Le Mat Pistol

[JohnnyReb1400]

Hi,
I just received a Le Mat pistol and I am trying to figure out how to take it apart so that I can clean it and then shoot it. The directions I received from Pietta have not been of any help. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Harry Bonar]

Le Mat

Sir:
I'm not at all familiar with this pistol but I think I'd use gun scrubber and clean it with air pressure in conjunction with it. I'm sure it can be disassembled but I have no idea - I'd try to clean it and lube it first. Sorry.
Harry B.

 

[Scorch]

Harry-
The LeMat, IIRC, is the 7-shot BP revolver with a 20 gauge BP bore below the barrel. Theory was if things get dicey, just fire a load of buckshot at the crowd. Good idea, but I'm not sure how much damage a load of shot from a 5" BP smoothbore would do. Anyway, folks are making copies of them for Civil War (The Great War of Secession) reenactors.

JohnnyReb-
Try to figure out how to get the basepin out. Typically, there is a wedge or a pin you push that will release the pin so the cylinder will come out. I cannot be very complicated, these were designed to be switched in the heat of battle, often on horseback.

 

[Hawg]

I'm not familiar with it either but I found this. Hope it helps.

The little lever at the bottom of the frame locks the assembly to the frame and, on a brand new one takes some pressure to move downward. Be sure to put the hammer at half cock, then just grab the barrel and do the counter-clockwise thing. On my first one, I wasn't even aware that the shot barrel would unscrew and found it out by mistake after shooting this new one a bit.

The good news is that, while the screws on these and other replicas range from extra loose to air-hammer tight, they are not welded or staked in-however much it may seem that they are.

The side plate (donut shaped) bushing screw on the left frame is split with the nose of the hammer screw sticking through. I had to file down the screwdriver blade in the picture to fit and then hope that it would not break under the massive torque required to loosen the screw. I didn't heat the frame up nearly as hot as some recommend for this but did pass it back and forth over an open flame a couple of times.

The hammer screw is also under tremendous torque and is one of those narrow, shallow deals that so delight custom gun makers because no 20th century screwdrivers will fit. I thinned a screwdriver blad being careful to maintian the square edges at the tip and again was lucky enough for it to work. Before undoing either of these screws, remove the mainspring as it applies some degree of pressure to the hammer.