Reichsrevolver Model 1879

About the Reichsrevolver Model 1879

The Reichsrevolver Model 1879 was the first standardized service revolver of the unified German Empire, a robust solid-frame, single-action, gate-loaded design produced by a consortium of German arsenals. Chambered for the powerful rimmed 10.6mm German Ordnance cartridge, it is notable for an unusual frame-mounted manual safety catch - rare on a single-action revolver - and for having no ejector rod attached to the gun, which made unloading slow. It served as the standard German sidearm until the adoption of the Luger P08, then continued with rear-echelon troops into the First World War.

The Reichsrevolver has no ejector rod attached to the gun at all - to unload, the soldier pulled the cylinder pin and pushed spent cases out one at a time, while a separate ejector rod rode in a sheath on the holster. Its plain, archaic, robust look owes much to its derivation from the Smith & Wesson .44 Russian cartridge.

Reichsrevolver Model 1879 specifications

Sourced weight (approximately 1300 g) and overall length (345 mm) are higher than some quoted estimates. The shorter M1883 variant has roughly a 117 mm barrel and weighs about 900 g. Bullet weight, muzzle energy, and primer type are estimated from the cartridge's .44 Russian lineage.