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Lemat Revolver

14K views 20 replies 18 participants last post by  Watch Ryder 
#1 ·
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.

What a gun!!!

Landed Gentry
 
#4 ·
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.

Landed Gentry
 
#11 ·
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.
 
#18 ·
If I'm not mistaken, the metal cartridge firing Lemats were a modification that came toward the very end of the civil war. Very few units received the mod, and even fewer (possibly none) saw any action until after the war ended. At some point, someone had come up with a paper "cartridge" containing the ball, wadding and a pre-measured powder charge to save reloading time. Just shove it in the barrel and tamp it down with the ramrod. These were made for various arms, likely including the Lemat. There is at least one historical document, a requisition or delivery bill, listing a number of "cartridges for lemat carbine." There's been speculation over whether this referred to metal or paper cartridges, but the document's date makes the paper far more likely.

This is just what I recall reading about the Lemat carbines a while back when I stumbled upon a reference to them and it caught my attention.

ETA: Come to think of it, wouldn't a modern cartridge/shell firing carbine version be NFA compliant as the shotgun barrel wouldn't be so short?
 
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