Gasser M1870
- 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, open-frame service revolver adopted by the Austro-Hungarian cavalry in 1870. Chambered for the powerful 11.3x36mmR (11mm Gasser) cartridge, it was a six-shot, gate-loaded double-action revolver designed and built by Leopold Gasser of Vienna. The barrel unit was attached to the frame by a screw beneath the cylinder arbor, the cylinder was loaded through a gate on the right side, and a rod ejector was carried beneath the barrel. With an overall length of nearly 375 mm, it was one of the largest service revolvers of its era.
Foot-long and chambering a cartridge in the league of a .44 Magnum, the M1870 Gasser was the BFR of its day; commercial Gasser-pattern revolvers became so iconic in the Balkans that legend held every adult male in Montenegro was required by the prince to own one.
The open-frame Gasser construction, while strong enough for the heavy 11mm cartridge, was already considered somewhat dated at adoption and was eventually superseded in Austro-Hungarian service by the solid-frame Rast & Gasser M1898 in the smaller 8mm Gasser caliber. The 11.3x36mmR cartridge is sometimes likened to the .44 Magnum in power.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Leopold Gasser Waffenfabrik
- Category
- Revolver
- Country
- Austria
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1870
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
- Double action
- Firing mechanism
- Double action
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Rotary
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 326 m/s
- Effective range
- 50 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 loaded cylinder
Rod ejector
Fixed sights- Barrel arbor screw
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
How much does the Gasser M1870 weigh?
The Gasser M1870 weighs 1.30 kg (2.87 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Gasser M1870?
The Gasser M1870 is chambered in 11mm Gasser.
How many rounds does the Gasser M1870 hold?
The Gasser M1870 holds 6 rounds, fed from a rotary magazine.
How long is the Gasser M1870?
The Gasser M1870 is 375 mm (14.8 in) long overall, with a 235 mm (9.25 in) barrel.
Who makes the Gasser M1870?
The Gasser M1870 is made by Leopold Gasser Waffenfabrik (Austria). It was designed by Leopold Gasser.
When was the Gasser M1870 introduced?
The Gasser M1870 was introduced in 1870.
How does the Gasser M1870 operate?
The Gasser M1870 uses a double action, and its firing mechanism is double action.
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
- 1870
Provenance
Confidence in this record
68%
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/nagant-gasser' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "nagant-gasser", "name": "Gasser M1870", "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": "double_action"}