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Russo-Turkish War of Liberation 1877-1878 Chapter Three - Small arms of the warring states - Serbia and Montenegro The "Gasser" revolver
“Gasser” was the first small weapon with a unitary cartridge to be introduced in the Austrian-Hungarian army. The six-charge Gasser model 1870 of 11-mm caliber has a double-action hammer-trigger mechanism and an open frame. The 11.2x30R cartridge, which was specially created for it, is with a central firing. It was initially introduced as a weapon for the cavalries that had not been armed with carbines and later, for the infantry and the artillery. Improvements were made and new models were created in 1870/74 and 1880.1 Considerable part of the company's production was earmarked for export to the Balkan countries, mainly Montenegro, which in 1889 imported from Austria Gasser revolvers model 1880 for the armament of its militia. Those revolvers were called “Montenegrin” and on the barrel they had a marking “N I”2 and a crown above. Quite often the frame and the barrel were decorated and had a layer of nickel. The high-quality but expensive Gasser revolver was not easy to copy. Belgian companies were primarily among those who did not feel uneasy about stamping revolvers with the original copyright Gasser sign – an apple with an arrow and mention S.MARKE. Those low-quality revolvers had been exported mainly to the Balkan countries. However, there were cases of purchase in Austria-Hungary as well.
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