Swiss 1882 Ordnance Revolver (Shooting)
Switzerland
•
13m
The Swiss military dabbled in revolvers with their rimfire 1872 model (about 900 made) and the followup 1878 centerfire version (5500-6000 made), but their first large-scale service revolver was the Model 1882, designed by Colonel Schmidt (yeah, the same guy who did the rifles). The 1882 is a 7.5mm, 6-shot double action design with lineage to the French 1873 model. It is a magnificently well-made gun (of course; it IS Swiss after all), and features several nice features.
It has a rebounding hammer, allowing it to be safely carried with all 6 chambers loaded. It also uses the Abadie gate-loading system, in which opening the loaidng gate disconnects the trigger from the hammer. This allows the trigger to be used to quickly and precisely index the cylinder between chambers when loading and unloading. For gate-loading wheelguns, this makes it the fastest type to load and unload. It also has a hinged sideplate, which opens up with the removal of a single captive screw, allowing easy access to all the internals - which are helpfully numbered in their disassembly order.
Overall it is an excellent gun, if underpowered by today's standards (and very difficult to find ammunition for).
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