Nagant M1895

El revólver que cerraba el vacío

Designed in Belgium by Léon Nagant and adopted by the Russian Empire in 1895, this seven-shot revolver became one of the most iconic weapons of the 20th century. Its fame was not only due to its long service —from the Tsarist era to World War II— but also to a unique innovation: its ability to seal the space between the cylinder and the barrel, something no other service revolver offered.

When the hammer was cocked, the cylinder rotated and moved forward, fitting tightly against the barrel and creating a hermetic seal. This prevented gas loss, increased projectile velocity, and eliminated the characteristic side flash. Thanks to this design, the Nagant M1895 could even be used with a silencer, something extremely rare for a revolver.

Robust, mechanically reliable, and easy to maintain, it was the standard-issue weapon of the Russian army and later of Soviet forces, including the secret police (Cheka, OGPU, NKVD). Its history is intertwined with the darkest chapters of the century, but also with the technical ingenuity of its design.

For decades, its unmistakable silhouette appeared in revolutions, wars, and purges. Even today, many collectors value the Nagant for the strange elegance of its perfectly sealed mechanism.