Modèle 1892 revolver
Standard French officer's sidearm in the First World War.
The Modèle 1892 revolver—often called the Lebel revolver or the St. Etienne 8mm—was a French service handgun made by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne. It replaced the earlier MAS 1873 revolver and became the standard sidearm for French officers during World War I. First issued in 1893, it remained in use with French police until the mid-1960s.
This revolver has a solid frame, with its cylinder mounted on a separate frame that swings to the right for manual reloading. It fires the 8mm French Ordnance cartridge, which delivers striking power similar to a .32 ACP. Its caliber is smaller than many other military revolvers of its era, including its predecessor the MAS 1873 and the British Webley.
Though originally intended as a personal weapon for commissioned officers, over 350,000 Modèle 1892 revolvers were made between 1892 and 1924. It saw service with the French Army, Navy, and Gendarmerie, among others. It is commonly but incorrectly called a "Lebel revolver" after Colonel Nicolas Lebel; there is no evidence he contributed to the gun or its ammunition. Non-commissioned officers kept the older Mle 1873 revolver, but during World War I they often received .32 ACP automatic pistols like the Ruby. The Mle 1892 was officially replaced by semi-automatic pistols in 1935, but many were still used in World War II and later brought to the United States as souvenirs.
A Modèle 1892 was used in the 2018 Strasbourg attack, and it was also the revolver Violet Gibson used in her 1926 attempt to assassinate Benito Mussolini.
The revolver was originally chambered for an 8mm black-powder cartridge similar to the .32-20 WCF round. Models issued during and after World War I used the same 8mm cartridge loaded with smokeless powder. It is a double-action solid-frame design; the cylinder swings out to the right, allowing spent cases to be pushed out and the cylinder reloaded, then locked back in place with a case-hardened loading gate on the right side of the frame. The left sideplate hinges open to access internal parts for oiling or cleaning, and those parts are numbered to show the order of disassembly. The year of manufacture is engraved on the right side of the barrel (e.g., "S 1895"), and "Mle 1892" is hand-engraved on top of the barrel. It was carried in a large closed leather holster that held twelve rounds of ammunition hidden under the flap.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- French Third Republic
- Is Ranged
- yes
- Service
- 1892–1960s
- Wars
- French colonial expeditions, / World War I, / Rif War, / Polish-Soviet War / Constitutionalist Revolution / World War II, / First Indochina War
- Designer
- Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne
- Production Date
- 1892–1924
- Number
- c. 350,000
- Weight
- 1.88 lb unloaded
- Length
- 9.3 in
- Cartridge
- 8mm French Ordnance
- Action
- Double-action/single-action revolver
- Velocity
- 730 ft/s (225 m/s)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Modèle 1892 was first fielded in 1893 and was prominent among French military officers during the First World War, later used by French police until the mid-1960s. Though originally designed as a commissioned officer's personal sidearm, over 350,000 were manufactured between 1892 and 1924. It was issued in the French Army, French Navy, and French Gendarmerie, among others. It is commonly, but mistakenly, called a 'Lebel revolver' after Colonel Nicolas Lebel, although there is no evidence that Lebel had any involvement in the creation of the gun or its ammunition.
Mechanically, the Modèle 1892 is a double-action solid-frame design with the cylinder on a separate frame swinging right for manual reloading. The left sideplate of the frame can be swung back on a hinge to give access to the gun's internal parts for oiling or cleaning. Originally chambered for an 8mm black-powder cartridge closely resembling the .32-20 WCF round, later models issued during World War I and thereafter fired the same 8mm cartridge loaded with smokeless powder. The year of manufacture is engraved on the right side of the barrel, and 'Mle 1892' is hand-engraved on the top of the barrel. It was carried in a large, closed leather holster which held twelve rounds of ammunition hidden below the flap.
Reader's Guide
The Modèle 1892 revolver saw extensive service as the standard sidearm for French officers during the First World War, while non-commissioned officers continued to carry the older Mle 1873 service revolver or were frequently issued .32 ACP automatic pistols (the Ruby pistol) during that conflict. It was later officially replaced by semi-automatic pistols in 1935, but many saw service during World War II and were brought to the United States as souvenirs. The revolver's downside is the relative weakness, for a military handgun, of its 8×27mm ammunition, which in terms of striking power just barely reaches the level of the .32 ACP. A 1935 ballistic report on the assassination of Louis Barthou revealed that he had been hit by an 8mm Modèle 1892 revolver round, commonly used in weapons carried by French police. The model was also used in the 2018 Strasbourg attack and by Violet Gibson in her attempted assassination of Benito Mussolini in 1926.
Did You Know?
- The Modèle 1892 is commonly but mistakenly called a 'Lebel revolver' after Colonel Nicolas Lebel, though no evidence links him to its design.
- It was used by Violet Gibson in her 1926 attempted assassination of Benito Mussolini.
- A 1935 ballistic report on the assassination of Louis Barthou identified the round as an 8mm Modèle 1892 revolver cartridge.
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