Anyone shoot a Lemat?

[MCgunner]

http://www.cabelas.com/hprod-1/0036661.shtml

It's too much money, but seems like it'd be fun to own and shoot. That 20 gauge barrel might actually be useful for something, too, not sure what.

Just wondered if anyone can tell me about the accuracy of the piece, now it handles, how it shoots, if it's actually perhaps useful for something other than paper punching? Not sure who makes this particular reproduction.

 

[KenWP]

Used to be a old western on tv where the Sheriff had one. Can't remember the name but the actor also sang the song.

 

[Benmathes]

I've got one- made by Pietta- beautiful- but no tellin how you take it apart to clean the thing

so it sits..

 

[Ginormous]

so it sits..

Man, that's just wrong. Shoot the bejesus out of it, then you'll HAVE to figure out how to disassemble and clean that sucker.

 

[NobleSniper]

Send me that Lemat and I will clean it and take care of it for you............ have always wanted one so hopefully one of these days. I saw a movie years abck where the character (Civil War era) carried a Lemat for awhile. Defintely a neat peice

 

[Ginormous]

Send it to me Benmathes, and I'll let you come visit it.

 

[NobleSniper]

Now you just wait your turn Ginormous............... I called first dibs sir

 

[Ginormous]

Yeah, well, he can't visit it so easily in the Hoosier state.

Locality trumps originality.

 

[NobleSniper]

I never figured you for a guy that held a spare ace

 

[Ginormous]

I've always cheated at poker. Ask my ex-wife, the last time she was in my house, I poked her right out the door.

Her full house failed against my 5 aces.

 

[MCgunner]

Hey, hey, I started this thread. I get dibs on any give aways! I'm pretty mechanically minded. If I can rebuild a motorcycle engine, I think I can figure out a Lemat. So, just send that sucker down here. Ain't doin' you no good!

Kinda reminds me of my buddy's Nagants. Those things are WEIRD.

 

[sltm1]

There was a movie with Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Lenardo Decaprio and Russle Crow a few years back about an all or nothing shooting quick draw contest. A Swedish contestant used the LeMat, only time I ever saw one in the movies(he lost). From what I understand, the Patterson is harder to take apart and put back together again.

 

[Ratdog68]

"If I can rebuild a motorcycle engine, I think I can figure out a Lemat."

Yeah? Well qualify that comment. If it was a Hardley Ableson... needing a sledge hammer doesn't qualify for working on a piece of fine machinery. LOL

 

[MCgunner]

No, no, I have built RACE engines and they ain't XR750s. Takes more than a hammer and chisel to work on my stuff. Even need a set of feelers or a caliper or a torque wrench once in a while.

 

[mykeal]

You guys need to go back and read Mike Cumpston's book; it has a full chapter about the Pietta LeMat. Well worth the time to check out.

 

[poordevil]

There was a movie with Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Lenardo Decaprio and Russle Crow a few years back about an all or nothing shooting quick draw contest. A Swedish contestant used the LeMat, only time I ever saw one in the movies(he lost). From what I understand, the Patterson is harder to take apart and put back together again.

That movie is called The Quick and the Dead. There is another western called The Quick and the Dead with Sam Elliott that is also pretty good.

 

[Ratdog68]

Lmao !!!

"No, no, I have built RACE engines and they ain't XR750s. Takes more than a hammer and chisel to work on my stuff. Even need a set of feelers or a caliper or a torque wrench once in a while. "

Otay... carry on... gist checkin'.

 

[Tommygunn]

I have one. It's a bit heavy but mine seems about as accurate as any other revolver I have.
It is not as well designed ergonomically as Colts or Remmies. While intyeresting, the loading lever pulls up to seat a ball. I found that to be a tad more difficult to handle. 9 chambers makes for a good bit of firepower ... but a bit longer to load as well. I wound up loading only some of the chambers.
The model shown in the photo is the same one I have save mine doesn't have as much engraving on the cylinder. The lever just below the barrel folds down and the barrel unscrews and the cylinder is removeable.
I haven't ever taken down the frame as I haven't shot it a lot. Somewhere I have a sheet with an exploded diagram of it so I'd have a reference for when I did. It's a bit tricky; there is a scrtew on the right side that regulates how the lock bolt works which holds the cylinder from the rear, rather than from underneath as on Colt revolvers.
I haven't shot mine in years ... it's tucked away in the rather nice box it came in back circa 1992 when I bought it in a moment of financial weakness... ;-)


P.S. The photo in the OP is a mirror image of the real one; the loading lever is on the left side of the barrel.

 

[poordevil]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=129152034

Maybe you can get this one cheap.

 

[Hellgate]

What little I know about the LeMats is pure hearsay. I hear they are awkward to handle, have poor balance, and are heavy. I've read the two best days of owning a LeMat are the day it arrives and the day you sell it. I have rarely heard that about any other gun. I have never yearned for one. A famous Confederate cavalryman like P T Beauregard or Stonewall Jackson had one. I would suppose that in a cavalry fight 9 shots and a load of buckshot would be an advantage providing they all went off. I've just never heard of anyone raving about them that ever actually owned one.

 

[madcratebuilder]

You need a 'spanner' type screwdriver bit to disassemble the LeMat. I make a set of hardened bits for the LeMat, PM me if your interested. It's a four bit set that fits all the screws on the revolver.

As far as shooting, it's as accurate any other c&b .44 I own. I'm still playing with the shot barrel loads. A half dozen .31 rb's is pretty devastating to a sheet of plywood. The loading lever takes some getting used to. You have to flip the hammer nose down to fire the center barrel. The grip is a different angle than most c&b guns. Personally I like it, in fact it would be my first choice for a c&b gunfight. It's not a good revolver for a novice shooter. It's no more complicated to disassemble that a Paterson. Petty easy IMHO. If you can handle a Walker you can handle a LeMat.

 

[BugSlayer]

I just got a copy of a special edition put out by SHOOT Magazine entitled "Black Powder and The Old West, Frontier Cartridge Guns & Cap-N-Ball". Lots of good, interesting stuff in it includint a great article on the Lemat revolver. If you can get your hands on a copy it will answer a lot of questions for you. It even shows a Lemat broken down for cleaning.

 

[arcticap]

Here's a listing for Mike Cumpston's book:

http://www.amazon.com/Percussion-Re...=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242461058&sr=8-7

mec and others posted some pictures and excellent info. in the following threads:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=153997&highlight=lemat

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=272012&highlight=lemat


Below is the entire search result of the THR BP forum database for threads containing "Lemat" posts by "mec" which could be read through to obtain even more info.:

http://www.thehighroad.org/search.php?searchid=6022996

 

[Speedo66]

The one on Gunbroker has a reserve price of $725. Is that a good price?

 

[messerist]

Gen. J.E.B. Stuart CSA carried a LeMat revolver. I have heard that it resides at the West Point Museum. When I worked for Cabela's we sold LeMats. I didn't sell many but I betcha I took that revolver out of the display case about ten times a day so customers could fondle it. I wish I would have bought one when I was eligible for the employee discount and Italy was still on the Lira. Italian guns were less expensive then.