Nagant revolver

[wonderwolf]

I live about a hour and a half from AIM surplus who has Nagant revolvers for $80 (which however I have never been) and have noted that at several gun shows these revolvers can be had for just around $80. I've been doing a fair amount of reading and have come to the conclusion that If I should get one I will use 32 H&R mag as my staple. However I'm unsure as to what bullet I would use. Is there a 32 Keith style out? wad cutter? what IYHO makes a good all around plinker bullet for this gun? I'm ok with round nose but I do favor Keith style. I don't use lee dies when I can really help it though I've read that 30 carbine dies (which I have) will work somewhat to reload 32H&R mag.

I understand that its not a Ruger(I have a beater Blackhawk in 45LC) or a S&W (several .44mags and a 45ACP) but I think it would make a rather nice woods gun to tote around.

So what works and what doesnt? Also I'm concerned that I will find the revolver a little...well little for my hands? Whats your observations and thoughts on the grip size? I understand the DA sucks...I own a H&R 999 and that thing has a DA of 15ish pounds I think.

[crazy mark]

32-20 brass works better than the 32 brasses. Reloaded brass is available but is kind of spendy.
313442, 313445 and 313226 all work for me. Everybody has their own preference for die sets. I mixed and matched a Lee with a RCBS and made an adapter to put the proper crimp on the original brass. I don't think they are for small hands. I'm lucky as the 32 ACP cylinder works in both of mine with no problems. Mark

[broomhandle]

Hi Wonderwolf,

A few of the guys here convinced me to buy one. Side wheeler and 9.3x62AL Buckshot has one too I think.:drinks:

I have 9 of them now! :roll:(Almost all of the various frame markings.) They are very accurate revolvers once you get use to the mostly heavy triggers.

I have a 32 ACP cylinder that fits in 8 of the 9 of them!
I can & do shoot real Nagant cases in them mostly.

The revolvers also work well with 32 S&W longs, 32 H&R brass & many guys use 32-20 brass also.
Some guys will wrap some clear tape about 1/4 inch above the rim on the 32 long brass to prevent it bulging. I have found that it is not a problem with 32 H&R brass - thicker cases?

The grip is on the small side, but it seems to fit guys with big hands too. You CAN shoot with gloves on TOO!
It is a fun revolver. BUT- You have to get use to it's personality.

I have found that the revolvers made in the 1920's & 30's seem to have better triggers and are better finished than the WW-2 guns!

Look up all the old posts on them.

[smilie=1:
My best shooting story at the indoor range!
I'm shooting a REAL tight 7 shot group with my $90 Russian wonder and the guy in the next booth commented on my group & asked what type of "TARGET" pistol i had.
He had a $1900 Les Bear 45 and was shooting group about the same size!
He was BADLY shaken when he looked at my $90 "Target pistol" :confused:
:-D It made my day!

Be well,
broom

[Charley]

.32 S&W long or .32 H&R will function, but in most guns the brass bulges badly. You can make almost correct cases from .223 cases, but it is a fair amount of work. .32/20 cases are easy, don't bulge or split occasionally, and can be reloaded, which you often cannot do with the smaller diameter .32s.

[9.3X62AL]

The Model 1895 Nagant revolver is "The S&W J-Frame, As Conceived by Coleridge". He wrote "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"--albatross and all--purportedly under influence of ergot (molded rye, a hallucinogen--like organic LSD).

I think Nagant was hitting the rotting rye a little himself.

1) Its cylinder holds 7 rounds.

2) Its cylinder moves forward to meet with the barrel's forcing cone as the hammer is cocked.

3) Its double action trigger stroke must be experienced to be believed--the 999 D/A stroke is smooth, light, and highly refined by comparison.

4) Its cartridges have bullet noses seated deeper than the case mouth, and the case mouths form the cylinder throat.

It is different.

I used a 30 Carbine sizer die to full-length size and to do initial forming of the Starline 7.62 x 38R cases I used in my Tula 1916 example. The 32-20 expander die with its .309" spud handled case mouth prep and flaring, followed by the 32-20 seater die set long in the press to seat boolits flush with case mouth and set a roll crimp. Lee 100 grain RN, RCBS 98 SWC, and Lyman #313492 WC @ .311" were all used with start loads of 32-20 revolver data minus 10%. Once the front sight got drifted a little, I was able to keep boolits on a 4" x 6" dinger plate at 35 yards pretty consistently.

Grips are awful, and very small. Sights are microscopic. In spite of all the trash I've talked here about this strange little roller, I am fond of it.

I'm not sure where you are getting your idea of using 32 Magnum brass in the Nagant's chamber. This seems to be a very prevalent belief, and I wouldn't recommend it. The base diameter of the 32 Magnum case is .024" smaller than that of the 7.62 x 38R Nagant, and that sure won't help with accuracy or with brass lifespan. There are supposed to be swap cylinders available in 32 ACP for these revolvers--that might be a better route to take for easy-to-assemble or -acquire ammunition.

[floodgate]

wonderwolf:

The Nagant DA will condition your grip so the H&R 999 will feel like a race-tuned S&W.

floodgate

[leftiye]

Anybody know where to get some Starline 7.62X38 Nagant brass?

[Dale53]

Starlines web site shows them "out of stock". I would place a call to Starline and ask them when they'll be run again.

Dale53

[wonderwolf]

[smilie=1:
My best shooting story at the indoor range!
I'm shooting a REAL tight 7 shot group with my $90 Russian wonder and the guy in the next booth commented on my group & asked what type of "TARGET" pistol i had.
He had a $1900 Les Bear 45 and was shooting group about the same size!
He was BADLY shaken when he looked at my $90 "Target pistol" :confused:
:-D It made my day!

Be well,
broom


Doncha just love those moments? I've had several dozen moments like that....one was with a 45 that didn't have sights. They guy next to me had a custom wilson that he has sent back about 5 times he said and it still didn't work :roll:

Anyways I did do a search for all avalible info on this board on the revolver before I posted this. I try not to do a duplicate Q or post. From what I've read it seems there are 3/4 of you on the 32H&R mag is ok and the rest are on the 32H&R mag is a NO-NO. The .223 thing is new to me and looks like it might actually work as I can do all the work on a lathe in no time and I have thousands of pcs of .223 brass that is marked as "plinker brass" from when I used to shoot on the Jr. High power team for Ohio.

I think that starline was going to rework their nagant brass and they wanted to do a re release...not 100% sure on that...might take some more time however.

[NVcurmudgeon]

I have shamelessly copied 9.3X62AL's equipment and loading procedure, right down to the Starline brass and Lee boolit, with complete success. I really like the Nagant because it is so funky. I find it enjoyable and challenging to shoot. I am not a great pistol shooter, but if I concentrate hard enough, all boolits will stay inside "minute of capitalist" at 15 yards, single action. The twenty mule team double action trigger is only suitable for across a small poker table!
If real accuracy is needed, I break out the Colt Gold Cup.

[deadguy]

I went to using .32 H&R brass after giving up on the .32-20 brass, because the 32-20 brass rims are too thick and kept jamming up the rotating cylinder. I size the cases in my Lee 7.62 Nagant sizer die, the use the 32 H&R expander and seater dies. It works well. Just remember, when using new brass, to load the first loading light (2 grains of BE works for me) to "fire-form" the brass before moving up to full-power loads (max around 3 grains BE). I've found that 3 grains of BE makes quarter size groups at 25 yards when using this method and the Speer .314" 98 grain hollow-base wadcutter. However, for some reason, the groups open up to 15-20 FEET at 100 yards....

[9.3X62AL]

The Starline Nagant brass was in need of a re-work, it was rather oversized radially as new from the factory. Nothing that case lube and a 30 Carbine sizer die couldn't handle, but it wasn't quite "finished" in OEM condition.

I am surprised that the 32 Mag brass works as well as many are saying. My feelings were that all that radial expansion was a BAD THING--and that .314" boolits passing through a .338" throat and transitioning into a forcing cone centered on a .311" groove diameter might just stray from the straight-and-narrow. Never say "never"--never say "always".

They are fun little contraptions, made in a country whose fighter aircraft can make emergency landings in cornfields.

[floodgate]

wonderwolf:

I got a pair of those Nagants back around 1970, and made cases out of .223's; as I recall, I had to make a die to reduce the head diameter a bit, leaving just enough rim for extraction. One of the revolvers was a bit out of time, and the part of the case that extended into the barrel was offset about 0.030" after firing, making extracting the cases a lot of fun!

floodgate

[mooman76]

I got my revolver a couple years ago and it had a sweet smooth trigger pull. Unfortunately it was too smooth and the rounds wouldn't discharge half the time. I reloaced it and the trigger pull is real stiff now. It has target grips which are larger than the regular ones. I also when I got my new trigger spring got the parts to change it from single to double action. It doesn't shoot very good or like someone said here it may take awhile to get used to the hard trigger pull. Reloading this odd cart. was a adventure in itself. I did get my brass from Midway but they are out of stock at this time. The Starline brass is fairly reasonable. I used a Lee 113g bullet which seemed to work well for this cart. with the flat tip but as I said did not shoot that great. A friend of mine bought me some actual Nagant rounds which cost a mint and they didn't shoot any better. For the price though I would like to p/u another and give it a try!

http://www.buymilsurp.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=page&id=9&chapter=0

[Scrounger]

With all the good guns available out there, I could never understand why anyone would buy garbage like this. I'm afraid a lot of gun nuts are masochists.

[mooman76]

With all the good guns available out there, I could never understand why anyone would buy garbage like this. I'm afraid a lot of gun nuts are masochists.

One would think with a handle like scounger, you'd be first in line for these and back for seconds![smilie=1:

[dubber123]

One would think with a handle like scounger, you'd be first in line for these and back for seconds![smilie=1:

I bet he's just fishing to see if he can get something going. I fiddled for weeks with a rusty, pitted barrel Iver Johnson .38 S&W just to see how I could get it to shoot. Some of the best "gun fun" I have ever had.

[mag_01]

Dubber you hit the nail right on the head------------------ Mag_01

[mag_01]

Graf's and SOG has the loaded brass and its reasonable ----- Mag_01

[Scrounger]

One would think with a handle like scounger, you'd be first in line for these and back for seconds![smilie=1:

I quit looking for challenges a long time ago, I look for sure things now.

[mooman76]

I quit looking for challenges a long time ago, I look for sure things now.

No such thing as a sure thing![smilie=1:

[wonderwolf]

Unless its an AK-47 heh...but that is for another thread.

I'm young (21) but I have been shooting handguns (and working on them) longer than some I like my projects...and to prove that I have several semi auto conversions waiting on me when I go on winter break (RPK build and start plans for a MG-42).

I've also got this thing for comblock toys...hopefully in the next few years I'll have a russian sidecar motorcycle to go along with my Honda '82 sabre.

[Lloyd Smale]

Everyone doesnt have a lot of money to buy nice guns and if it can get you out to the range and get you casting more power to you.

[twoworms]

I have one myself, its a hoot to shoot. My first load with 90gr lead boolits and Unique was a keeper.

Get one or two and have fun.

Tim

[wonderwolf]

Cool, I'll see how much change I can square away for'em

[biggome]

I've had one for 20 years, I found it under a night stand after my grandmother died. I asked my dad about it and he said it was "some Russian gun my uncle brought back from WWII because he thought it to be the worst ********* he had ever seen". I am sure it served my grandmother well (empty of course) for many years against dust mites and the like. It does not have and import stampings on it and it is of Tula 1939 mfg.

It took me a few years to come up with some Fiochie (however you spell it) ammo which was pretty zesty. I then got a box of Russian target ammo (the box had a bullseye with target rings around it) which was loaded with what looked like lead wadcutters way down inside the case. They were damn near indoor gallery loads as they wouldn't even penetrate an old stainless steel Chevy wheelcover I was shooting at.

A few years ago I was looking through a Shotgunews and there was a guy offering to rechamber Nagant revolvers cylinders to 7.62 Tokarev. I thought he must be out of his mind! Looking at the fairly thin space between the chambers I though there was no way that it could be done though I called him and asked how in the hell the things survived the high pressure ammo conversion with out any problems. I wanted to shoot mine not wear it! He said he had never had any reports of failures and had done a bunch of them!

I chose not to take him up on his services and bought a 32 ACP cylinder which works and fits tightly though it has a bit to be desired in accuracy. I then bought a set of the Lee 7.62 Nagant dies and some 32-20 brass but have yet to try them out other than sizing the brass and checking that the case rims were not too thick for it to lockup properly.

My only 32 cal. molds are the Lee 311-100-2R I have used in 32 ACP cases and the Lee TL314-85-WC which I have yet to cast the first boolit with.

Any suggestions for loads with either of these two boolits and the 32-20 cases?

Paul

[mooman76]

You can use the data for 32 longs, not the 32 mag. I also had to do some fudgeing to get the Lee die to work right. Never got it 100% but I got it to work!

[Ricochet]

Any load suggestions for the .32-20 cases and 113 grain Lee "Soupcan" boolit?

[smokemjoe]

I wished you guys wouldnt tell me things like this as then I have to get one. Smokemjoe

[wonderwolf]

Get a group buy going see if we could get them for $50 shipped :mrgreen:

[Ricochet]

Hey, I'd be in for that! Except for the sucky trigger, I love the little Nagant! My boy took over the one I got. I need another for my very own. At least.

[wonderwolf]

Bad triggers don't bother me that much I get used to them and learn them...My H&R 999 is great in SA ...if you think about it there is no real need for DA on a revolver. Unless somebody is right on top of you. I think there was a article on such a topic a while back but I do not recall where or who had done it.

[Ricochet]

First handgun I ever fired was my dad's old 999 Sportsman, with a nonventilated barrel. We called it "Popper."