Manurhin · Revolver
Manurhin MR73
Recoil operated · .357 Magnum · introduced 1973
Also known as MR73, MR-73, Manurhin MR 73
About the Manurhin MR73
The Manurhin MR73 is a French double-action/single-action service revolver chambered in .357 Magnum, introduced in 1973 and developed at the request of the Gendarmerie Nationale. Each example is largely hand-fitted by master gunsmiths around a forged steel frame and cold-hammer-forged barrel, with an adjustable trigger and micrometer-adjustable sights. Famous for its extraordinary durability, it became the long-serving sidearm of France's elite GIGN counter-terrorism unit. Originally built at Mulhouse, it has been produced since 1998 by Chapuis Armes and is now marketed under the Beretta group.
The MR73 is legendary for endurance: factory testing reportedly showed it could fire on the order of 170,000 rounds of full-power .357 Magnum without significant wear, which is why GIGN operators, who trained with punishing daily live-fire regimens, trusted it as a service sidearm for decades.
Manurhin MR73 specifications
General
- Type
- Revolver
- Action
- Recoil operated
- Firing mechanism
- Double action single action
- Trigger
- Double action
- Trigger pull
- 2.9 kg (6.3 lb)
- Calibres
- .357 Magnum
- Magazine capacity
- 6 rounds
- Magazine
- Rotary magazine
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 152 mm (6.0 in)
- Overall length
- 292 mm (11.5 in)
- Height
- 140 mm (5.5 in)
- Width
- 38 mm (1.5 in)
- Weight (empty)
- 1.08 kg (2.39 lb)
- Sight radius
- 205 mm (8.1 in)
Barrel
- Rifling twist
- 1:16 in (400 mm)
- Rifling
- Right hand
- Grooves
- 6
Materials
- Barrel
- Steel
- Receiver / frame
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- blued
Performance
- Effective range
- 50 m
History
- Introduced
- 1973
- Production status
- In production
- Country of origin
- FR
- Designer
- Gilbert Maillard
Features
- Hand fitted
- Adjustable trigger weight
- Adjustable trigger stop
- Micrometer adjustable rear sight
- Undercut target front sight
- Cold hammer forged barrel
- Swing out cylinder
- Extreme durability
Safety
- Hammer block
- Rebound slide
Offered in barrel lengths from 2.5" to 6". Production moved from Manurhin (Mulhouse) to Chapuis Armes in 1998; current low-volume hand-fitted production continues. Beretta released a 50th Anniversary edition in 2023.
