1879 Reichsrevolver: History and Accuracy Test
The 1879 Reichsrevolver was adopted by the German military a few years after German unification. Author attached a red dot optical sight without modifying the revolver. It is clamped on, with no metal removed. Ejector rods were separate. The one above is homemade.
Consider the pistol the revolvers were to replace, the Kavalleriepistol M 1850. It is about .59 caliber, firing a 267 grain round ball from a smooth bore, contained in a paper cartridge with about 67 grains of black powder.
Interpolating from data measured at the YouTube channel capandball, the 267-grain ball from the smoothbore was probably traveling about 650-700 fps. Accuracy was sufficient to hit man-sized targets at 23 yards.
When the German Empire was consolidated under Bismarck, the new government realized they needed a standardized cartridge revolver. Germany officially began working on the problem in 1871. They considered the Swiss double-action design, a 10.4 rimfire adopted in 1872. The French 1873 is a very similar double-action, with a weaker cartridge. They considered an Adams double-action design from England, the Colt 1873, and others.
In 1873, the Germans ordered 40 Colt Single Action model 1873 revolvers in 10.6 x 25, the German knock-off of the .44 Russian. The .44 Russian was being produced in Germany at the time, for the Russians and their Smith & Wesson single-action, top-break revolvers.
There was a miscommunication, and Colt sent 40 revolvers in .45 Colt. The Germans rejected them and sent them back. Colt, through their brokers in London, immediately sent another 40 in 10.6 German. Those revolvers were tested and sent to German regiments for a year of testing, according to Heinrich E. Harder in “Der Reichsrevolver und seine Varianten“. The early Colt 1873 revolvers had iron frames.
In 1877, the Germans decided to stop testing foreign revolvers and to create a design of their own. What resulted was the 1879 Reichsrevolver. It is a large, single-action revolver. The grip, sights, size, length of barrel, and lack of ejector rod are derived from the M1850 muzzle-loading percussion pistol. The lockwork is highly reminiscent of the Smith & Wesson single-action. The cartridge is a German pattern .44 Russian.
The Germans selected a cartridge and built a revolver around it.
The commission that selected the 1879 has been criticized for selecting an obsolete design when double-action revolvers such as the Swiss (converted to centerfire in 1878) were available in 1872. According to sources, the 1879 and particularly the upgraded 1883 were well received by the troops. They found them rugged and reliable. The Reichsrevolvers have a reputation for not breaking and always working. They go bang when you pull the trigger (after being cocked). Both Russia and the United States had selected single-action revolvers for their armies a few years earlier.
The 1879 was a huge improvement over the muzzle-loading M1850. Consider the advantages of keeping about the same size, the same sights, the same grip, and single action. The troops already understood the necessity of cocking the pistol before shooting. They were used to the grip. They were used to the sights. The 1850 had a safety guard for the percussion cap. The 1879 had a safety guard on the primers of the cartridges. Even the Lanyard ring was the same.
In one handgun, the German military man had six shots compared to two shots with two different pistols. The revolver was many times as accurate as the smooth-bore single-shot. It was more powerful with about the same bullet weight and half a pound lighter. The 1850 muzzle-loader had its ramrod attached to the ammunition pouch. The 1879 revolver had its ejector rod attached to the cartridge carrier, which was a modified ammunition pouch from the M 1850.
The iron sights of the 1879 are near duplicates of the sights on the M1850. The 1879 has mechanical accuracy comparable to good modern revolvers with good ammunition.
The 1879 Reichsrevolver is a fine example of German craftsmanship. It fires a powerful and accurate cartridge. It is tough and reliable. It used real German steel when Colt was still using iron for their revolver frames. Colt switched to steel in 1883, according to Grok. The 1879 was quickly supplanted by a lighter version with a better grip and a 4 5/8 inch barrel in 1883. Both Reichsrevolvers are reported to have had good reputations in the German military. The German Luger and the 9x19mm cartridge were officially adopted in 1908. The Reichsrevolvers served in the reserves and with second-tier troops, reportedly into WWII. By then, the 9×19 Luger cartridge became a world standard.
In the black powder era of 1879, the .44 Russian/10.6×25 German was a world standard. It was known as an extremely accurate cartridge. It paved the way, with its inside-lubricated bullet, for most modern cartridges. In hindsight, the double-action/single-action revolver was the wave of the future. It did not seem so to the German Commission, which selected a new handgun in 1879.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
