Nagant revolver ammunition.
I've been interested in these for awhile. They seem to be reliable, low cost guns. However the 7.62mm Nagant ammo struck me as hard to find, and therefore I decided against it until I heard from here http://robert.furtkamp.com/guns/1895nagant.php that it also shoots 32 S&W long. This ammo is much easier to find and very cheap.
Has anyone confirmed that you can do this without any adverse effects? Do you have to use a different cylinder or does the stock one work fine? What other calibers, if any, can you shoot in it besides these two? Are there other cylinders available?
I don't want to spend too much money on a $100 gun obviously. But if it shoots 32 S&W long as is, then I'll probably pick one up.
Thanks in advance.
Has anyone confirmed that you can do this without any adverse effects? Do you have to use a different cylinder or does the stock one work fine? What other calibers, if any, can you shoot in it besides these two? Are there other cylinders available?
I don't want to spend too much money on a $100 gun obviously. But if it shoots 32 S&W long as is, then I'll probably pick one up.
Thanks in advance.
0
-
The chambers on the Nagant are too large for the 32 Long so when you fire them, they swell to fit. The result is a bulged case and often a split case. However, in some revolvers, the chambers are slightly smaller than others and the cases rarely split. The brand of ammo is a factor, too. Thicker brass will work better. If you try these in your revolver, be certain to wear good quality safety glasses, goggles over safety glasses would be good. I haven't had any bad experiences when the cases split but you might. I have successfully shot 32-20 pistol ammo in my Nagants. From the factory the bullets were too long to allow the cylinder to turn so I seated them slightly deeper before firing. They shot beautifully with no splitting and the fired cases weren't deformed looking either. After firing, I reloaded the empties with a special 32-20/Nagant die set from Lee. I am extremely pleased with the results. If you only wish to fire your Nagant occasionally, try standard .32 S&W ammo. It is much shorter and less powerful than .32 S&W Longs. The cases will bulge some, but won't split. I have even reloaded the empty brass and fired them again. Look in old hardware stores for .32 S&W ammo. Often you can find several old boxes at good prices. In 32 Longs, I've had good results with Magtech wadcutter ammo. Very accurate, but I get split cases about 1/4 of the time. I'm not encouraging you to try what I do, just giving you a report on my results. Use your own judgment and common sense. Good luck!
"Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away." Thoreau0 -
I don't have their catalog handy, but you might want to check with Graf & Sons of Mexico, MO. I believe that they handle loaded ammo, and some reloading supplies. I think brass for reloading is currently available also. 0 -
You can buy a .32acp cylinder fot it from Century or SOG. 
0 -
You can also fire .32 H&R Magnum. This tends to have sturdier brass, and the loading is closer to the original Nagant's.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."
~Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here
"Our enemies...never stop thinking about new ways to
harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
~President George W. Bush0 -
firing a MAGNUM pistol cartridge in this gun is at best a stupid and chancy endeavor...
the correct ammo for the NAGANT GAS-SEAL revolver is easy to get, readily available, well made, comes in surplus, target, and commercial loadings.the russians produced the MATCH TARGET ammo up unti the early 80`s. theres even a starfire self defence hollowoint being sold.
never, under any circumstances put a MAGNUM cartridge in a gun not designed for or marked to indicate acceptance of them. it will absolutly result in damage to the gun or personal injury at some point...
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
contact me at the shop at waltsgun@aol.com best regards, mike.0 -
Thank you all for the advice!
Any idea where I can find the real ammo, by any chance. I've seen a few cases on gunbroker, but nowhere else.0 -
A cylinder replacement is necessary to fire the 32 S&W Long.
SOG used to stock these. You can try:
http://www.southernohiogun.com/
As an added note Sportsmans Guide just stated that they will have the Nagant ammo available very soon. You might drop them a note to confirm.
www.sportsmansguide.com
Regards,
Heavy
"If I don't see you nomore on this world, I'll meet you on the next one, and don't be late!" - Jimi Hendrix0 -
SOG 1-800-944-4867 has the ammo you need. 1970's Russian 7.62 Nagant, commercial target ammo. 40 round boxes for $14.95 each. 0 -
Fiocchi is also producing 7.62 Nagant revolver ammo; not cheap but I have 4 boxes of reloadable stuff now. Emery
"Well done is better than well said"
Ben Franklin0 -
The .32 H&R Magnum ammo is actually less powerful (by just a bit) than the original Russian service ammo (the surplus ammo coming from Russia now is low power target ammo). The original Nagant pistol ammo delivers about 10% more power than the H&R Magnum, shooting a 97 grain bullet at 1080 fps, compared to the H&R shooting an 85 grain bullet at 1100 fps. Muzzle energy of the Nagant ammo is 243 foot/pounds compared to H&R magnum 221 foot/pounds. Many, many, many people have done the math and been shooting the H&R Magnum ammo in their Nagants with no problem whatsoever. In fact, it is the only economical way to shoot the Nagant and begin to approach the power of the cartridge the gun was originally intended to shoot, unless you are really into handloading. Ballistics table follows:
http://web4.integraonline.com/~bbroadside/EFEII.html
You can do what you feel is best, but myself, I have no problem shooting the lower powered .32 H&R Magnum in a pistol that was originally designed for a more powerful cartridge, by a factor of 10%.
To err is human, to moo is bovine.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
10 comments