I've been looking to pick up a 7.62 Nagant pistol for a while, so when Gander put them on sale, I finally got one.

I was able to get a box of bullets from my local gun shop, and I also have boxes on order from Midway and Ammunition to Go.

I am very impressed in the engineering of the Nagant brothers of 1895. The concept of the cylinder moving forward when the pistol is cocked, along with how the bullets are made to make an enclosed chamber in a revolver is ingenious.

Considering the 12# trigger pull, this little pistol is very accurate, even at 25 yards.

Just a sweet little gun with a lot of history. [And cheap ]

Eric

ALOT OF CHEAP STUFF IS UNDERRATED BUT THAT'S OKAY. MY FRIEND JERRY USED TO SAY "SOMETHING" AND MO-PEDS, BOTH FUN TO RIDE TILL YOUR FRIENDS FIND OUT. "USE YOUR IMAGINATION" ALOT OF STUFF FITS IN THE BLANK!

The Nagant was an ingeniously designed revolver that was way ahead of its time. Sources claim that you can make brass for it from .32-20 brass by simply running it through the Nagant dies, but you lose the gas-sealing aspect since the cases formed in this manner are a little too short.

Great fun, great historical item and should be a good shooter. Have fun and stay safe!

I see also that people shoot 32 S&W Longs and 32 H&R Mag in it also. Reloading the 7.63x39r looks like a complicated mess.
I have had no problem locating ammo so I plan on going that route for shooting.

One thing that I'm thinking about is maybe getting another one of these.
Mine was made in 1944 at the Izhevsk factory, and I wouldn't mind trying to get an older one from the Tula factory.

gunboards.com is a wealth of information on the Nagant, and I have really been put to school reading posts about it.
Looks like a bunch of knowledgeable folks on that forum, kind of like our HuntingNut guys.

Eric

Elyboy, just for your info: that's about the only revolver I know that can get a decent working sound moderator (but then you cannot use the .32 S&W Long etc. You need that long case to close the gap between cylinder and barrel).
BTW, you know Mr. Nagant was belgian?
And watch out, the russian munition is sold in 40 pcs/box, not 50 as "normal" people expect and some tricky salesmen will charge you 50!

ElyBoy wrote:

Just a sweet little gun with a lot of history. [And cheap ] Eric

I've often considered getting one of those revolvers, mostly when my funds were low and I had the urge for a new toy to play with. After reading your post I may have to follow through. I still believe the Mosin Nagant rifles are one of the best values to be had. They're built like a proverbial brick aaaah....outhouse!
Don

I have three boxes of Prvi 7.62 boxes of 50 on back order from Midway for $22.49 per box. They will be available at the end of July.

I have two boxes of 50 Fiocchi bullets that will be here tomorrow from Ammunition to go for around $26.00 per box.

The box of ammo from my Gun Shop was a Fiocchi box of 50 that I paid $34.00 for.

Aloysius, you are spot on about prices and tricky advertisements.
Prices for the 7.62x38r are all over the place.
I spent a lot of time on the net checking this out. Some folks think that with the gun forums, and guys talking like supplies will run out on ammo, they can charge any amount and people will buy, which is most likely correct on their part.
It looks to me that Midway and Ammunition to Go are the places to buy from.
Also, I do plan to buy one more of these in the morning and give it to my youngest Son Zach this Christmas.
He has already fallen in love with the one that I have so it will be a good present for him.

Eric

ElyBoy wrote:

I see also that people shoot 32 S&W Longs and 32 H&R Mag in it also. Eric

Only what I hear, but .32 S&W and .32 H&R Magnums can be shot in it, but are likely to split, bulge or stick in the chambers. Pressure is too high to use the .32 Federal cartridges...but it sounds like you don't plan on shooting any of those anyway. Keep us up to date on your shooting. It should be interesting and rewarding for you.

I picked up one more M1895 today. Took it to the range and fired 5 bullets into the black at 25yds.

This one was manufactured at the Tula Munitions Plant in 1942.
My 2 boxes of 50 7.62x38r arrived today from Ammunition to Go.
Great service from those folks so I figure to get my Nagant ammo from them in the future.

These pistols are a lot like me. Well used, ugly as crap, but they still get the job done.

I even wore my 1944 M1895 while running my pistol league today. Fits perfect on my side, and I didn't even know that it was there. {Even when I walked into the pharmacy with it on tonight }

Eric