Russian Arms

The blade is steel, curved, single-edged, bearing one wide fuller. The combat tip was double-edged. The hilt comprises a pommeled grip and a guard. The grip is wood, covered in leather, featuring transverse grooves. Either side of the grip features an oval bulging metal rivet. The grip's back is surmounted by a metal backpiece. The grip's pommel is oval, bulging. The guard is formed by a cross-guard piece with a double langet and three bows - the knuckle one and two side ones, branching off the knuckle bow and - arching out - sweeping into the cross-guard. The double langet shaped as oblong ecussions on cross-guard's either side was useful for holding the weapon firmly in the scabbard as well as for capturing the opponent's blade in combat action. The quillon's tip is slightly curled down and rounded.

The scabbard is steel, featuring a locket and a band with two (loose-) ring fitments to take the belt suspension straps and a shoe. The scabbard's mouth-piece features small dents to take the cartouche's ecussions.

Overall length is about 1,020 mm, the blade's length is around 880 mm, the blade's width is below 36 mm, the blade's curvature averages 67/390 mm, the mass is downwards of 1,000 gr.

The sabre came in to replace the gendarmes' mirassier pattern 1810 broadsword, and in 1827 the dragoon's, hussar's, lancer's (Uhlan's), mounted chasseur's, Furstadt's (train's), mounted artillery's, mounted pioneer's cavalry pattern 1817 sabre.

In 1834 it was replaced in the Nizhegorodsky dragoon regiment with the Asiatic pattern 1834 shashka (shasqua).

In 1841 it was replaced with the dragoon pattern 1841 sabre in all the dragoon regiments with the exception of the Nizhegorodsky and for the mounted pioneers. A similar replacement was effected in 1846 for the lesser ranks of mounted artillery.

In 1881 it was replaced wherever it had been regulation weapon with a dragoon Pattern 1881 shashka (shasqua) and only kept intact in two Guard's hussar regiments to be carried in peace time with full dress.

In 1096 it was reinstated at two Guard's lancer's (Uhlan's) regiments to be carried in peace time with full dress.

Thus, all along till the end of the period considered this sabre was an essential part of the lower ranks' service

dress in four Guard's light cavalry regiments.

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