Modèle 1892 revolver
The Model 1892 revolver (also known as the "Lebel revolver" and the "St. Etienne 8mm") is a French service revolver produced by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne as a replacement for the MAS 1873 revolver. It was the standard issue sidearm for officers in the French military during the First World War.
| Modèle 1892 revolver | |
|---|---|
Modèle 1892 revolver on display at the Liberty Memorial of the National World War I Museum and Memorial, Kansas City. | |
| Type | Service revolver |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1892–1960s |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | French colonial expeditions, World War I, Rif War, Polish-Soviet War Constitutionalist Revolution World War II, First Indochina War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne |
| Manufacturer | Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne |
| Produced | 1892–1924 |
| No. built | c. 350,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1.88 pounds (0.85 kg) unloaded |
| Length | 9.3 inches (24 cm) |
| Cartridge | 8mm French Ordnance |
| Action | Double-action/single-action revolver |
| Muzzle velocity | 730 ft/s (225 m/s) |
| Feed system | 6-round cylinder |
The Modèle 1892 revolver is a solid frame revolver with the cylinder on a separate frame swinging right for manual reloading. The Modèle 1892 was first fielded in 1893 and was prominent among French military officers during First World War, and later the French police until the mid-1960s.
A mechanically tight and very well finished handgun, the Modèle 1892 fires 8mm French Ordnance rounds with a striking power equivalent to that of a .32 ACP. It also features a smaller calibre than many other military revolvers of that time period, including the Webley revolver and its predecessor the MAS 1873 revolver.