tipped me over the edge.

I'm earning my enabler badge...   

...but then the analytical objective criticism side creeps in:

1. These are 7 shot and you're done...for about a minute...type of pistols, at least in my hands with my vast experience of shooting 14 rounds  I'm sure a Russian Captain would be much faster. The protruding part of the case expands on firing and I think that is what makes it difficult to extract, and probably why the ejection rod was designed for pushing spent cases out of the cylinder. 

2. Ballistic energy is mediocre: .32ACP, 240J; .38 Special, 320J; 7.62x38R, 340J; .38ACP, 460J. Of course this also makes it a nice low recoil sub-sonic shooter.

3. Corrosively primed surplus is getting harder to find. SGAmmo and Graf & Sons are the only sources I'm aware of currently. $0.29-0.32 per round delivered, depending on source and how much you order.

The sight Picture is quite decent, I think...I wish my eyes had as good a depth of field as my camera   

[Donp236]

Nice looking Nagant  P32 .  Just nerver had the urge for one since my intetest are them NAZI guns.  Enjoy it shoot it have fun.

[armedhippie]

Thank you Phosphorus, I have looked at and considered one of these for some time. This write up you made sorta tipped me over the edge.

Between GM and Phos.....You never stood a chance Danny. They knew you would be getting a nagant before you did.  When "The milsurp Whisperer" and "The Enabler" team up.....best hide your wallet from yourself.  I can't even open my sock drawer without a dang Tok falling out....and they were talking about Yugo mausers  I still don't know how they managed that.

I'm still kicking myself for not snagging a '42 Izzy refurb Nagant but it was barely a year since the last of the $99 ones dried up and it was around $200. Haven't seen 1 in the wild since. I know I'll end up with 1 though...heck I've done went and got ammo for the blasted thing.

[Dannyboy53]

I'm earning my enabler badge...   

...but then the analytical objective criticism side creeps in:

1. These are 7 shot and you're done...for about a minute...type of pistols, at least in my hands with my vast experience of shooting 14 rounds  I'm sure a Russian Captain would be much faster. The protruding part of the case expands on firing and I think that is what makes it difficult to extract, and probably why the ejection rod was designed for pushing spent cases out of the cylinder. 

2. Ballistic energy is mediocre: .32ACP, 240J; .38 Special, 320J; 7.62x38R, 340J; .38ACP, 460J. Of course this also makes it a nice low recoil sub-sonic shooter.

3. Corrosively primed surplus is getting harder to find. SGAmmo and Graf & Sons are the only sources I'm aware of currently. $0.29-0.32 per round delivered, depending on source and how much you order.

The sight Picture is quite decent, I think...I wish my eyes had as good a depth of field as my camera   

Phosphorus32 sometimes I reach a point where my AOC side is inoperative (or ignored), like now! I really don't plan on buying one to shoot other than occasionally but that's subject to change.    I've never seen one in the wild but yours is the best looking I recall seeing. I really like the sight picture it presents and the cost per round is much better than I imagined.

Thank you for the additional info 

Between GM and Phos.....You never stood a chance Danny. They knew you would be getting a nagant before you did.  When "The milsurp Whisperer" and "The Enabler" team up.....best hide your wallet from yourself.  I can't even open my sock drawer without a dang Tok falling out....and they were talking about Yugo mausers  I still don't know how they managed that.

I'm still kicking myself for not snagging a '42 Izzy refurb Nagant but it was barely a year since the last of the $99 ones dried up and it was around $200. Haven't seen 1 in the wild since. I know I'll end up with 1 though...heck I've done went and got ammo for the blasted thing.

Hippie I know you're right Buddy about not standing a chance, those two could sell sunglasses to a blind man!  I recenly saw a Nagant holster at the gun show, I think the guy was asking $20 or $25 but I should have bought it, oh well.

When I grow up I wanna be like Phosphorus & Greasemonkey...well...maybe....Phosphorus and running-man! 

[armedhippie]

 

Yeah these days I've come to grips with my sure lack of milsurp will power. So now I'll snag up goodies to rifles and pistols I don't even own...yet. Heck I grabbed a CZ 52 holster almost a full year before 1 found its way to me. Tell ya what though...it fit like a glove. 

[Phosphorus32]

Yeah these days I've come to grips with my sure lack of milsurp will power. So now I'll snag up goodies to rifles and pistols I don't even own...yet. Heck I grabbed a CZ 52 holster almost a full year before 1 found its way to me. Tell ya what though...it fit like a glove. 

Classic!    "I got an awesome deal on the: ammo/bayonet/holster,  now I need to buy the rifle/pistol to go with it."  The converse obviously works, as well. 

[Loose}{Cannon]

My father and I bought ours for $79 ea complete with holster and goodies.  Wish they were wooden handles though.

[armedhippie]

Yeah....between yall here and all my local shops having my number....I don't stand a chance. 

That CZ 52, well it was under the counter a full 2 weeks just waiting on me to walk in the door of my LGS. I wasn't 2 full steps in before the fella was grinning ear to ear and pulling that sucker out. Sure enough a scant 20 mins later it was mine. Shoot I'd never even held 1 before that. 

Now....My Fav local pawn shop just handed me a bag of swedish stripper clips and 5 dummy rounds for the heck of it. 2 weeks later a fella gave me a box of 6.5x55 surplus....well....ya'know what that means.

I'm telling ya...I don't stand a chance.... ( did I mention I'm ok with that?  )

Still kicking myself for losing out on those days LC...You can get used to seeing those deals and thinking "they'll be around for a while" and POOF! all dried up...but eh, thats milsurp collecting.

[Phosphorus32]

Nice looking Nagant  P32 .  Just nerver had the urge for one since my intetest are them NAZI guns.  Enjoy it shoot it have fun.

Thanks Don.  I still need one or two of those pistols that begins with a P and ends with an 8 to go with my rifles that begin with a G or K and end with an 8....just for the symmetry don't ya know 

My father and I bought ours for $79 ea complete with holster and goodies.  Wish they were wooden handles though.

Yup, I arrived too late on the scene for those...but at least I got some wooden grips 

Phosphorus32 sometimes I reach a point where my AOC side is inoperative (or ignored), like now! I really don't plan on buying one to shoot other than occasionally but that's subject to change.    I've never seen one in the wild but yours is the best looking I recall seeing. I really like the sight picture it presents and the cost per round is much better than I imagined.

Thank you for the additional info 

When I grow up I wanna be like Phosphorus & Greasemonkey...well...maybe....Phosphorus and running-man! 

Yeah, the Russians did a decent job when they hot blued them at refurb, they come out looking nice.

When I grow up I wanna be like Phosphorus & Greasemonkey...well...maybe....Phosphorus and running-man! 

Careful there Danny, that's just too funny     

[Greasemonkey]

The protruding part of the case expands on firing and I think that is what makes it difficult to extract, and probably why the ejection rod was designed for pushing spent cases out of the cylinder. 

P32..one thing that helps, treat it like a Mosin.. don't p*ssyfoot around with it, no offence to anyone, it's not a over complicated, dainty, over engineered, technical revolution of a handgun like most nations had. It's fricken Russian, it's tough as nails, show it who the boss is.. Take the cylinder and polish the chambers, mine were kinda rough cut, plus the wonderful grease thats been there and dried since Stalin walked you cant see don't help.  Granted don't go hog wild with 60grit, just some real good bore polish, I used real real fine emory cloth to start and Iosso bore polish to finish on an over sized mop and a drill and carefully polished them things out.  Then wash in super hot soapy water and oil. A little tap and my cases drop out now.

Besides, yeah it takes a bit to reload, the fricken thing doubles as a skull cracker when needed, They claim it's fixable with a hammer, you can fix Russian hammer with another Russian hammer, you reload between skull cracking, beating the bolt on your Mosin open and the vodka shots for the stress of it all.

When I grow up I wanna be like Phosphorus & Greasemonkey...well...maybe....Phosphorus and running-man! 

Man....I do got a feeling you know, you kinda hurted it.     

My father and I bought ours for $79 ea complete with holster and goodies.  Wish they were wooden handles though.

$79...Geeze.. I paid 69    Go buy yourself a set of wooden grips, fit'em, problem solved.