Hello,
It's common knowledge that the main handgun of the Montenegrin army during WWI and earlier was the Austrian made 11mm Gasser (a version of the Austro-Hungarian M1870). These huge revolvers are marked with a crowned NI at the top of the barrel breech, for Nikola I, the ruler of Montenegro (Prince 1860-1910, King 1910-1918). Some other revolvers used in the Montenegrin army were Rast-Gasser M98, Smith & Wesson Russian, Smith & Wesson Military & Police; a few officers carried early automatics such as Mannlicher M1905. Now, the question is: were any of these other handguns marked with the Montenegro's Crown/NI? Only one such case was reported to me, by a reputable Austrian collector, namely an engraved Rast-Gasser M98 revolver marked Crown/NI. It would certainly be interesting to hear of any other handgun with this Montenegro marking.
By the way, I'm researching Austrian Gasser revolvers in general and Montenegrin Gasser revolvers in particular, and would greatly appreciate any pertinent information, such as description of revolvers with markings and serial numbers, period photos, literature, etc.
Thank you and with kind regards,
Jani
