Nagant Fever Running Wild in the Realm of the Crafty Southpaw

About a week or so ago I wrote about my most recent purchase, the Mosin Nagant 9130 rifle that cost me $130, in glowing terms. I also mentioned to some people that I was considering making a purchase of a revolver, the Nagant M1895, which sat on the hip of Soviet Officers for decades - and is still in fact in active use in many Russian police departments. They're actually cheaper than the rifles, if you can wrap your head around that.  I bought the best grade of stock they had: Double action, Soviet Union markings and crest, dated 1925 or so, for $119. I could have gotten a standard grade one for $99.  And this is a perfectly functional - many who have them say brilliantly functional - firearm, one more than capable of defending your house or shooting at targets.

If it looks familiar, it's because this design launched a million Smith & Wesson pieces 

Anyway, I got a comment from our local ivory tickler (Ah, JT, if only you were French, the jokes would just write themselves), on behalf of a friend, asking how one goes about acquiring such things as these. Well Jeff, I'm going for the sake of brevity to assume that your friend, like you, is both a resident of Iowa and older than 21.  If both of those things are the case:

• You do not need a permit of any kind to purchase the rifle, nor do you, when you get it, need to register it with anyone. Go in to any gun shop, big or small, and ask for the mo-SEEN na-GAHN 9130. They should either have them in stock or waiting for another shipment which should be forthcoming shortly.  If you don't mind cleaning cosmoline off it for three days, expect to pay $99-109.  For one that's cleaned off, expect to pay between $10 and $20 more.  It's worth it.  Trust your Unca Gary.
• Regarding ammo for the rifle, it uses ammo specific to that model and its cousins, 7.62x54 ammo.  It is corrosive to the rifle, meaning every time you shoot it, before you clean it you need to run something with ammonia in it, like Windex, through the barrel lest it create pitting.  The good news is that it's cheap: you can pick up a great whack of ammo for a little money, like a crate of 880 rounds for about $140.  And it's a giant round, like a .30-30 round, just a monster.
• For the revolver, you do in fact need a permit in Iowa, but the good news there is that Iowa is a "shall issue" state, as opposed to a "may issue" one; in other words, the county sheriff's office is compelled to issue you a permit as long as you meet the criteria, which is basically not being a felon, alcoholic, or junkie. The permit takes effect no later than three days after issuance in case they choose to run a background check on you. Once you get that permit you can buy the M1895 revolver. DISCLAIMER: For the love of Jebus, do your own research into the gun laws; please remember I'm an idiot who usually needs to be told to unwrap gum before I start to chew it. Ignorance of the law is no defense, and penalties for violating gun laws are never gentle.
• If you can't find a shop that has an M1895, consider buying one on-line.  Many on-line shops offer a "best-of" option where for a nominal fee, usually ten bucks, they'll go through a handful of them and hand-pick the best of the bunch, and you can express a preference for year, factory, markings, anything you want (though nothing is guaranteed). They'll need to ship your gun to a local shop with an FFL (Federal Firearms License) who will examine your paperwork and make sure you're who you say you are.  Expect them to charge a reasonable fee for their part in the deal, maybe $20 or so. The canny Internet user should be able to find an on-line presence who sells surplus guns and ammunition. I certainly hope I don't have to draw you a picture.
• It too uses ammo specific to that model, same caliber but 38mm long, so the ammo is known as 7.62x38R(rimmed), or 7.62 Nagant in many places. It's not the cheapest ammo in the world, even the old corrosive stuff is about $.20 a round. For reasons that have to do with the design of the thing, the cartridge's casing actually extends past the bullet; it looks a little bit like an uncircumcised pecker.

Well am I lying?

Jeff, as always, please feel free to ask any follow-up questions you may have.  Anyone else, if you need or want me to do a little research on your state's laws, I'm happy to oblige.