The M1879 Reichsrevolver, or Reichs-Commissions-Revolver Modell 1879 and 1883, were service revolvers used by the German Army

German Army

The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...

 from 1879 to 1908, when it was superseded by the Luger.

The two versions of the revolver

Revolver

A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...

 differ only in barrel length. Although the design was dated, the weapon was extremely robust, and were still used through World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.

Design

Both were single-action solid frame non-ejecting six-shot revolvers. The caliber was an indigenous 10,6 mm with a medium length cartridge case, comparable to the contemporary .44 Russian

.44 Russian

The .44 Russian, also known as the .44 S&W Russian, is a blackpowder center fire metallic revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1870...

 round in size and power. Loading was via a gate on the weapon's right side, and the cylinder was released by pulling the hammer

Hammer

A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head,...

 to half-cock. Removing empty cartridge

Cartridge (firearms)

A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...

s was done by removing the cylinder by withdrawing the axis-pin, and then removing the casings by hand.

Most revolvers came with a layard

Layard

Layard is a surname, and may refer to:* Austen Henry Layard , British, archaeologist, author, and politician* Edgar Leopold Layard , British ornithologist* John Layard , English anthropologist and psychologist...

ring for attachment to the uniform.