Nagant 1895 Revolver...Opinions?

[ImperatorZices]

I was thinking of purchasing a Nagant revolver sometime in the future, but I know little about them.

Does anyone who owns one have an opinion of it, good or bad?
I've read that ammo is difficult to find, and that it has a horrendously heavy double-action trigger and time-consuming reload procedure.

Still, it seems to be an interesting piece of history, and for only $99.95 + shipping & transfer fee (jgsales.com) it's an appealing purchase option.

So... thoughts, opinions, recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Tootall]

nice little piece of history. still a good deal even at 99 bucks. the ammo is kinda expensive but not ungodly bad. just dont expect to use it as a HD gun

 

[zombiehunter]

It's on my list, get your C&R and then there's no xfer fee

 

[MDMOUNTAINEER]

You can suppress it.

 

[ImperatorZices]

Is it possible to aim with a can on it? It seems to cover the front sight...

Also, why not use it for HD? Is the round inherently weak, or is there another reason?

And how long does it take for C&R paperwork to go through?

Thanks again all!

 

[Bigdtc]

I have one. It is, as said above, an interesting piece of history. The ammo is SOMETIMES difficult to find but it comes and goes. Right now, in fact, AIM has Privi Nagant ammo for @21.9?/50... A little pricey but available. I have also used the .32 S&W and .32 S&W long ammo in it. It's nothing like using the proper ammo but it goes bang..or poof really and causes no problems with the pistol. Some people have used the .32 H&R mag ammo as well.
It's a Russian military issue weapon so it's well built and reliable. The only drawback is the trigger pull in DA.. quite heavy but I use it for a range gun and shoot it in SA mode anyhow..
Hope this helps.

 

[Bigdtc]

Is it possible to aim with a can on it? It seems to cover the front sight...

Also, why not use it for HD? Is the round inherently weak, or is there another reason?

And how long does it take for C&R paperwork to go through?

Thanks again all!

The round is not too bad.. it was the standard sidearm for a very long time in Russia..
For HD use there are much better choices and if a C&R is what your after the CZ82 is a better choice as far as HD goes. I got my C&R 3 years ago, not sure what the wait is these days..

 

[DundalkSmithy]

I was thinking of purchasing a Nagant revolver sometime in the future, but I know little about them.

Does anyone who owns one have an opinion of it, good or bad?
I've read that ammo is difficult to find, and that it has a horrendously heavy double-action trigger and time-consuming reload procedure.

Still, it seems to be an interesting piece of history, and for only $99.95 + shipping & transfer fee (jgsales.com) it's an appealing purchase option.

So... thoughts, opinions, recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

This was enough to get me to buy one. I just ordered mine from J&G on thursday. Get one while they are still around for a decent price.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagant_M1895

 

[aquaman]

This went for 168 and is C&R. Ammo is also easier to come by (walmart) and it was made by someone who was not a slave and actually cared about what they were doing. Look up the reloading procedure for a nagant LOL. Dont waste your money if you actually want something to shoot. If its for a collection thats a different story.


http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=9882848

 

[Threeband]

Get one while they are still around for a decent price.

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They are mechanically very interesting, cheap, historic, cheap, unique and cheap. Also inexpensive.

They've been advertised for a long time at about $99 , until recently they disappeared. Looked like they were gone forever.

Now they're back, still at $99.

Probably be a good idea to grab one while you can, if you ever might want one.

That new ammo on the market is priced similarly to 9mm WWB at Wal Mart.

NOT a practical HD gun, though.

More like an interesting, historic paperweight.

 

[mbz300sdl]

If you get one get this to go with it!

http://www.keepshooting.com/firearms/handguns/nagant-revolver-cylinder-32acp.htm

 

[j8064]

Is it possible to aim with a can on it? It seems to cover the front sight...

"In mother Russia, can aims you."

Seriously tho, Nagants are fun little revolvers. They are very different and in many ways the design is unique.

As said factory ammo (Hotshot) is fairly expensive and it's underpowered. There are far better choices for HD handguns. Many folks shoot .32 S&W longs successfully. I have. But when fireformed the cases can split and the forcing cone in the revolver tends to shave lead from the bullet.

There are .32acp conversion cylinders that make Nagants a little more economical to shoot. Still, .32 is a tad large so the cone will still shave some lead.

I reload for mine by reforming 32-20 Win cases with a Lee die set and seat 95 gr .312 cast boolits sized down to .308. The rounds aren't long enough to achieve the cylinder seal like a factory round does, but they work reasonably well with no lead shaving.

There are a number of threads on the forum about member's experiences with Nagants.

 

[kalister1]

Double action trigger pull takes two hands. Single action is OK, but I have to jerk mine. If I pull slow and steady it will jam up and NOT fire. I can't speak for any other guns, only mine.

 

[Chaunsey]

they are NOT a practical shooter.

the round is rather weak, the sights are not very good, they take a long time to reload, and the trigger pull is heavy.

they are fun shooters, just not "practical" shooters.

what they are is well built, affordable, genuine pieces of wwII history, and they are an interesting footnote in firearms technology due to the gas seal function.

you can shoot .32 S&W long out of em, which is a little cheaper than the proper loads for it.

ive got 2 of em myself and love em.

i definitely recommend them, and i dont think you can go wrong at the price, just dont buy it expecting a HD gun or something.

 

[bbrown]

They were made from the Czarist era through WWII, and as such have a lot of historical character. They're affordable and so one can build up a nice collection by year for not much money.

Bryan

 

[Markp]

Is it possible to aim with a can on it? It seems to cover the front sight...

Also, why not use it for HD? Is the round inherently weak, or is there another reason?

And how long does it take for C&R paperwork to go through?

Thanks again all!

This would be a poor choice for a HD gun. The round is weak, but the trigger pull on the weapon is horrible too. The CZ-82 is a much better choice, but still somewhat underpowered but at least you have 12 rounds to get the job done.

Still I have 2 Nagant pistols and they are pretty cool.

Mark

 

[c&rdaze]

Pretty much what others have said. Probably the worst trigger going. GREAT piece of history, most are rebuilt to excellent condition. Replacement cyclinders are available .32 acp in the ~$50 range.

I got mine about 10 yeasa ago. Pistol: $50; cyclinder in .32acp: $50. They disappearred for a few years and the price when to $250, now its down again.

I plan on keeping mine as it is a piece of history.