Ordonnanzrevolver 1872
Pirlot Frères · Revolver · Out Of Production · 1872
Also known as: Swiss Model 1872 Revolver, Ordonnanzrevolver 1872/78, Chamelot-Delvigne-Schmidt Revolver
Overview
The Ordonnanzrevolver 1872 was the first regulation service revolver of the Swiss Army, a solid-frame six-shot arm chambered in the 10.4mm Swiss ordnance cartridge. Originally an rimfire design built in Liège, Belgium by Pirlot Frères under the Chamelot-Delvigne patent and adapted for Swiss service by Rudolf Schmidt, it used double-action lockwork with a hinged loading gate and rod ejection. Only about 900 were procured before the rimfire arms were reworked to centerfire ignition as the Model 1872/78.
Specifications
| Action Type | Double Action Revolver |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- 10.4mm Swiss Ordnance Revolver · primary — also known as 10.4mm Swiss, 10.4x20R Swiss, 10.4mm RF
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch, Loading Gate
- Features: Solid Frame, Chamelot Delvigne System, Loading Gate, Single And Double Action, Rod Ejection, Lanyard Ring, Walnut Grips
Service history
Operators
- Swiss Army · adopted 1872
Production
Estimated total produced: 900 · Production years: 1872-1877
Roughly 900 revolvers procured for the Swiss military: about 200 pieces end of 1872, 600 in 1873, and 100 in 1877. The same arms were later converted from rimfire to centerfire as the Model 1872/78.
Origin
Country of origin: Switzerland
Designer: Rudolf Schmidt
Discontinued: 1878
Notes
The original Model 1872 used rimfire ammunition; in 1878 the surviving guns were modified to centerfire (higher hammer for central percussion, notched cylinder, sprung loading gate), giving the Model 1872/78 designation. Precise dimensions such as weight and overall length are not reliably documented in the consulted sources.
Background
Switzerland's first ordnance revolver was not Swiss-made at all: the roughly 900 guns were manufactured by Pirlot Frères in the Belgian gun town of Liège on the French Chamelot-Delvigne pattern, adapted by Rudolf Schmidt, and their fragile rimfire cartridges were soon abandoned in favour of centerfire in the 1872/78 rework.