Manurhin MR 73

The Manurhin MR 73 is a French double-action/single-action revolver chambered in .357 Magnum and .38 Special. It is manufactured by Manurhin and is available in 2.5", 2.75", 3", 4", 4.25”, 5.25", 5.75", 6", 8" and 10" barrel lengths.

After WW II French police gradually faced a worrying threat. Military grade firearms left over from the occupation and liberation were used by violent criminals to outgun police personnel. As a result, French police agencies gradually accepted the idea of arming their personnel, traditionally equipped with blowback pistols chambered in .32 ACP, with locked breech pistols and heavy-duty revolvers chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum and .357 Magnum.

Introduced in 1972, the MR 73 was designed for police tactical unit use and is known for having formerly been the standard issue sidearm of the French National Gendarmerie, as well as for its offensive role and use by French police tactical units such as GIGN and the National Police's RAID. It has also seen service with military, police, and armed groups elsewhere in the world, most predominantly in the former French colonial empire.

Specifications
Every MR 73 is match grade accurate, shipped with its own factory test target fired at 25 m. Averaging 15 rounds, no group over 20 mm diameter with selected ammunition is allowed. The MR 73 has an adjustable trigger weight in both double-action and single-action modes, a feature found in other high-end revolvers such as those built by Korth and Janz. These adjustments do not alter the strength of the main spring, ensuring reliable primer ignition. This is achieved by use of a separate flat spring controlling the trigger. This second spring operates on a roller to decrease friction, moves the trigger forward after firing, and moves up the safety block to prevent the hammer's nose from inadvertently setting off a round. The spring, sliders and roller in the trigger mechanism require extensive skilled hand fitting and polishing of components during assembly to obtain the desired mechanical interaction. The end result is a very smooth and consistent trigger. Though the patents expired decades ago, no other revolver manufacturer tried to apply the MR 73 trigger mechanism. The MR 73 requires more than 12 hours of hand-fitting at the factory, making it about 50% more expensive than competing U.S.-manufactured brands.

The frame, cylinder and barrel of the MR 73 are made from ordnance-certified steel. This high yield strength steel is hard to machine, but ensures the mechanical strength for reliable intensive use, combined with the considerable bolt thrust exerted by C.I.P. conform .357 Magnum ammunition, like the 158 gr Norma ammunition used by GIGN operators.

Cylinder chambers are finished with an impact process that makes them glass-smooth and extremely hard. The factory proof-fires each cylinder chamber with .357 Magnum ammunition which generates 30% more pressure than the C.I.P. maximum allowable pressure for the Magnum cartridge. The factory guarantees that the cylinder will not burst or show any bulging or deformation with .357 Magnum ammunition developing double the C.I.P. 300.00 MPa Pmax piezo pressure, meaning the cylinder can withstand 600.00 MPa, or 43.5 tons per square inch).

Barrels are manufactured by cold-hammering. The rifling is formed during the forging process, eliminating the need to cut rifling as a separate manufacturing step. This creates an extremely hard and microscopically smooth internal barrel surface.

An innovative rare feature of MR 73 revolvers is a user changeable cylinder, sold as an option with a new revolver or as an aftermarket accessory, enabling firing 9×19mm Parabellum ammunition. The 9×19mm Parabellum cylinder uses the Pilorget system that employed an ejector bordered by elastic piano wire that engaged its extractor groove. Conversion between the .357 Magnum/.38 Special cylinder and 9×19mm Parabellum cylinder does require the use of a screwdriver. However, as 9×19mm Parabellum rounds are classified under French law as ammunition of war, from the early 1980s onward, the 9×19mm Parabellum cylinder became unavailable in France.

HKS manufactures a speedloader (Model 10A) to use with the .38, .357, and 9mm caliber cylinders.

MR 73 family
The production of Police/Defense fixed sight MR 73 variants with 2½", 3", and 4" inch barrels, chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum and .357 Magnum started in 1973. In 1974 Manurhin rolled out its Match and Sport versions, with 4", 5¼", 6", and 8" barrels, all chambered in .357 Magnum caliber. In 1977, it added 3", 5¼", and 8" GIGN versions chambered in .357 Magnum. In 1980 and 1981 came the introduction urn of the MR 32 isporting revolver chambered in .32 S&W Long and the MR 38 Match sporting revolver chambered in .38 Special, along with the 9" MR 73 Long Range. The Match sporting revolvers feature only a single-action trigger and have an extended rearward rise. This allows the aiming length to be increased without increasing the total length of the weapon, which would have made it exceed the maximum dimensions authorized in certain competitions. The center fire MR range was completed in 1983 with the 10¾" MR 73 Silhouette chambered in .357 Magnum and the limited production, stainless steel MR 73 10-year commemorative model.

The rimfire MR 22 sporting revolver chambered in .22 Long Rifle and the center fire small-frame 5-shot Remora chambered in .38 Special followed in 1986. The MR range culminated in 1987 with the Convertible model, fitted with interchangeable, tension fitted barrels fed by hand-detachable cylinders chambered in .38 Special, .32 S&W Long, and .22 Long Rifle, with the aid of a frame-mounted firing pin selectable for center fire or rimfire ignition.

A variant called the MR 73 Gendarmerie features adjustable rear sights and larger front sights.

In 2021, Beretta began to import the MR 73 Gendarmerie and the MR 73 Sport into the United States. The 2024 Beretta USA list price for the MR 73 starts at USD 3,799.

MR 73 replacement family
The Manurhin MR 73 replacement family of revolvers includes the Special Police F1/X1, MR 88 (based on the Ruger Security-Six), MR 93 and MR 96. These revolvers generally were attempts to reduce the complex, costly production process of the MR 73 family.

Users

 * 🇦🇹 Austria: EKO Cobra
 * 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
 * 🇨🇲 Cameroon
 * 🇹🇩 Chad
 * 🇪🇬 Egypt
 * 🇫🇷 France: GIGN and RAID
 * 🇬🇦 Gabon
 * Ivory Coast
 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia: RELA Corps
 * 🇲🇱 Mali: People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
 * 🇲🇺 Mauritius
 * 🇳🇪 Niger
 * 🇸🇳 Senegal
 * 🇸🇨 Seychelles
 * 🇹🇬 Togo

Literature

 * Revolver Manurhin MR 73 // «Střelecká revue», 11, 1974