Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Charles-François Galand was a 19th-century French gunsmith who revolutionized revolver design with his innovative 1868 patent. Produced in Liège and Paris, the original Revolver featured a unique extraction system utilizing a long lever under the barrel. When pulled forward, this lever separated the cylinder from the frame, while an extractor plate automatically ejected the spent metallic cartridges. The open-frame, double-action revolver was initially produced for military contracts in rimmed 9mm, while civilian models came in 12mm. Its rapid reloading mechanism made it one of the fastest repeaters of its era. The revolver was adopted by the Imperial Russian Navy in 1870 as well as the Romanian Army. Later designs included the improved 1872 closed-frame model and the compact 8mm Tue Tue hammerless pocket revolver introduced in 1893. After Charles-François’ death in 1900, his son René continued manufacturing unique revolvers like the peculiar Velo-dog bicycle pistol until 1942.
“Originally developed and sold to the French military, the Russians took interest in the Galland design after the Franco-Prussian War, and Galand licensed his design to Nagant for sale to the Imperial Navy. Blade and notch sights, with “EM & L NAGANT A. LIEGE 1879” on the top flat and “C.F. GALAND/NVr BREVETE” on the left side. The cylinder is Liege proofed, with the signature sliding barrel and mobile extractor ring. Fitted with a pair of checkered grips and a lanyard swivel.”
Lot 3335: Galand C F DA Revolver 12 mm – Nagant Production Imperial Russian Contract Galand Patent Double Action Revolver. (n.d.-i). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/68/3335/galand-c-f-da-revolver-12-mm.
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