Purchased my first true antique today ---》1882 Swiss Ordnance revolver UPDATED PICS !

The Kurgan

The Kurgan

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Purchased my first true antique today ---》1882 Swiss Ordnance revolver UPDATED PICS !

The bore is MINT: absolutely sharp, shiney, brand-new. Finishes are "98%" for bluing and "90%" for strawed pieces.

The bluing is in amazing condition given the age of this revolver (circa 1895). There are some isolated areas, mainly forward of the cylinder, with some minor rust freckling. Most of that, however, cleaned off nicely with G96 and 0000 steel wool. I didn't want to go too aggressive with the 0000 steel wool, so there's still some specs here and there, but nothing that catches my fingernails.

Photo of revolver at Calgary Shooting Centre prior to purchase:

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Photos after taking receipt of revolver:

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Original holster made by a saddler named "A. WELTNER" from Bern, Switzerland:
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You can make brass from 32-20, the military brass may not be re-loadable (berdan primed) boxer primed brass is what you will need. Any sporting goods store should have 32-20 brass, Winchester makes it.Current production. You can have loads of fun at a cheap price with that little beauty.
I envy you.


check out this video and check it against the brass that comes with your gun.


janice
 
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Very Very Nice!! Congrats!
Hard to tell from your pic but it looks to have the grip set up to accept the shoulder stock... very nice!
 
That's a very beautifully made little gun. I love those old European revolvers. Where did you get it from?
 
I bought it from Calgary Shooting Centre...

I broke my cardinal rule and purchased a gun sight unseen. The last time I did that, I got a lemon. Fingers crossed!
Norman at CSS seemed very professional and I have no reason to doubt that this is truly a pristine example!

I paid a premium for sure, but it still looks "current" and classy at the same time. If all goes well, she'll make a great family range plinker, and something I can still take out into the field.
 
twosteam said:
You can make brass from 32-20, the military brass may not be re-loadable (berdan primed) boxer primed brass is what you will need. Any sporting goods store should have 32-20 brass, Winchester makes it.Current production. You can have loads of fun at a cheap price with that little beauty.
I envy you.


check out this video and check it against the brass that comes with your gun.


janice
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip... I'll probably just save the military ammo for a rainy day... and simply reload using 32-20 brass.
Now, where to find dies in stock! :)
 
Try CH4 for dies, they are my go-to folks for oddball rds.
I've a dis-assembly / assembly photo montague for this jewel, pm me if you need it.
IIRC the parts are numbered subsequently in order to assist in take down.
 
7.5 Nagant dies are supposed to work (I don't have those) as are a set of .30 Carbine dies (which I do). Not gonna get that factory crimp, with the Carbine dies, eh?

Not got there yet with the reloading. Rammed a couple cases through the Carbine dies, made all the difference needed to get them to drop into the chambers. Almost no visible change, so it ain't off by much. Gotta sort out a decent cutting set-up to trim to length on my lathe.

Lots of pictures and dimensional details and some load info (not very hot loads!) about the web. Seems like the actual case length is all over the place around the .900 inch area, depending on who made it and when.

Pretty sweet bit of high tech for it's era!

Cheers
Trev
 
When I had one I used cut down .32-20 cases, and I found that a 110 grain mould for the .30m1 carbine dropped bullets the perfect size. I was loading it with unique powder. Reloading dies are available through Hornady. I think Huntingtons carry them.
This combination shot point-of-aim, and was the most accurate revolver I have owned, antique or modern, but alas I got bored and needed a new toy. I have come to realize that I don't buy many guns, but I sure seem to rent a lot of them.:D
 
Yep. Pretty certain that is the same list I found when looking. That site has proven to be a good 'un as far as data goes that looks reliable and cross checks well.

Another side note, the Bicycle Troop version has a different loop on the grip than this one. Pictures at swissrifles.com/pistols/ AFAIK, all the 1882's have the shoulder stock socket. All I have seen in person or pictures did so, in any case.

Search for 1882 Swiss Pistol Explained, and watch for a link to the dropbox type sites and you can find it out there in the wild. Pretty sure the author was spamming the board here for a while.

Cheers
Trev
 
if you told me that was calgary you bought this gun from i would have told you it was nice. I seen this gun believe or not. Went there for work. Looking forward to reloading with you.
 
drslav said:
if you told me that was calgary you bought this gun from i would have told you it was nice. I seen this gun believe or not. Went there for work. Looking forward to reloading with you.
Click to expand...

Yup, nice gun indeed, I was a hair away from buying it myself. Decided to buy a k31 and some svt 40's instead.
 
Guys, I just got it today! 1 (read ONE) day shipping from Calgary to Hamilton, Ontario! The fastest shipping ever! And, the best packing job ever. Very happy. The gun is MINT! Much better than in the picture. With the exception of a couple of finger nail size areas with the lightest surface pitting (more like a minor amount of rust coloured specs), and one screw head that is a bit marred, she is perfect. Absolutely brand new bore and chambers. I suspect this piece was handled a bit, maybe carried a bit, but likely only fired a handful of times. She's essentially new. What a beauty. Talk about quality and finish... just like a Swiss watch.

I will call you drslav... I need some ammo :)
 
I also purchased 2 boxes (20 rounds each) of Swiss 7.5mm military ammo... that's all CSC will sell me... as they want extra for other M1882 sales.

One box indicates a manufacture date of 1960 and the other 1962. However, the casing headstamps mostly read "61" in both boxes. One box is all "61", but the other box has 16 rounds of "61" manufactured rounds, 2 from "58", and 2 from "70". Obviously the later was topped up. All of the bullets are coated in wax. I assume the wax helps to seal the bullet to the case to prevent the black powder from absorbing moisture. I will be saving these for sure. I can't read Swiss, but I think the bullet weight is 104 grain (FMJ).
 
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