Nagant revolvers

I bought one back when they could be had for $99. They are a kick in the butt, I'll give you that.

I tried loading rounds using modified 32-20 cases but I think they are too short. I ordered some ammo from Natchez, and use that brass with better results.

I use the same cast bullet I use in my 32 H&R, and 30 Carbine (using a bullet sizing die to fit each gun's taste).

The power, even in factory loads isn't something to write home about. It will poke holes in paper, but that's about it. Maybe a good rabbit gun.

Friend of mine has one and we had a Nagant only bowling pin match. That was a kick. The bullets seemed to bounce off a lot. The guy who could reload the fastest seemed to win (that wasn't me).

Its wouldn't be my choice for a combat revolver. Yeah it is responsible for killing millions during the Stalin purges, but that was mostly shots behind the head.

But as I said it is a lot of fun. And can be somewhat accurate in SA, hardest part for me is concentrating on the front sight instead of watching the cylinder move forward. I think that is an interesting feature but in reality its a solution to a non-existent problem.

But don't believe the myth that the Nagant and the Mosin defeated the Germans in WWII. Yeah they killed a lot in a target rich environment. What allowed the Russians to defeat the Germans was our lend lease, that allowed the Russians to arm themselves with masses of sub-machine guns, tanks and aircraft.

Roosevelt defeated the Germans with Russian blood and American manufacturing.

Everyone should have one in their Military Vintage Arms Collection.

I shot this with reloads, SA at 15 yards.

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I may pick one up if I find a deal. I think it's a cool revolver and it sounds like it gets at least some respect from the revolver comunity. Are there some available without an import mark? Or is it the norm due to import dat.
 
Has anyone weighed the double action pull of a Nagant revolver on a trigger scale?

I think these revolvers are an interesting piece of history, and they can be fun to shoot in single action. But as other posters have mentioned, the double action is the worst I have ever felt. I would be interested to know the actual weight if someone could test one.
 
I don't think they make trigger pull gauges that strong.

Ol Emile and Leon also designed and marketed conventional revolvers. Swedish GI at one time
 
I don't think they make trigger pull gauges that strong.
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I actually have a Timney trigger pull gauge that goes up to 25lb. I use it for heavy double action revolvers so that I won't strain my Lyman electronic gauge that is only good to 12lb. And for this type of coarse work, you could always use a fish scale to get a good enough approximation.
 
I shoot .32 Sw,.32 Sw long and .32 hr mag in mine. I believe the .32 hr mag and the nangat round are about the same pressure wise. But I mean do not,do not shoot .327 mag as it is too much.
 
Earlier this year, I bought 500rds of Priv Partizan 7.62x38R from SG Ammo for mine. The ammo feels anemic but the gun is fun to shoot. Very little recoil. The case and bullet very slightly stick out past front on the cylinder.

I bought mine back when they were under $100 with holster, lanyard, and cleaning rod.
 
Kraigwy wrote, "But don't believe the myth that the Nagant and the Mosin defeated the Germans in WWII. Yeah they killed a lot in a target rich environment. What allowed the Russians to defeat the Germans was our lend lease, that allowed the Russians to arm themselves with masses of sub-machine guns, tanks and aircraft.

Roosevelt defeated the Germans with Russian blood and American manufacturing."

Pretty much not true in regard to lend-lease materiel. The Russians used almost no American small arms in combat and other materiel, like artillery, would not stand up to Russian use. We provided a lot of railroad rolling stock which was mostly taken off the ships and abandoned or used as scrap steel, since it was not of Russian gauge and not built to withstand the Russian winter.* They did use some American aircraft as long as the parts supply lasted, but most of our military gear sent to Russia simply went on the scrap pile. Small arms, of course, were of the wrong caliber, though WWI era M-N rifles made in the U.S. when they were found were considered like Russian materiel.

Russian SMG's, in addition to the ammo supply problem, were much better suited to Red Army use than the much more complex and expensive Thompson. (The M3/M3A1 was too late for quantity lend lease to Russia, though some were sent only to add to the scrap piles).

Jim

*About 1965, the U.S. Military Attache in Moscow reported seeing literally miles of WWII era U.S. rolling stock rusting away in a huge Russian rail yard. He was told the stuff had been there "forever" and that once in a while some would be taken away to the steel mills.

JK
 
What allowed the Russians to defeat the Germans was our lend lease, that allowed the Russians to arm themselves with masses of sub-machine guns, tanks and aircraft.
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Pretty much not true in regard to lend-lease materiel. The Russians used almost no American small arms in combat and other materiel, like artillery, would not stand up to Russian use. We provided a lot of railroad rolling stock which was mostly taken off the ships and abandoned or used as scrap steel, since it was not of Russian gauge and not built to withstand the Russian winter.* They did use some American aircraft as long as the parts supply lasted, but most of our military gear sent to Russia simply went on the scrap pile.
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I believe the first statement is true, and while some of the second one is also, I dispute your conclusion that the first statement is not true.

The Soviets used EVERYTHING they could, if it was remotely practical (and sometimes when it wasn't). I don't dispute your information about how they didn't use railroad rolling stock we sent them, being the wrong gauge. That's a typical US bureaucratic screw up. The Soviets were VERY fond of US aircraft, particularly the P-39 and its successor the P-63. They USED our M3 and M4 tanks, though they considered them (rightly) inferior to their T-34.
They ALSO used BRITISH tanks supplied as aid, and found them inferior to the US ones.

Lend lease didn't ARM the Soviet Military as much as it allowed the Soviets to concentrate their own production on arms, instead of having to make everything. Millions of miles of telephone wire, huge amounts of cloth for uniforms, and thousands of other things, especially TRUCKS. THere's a reason that Soviet trucks from WWII and a generation afterwards look just like Studebakers! ;) (if you don't need your truck factory to make trucks, it can make tanks!)

The Soviet system, however would not allow any public recognition of the aid it received. Doing so would have been admitting a failing of the Soviet system, something not allowed in their ideology. It wasn't until after the collapse of the Soviet Union that there was any official recognition of the role our Lend Lease supplies actually played in WWII.

(And, as far as I know, they still haven't paid us back! ;))

so, while our railroad stock might have only been useful to them as scrap metal, a LOT of the other things we supplied were vitally important, either directly, or indirectly. Of course, some things were probably of less use to the Soviets than others...ever hear the story about how we sent them several hundred cases of XXL condoms, marked "Texas Medium"? :rolleyes:
 
I picked up a span can of the Russian military nagant pistol ammo, and it is not anemic for it's caliber. More like 32 magnum, maybe a bit more. The nagant revolver looks awkward, but actually fits my hand, points naturally, and is plenty accurate. The weaker commercial ammo is great for plinking, close range squirrels, and target shooting. They are a hoot to shoot. Got mine when they were considered disposable ($79 IIRC).
 
That is not a bad price. Comrade Nagant's revolver is the greatest one to secure socialist Soviet Empire!! Long live comrade Nagant!! :)
 
Hi, 44AMP,

The Soviets got, and used, quite a lot of U.S. and British war materiel but it is simply not true that US or the UK provided all or even a large part of Russian WWII war materiel. The major factor in US aid was in grain and in agricultural machinery. Much of the Ukraine (then and now Russia's "breadbasket") had fallen under the control of the German army so a food supply was at least as critical to the USSR as a supply of military goods.

There were some British tanks used, (Valentines and Matildas) but the numbers were small (q few thousand) compared with Russian-made equipment. US tanks were considered inferior to both Russian and British designs, and few were used. American tanks were widely criticized (mainly by American crews, who called them "iron coffins") but they were deliberately made lighter than German or Russian tanks because of the need to transport them across the ocean, a problem neither Germany nor Russia had.

American trucks (mainly Studebakers) were well liked and widely used, though the U.S. considered them "second string", concentrating on GM and Ford vehicles.

In the aircraft field, the Bell P-39 (including the commercial version) and the P-63 were supplied to Russian in quantity. Some 4700 P-39's (out of a total of 9500 made, went to the USSR. The P-63, often considered a modified P-39, was actually an almost totally different aircraft, though there was considerable "family resemblance". Almost three fourths of production went to the USSR, and the P-63 was rare in U.S. service.

Small arms, as usual, got the "short end" of supply priority, and were not a significant item in the Lend Lease picture.

If you have not seen it, this has some good information:
http://ww2-weapons.com/lend-lease-tanks-and-aircrafts/

Jim
 
I picked up a span can of the Russian military nagant pistol ammo, and it is not anemic for it's caliber.
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I think some of the mildest 7.62X38R was the surplus "target" ammo offered a couple years back. It was packed 14 rounds per cardboard box, and did not have the flaired seal, just a recessed bullet in a tapered case.
 
I think they are a load of fun to shoot. The DA pull is bad, but hardly as excruciating as people make it sound. SA likewise is heavy but pretty manageable in a range toy, and the round is so anemic that it's really soft shooting and enjoyable.
 
I got one and I find it to be OK. A way to deal with the double action pull is to wrap both hands around the stock and pull the trigger with BOTH index fingers. Your index fingers are often used together and coordinate well together. The gun is a fairly light weight, accurate and reasonably powerful revolver. I think it is an excellent kit gun. I can see some reason to convert the cylinder to 32-20. However, some guns choke on the 32-20 rim, mine doesn't. There are instructions on the web for adjusting the trigger pull. I have found used S&W Hand Ejectors, Colt Police Positives for less than $300. These would be less trouble and cheaper to feed. But that Russian is cool as are the British topbreak military revolvers.
 
thibaultfelix40 said:
I got one and I find it to be OK. A way to deal with the double action pull is to wrap both hands around the stock and pull the trigger with BOTH index fingers. Your index fingers are often used together and coordinate well together. The gun is a fairly light weight, accurate and reasonably powerful revolver. I think it is an excellent kit gun. I can see some reason to convert the cylinder to 32-20. However, some guns choke on the 32-20 rim, mine doesn't. There are instructions on the web for adjusting the trigger pull. I have found used S&W Hand Ejectors, Colt Police Positives for less than $300. These would be less trouble and cheaper to feed. But that Russian is cool as are the British topbreak military revolvers.
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Both hands and two fingers? Effective, but could be a bit lack of proper form and manner, for an officer and gentleman of the Tsar. Even comrade Stalin could be embarrassed, and might send you to the appropriate camp for some re-education. [emoji11]

-TL
 
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