LeMat

[Junk Yard Dog]

A Pietta Lemat I picked up about ten years ago, I don't shoot it much, but it is a treat on the range. Nine shot .44, with a 20 gauge shotgun barrel mounted in the middle.

[desdem12]

Didn't know they made those. Do they still?

[Junk Yard Dog]

As far as I know Pietta is still making them, but these days they run $700+

[Longcolt44]

I always thought the Lematt was an ugly gun. I didn't know it had a shotgun barrel on the bottom. Is it a break top, how do you load the shotgun shell?

[desdem12]

You funny. Muzzle

[Junk Yard Dog]

It's almost four pounds, and it's long, holds nine rounds of .44 , and the shotgun load. The shotgun is loaded from the muzzle, and fired by pulling back the hammer and flipping down a small bit of metal that allows the hammer to contact the shotguns cap. These were a popular item with Confederate officers, made in France during the war and smuggled past the Union blockade, only a few thousand made it in, and production stopped after the war, the Colt and Remington revolvers were much more practical, but 10 shots would be nice to have when things got tight.

[millman]

There is a small museum here in KY at Ft Harrod (first permanent settlement in Ky), they have an original LeMat on display.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Original LeMats are huge money, twenty grand is not unexpected, and they go up from there.

[bunkysdad]

I think these are gorgeous. I remember the first time I saw one and it was probably about the time you got yours. I saw them at Cabelas in the catalog, and I remember they were 600.00 back then. I knew nothing of the history of them, but the whole concept is just naturally interesting to most anyone who likes bp firearms. I have read on several occasions that the quality of these Piettas is quite nice.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Pietta has been doing a very good job on the oddball stuff like this, and the Starr, they took some heat about problems with the Starr DA, but they were the same problems the original had as well. They did such a good job coyping the original that the design flaws and weak points were copied also, with the Starr that was weak DA lockwork that got sloppy under field use, the reason they changed it to SA in '63. Pietta outdid themselves with the fit and finish on the LeMat, and they had better, this revolver is nearing a grand today when bought new.

[bunkysdad]

Jim what I remember about them was how fine the blueing is and the beautiful wood grip fit and Finish.

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