If you built a modern-day LeMat revolver that used a 20-gauge fixed cartridge in a barrel with a smooth bore, the result would be an AOW. New for 2019, Early & Modern Firearms Company, Inc. is proud to introduce this new addition to our Great Western II (GWII) line of singl. Tomahawks & Tomahawk Parts and Accessories, M1826 and M1836 Water's and Johnson Pistol, M1861 Special Musket (Colt,L.G. The Cavalry model features include a case hardened hammer and trigger, blued steel parts, checkered walnut two-piece grip, lanyard ring, and spurred triggerguard. Beauregard, who was to become a general with the Confederacy. Published May 3, 2022 9:21 AM EDT. I'd like to make a modern version that I don't have to front-load. A handful are known to have been made illegitimately in the UK by an unknown manufacturer, believed to be the London Armoury Company, but only two examples survive to the present day, and it is doubtful any of the English-made LeMats ever saw service during the U.S. Civil War.[7]. The new rifling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonal_rifling allowed the .50 gauge to drop thru the barrel bore, thus the reduction in bore size was done to get the pistol approved. My Lemat is one of the finest revolvers produced. Dove tailed front sight and rear sight located on the hammer nose. The purpose of this secondary barrel was said to aid in foraging for game. cylinder and rifled 6.75" octagonal barrel with 1:30 twist. Many firearms that do not see immense success become a forgotten chapter in history. Really. I can buy a replica LeMat for $800 or so. 1 in 30" twist. And people love getting their hands on something many cannot acquire. And at least with reproductions, you have a better opportunity to fire the gun. Checkered walnut grips. No shotguns with shorter than an 18" barrel and they also can't be less than 26" total or else you need a $200 tax stamp. Dixie Gun Works Modern firearms are listed as "Requires FFL", and must be transferred through a licensed FFL dealer in your area. Taylor's Firearms markets historical reproductions as well as guns designed for modern day shooters' needs in The New West. For those that don't know, a LeMat is a black-powder revolver with a 20gauge shotgun bore as the axle of the cylinder. [3], LeMat originally chambered his pistol for .40 (or .42) caliber revolver bullets, with a .60 (20 gauge) smoothbore barrel, and had a jointed ramrod (mounted on the right-hand side of the frame), which was used to load both barrels. Modern repro of a LeMat Revolver. If it were labeled in a shotgun gauge it would not be legal. Nope. They are going to be converted on the Cooper system i.e a cylinder cap with 9 firing pins in .38 S&W with the shotgun barrel staying percussion. You can post now and register later. so basically it would be illegal to make a cartridge version of the lemat? The LeMat Revolver Was a Civil War-Era Pistol That Doubled as a Shotgun The LeMat fires a .42-caliber bullet from a rifled barrel, and 20-gauge from a second barrel below By Ashley Hlebinsky | Published May 3, 2022 9:21 AM EDT Guns A head on look at the LeMat's double barrels. . Taurus came out with a 28 ga. Judge awhile back. Quality concerns prompted LeMat to consider production at the Birmingham Small Arms Company in Birmingham, England, but production was never mounted there. A small contract coupled with difficulties in manufacturing led to a downfall of the firearm. A single .20 gauge shotgun barrel under the .44 caliber barrel makes the Lemat a unique firearm. Invented in 1856 by Dr. J.A.F. The loading lever is mounted on the left side. It is estimated that 2,900 were produced in Lige, Belgium, and Paris, France. But it is not a . Up to 2,400 LeMats were smuggled into the Confederacy to arm cavalry units. The central barrel is smoothbore and can function as a short-barreled shotgun (hence the name "Grape Shot Revolver"), with the shooter selecting whether to fire from the cylinder or the smoothbore barrel by flipping a lever on the end of the hammer. However, it is a part of a long lineage of weird looking repeating firearms that began centuries prior. Loading it takes some getting used to since the loading lever is on the side. Checkered walnut grips. It fires 12 gauge I don't think adding .20 or .16 shot for a single gun is a good idea, . In combat, the firepower from the pistol barrel plus a hefty dose of blue whistlers from the 20-ga. smoothbore 6.75 round barrel made the LeMat a fearsome weapon to face. These weapons had varying levels of success. "The LeMat revolver was a .42 caliber cap & ball black powder revolver invented by Dr. Jean Alexandre LeMat of New Orleans, which featured a rather unusual secondary 16 gauge smoothbore barrel capable of firing buckshot, and saw service with the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War of 1861-1865." For the Red Dead Redemption 2 variant, see LeMat Revolver (RDR 2). If Scott Kenny (this thread's OP) is fabricating a firearm "from scratch", i.e., not using pre-existing firearm component parts with serial numbers, then it's my understanding he can fabricate either a handgun or long gun in whatever caliber fancies him, as long as the characteristics of the firearm fall within the legal requirements designating either a handgun or long gun. Price: $1,395.00. Not a lawyer. I heard all they got was approval to import the sample at SHOT. Many, such as the Henry Repeating Rifle, were not adopted en masse during the war. , Dixie Gun Works. Please go to Appearance > Sidebars and drag a widget into User Submit Sidebar. Will send close-up pictures of actual firearm to interested buyers. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. The outbreak of the American Civil War provided a rare opportunity for all manner of weapons inventors and arms manufacturers to profit by offering their products to the war departments of either the Union or . High quality gun quite accurate with a 451 ball over 18 grains FFFG but somewhat on the heavy side at 3 and a half pounds. United States distributors include Navy Arms Company, Dixie Gunworks, and Cabela's. A centerfire version in 12mm Perrin or 11mm Chamelot-Delvigne, with a 24 gauge shot barrel, was made in later years in Belgium. Hammer is color case hardened as is the trigger. I think you'd lose a lot of oomph with the cylinder gap, though. LeMat Revolver Designed by Col LeMat. The conical ball cast by the LeMat mold throws a heavy punch and the shot capacity is unmatched in any BP revolver. Weaponry: Le Mat. Also very accurate at pistol distances. It is slightly slower than some of the speed-demons on this list, like the Mauser, but a well-placed headshot will drop anything that stands in Arthur's way. Black Powder Revolver Starter Kit With Wonder Lube Components, Anti-Seize Thread Lube For Black Powder Guns, Large Universal Cross-Style Nipple Wrench, Olde Turkey Track Black Powder Solvent & Patch Lube, Revolver Pocket Cleaning Kit .44/.45 Caliber, Hand Cast Lead Round Balls For Black Powder Revolvers, 9 and 1 .20 Gauge shot out of bottom barrel. Looks this is not the 1st time this thought has come up in other places: You an attorney? Powered by Invision Community, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonal_rifling. Confederate gun runners were able to slip shipments of the gun through the Union naval blockade and it is estimated that about 2,500 made it into Confederate service. were made by John Krider of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1859, including the first 250 prototypes. The USAS 12 and streetsweeper were killed by name in the act, but they threatened that they could have killed them as weapons greater than .50 even if they had not been named. It's not the cost so much that keeps people from buying NFA stuff. Now, back to that non authoritative article. Copyright var date = new Date(); document.write(date.getFullYear()) [store_name]. Beauregard, who was to become a general with the Confederacy. The Le Mat revolver is considered the most awesome hand-held firing weapon ever produced. My personal experience is derived from having a .308 Win / .338 FED bolt action "pistol" built from the ground up. Yes, 12gauge would be more impressive, but last thing I want to have is a gun prone to kabooms because of poor design. The Mossberg "Just in Case" is a Title 1 "firearm," not a "shotgun," because it does not possess a buttstock, and hence is not intended to be fired from the shoulder, but the barrel is 18" or greater and the OAL is 26" or greater so it is not a Title II firearm. This nine-shot revolver with a 20GA single-shot barrel was a favorite among Confederate cavalry officers. The new model LeMat revolver: a modern iteration of a classic New Orleans design. So it is impractical to use that angle and enforce it consistently. The LeMat has been recently featured in HBO's 'Westworld' and the popular video game 'Red Dead Online'. My only regret is that I did not buy two before the inevitable price increase. This weapon can be customized at any of the Gunsmiths. An accurate reproduction of the First Model LeMat, our Cavalry version has a nine-shot, .44-caliber cylinder and rifled 6-3/4 barrel. Part revolver, part shotgun, the Le Mat was a favorite of several noteworthy Confederate officers during the Civil War. LeMat had a contract to make his gun for the Confederate states. Developed in New Orleans in 1856 by Dr. Jean LeMat and backed by Pierre G.T. According to some historic primary sources, the gun was not very accurate at distance. Ste., 1-D, Santa Ana, CA 92705 | 800-430-1310 | 949-261-6611 | Fax 949-756-0133. hrm that'd make for a roughly 16" barrel for the pistol cartridges Might be able to chamber the beast for .454 Casull, since you'd be talking about a cylinder at least 2.5" in diameter anyway. The LeMat Revolver was a .42 calibre revolver invented by Dr. Jean Alexandre of New Orleans. Additionally, the loading process with the utilization of a ramrod was not convenient, especially considering the development of rear loading cylinders around the same time. Beauregard, who was to become a general with the Confederacy. The judge gets by with it because of that, and being rifled I believe. The revolver uses #11 caps. Others become highly collectible. While powerful, it was better served in a close-quarter combat situation. Second Media Inc., 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA. The Le Mat shot barrel is fired by cocking the hammer and flipping down the hammer nose to strike the lower nipple for the barrel. You won't regret this purchase. 36 caliber cap & ball black powder revolver invented by Dr. Jean Alexandre LeMat of New Orleans, which featured a rather unusual secondary 16 gauge smoothbore barrel capable of firing buckshot, and saw service with the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War of 1861 - 1865. However, with the advent of revolvers there was a rise in the sidearms soldiers and officers carried. Fewer production numbers may be unflattering at the time of an invention, but it makes the guns rare. 90% of reviewers recommended this product. The design of the LeMat Revolver is based on a real life LeMat Revolver.The in-game version of the weapon is manufactured by D.D. The LeMat Revolver is a weapon in the Revolvers class featured in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online, added to the game as part of the 1.09 May 2019 update on May 14, 2019.. Current picture is file photo of the model and appearance. I've come across a lot of BS published by gun writers, that article is not a reference. The newer models were generally unsophisticated, even if effective and innovative weapons. A forum community dedicated to survivalists and enthusiasts. I live in Boise, so there are a couple (small) firearms manufacturers in the area, and CCI is up in Lewiston. Initial intentions were to market it to the U.S. Army, partnering with LeMats wifes cousin Major P.G.T. The answer is probably no. It is a single-action revolver with a high capacity nine shot cylinder. Anyway, my point is (and I welcome anyone to correct me because I'm not professing to be the subject matter expert about this) that the caliber of the firearm has no bearing. He also removes the scroll engraving from the cylinder; which is correct for a Confederate-imported LeMat. My, that is pretty. This worn finish gives the gun the look of a 150 year old original while allowing the gun's bore, chambers and mechanism to remain in new condition. It is one of the five Rare Weapons of the game. The distinguishing characteristic of LeMats revolver is that its 9-shot .44 cylinder revolves around a separate central barrel of larger caliber than the chambers in the cylinder proper. The hammer nose is rotated downard to strike a nipple for the smoothbore barrel. It would be a big heavy ungainly thing in anything modern vs a front stuffer. Later, during the American Civil War, a lighter .35-caliber pistol with a .55-caliber (28-gauge) smooth bore barrel was produced. An accurate reproduction of the First Model LeMat, our Cavalry version has a nine-shot, .44-caliber cylinder and rifled 6-3/4 barrel. Back in the late '70's-early '80's there were a number of guns like these built on Smith N-frames but they were pricey then, let alone now. The revolver uses #11 caps. anyway, is it possible to recreate one of these? Many designers and companies waited in the wings for the patents to expire in the 1850s, years before the Civil War began. Working closely with manufactures, Taylor's firearms are crafted to our specifications using high-quality machining, and innovative designs; all part of Keeping The Legend Alive! The hammer was slightly too short to reliably fire it. This manufacturer was urged not to go into production, because doing so would reclassify all milsurp .50BMG ammo as handgun AP, illegal to sell, manufacture to sell, and illegal to possess in many states, including here in Florida. If you havent seen the LeMat revolver before, you may think it looks quite odd. The basic idea is a revolver, in which the axle is a shotgun barrel, and you have a shotgun shell as well as 9 rounds of whatever ammunition you want. In his collection is found the lowest serial number . The LeMat has two separate barrels, and I'd like to avoid the Judge's problem with rifling opening a hole in the center of the pattern. It saw service with the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War of 1861-65 and the Army of the Government of National Defense during the . Not sure how that would work, only reason the LeMat works is the barrel being the cylinder pin. Gambler's Royale. An awsome piece of history. Beauregard, who was to become a general with the Confederacy. Offset? He also replicates the original */LM proof mark stamps on the barrel using a die that was copied from rubbings taken off an original LeMat. (A 2.5" .410 000 buckshot load only has 4 balls of shot. I'll take you at your word. Your email address will not be published. the damn thing will be HEAVY, but FUN! A single .20 gauge shotgun barrel under the .44 caliber barrel makes the Lemat a unique firearm. Rock Island Auction I defer to superior knowledge citing cases and statutes. It left me amazed yet again. Trying to picture that. The judge gets by because it is labled as a pistol caliber and it has rifling. The modern "grapeshot revolver" movement was sparked in the 1990s by the MIL Thunder 5 revolver. Been thinking about how to overcome the size of the center shotgun barrel with a cylinder revolving around it. Working closely with manufactures, Taylor's firearms are crafted to our specifications using high-quality machining, and innovative designs; all part of Keeping The Legend Alive! If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. It will also shoot .32 S&W short, .32 Colt short, .32 Colt long & .32 ACP. What is the Mossberg "Just in Case" considered? A search of ATF rulings turns up nothing in this regard. All of our LeMat defarbing is done in-house by Gunsmith David Stavlo. These revolvers were manufactured from 1856 to 1865, with less than 2,900 being produced. Then, you take the existing cap and ball cylinder, shave off the nipples, add a Kirst style ring to have the firing pin, and wahlah! . What makes the LeMatt so strong is that the shotgun barrel is the axle for the revolver cylinder. That revolver fascinates me. When war broke out, LeMat received Confederate contracts for the production of 5,000 revolvers, and plans were laid to manufacture the gun abroad and then import them into the Confederacy, which lacked the necessary facilities to produce the weapon locally. The reborn LeMat revolver became a big, heavy pistol. Both are fired by a pivoting striker. In total, just under 3,000 LeMat revolvers were produced between 1856 and 1865. I would love to see one made that cammed the cylinder into the barrel like a Nagant. The buyer will supply a signed copy of local dealer's . The Sharps rifle proved well . LeMat of New Orleans and manufactured in Paris, France, and Birhamingham, England. The way things look to me, the door is still open to use that angle if they wish, but they don't have the political backing, and that would really make most shotguns illegal. A number of large bore weapons that in truth can only be considered rifles are legal under this basis alone without need for specific DD waivers. and another in .223 over .410! Dont miss this opportunity to own a classic firearm that was part of the transition from single-shot to repeating arms. var theDate=new Date() Are all smoothbore barrels under 18" SBS, even if the receiver never had a buttstock? Likely the same would apply to CNC lathe turned solids. Read Next: 7 of the Worst Military Weapons Youve Probably Never Heard Of. Once I get the laptop fixed, time to write a letter to ATF, I guess. [4], top view showing the ramming rod parallel to the barrel and the lever of the pivoting striker, A close-up of the hammer on a LeMat Pinfire Revolver shows the pivoting striker that could be used to fire the pinfire cartridges in the revolving chambers or the secondary smoothbore barrel. [2], Last edited on 20 February 2023, at 00:27, armed forces of the Confederate States of America, U.S. Patent 15,925 issued on 21 October 1856, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LeMat_Revolver&oldid=1140415441, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 00:27. Pistols and revolvers are the two classes of handguns in Red Dead Redemption 2. Copyright 2022 Federal Firearms All Rights Reserved. And every so often the ATF says, "Oh, our bad, that's really a machine gun. The LeMat was popular in the day as you had 4 more shots than everybody else. GIGN needed a durable revolver as their training involved firing 150 rounds of magnum ammo daily, some 40,000 rounds per year. The central barrel is smooth-bore and can function as a short-barreled .20 gauge shotgun (hence the name Grape Shot Revolver) with the shooter selecting whether to fire from the cylinder or the smooth-bore barrel by flipping a lever on the end of the hammer. Still, as these were non-standard ammunition sizes (.36 or .44 caliber were most common for contemporary revolvers), LeMat owners had to cast bullets (instead of being issued from general military stores). ATF does a lot of their stuff through letters. A lesser-known designer, Jean Alexandre LeMata Frenchman living in New Orleanssought to create a revolver that diverted from the traditional and could be used as a multi-purpose firearm on the battlefield. Located beneath the rifled revolver barrel is a single .20 gauge smoothbore barrel. The gun is a nice, solid example of a well-marked, functional 2nd Model LeMat with a nice Paris address. It was primarily a citizen-owned piece, not often meant for war. The original was a 16 guage shotgun, but besides being very rare, this would be quite a handfull. The Lemat revolver was a .42 or .36 caliber cap & ball black powder revolver invented by Jean Alexandre LeMat of France, which featured an unusual secondary 20 gauge smooth-bore barrel capable of firing buckshot. I've never heard or read where the caliber of a firearm determines its legal status as either a handgun or a long gun. Hammer is color case hardened as is the trigger. From a legal standpoint, the fact that you can shove shotshells in there is a happy coincidence. If you install a smoothbore barrel in your 9mm handgun so it'll work better with those CCI shotshells, you've manufactured an AOW. At the same time, we changed it to a break-action frame so that reloading is easy to do. A modern-day version would look a little different, since it'd have to have a top-strap for lockup Wonder if you could have the swingout around the pistol-caliber barrel? Overall I am quite pleased with it. Accurate details like the swivel lanyard ring and trigger guard spur duplicate those found on originals. It sported a nine shot .42 cal cylinder with a .62 caliber shotgun barrel as the central axis which the cylinder revolved around. By The Pietta LeMat Cavalry .44-Cal. Confederate LeMat Revolver Defarbing Sevice: $235.00, We are pleased to offer the first and only LeMat Defarbing service on the modern market place. IMI used conventional rifling in their prototype pistols, but went with polygonal rifling in their production .50 Desert Eagles. All of our LeMat defarbing is done in-house by Gunsmith David Stavlo. smoothbore 6.75 round barrel made the LeMat a fearsome weapon to face. I say imagine because I am not a ballistics expert, I'm just weird enough that I like math. I know they originally had problems with low qualitty steel which led to barrels busting, but we have higher quality materials now. Recommended load is 22 grains FFFg powder, .454 round ball, with a .44 revolver wad. Please turn them all in to be destroyed.". including the .50 DE the ATF tested. you can load cartridges in through the back. Civil War Reproduction LeMat 44 Caliber Revolver with 20 Gauge Shotgun Barrel with a Wood Case For Sale from: Albrights Gun Shop | Positive feedback: 92% View | Verified Seller | 642 Completed Sales View Sellers Items SOLD - $775.00 Shipping: $40.00 (or FREE in-store pick up!)