Manurhin MR88 Sport: A Heavy-Duty .357 Revolver

I am somewhat of a Francophile.

I visited our first ally in 1979 and have returned twice since. I noticed during these trips there were many Mac 50 9mm pistols in use by the Gendarme and an equal number of revolvers.

During the first War on Terror, many European agencies dropped their .32 and .380 ACP handguns, and some adopted revolvers. The French were proponents of the .357 Magnum cartridge, appreciating its lethality and the ability to penetrate vehicle doors.

French maker Manurhin—Manufacture de Machines du Haut-Rhin—traces its history to the early 1900s, and it introduced the MR73 in 1972. A .357 Magnum designed to withstand 100,000 rounds, it was adopted by some French units. But it was expensive, and a joint effort between Manurhin and Ruger resulted in the less-expensive F1. Frames and lockwork were supplied by Ruger, and Manurhin made the barrel and cylinder and did the final fitting. It was built to withstand 50,000 rounds.

The MR88 Model

The revolver here is a later model, the MR88, made completely by Manurhin. Manufactured by Chapuis Armes, which purchased Manuhrin in 1998, it strongly resembles the Ruger Security Six. But if you go looking for an MR88, you won’t mistake its price tag for the Security Six’s. Chapuis lists the price on new models at about $2,000.

There are two current MR88 types: the MR88 Defense, a .38 Special with fixed sights; and the MR88 Sport, a .357 with adjustable sights. The MR88 Sport illustrated here features a four-inch barrel with a nicely done crown.

It has a fully adjustable rear sight and post front. The sights are good but have an odd feature worth mentioning. If you find the elevation too high and run the screw all of the way down to begin adjustment—as many of us will—the sight screw will contact the cylinder and bind it up.

The MR88’s robust sideplate action is both tight and smooth—no play of any type in the double-action or single-action trigger press. The sole feature truly identical to the Ruger is the cylinder latch, which is pressed in to release the cylinder.

Hefty Design

The revolver is heavy at 38.2 ounces. Recoil is light even with .38 +P loads, and accuracy is excellent. This revolver rivals all but the finest hand-fitted handguns, and I’ve gotten the occasional 1.25-inch 25-yard grip out of it—with 1.5 inches on demand.

The MR88 Sport has been available with a standard wood grip, but most models feature the Trausch grip, developed by French sport shooter Jacques Trausch. While odd to the eye, the Trausch grip is a marvel of ergonomics and recoil control, and it’s perfectly suited for double-action and single-action fire.

I carry a revolver when hiking because it just seems right, and this big, heavy French revolver is as good as any. And in case you were wondering, the lanyard you see on the accompanying photo was added by me for more utility.

There aren’t a lot of MR88s out there, but it isn’t as rare or pricey as some revolvers. Beretta is the U.S. importer of Chapuis Armes guns, although it lists only the MR73. However, you can find older guns imported here as surplus for half that. This MR88 Sport was purchased at a local Cabela’s for $1,125. A number of fixed-sight MR88s sold a year or two ago for $720, a bargain.

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