We take a look at the truly unique 7.62 Nagant Russian revolver cartridge, also known as 7.62x38mmR.
This military revolver cartridge was adopted by Russia in 1895 and used in the Nagant and Pieper revolvers, which were both seven-shot designs, as opposed to the usual six. The Nagant design is unique in that when the hammer is cocked, the cylinder moves forward over the barrel shank to form a gas seal. The velocity gain from this arrangement is significant. No other revolver has ever used this ingenious, though complicated, system.
Russian Nagant revolvers have been sold in moderate quantities in the United States but are more of a collector’s item than a practical gun. Ammunition in shooting quantities is difficult to find, but it can be made from .32-20 Winchester cases, which are very similar.
Power and effectiveness are about the same as the .32 S&W Long. Most versions of the cartridge have the bullet seated completely inside the case. Velocity of the 108-grain FMJ flat-nose bullet in the Nagant revolver is about 1,100 fps, but the conventional Pieper revolver delivers only 725 fps. Bullet diameter is .295-inch. Ammunition was recently in production in Russia. Fiocchi manufactured this cartridge quite recently.
7.62 Nagant Revolver Loading Data and Factory Ballistics
| Bullet (grains/type) | Powder | Grains | Velocity | Energy | Source |
| 115 Cast | Bullseye | 3.0 | 800 | 165 | Lyman No. 311008 |
| 98 FMJ | FL | – | 750 | 122 | Fiocchi factory load |
| 108 FMJ | FL | – | 725 | 125 | Factory load – Pieper revolver |
| 108 FMJ | FL | – | 1,100 | 290 | Factory load – Nagant revolver |
Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt of Gun Digest’s Cartridge’s Of The World.
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