1895 nagant

[Illhunter]

i saw an 1895 nagant revolver on aimsurplus for $79.95 and was wondering what caliber ammo you shoot in this pistol and how do these pistols shoot i know you guys will know thanks in advance


Terry

[jgalar]

I use a Lee die sold through Midway it sizes  32-20 brass to fit the cylinder. The gun is 30 caliber. Some people shoot 32 longs in theirs.

[Mikey]

Those handguns take a specific caliber, the 7.62(?) Nagant.  The flatnosed bullet is loaded flush with the case mouth as the cylinder moves to seal the gap twixt the cylinder and the barrel when she is ready to fire.  I have seen cylinder conversions for the 32 S&W, I believe but do not know how well they work.

The revolvers themselves are not easy pieces to deal with.  They are clunky, not all that accurate and thre triggers are miserable.  Some folks like to use them for boat anchors. 

I had once once and had to make my own ammo from 32-20 cases as I recall.  Not a very satisfying experience.  JMHO.  Mikey.

[Sir Charles deMoutonBlack]

I just got one, factory reconditioned, with all the accessories.  I have dies & brass available, but pricey.   Will a .32 auto/S&W cast bullet work?  What sizing diameter?

[dodgecity]

I like the Russian weapons, so, not suprisingly, I have a couple Nagants. They are a very interesting revolver. As far as ammo goes, Fiocchi makes a run of cartridges periodically. MidwayUSA has a supply right now, but I find $49 for a box of 50 a little pricey. I just shoot 32H&R mag target loads in mine. They work fine, and, no bulged cases such as occur with some of the other .32 calibers. The Nagant is an over-engineered, over-built revolver. Because the cylinder moves to provide a gas seal on firing, it is the only revolver perfectly adaptable to use with a silencer. The Nagant was obsolete before it was ever built, but it served the Czarist/Cossack forces well, and as late as WWII, it was still being issued to tank crews. It's a real piece of history from a colorful and turbulent period. Enjoy it for what it is.

[S.S.]

Proper caliber is 7.62x38.
.32 S&W long or short will fit the chambers, but loosely.
If you are going to use .32 S&W, only use lead bullets, No jacketed rounds.
These are strange weapons as mine has a bore dia. at the muzzle that is .298.
The forcing cone will swage a lead round down to fit. But in reality, A .32 S&W is pretty grossly oversized for mine.

[NRAJOE]

Original Russian ammo is $14.95/40 @ SOG...i WILL NOT FIRE AMMO OUT OF A FIREARM THATS ITS NOT MEANT FOR...

[GRIMJIM]

Original Russian ammo is $14.95/40 @ SOG...i WILL NOT FIRE AMMO OUT OF A FIREARM THATS ITS NOT MEANT FOR...

Amen to that. I have purchased a couple of boxes of fiocchi, I believe it was from cheaper than dirt. It isn't a gun I'm going to shoot all the time so I don't mind paying a little more for the right ammo.

I wanted to buy some from sog but the person on the phone couldn't tell me if it was corrosive or not.

[NRAJOE]

Yes it is corrosive, but no big deal...a few swipes and wipes with Windex then clean as usual...

That Fiocchi used to be damn near $50 a box until the Russian ammo came along.

Now its half that....

[Duckdog]

I have 7 of these and I find them to be pretty accurate and a very simple caliber to reload for.  I use the Lee dies and use a 90 gr Lead SWC seated just inside the case mouth.  I believe that I must be pretty close to the 32 H&R mag loads, due to the reduced case volume caused buy the depth of the seated bullet.

At 15 yds I can get 2-3" groups off rest.  In my opinion,they are a good revolver for less than $100.

[S.S.]

NRAJOE, 
   A wise policy to follow on the proper ammo 
Many will say the .32 S&W long shoots just fine but
it is oversized badly for mine. Fits loose in the chamber
but the bore is tight. I have even read of some shooting
.32 mag.  That would probably be quite dangerous if
a jacket bullet were used.