Gasser M1870 Revolver
- Category
- Revolver
- Barrel
- 235 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.30 kg
- Introduced
- 1870
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Gasser M1870 was a large, robust single-action service revolver chambered for the powerful 11.3x36mmR cartridge, adopted by the Austro-Hungarian cavalry in 1870 and built by the Leopold Gasser Waffenfabrik of Vienna. It used an open-frame design with the barrel attached by a screw beneath the cylinder arbor, a gate-loaded six-shot cylinder fed from the right side, and a rod ejector carried beneath the barrel. A distinctive safety bar on the right of the frame carried pins that engaged the lock mechanism. It remained in production from 1870 until 1919.
The huge 11mm cartridge and oversized frame made Gasser revolvers iconic in the Balkans, where carrying a Montenegrin Gasser was reportedly required by custom for adult men in Montenegro.
The commercial export 'Montenegrin Gasser' pattern derived from this M1870/74 design, often ornately engraved and inlaid for the Montenegrin market. The lighter 9mm Gasser-Kropatschek M1876 was a later refinement.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Leopold Gasser Waffenfabrik
- Category
- Revolver
- Country
- Austria
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1870 to 1919
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 235 mm
- Overall length
- 375 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.30 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Single action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Revolving cylinder
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 326 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 484 J
- Effective range
- 50 m
- Maximum range
- 200 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Open frame- Gate loading
Rod ejector
Screw attached barrel
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 404 revolvers | 1.30 kg | 1.05 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 415 revolvers | 375 mm | 260 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 431 revolvers | 235 mm | 127 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 434 revolvers | 6 | 6 | Holds more rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Gasser M1870 Revolver
How much does the Gasser M1870 Revolver weigh?
The Gasser M1870 Revolver weighs 1.30 kg (2.87 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Gasser M1870 Revolver?
The Gasser M1870 Revolver is chambered in 11mm Gasser.
How many rounds does the Gasser M1870 Revolver hold?
The Gasser M1870 Revolver holds 6 rounds, fed from a revolving cylinder.
How long is the Gasser M1870 Revolver?
The Gasser M1870 Revolver is 375 mm (14.8 in) long overall, with a 235 mm (9.25 in) barrel.
Who makes the Gasser M1870 Revolver?
The Gasser M1870 Revolver is made by Leopold Gasser Waffenfabrik (Austria). It was designed by Leopold Gasser.
When was the Gasser M1870 Revolver introduced?
The Gasser M1870 Revolver was introduced in 1870 and discontinued in 1919.
How does the Gasser M1870 Revolver operate?
The Gasser M1870 Revolver uses a single action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Austro-Hungarian Army (cavalry)
- 1870
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/gasser-revolver' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "gasser-revolver", "name": "Gasser M1870 Revolver", "manufacturer": { "id": "leopold-gasser", "name": "Leopold Gasser Waffenfabrik", "countryCode": "AT", "foundedYear": 1862, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "9fb15fe8372d6db27e0209c5963aa0f591108bf61f20e4fcf018dfa05056658c" }, "category": { "id": "revolver", "name": "Revolver", "description": "Handguns with a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers" }, "country_of_origin": "AT", "year_introduced": 1870, "barrel_length_mm": 235, "weight_empty_g": 1300, "action_type": "single_action"}