32-20 Win cases either trimmed to correct original case size or used as is with the bullet seated inside similar to the Russian Nagant ammo! Others have made use of .30 M1 Carbine and 32-20 Win dies to expand and seat the bullets, full length re-sizing should not be needed after first firing!
Help choosing antique.
- Thread starter jes
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32-20 Win cases either trimmed to correct original case size or used as is with the bullet seated inside similar to the Russian Nagant ammo! Others have made use of .30 M1 Carbine and 32-20 Win dies to expand and seat the bullets, full length re-sizing should not be needed after first firing!
What is your revolvers bore diameter? The Swiss M1882 I had a tight .313 bore! and the Swedish M1887 a .308!
I would be worried to shoot Smokeless Military ammo with FMJ .318 bullets in mine, especially with the front of my Swiss cylinder chambers being only about .312, that increases the pressure on firing way more than I would think safe out of one of these old guns!
Maybe the later and stronger made Swiss M1882/29 revolvers had larger average bores and while being made stronger and out of better steel could handle the increased pressure from these later FMJ cartridges!
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First off, they're black powder cartridges. I disassembled one and measured all the components. Very well made. Heavy duty wax coated FMJs !! Dirty as sin when fired, but I guess that doesn't matter when you're engaged in war. My bore is very tight, I cannot remember the exact measurements, but its written down somewhere (approx .314" grooves). I chose to use soft lead projectiles to ensure longevity of my bore. .314" waxed soft lead wadcutters give my revolver the very best accuracy, but 32-20 harder .312" semi lead wadcutters are pretty good to. My revolver is extremely robust... She's old, but well ahead of its time in terms of materials.
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- Steel Town and The Peg
Yep, they shoot better in single if you actually want to hit a man-sized target! 
Not silly at all i would carry it with the hammer over a empty chamber some guns you can carfully let the hammer down between two live chambers im not sure if you can with the gun you bought as it has a rebounding hammer i think ?.
A NWMP officer in the 1880s or so was killed blew his head half off with a first model 1880s enfield revolver 476 caliber . how did he do that you say ?
He was geting outa a boat the gun was droped and the hammer hit the boats gunnel (edge) and Boom the hammer was forced to hit the primer and a 476 round killed him.
They improved the second model 1882 enfield MKII revolver and theres a safty bar that stops that from happening.
im not sure if the gun you bought has that or not. most antique handguns do not.
So its a safe thing to do, hammer over a empty chamber.
Alot of antiques like the swiss 1882 ect have rebounding hammers which helps but ive seen hammers busted in half so if it is droped hard enough and theres a round inline with the hammers tip it could go off even in a gun with a safty and a rebounding hammer.
So if my handgun is in "use" and im carrying it. i line up a empty chamber with the hammer.
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Seems to me the Colt '89 Navy got shelved for the same deal with a Sailor IIRC.
Well that; and other than the swing out cylinder, it was a flawed design. That probably bears mentioning too.
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- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Some of you may not know this, but the Swiss 1882 was in military service up to the early 1960s. There are reports of them being used by some law enforcement agencies into the 1970s! Not a bad run for an old design! I pulled mine out today and swore this one is a keeper. There are very few guns that I will say that to! I also own a 1912 Martini Australian Cadet that happens to chamber and fire my Swiss 1882 handloads perfectly and with very good accuracy, and it's also a definite keeper. I am now convinced that "old" is not always a bad thing!
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Affirmative tokguy
Swedish M1887's Nagant revolvers were also reported to still be in limited use up until the 1980's with some LEO agencies in Sweden!
And Russian M1895 Nagant's are probably still also in limited use in some government agencies in the former Soviet Union right up to this day!
In the Russian Federation, it was finally retired from use with postal security service in the year 2003, from the bailiff security service in 2009, and still in use in the Ukraine at least up to summer 2014 as used by Ukraine railway guards!
But you can also say the same about Mosin Nagant, Lee Enfield and Mauser rifles!
Old is a great thing just need the best of the old
Only gun i have found pre 1898 better than the swiss 1882 or Nagant 1887 was the H pieper 1892 they were all bought by the mexican goverment Have Ejector mexicana on them and were the first gas seal revolver ever made from my understanding.
Henry Pieper let his gas seal patent expire in the mid 1890s and the nagant brothers stole his ideas in the later gas seal nagant revolvers.
But H Pieper was one of the guys that was way ahead of his time in that time period i think.
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- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
That is a neat gun, and the fact that in can fire 7 full length 32-20 makes it even nicer!
I would like to thanks everyone who responded to this thread. You have all kept it on track, given me great information and advice, making my search and purchase of my first antique very enjoyable! Thank you all and please, keep the information coming. Also, any thoughts on a holster, either original military, or someone who might do a custom job?
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- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
I found a really nice 1939 dated military holster and the revolver came with a rather generic looking pig skin holster (even older).
They're out there, just keep looking.
They're out there, just keep looking.
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
My friend's Frenchie 92 is pretty average as well in the accuracy department, but built like a tank. I think they have good potential but need the perfect bullet/powder combination.
My Swiss is the most accurate of any handgun I've ever owned or fired. Funny, mine came with a strange pinkish-red lanyard with a 1900 Paris Olympics symbol faintly embossed on the lead seal. I wonder... hmm....
My Swiss is the most accurate of any handgun I've ever owned or fired. Funny, mine came with a strange pinkish-red lanyard with a 1900 Paris Olympics symbol faintly embossed on the lead seal. I wonder... hmm....
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