[zeebill]

Man I am in rare air for me I usually don't go anywhere near pistols but in a moment of weakness I plopped down way too much for an oddball to me anyway Nagant revolver. I certainly wish I had the ability to do pictures but unfortunately I don't. So here goes the best verbal description I can give you. It has a very light import marking from CAI at the St Albans, VT location. It took some cleaning with an oily rag to make that visible. The bore was rusty but just surface rust that came out easily with Kroil Oil revealing a nice well defined bore with a nice shine to it. There are but two serials on it, in front of the cylinder on the frame and on the front of the cylinder face between the cartridge holes. The serial is 887X and is stamped well into the revolver frame. There is a small Tula star on the hammer and on the front of the cylinder too. There is a very lite stamping of a Tula hammer on the one side of the trigger. There is no remnants of any date or armory marking where they would normally appear on the pistol frame. On the other side of the frame near the rear two screws one holding the spring and the other right next to it there is above them what looks like two XX and right above that is a mark like a tree or sunburst or some for sure small weird looking thing. Next to that is an oblong like marking. All of these marks are very small. There is also a triangle with a 1 inside directly on the other side of the frame from the serial number. The grips are a dark wood that shows little or no where and is quite nice.

Later in the auction I noticed there was a pebble grain holster with all the stuff that would have gone with the pistol if it came in as a refurb which is entirely possible I realize. This auction often separate stuff like the holster and the gun or the gun and the extra mag so I knew to look for a holster. The most of the stuff with the holster is marked with a Tula star. The holster flap has the stamping with OTK and the date is 1955. I am assuming knowing this auctions previous work this holster was more than likely with the revolver I bought so I bought it too.

Main questions are what do I have here a normal Nagant refurbed revolver that just happen to not be marked? Are there any other places to look for dates? I am in unknown territory here and I suspect I have bitten off more than I can chew in paying more than I should. It would not be the first time and like as not won't be the last but this old pistol lacked the look of the normal refurb and talked to me so it came home to be cleaned shot and enjoyed. Other than some speckles of corrosion peaking through the lite blue of the frame the dark wood grips make this a wonderful looking old revolver and I will try and give it a good home. Any and all help I can get to help me further ID it will be greatly appreciated. I tried to look at the attachments of Joe lieper but they all come up invalid so no help is there. Thanks in advance Bill

 

[jleiper]

It will be very hard to determine exactly what you have without pictures But, some things can be determined by the remaining marks.
Question 1, does the side plate match? Look inside and there should be a number inside on the side plate.
The XX mark on the rear right of the frame sounds like what is left of an Imperial AC mark 1910-1917. The fact that the revolver has no marks left on the outside of the sideplate, but has a refurb mark (the triangle 1 is thought to be east German, but I think it is a depot refurb mark) would indicate that the sideplate has either been replaced or refinished.
How fine is the checkering on the grips? What is the shape of the front and rear sights and is there a Tula hammer mark or star on the face of the cylinder or just numbers?
Joe

 

[jjk308 In Memoriam RIP]

I have a similar one, very well scrubbed, rebuilt, maybe twice. There are a couple of scrubbed faint Cyrillic letters in circles, where the Imperial AC mark would have been on the right rear frame, plus some strange barely visible suggestions that might possibly have been an imperial AC mark under them. Tula hammer on frame and a small (Tula?) star on hammer so that may be a late replacement. Rework box stamp and some tiny numbers, numbers only on the cylinder face. Nothing at all of the arsenal stamp or year, serial 288XX

I suspect it may be an Imperial Nagant, scrubbed in an early rework post revolution, then reworked, reblued again post WWII.

 

[zeebill]

Question 1 The serial on the side plate matches the others.

question 2 The checkering on the grips is very fine.

Question 3 There is a Tula star on the front of the cylinder with the serial.


Man the grease is hard as a rock inside this pistol, you can scratch it away with your finger nail in flakes. Several of the smaller parts of the lock have Tula stars on them too. The trigger has a Tula hammer in a circle on it. Anything els I should be looking for in here while I have it apart? I will say it is impressively machined and fits oh so perfectly. Thanks for all the help Folks! Bill

 

[jleiper]

Again pictures would REALLY help. The xx mark sounds like Imperial, ditto the finely checkered grips. The star on the cylinder indicates post 1928 Soviet. It could be an arsenal or depot replacement if the frame turns out to be Imperial.
Is there a mark on the frame in front of the cylinder on the right side of the revolver - star or Tula hammer?
I seriously doubt that the revolver originally left the factory without a marked side plate, it was scrubbed at repair/refurb.

Joe

 

[gonzogeezer]

Man the grease is hard as a rock inside this pistol, you can scratch it away with your finger nail in flakes.

Is it grease or cosmoline? just read on another forum where a guy recommends using charcoal lighter fluid for removing cosmoline, wonder if it works for old grease too? Too volatile for me, personally. I have a Mauser 1914 that had some grease deep inside left over from the Kaiser's day so I soaked the stripped frame in Ballistol, takes a little longer, and some people think it smells bad, but it dissolved the old crud and didn't explode!

 

[zeebill]

Again pictures would REALLY help. The xx mark sounds like Imperial, ditto the finely checkered grips. The star on the cylinder indicates post 1928 Soviet. It could be an arsenal or depot replacement if the frame turns out to be Imperial.
Is there a mark on the frame in front of the cylinder on the right side of the revolver - star or Tula hammer?
I seriously doubt that the revolver originally left the factory without a marked side plate, it was scrubbed at repair/refurb.

Joe

Joe the mark on the right side of the frame in front of the cylinder is a Tula hammer. In looking around further the hammer has the screw in it and the front sight is the later improved Soviet design. I think you are dead right on the acceptance mark as it looks like what I am finding now in Nagant markings online. The figures below it are awful hard to make in my mind into the letters the pictures show to be there. Maybe they were completely scrubbed and the thing I see there was added later. Also the oval I see upward and to the rear of the imperial marking is now looking more and more like an errant 0 stamped sideways haphazardly in there to just sort of murky the water a bit? I have been fighting to keep abreast of Kevin Carney's and work a gun show while commuting 70 miles so time to really look like I normally would has been little. I really appreciate all the help so far and will await any other comments You folks might have! I am heading out to the shop for some rest away from the phone to try Kroil Oil on the frame and parts with a long Q-tip to remove whatever the hard crusty stuff is and use some Balistoll to keep her rust free. Picked up some original ammo yesterday at the show and will maybe try her later in the driveway. I am glad I bought this now as the mystery seems to be sort of clearing up with all the information you folks have given making a little clearer picture of how this no marking and armory may have come about. You know you can't know everything about everything but this place sure seems to have the info for every subject, it sometimes seems to be the Google of guns! Thanks for everything Folks! Bill