M1879 Reichsrevolver

The M1879 Reichsrevolver, or Reichs-Commissions-Revolver Modell 1879 and 1883, were service revolvers used by the German Army from 1879 to 1908, when it was superseded by the Luger.

The two versions of the revolver differ only in barrel length. Although the design was dated, the weapon was extremely robust, and they were still used through World War I.

Design
Both were single-action solid frame non-ejecting six-shot revolvers. The caliber was an indigenous 10.6 mm with a medium length cartridge case, comparable to the contemporary .44 Russian round in size and power. Loading was via a gate on the weapon's right side, and the cylinder was released by pulling the hammer to half-cock. Removing empty cartridges was done by removing the cylinder by withdrawing the axis-pin, and then removing the casings by hand.

Most revolvers came with a lanyard ring for attachment to the uniform.