Gasser & Rast Model 1898

The History of Gasser & Rast in 1898

The Gasser & Rast Service 1898 revolver was a turn of the century pistol used by the Austro-Hungarian army. The design is very unorthodox in its use of a right-angle pistol grip, which makes shooting the weapon far from comfortable.

Nonetheless, the type became popular and was primarily a traditional pistol. This pistol is hardly an ergonomic masterpiece, but it proved useful and was widely used by the Austro-Hungarian army during the First World War. Other users include the Kingdom of Italy and the country of Yugoslavia. The type survived long enough to also see limited service in World War II, and its production numbers certainly dictated its scope.

Between 1898 and 1912, the Leopold Gasser Waffenfabrik in Vienna produced approximately 180,000 to 200,000 Gasser & Rast M1989 pistols.

The Model 1898 holds 8mm Gasser cartridges, which are housed in an eight-wheeled cylinder. The cylinder is located in the frame of the gun, with a bridge above and a trigger group below. Pistols are classified as double-action, which means that the trigger operates the firing action, the hammer (from the fully upright position) and the cylinder rotation. Of course, the barrel is attached to the front of the cylinder element, with a sucker rod underneath.

Cartridges are loaded and unloaded individually. The malleus are easy to spot on the back of the frame. However, the striker is not attached directly to the hammer, but is located in a frame behind the cylinder.

As mentioned earlier, it is the right-angled design of the pistol grip that gives the pistol its unique look, as it sits almost vertically in the hand and has a grip pattern. The curved trigger assembly is placed in the trigger ring.

A loop for attaching the strap was added to the bottom of the pistol grip. A visor is provided, designed as solid iron.

Specification

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Performance

Changes