Just got a Lemat Revolver through Dixie Gun Works, and it's more impressive than I've read about. This version is made by Pietta in Italy, and from what I have read this is the best gun made by Pietta.
The Lemat revolver was favored by the Confederate officers. A 9-shot cylinder, with a shotgun pistol below the main barrel.
They're sweet guns, but they tend to go through parts pretty quick. The original probably did too. But don't let it get you down. Parts are easy to find, cheap and usually pretty easy to install yourself. If you find you need a part, www.vtigunparts.com has them.
True, the original did have a problem with the loading leaver being too flimsy, and the current remake is a bit as well, but it is easily replaced, and parts are available through Dixie gun works. I haven't looked into the site you gave but I will and compare prices. I'mm contemplating getting those parts made out of a material that would hold up better and save me some trouble with it, but that is for the future.
Dr. Lemat originally had the gun made in France, and the issues with the loading lever were a problem back then. After he had about 2500 made he decided to stop doing business with the company from his native France, and instead went with a company in England, and had about another 1500-2000 made. After he had those made the federal govt. seized his assets. He lost everything. This sidearm became so well known in it's day that even Federal officers were trying to capture a Confederate officer just so they could get thier hands on a Lemat.
I plan to do some shooting with it this weekend after the gunshow, where I will get my ammo and powder. I think getting powder is going to get to be a problem more and more as time wears on. The gun-grabbers think people like us would like to make a bomb out of the stuff. but they don't realize there are far more fun things to do with black powder than bomb making, and that there are better materials for bombs at home depot anyway.
Well you could legally do a cartridge conversion on the revolver portion of a lematt(dont know if anyone makes it but you could) but the shotgun would need to stay muzzle loaded unless you wanna go class 3
Oldiron, ya know I agree with you and what makes me scratch my head is the part about the CL-III requirements. As I mull this stuff over I'm looking over at my smoothbore flintlock pistol that has a 8" barrel. If that ain't a short barrel shotgun I sure don't know what one is.... These laws are just crazy and don't much make sense to me at all.
Oldiron, ya know I agree with you and what makes me scratch my head is the part about the CL-III requirements. As I mull this stuff over I'm looking over at my smoothbore flintlock pistol that has a 8" barrel. If that ain't a short barrel shotgun I sure don't know what one is.... These laws are just crazy and don't much make sense to me at all.
More rare, but even cooler, IMO, was the Le Mat carbine. The biggest problem these weapons encountered was that being cap and ball revolvers, sometimes burning powder could find its way between the chamber and the frame, causing a chain firing of all the rounds in the cylinder (this issue was common to all cap and ball revolvers, hence the revolver became much more popular after the invention of the metal cartridge). Obviously, with a revolver carbine a chain fire was especially problematic for the shooter's forward hand.
There were cartridge Lemats, both carbine and pistol. They're ugly as sin but still pretty cool. It's too bad about the NFA baloney, a modern iteration would be something I'd look pretty hard at.
In the 50s tv show "Johnny Ringo" Ringo carried a LeMat. He'd fire it until it clicked and the bad guy would come out from behind his rock thinking it was unloaded. Always looked surprised when Ringo fired the shotgun barrel.
Landed Gentry...I realize your post is now 4 years old. So, how is the LeMat performing to this date? I have many BP revolvers, and the LeMat is one I don't have but DO desire. I really hope it's holding up. I anxiously await your response.
It would be really cool if it could run smokeless shotgun cartridges, then you'd have modern shotgun power with BP accuracy!
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