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Obviously, French military engineers were later ashamed of such performance, as they increased the muzzle velocity to 623 fps in 1890! As a matter of fact, it is this later improved loading that was used during both World Wars.

SHOOTING THE 1873 SERVICE MODEL

With its circular grip, the gun – which balances at 42% of its overall length, under the cylinder rim, i.e. above the trigger with the hammer lowered – is very comfortable in the hand, as it is slightly muzzle-heavy, and points naturally.

The trigger lies a bit too far forward for double action shooting but is adequate for single action. However, the sights are too high at 1.57 inches above the hand and the “V” notch is quite narrow in relation with the bead for slow fire shooting at 25 meters.

Thanks to the grip rear hump, the gentle recoil is easily controlled. In fact, the only problem with this gun is its trigger pull (8.8 lbs. in single action and 15.4 lbs. in double).

Thanks to the fact that these Chamelot-Delvigne revolvers are now legally considered in France to be “antiques,” many people are using them, without licence, for competitive shooting, off-hand, at 25 meters (about 28 yards). As their only flimsy component is the trigger return spring, we now have French craftsmen who make spares, and as our modern shooters do not use their guns on horseback, such springs can be lighter than the originals, bringing the single action pull down to about 5 pounds, which is quite perfect!