LeMat Percussion Revolver
| LeMat Percussion Revolver | |
|---|---|
 |
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| general information | |
| Civil name: | Le Mat revolver |
| Country of operation: | USA ( Confederate States of America ), France |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Colonel Dr. Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat / Birmingham Small Arms Company |
| Manufacturer country: | Great Britain |
| Production time: | 1856 to 1865 |
| Weapon Category: | revolver |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 350 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 1.4 kg |
| Barrel length : | 170 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | .40 and 16 gauge shot |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 9 + 1 shotgun cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Revolver drum + 1 additional barrel |
| Charging principle: | Percussion revolver (muzzle loader) |
| Lists on the subject | |
The LeMat revolver was a 10-shot percussion revolver which, in addition to 9 bullets, could also fire a shot load. This weapon was developed by the Confederate Colonel LeMat during the American Civil War .
history
The LeMat was one of the most interesting weapons used in the American Civil War. Due to the economic embargo in the north and the fact that most of the arms factories were located in the north (e.g. Colt or Remington ), the confederation had to fall back on its own developments in addition to imported goods.
Colonel Dr. Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat and General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard designed the weapon in New Orleans in 1856 . The demand for alternatives only increased during the civil war. General JEB Stewart was enthusiastic about this revolver and gave the order for production. The first models were made by John Krider in Philadelphia . Due to the outbreak of war, production was relocated to various manufacturers in Europe. The first revolvers were manufactured in Europe by the French company Charles Frederic Girard & Sons in Paris . The quality of the weapons was so bad that production was transferred to the English firm Birmingham Small Arms Company . The weapons made in Europe were smuggled through the Union blockades in night-and-fog operations.
900 of these revolvers were delivered for the US Army and around 600 for the US Navy. The total amount of production is noted at less than 2,900.
Structure of the weapon
The LeMat revolver was a revolver with 9 rounds in the drum. The drum axis was an additional barrel that could fire a shot, which was intended for close combat in the fray. Due to the large axis of the drum, the drum looked very massive, but only then was it possible to accommodate 9 shots.
The total length of the revolver was around 34 cm, the upper, octagonal, rifled barrel was around 17 cm long, the lower barrel for the shot load was around 13 cm. There was an extension for the lower barrel to give the effect of a real shotgun. On the left side was the loading ram for the nine-shot drum. From this, in turn, you could pull out a ramrod with which you could load the shot load. The weapon was made of blued steel, the handles of walnut.
The gun was a single-action revolver. If you cocked the hammer, the drum turned and you could fire a shot of the revolver. If you wanted to ignite the shot, you had to fold out a spike on the tap, which then fired the middle barrel.
The 9 rounds were originally in .42 caliber, the shot load in 16 caliber . But during the war, this weapon also began to be produced in .35 caliber. None of these calibres were standard army calibers; therefore, supplying soldiers with the right ammunition became a problem. During the Civil War, the standard caliber for all handguns was .36 and .44; these calibres were used by both the north and the south. Thus those soldiers who owned a LeMat revolver were forced to pour their ammunition themselves during breaks in combat.
In addition to the large-caliber weapon, a smaller, 32-caliber model with a .41-caliber shot barrel was also produced. This "Baby LeMat" revolver was ordered by the Southern Navy in 2000, but only about 100 were delivered.
Others
Production was officially discontinued in 1865, but models for centerfire cartridges were manufactured in France until around 1874 on behalf of the French army. These weapons had the standard French army caliber of 11 mm. There is hardly any information about the number of units. There have also been models based on the Lefaucheux pen ignition , the revolver shown is one of these. Again, there is no information about the number of pieces.
Famous bearers during the Civil War were General PGT Beauregard , Major Richard H. Anderson , JEB Stuart, and Colonel George S. Patton, the grandfather of General George S. Patton .
In literature, a LeMat revolver plays a key role in Noah Gordon's novel The Catalan , in which it is also described in detail.
In the 2012 novel, Oneiros of Markus Heitz a converted LeMat Revolver also plays a role. In the anti-war novel " Unterwegs nach Cold Mountain " published by Charles Frazier in 1997 , the main hero Inman uses such a weapon - from the better quality production in Birmingham .
literature
- David Chicoine, The LeMat Revolver . Guns of the New West: A Close Up Look at Modern Replica Firearms. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. Pages 31, 61 ff. ISBN 978-0-87349-768-8 .
- Norm Flayderman: Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values , F + W Media, Inc, 2007, ISBN 978-0-89689-455-6 .
- Floyd Largent: The Le Mat Revolver at hiwaay.net
- John Taffin: Single Action Sixguns . Iola, Wisconsin, Krause Publications, 2005, pages 187-188, ISBN 978-1-4402-2694-6 .
