Nagant M1878
Fabrique d'armes Emile et Leon Nagant · Revolver · Out Of Production · 1878
Also known as: Nagant Mle 1878, Nagant 1878/86
Overview
The Nagant M1878 is a six-shot, solid-frame double-action service revolver designed and produced by the Fabrique d'armes Emile et Leon Nagant of Liege, Belgium, and adopted by the Belgian Army. Chambered in the large-bore 9.4mm Nagant (also sold as 11mm / .44 Belgian Nagant) black-powder cartridge, it has a fluted cylinder and a barrel that is semi-round at the breech and octagonal toward the muzzle, loaded and unloaded one round at a time through a loading gate with a rod ejector. It was the revolver that established the Nagant brothers as serious arms makers before their later 1895 gas-seal design.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1000 g (35.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 254 mm (10.00") |
| Barrel Length | 146 mm (5.75") |
| Action Type | Double Action Revolver |
| Firing Mechanism | Double Action |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 198 m/s (650 fps) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9.4mm Nagant · primary — also known as 9.4x22R, 9.4mm Dutch, .44 Nagant, 11mm Belgian Nagant
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Loading Gate
- Safety mechanisms: Loading Gate, Half Cock Notch
- Features: Solid Frame, Fluted Cylinder, Rod Ejector, Lanyard Ring, Octagonal To Round Barrel
Variants
- Nagant M1883 — Export
- Nagant M1886 — Updated
Service history
Operators
- Belgian Army · adopted 1878 · as Revolver Mle 1878
Production
Production years: 1878-1890s
Belgian service and export contracts; later M1883/M1886 patterns sold abroad
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Emile Nagant
Notes
The closely related M1883 and M1886 export and updated patterns saw wider sales, including to South American armies. Caliber is often cited as 9.4mm or as '11mm Belgian Nagant'; weight and barrel figures vary slightly by pattern.
Background
The M1878 was the revolver that made the Nagant brothers' name in Liege - well-regarded but unable to land the big European contracts won by Mauser, they pivoted to export sales and, eventually, the gas-seal Nagant M1895 that Russia would carry for over half a century.