Germany: Pistole P08 (Luger) & Walther P 38

As the nomenclature indicates the pistol universally, and incorrectly, known as the Luger had its design origins around the turn of the century. First produced in 1893 by Hugo Borchardt it was further refined by George Luger and entered production in 1900 for the Swiss Army. Thereafter it was widely copied and produced by a variety of manufacturing firms in various countries, becoming probably the most widespread pistol design in the world.

The Pistole P08 entered German service in 1908 and remained the standard handgun of German forces through World War II. Because it was complicated and expensive to produce the Nazi regime developed the Walther P 38 as its replacement. Originating as an offshoot of the Pistole 08 Walther developed a robust and efficient handgun which was placed into German service in 1938. However, despite Walther’s and Germany’s best efforts it the P 38 only supplemented and did not replace the Luger in service during the war. The Walther P 38 remains an excellent service pistol today, having been returned to service in 1957 by the Bundeswehr as the P1.

Introduced in 1933 this automatic pistol was to replace the aging Nagant revolvers that had been the standard Red Army pistol since the revolution. This was not completely accomplished during the war with some revolvers still in service at the war’s conclusion. Modified and improved continuously during its service the TT-33 is a robust and practical weapon under combat conditions. Post-war it was copied extensively throughout Eastern Europe and the Warsaw Pact.

Nagant M1985

Léon Nagant and his brother Emile were well known in the Russian Tsar's court and military administration because of the important part they had played in the design of the Russian service rifle, the Mosin-Nagant model of 1891. The Nagant M1895 became the standard issue side arm for Russian army and police officers, later including the special services, the NKVD and the KGB..

Production began in Liège, Belgium, but was soon moved to Russia. The revolver began to be replaced by a more modern, semi-automatic pistol, the Tokarev, in 1933, but it was still produced and used in great numbers during the Great Patriotic War. Its distinctive shape and name helped it achieve cult status in Russia, and in the early 1930s the presentation of a Nagant M1895 revolver with an embossed Red Star was one of the greatest honours that could be bestowed on a Party Member. Production and usage continued until 1950, making it one of the longest-serving side arms in modern military history, but not longer than the Webley Service Revolver (1887-1963) and the Colt M1911 (1911-1984). It is still in use with the Russian Railways and various remote police forces.

Technical Characteristics

Most other (non-gas seal) revolvers have a small gap between the cylinder and the barrel; the small gap between the cylinder and barrel is necessary to allow the revolver's cylinder to revolve, presenting a new, loaded chamber for firing. This necessitates that the bullet jump the gap when fired, which may have an adverse effect on accuracy, especially if the barrel and chamber are misaligned, and also presents a path for the escape of high-pressure and high-temperature gases from behind the bullet. The M1895 has a mechanism which, as the hammer is cocked, first turns the cylinder and then moves it forward, closing the gap between the cylinder and the barrel. The cartridge, also unique, plays an important part in sealing the gun to the escape of propellant gases. The bullet is deeply seated, entirely within the cartridge case, and the case is slightly reduced in diameter at its mouth. The barrel features a short conical section at its rear; this accepts the mouth of the cartridge, completing the gas seal. By sealing the gap, the velocity of the bullet is increased by 50 to 150 ft/s (15 to 45 m/s).

This closed firing system meant that the Nagant revolver, unlike other revolvers, could be effectively fitted with a suppressor, as indeed it was. During World War II, a small number of Nagant revolvers used by Russian recon and scout troops were outfitted with a variety of sound suppressor known as the “Bramit device.” The Cheka/NKVD/KGB were known to use the silenced Nagant for assassinations. Silenced Nagant revolvers, modified in clandestine metal shops, also turned up in the hands of Viet Cong guerrillas during the Vietnam War as assassination weapons. There is an example of a silenced Nagant M1895 in the CIA Museum in Langley, Virginia.

However, success had its price. Nagant revolvers had to be reloaded one cartridge at a time through a loading gate with the need to manually eject each of the used cartridges. Therefore, reloading was laborious and time-consuming. However, the loaded revolver was safer to carry around and could stay loaded for longer periods of time. This was a major factor in the longevity of the weapon: such features made the weapon a good choice for those who had to carry the gun a lot, but did not need to fire it often, like officers or policemen. This, the ability to use a silencer, and the large number of "free" Nagant revolvers available from Russian army reserves put the weapon on the short list of options whenever a self-defense gun was needed.

The Nagant M1895 was made in both single-action and double-action models before and during World War I; they are known colloquially as the “Private model” and the “Officer’s model”, respectively. Production of the single-action model seems to have stopped after 1918, with some exceptions, including examples made for target competition. Most single-action revolvers were later converted to double-action, making original single-action revolvers rather rare.

Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.