new le mat

B

Bill Carson

New member
my lastest acquisition, Yesterday, the Lemat I ordered in Oct arrived. I've handled originals from private collections, but never really had the interest in them . Then for reasons beyond my understanding I saw one on pawn stars and suddenly had to have one. I got the calvary model with its spur trigger guard. Unlike the originals the repros are in 44 cal, 9 shot with a 20 guage shot barrel and in usual fashion it is heavily marked with modern proofs, ect. The finish is a deep translucent blue, the mechanics are crisp, though the hamer pull is quite long, but light. These pistols don't have locking notches on their cyls, rather they are held in alignment to the bore by the pawl(hand). I'll get out to the range with it later this month, and yes I will fire up the shot barrel. Till then. a good holiday season to all. b.c.
 
Do need a few photos to be fair here...

But just tossing this out there.. I do want to get one also, But something gets in the way... But my list is getting smaller, so the lamat is getting nearer..

So what can you load in the 20 guage barrel???? and how do you load it..????

Does anyone have any experience with these and any tips or what to watch out for????


By the way Bill I like your idea of getting the calvary Model, But why pick that over the navy????
 
duelist1954 did a great video on youtube of the reproduction lamat. Loading and everything. I'd love to have one but there are about 5 other guns on "the list" that are first:) Looking forward to pictures and range report:D
 
Congrats Bill! I had a friend who bought one many years ago when the repros first came out. He shot it a few times and it was . . . to put it mildly . . . "different". A change from the usual Armies or Navies we're used to. The one thing I remember most about it was the weight of it. If you slip that in a holster on your belt, I'd advise a set of "braces" for your trousers as well . . . and don't fall in to any deep mud puddles!

Have fun - we're all waiting for pictures of the "new baby"! Enjoy!
 
more lemat...

thanks for the interest in the lemat. it's a pretty hefty pistol especially when comparing it to my ansley rigdon. I chose the calvery model because of the spur trigger guard. it was a good choice. it holds well. loads aren't any different than an 1860 army repro. the 20 gauge shot barrel is recommended to use 25-35 grain of 2f. 35 seems a bit steep. shot load, I will have to test by volume. by the way, the shot barrel is only 6'' long. I have 4s and 7s and plenty of 20 gauge shot cards. the booklet that came with it recommends #11 caps. the side mount loading lever is hollow. inside it contains a ramrod to load the other barrel. right now, dixie and fall creek are offering them at 850.00 plus shiping. seems pricey, but if they remain available, the cost may go up. I thought to get one before either of these things happen. my great great grandfather was a contract surgeon in Hoods core. I'm thinking he probably would like to have had one of these.b.c.
 
Did watch the duelist video on on the Lamat and it did answer my question.. But It offered another question.. And both he and Bill Carson suggested putting shot in the barrel..

And of course that seems the safest thing to do but how practical is that.. I can see if you were going to go after a duck or a bird.. But if one was going to use this in a combat situation, would you not being using this in a buck and ball way??? Such as maybe a couple or three 36 cal balls and such????
 
Hey Bill I did figure that you wanted the spur, But why the spur over the streamline look of the navy??????.. And of course there is no wrong answer.. Heck I want both ha ha ha ha
 
Indy 1919. I'll have to do some experimenting with the lemats shot capabilties. I think they are limited to close range. my friend who helped the late H Madus on his writings told me of an acount where the shot barrel was held as a backup while reloading the other 9 shots. also, I see no reason why a mix of 3 buck and #4s couldn't be used. remember these were military weapons designed to stop or disable an opponent. as for the spur, it does afford a good steady hold. but, to me its also an appearance thing. good looks on a gun are defind by its lines and symmetry. the spur gives an extra feature via its curved line enhancing the curve of the handle and giving an otherwise awkward looking gun symmetry. I'm still working on the image part of my post. b.c.
 
Congrats, Bill!
That is one hefty hunk o' gun you got!
Please do us all a favor (when you get time) and shoot some pix of the gun, and give us the skinny on how it shoots!
I know I've bought a revolver or two that I just HAD to have, and after shooting.....well, the honeymoon was over.
 
Bill Could not agree more the cool look of the spur...


Does anyone have a reason the spur was on the gun to begin with?????


One more thought in the shot gun barrel part being last ditch.. The way the gun is constructed, you can take the gun apart for cleaning, Load the shot gun barrel 1st, and have a functional firearm while you cleaned the Cylinder and 41/44 cal barrel...
 
even more lemat...

Indy 1919. yes, the shot barrel can remain caped and loaded while the cyl is totally off the rest of the gun. though in our over legated world I must add, this would require much caution. it could fire as a single, very short 20 guage. the nipple for the shot barrel is center in the frame and under the hammer. to fire it, there is a toggle in the hammer that is manually flipped to hit the shot barrel nippel. this was a feature the rebs were well aware of. also, spur trigger guards were common on mid 19th century pistols, a feature lemat incorporated. here's something to look up, lemat also made a carbine version and a pin fired model .:D
 
Yeah The lemat carbine is so nice it makes you drool with out control.. Saw a magazine article a while back where someone took one of the Lamat pistols and turned it into the carbine and it was to die for,..

Does anyone have any idea how much a lamat cost in the day compared to a 1860????

Just a side note does it bug you at all that the replica is a 44 and not 41????


Personally I like it in 44 cal because .. well I am a big bore fan. .. And anytime you can make the bore bigger well its gots to be better :)
 
:DIndy 1919. , the 44 cal wasn't an issue for me. One buys a repro knowing it won't be a totaly historical accurate copy. To me, being 44cal makes it more standardize. It can use the same munitions as any other cap and ball 44. Also, this means I won't have to get a single purpose bullet mold. A few Lemat carbines were shiped to the south i dont know how much service they saw. Track has a nice book on Lemats with lots of pictures. It's well worth the price. b.c.:D
 
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