Sergeant's service revolver, model 1873, French (1876)

Title	Sergeant's service revolver, model 1873
Nationality	French
Period	1876

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This Chamelot-Delvigne system six-shot revolver is an 11 mm centre fire (obsolete cartridge). The sergeant's version had a plain cylinder, differentiating it from the officer's fluted one. These weapons would have been carried throughout the old French Empire, viz Indo-China and Africa, and were brought back into service in 1915.

They were brought back into use because the weapon that succeeded it simply did not have enough stopping power, the bullets being known to bounce off wet German greatcoats. This weapon would knock a man down, if not kill him.

The bore and cylinder are excellent, with a tiny patch of pitting midway down the barrel, the action is crisp, and all the serial numbers on the piece are matching, except for the retaining screw of the sideplate. I have cleaned and stripped the mechanism and oiled the bore and the action. There is some wear to the wood grips, and the gun is bright overall with a thin film of dried grease.

A truly beautiful design as service revolvers go, famous in Hollywood for being used in the film The Mummy.

NB: This is sold as a Section 58/2 firearm. Therefore, if the purchaser does not intend to use it, I will require a signature to that effect; otherwise it should be placed on his firearms certificate (of which I would need to see a copy). This is according to the latest ruling from the Home Office on Section 58/2 weapons.

If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.

[Firearms : Obsolete Cartridge : French : 19th Century]

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