FRENCH ARMY CHAMELOT-DELVIGNE REVOLVER MODELE 1873

This massive [well over 1 kg] French Revolver Reglementaire Mle 1873 is dated 1884 on the right side of the barrel. This was the first centerfire revolver adopted by the French Army and produced by the Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de St Etienne. It's chambered for the French 11 x 17.5 mm cartridge, with the smooth-sided cylinder housing six rounds. Finished in the white, it has a wonderful untouched patina, with all the serial numbers matching. The action is nice and crisp, and the cylinder rotates with a precision of a Swiss watch. The bore, however, is pitted, and it's definitely not recommended to fire this antique revolver, or any antique firearm, for that matter. Mle 1873 were in use by the French Army and Navy throughout the last quarter of the nineteenth century, World War One, and in some auxiliary units, all the way into the World War 2. This is a particularly early example, in fine mechanical condition. Antique, no federal firearms licence necessary.