When was the lemat revolver made

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Edit source History Talk 0. The ability to fire nine round balls and a blast of buckshot made it a devastating weapon inside 25 yds.

Th e lethal LeMat was a. Some variations of the LeMat design appeared late in the Civil War, including a lighter version featuring a. Whereas it was considered inaccurate beyond 25 yards, the LeMat was the sidearm favored by notable cavalryman JEB Stuart and it was appreciated by the likes of B raxton Bragg, Richard H. Anderson, and Major Henry Wirz. LeMat Revolver Gen. JEB Stuart. History A heavy, powerful and unique revolver, the LeMat revolver was developed by Dr. Beauregard, who later became one of the Confederacy's best-known generals.

In addition to Beauregard, J. The midth century was a time in American history that gave birth to a number of innovative firearm designs. This unique sidearm was also known as the "grape shot revolver. Beauregard, U. Army, who would later serve as a general in the Confederate Army. Less than were made by John Krider of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in , including the first 25 prototypes. It is estimated that 2, were produced in Liege, Belgium and Paris, France.

The European made pistols were shipped through Birmingham, England where they were proof marked. Of the nearly 2, made, it's estimated that 2, made it through the Union blockage into service with the Confederacy. The distinguishing characteristic of LeMat's revolver is that its 9-shot cylinder revolves around a separate central barrel of larger caliber than the chambers in the cylinder proper. 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.

Flipping the lever up caused the movable striker to fall upon the primer set directly under the hammer, discharging the lower barrel, while leaving it in the standard position would fire the chambers in the cylinder, much like any other revolver. LeMat originally chambered his pistol for. Later, during the American Civil War, a lighter. The final models of the LeMat were produced in.

American Civil War LeMat hoped to market his adaptable revolver as a primary sidearm for dragoons and other mounted troops. He entered into a partnership with P. Beauregard at that time a major in the U. Army in April to market his handgun to the U. The revolver was constructed of blued steel, with grips of polished walnut, and was a total of The upper, rifled barrel was 6. The lower barrel was 5 inches long, and an extension could be attached to it to form a true shotgun.

It was designed as a single-action weapon, equipped with a mainspring mount and hammer linkage. Shell casings were removed with a slide rod ejector. Very few of these grapeshot pistols were manufactured prior to the outbreak of hostilities between North and South, and those produced were little more than experimental prototypes. The Le Mat pistol did not come into its own until early , when Dr. Le Mat, a longtime Southern sympathizer, offered his invention to the newly formed Confederate government.

At General P. Unfortunately, he was hard-pressed to locate anyone in the South who could meet his exacting standards. Negotiations with Cook and Bros. Disheartened by that failure, he traveled to France, the country of his birth, in hopes of having the weapon manufactured there. Flipping it up with your thumb shifts the striker down to hit the nipple over the shotgun barrel. In all, about 2, full-size LeMats, and about percussion Baby LaMats, were made, most of which made it to Confederate forces, the sole users of the gun during the Civil War.

The French also used a cartridge model of the LeMat in the Franco-Prussian War, giving it an 0—2 record in major conflicts, although it was never produced in large enough numbers to make a difference one way or the other. There was also a carbine version, which was even scarcer than the handgun, with fewer than 20 ever made. The cased gun pictured here is a first-model LeMat that belonged to Thomas B.