MAS Modele 1892 (Lebel Revolver)

History of MAS Modele 1892 (Lebel revolver)

French military authorities chose the MAS Modele 1892 revolver to replace the aging MAS Modele 1873 revolver line. The earlier Modele 1873 was the first double-action (DA) revolver to enter service with the French Army and fired the 11mm Mle 1873 cartridge from a six-round cylinder. Around 337,000 samples were made by the manufacturer d-Armes de Saint-Entienne (MAS), many of which served during the First World War (1914-1918) and even the Second World War (1939-1945) .

The

Modele 1982 used the smaller 8mm French artillery cartridge, initially in black powder form, which later evolved into a smokeless powder design. The revolver is a well-made, no-frills swingarm weapon that can be quickly reloaded manually. The cylinder again has a six-chamber design, and the hammer is exposed at the rear of the frame. The frame itself is completely solid, with no weak points to break along its length. The trigger is protected in an elongated ring under the barrel, and the grip is covered with a checkerboard grip.

There is a lanyard loop at the bottom of the handle. The weapon can be fired with either single-action (SA) or double-action (DA) operation, the former requiring the user to operate the hammer, and the latter simply pulling the trigger fully.

Introduced in 1892, this weapon became the standard weapon of former French Army officers during the First World War (1914-1918). Despite having no influence or relationship with French Army Colonel Nicolas Lebel (whose name, however, adorns the famous line of French Lebel service rifles), the pistol was nicknamed the "Lebel Revolver". Production of the Model 1892 revolver spanned from 1892 to 1924, of which some 350,000 were produced, and remained in widespread use in the 1920s and 1930s - it was still in service during World War II, although the French army had switched to time semi-automatic.

It wasn't until the 1960s that the French police used this type, which is a respect for this fine weapon.

Non-French operators include Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Monaco, Spain and Switzerland.

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