Help choosing antique.
- Thread starter jes
- Start date
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
dammit... I was just about to pull the trigger!!!!! What a deal and all that ammo to!
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
If you don't want the old Swiss military ammo, I'll buy it from you. I collect vintage ammo. Don't waste it, as there's plenty of modern clean burning options.
If I could only have one antique revolver, it would likely be an M1892 French Service Revolver.
It is the best made revolver of the era, in terms of design, quality materials, and workmanship. The first (I think) revolver designed for smokeless powder. CIP spec for the 8mm French Revolver cartridge is 16,000+ psi, while most of the other period webleys, colts, S&W, etc were still made for cartridges that generated 12,000-13,000 psi maximum. French military arms of the time were a grade above everything else.
Power wise, the 8mm revolver cartridge is capable of driving a 110 gr bullet at well over 1000 fps which is about 3 times the punch of a 22LR, and 2/3 the punch of a 9mm Luger. A very nice kit gun.
Accuracy-wise, it's as good or better than anything out there and doesn't have those silly tight throats that mess up accuracy like the webley has.
Brass is easy to make from 32-20 cases, just trim and reform using 8mm Lebel Revolver dies. Bullets are available from a few different vendors.
A solid M1892 will cost about 2/3 the price of a webley but it will likely shoot better, last longer, be better finished and be capable of better accuracy. This is high praise indeed, seeing how it is coming from a confirmed webley-nut.
What about a Colt SAA with a new Gen 2 cylinder and barrel in say .44 special, or even .38 special, would you not think that was a better 1 antique gun deal?
Cylinder will be stronger than any M1892 one, same with the barrel! And the Colt SAA frame is one of the strongest antique revolvers, especially one of the later 1896-1897 ones with probably only the Remington 1875 being stronger!
Parts are easy to find and replace and the gun is easy to customize with say longer barrels or better grips!
Ammo is also easy to get and off the shelf and very accurate and powerful!
Granted the price will be a lot more, but it will also hold it's value more! and you can always sell it for at least what you paid for it if you look after it!
SAA is single action only and far behind the M1892 in terms of frame metallurgy, but it would be a good choice as well - however finding a antique SAA with 2nd generation barrel and cylinder for $1500 isn't a reasonable expectation. Expect to pay from $4000+ for that.
Jethunter you're making me feel bad now,(lol), I didn't get a 1892, I got a Swiss 1882. I'm new to this, but I understand the 1882 is not as strong as the 1892. Still looking forward to it though. Are you familiar with 1882? Would you have bullets for it?
The Swiss M1882 is strong enough for practical purposes, these are all antique guns over 120 + years old and should not be stressed too much anyhow!
Jean at P&S has a bunch of Swedish issue Model 1887 Nagant antique revolvers for sale (among a bunch of others antiques from Sweden) that are chambered for a cartridge basically the same as the Swiss M1882 for those interested!
They are also extremely well made revolvers as well and seldom come up for sale again once purchased!
This is what they look like -
Jean at P&S has a bunch of Swedish issue Model 1887 Nagant antique revolvers for sale (among a bunch of others antiques from Sweden) that are chambered for a cartridge basically the same as the Swiss M1882 for those interested!
They are also extremely well made revolvers as well and seldom come up for sale again once purchased!
This is what they look like -
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Another nod to the Swedish Nagant as also being comparable and well built.
Last edited:
The Swiss M1882 is strong enough for practical purposes, these are all antique guns over 120 + years old and should not be stressed too much anyhow!
Jean at P&S has a bunch of Swedish issue Model 1887 Nagant antique revolvers for sale (among a bunch of others antiques from Sweden) that are chambered for a cartridge basically the same as the Swiss M1882 for those interested!
They are also extremely well made revolvers as well and seldom come up for sale again once purchased!
This is what they look like -
I am interested in one like that, how one can get in touch with them?
PM me and I will give you his contact details, he has about 4 or 5 of them at the moment, they just came into Canada recently and will soon be gone, he is asking a reasonable price as long as they are in good to very good condition, I never saw this lot at the original importer but previous imports had some in excellent condition with one like new!
Swiss M1882 7.5mm ammo is interchangeable with Swedish M1887 Nagant 7.5mm ammo in both revolvers!
I have had both revolvers and shot the same ammo in both without issue!
The original lead bullet is about a 108gr wax dipped round nose .308 projectile as most of these 2 models of revolvers have between a .307 to .314 diameter bore with very long chambers!
Original load was at about 700fps!
This is what they originally looked like -
Fiocchi makes it every now and again in batches but in a 107 gr, FMJ bullet -
Here is a original Swedish lead 7.5mm cartridge -
And any soft lead bullet between 80 to 110grs with a diameter of about .309 should be fine for most of these revolvers! Larger barrel bored/chamber throat ones can use up to .32 S&W / .32-20 dia bullets that are already very available like this -
Yes, that is correct, the Russian one is a later Nagant version model of 1895 with very few antique status original Belgian made ones in existence, especially compared to the far more common and generally not as finely made Russian ones from 1898 on! And the Swedish, Danish, Norwegian etc. ones do not use the complex sealed chamber design!
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
I use unaltered Starline 32-20 brass resized in a 30 Carbine die. 3.5 grains of TB pushes 100 grain waxed soft lead .314" wadcutters about 1000 fps. I don't push it any more than that. A well built revolver that is supremely accurate. Mine is a keeper! 
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
My 1961 dated military ball ammo measures .318" !! (FMJ no less)... dirty corossive crap. My modern loads are so much nicer in comparison.
