Lemat question

[David Meister]

Howdy

I am a cw re-enactor and was wondering if anyone knew how to blank load the shotgun part of the LeMat revolver without the charge falling out when carried in a holster? I use cream of wheat for the .44 chambers but im not sure what to use for the shotgun part.

 

[torn moc]

powder + wad...no filler is needed. Then put a cap on the nipple. How do you like the Lemat?
Oh...WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!
IF you do a search for Lemat you will find a whole bunch of posts!!!

 

[Poor Private]

Scalper we can't use a wad on the shotgun barrel in CW reenacting. It may cause injury to another. I told David to post here since there seems to be alot of Lamat users, and that we(collectivly) may be able to help him out.

 

[torn moc]

Oh...yes thats right...the wad may cause injury.
So I would suppose you would load the "Blank" in the Lemats smoothbore just as you would load the " Blank" in an enfield muskatoon, a springfield, or a jp murray.
How do reinactors load blanks in these weapons.. ?
I see he mantions cream of wheat for filler...would not cream of wheat blasting out the barrel pepper somebody's tush?

 

[Zonie]

The problem as I see it is that with a musket or other longarm they march around with the muzzles pointed at the sky.

With a pistol in a holster it's pointing at the ground so any charges will fall out.

I guess I have to ask, What do the other pistol shooters do with their guns when shooting blanks? Don't they carry their pistols in a holster?

 

[Freedom]

In the shootouts we did in Jackson Hole WY we just packed the powder tight with the rammers. Once packed it won't dump out if you use real Black powder. It was a real crowd silencer when you turned and broke a ballon halfway accross the street.

No filler, CoW or wads ever allowed/

 

[Poor Private]

Usually in Civil War reenacting we just pour powder down the barrel of our long guns. In revolvers we usually ram the powder with a covering of either C.O.W. or oatmeal. Usuall the cereal disintegrates, or loses it's punch in the safety zone. the shotgun barrel in the Lamat may be so big and short that he can't pack the charge tight enough for it to stay using the cereal--but I may be wrong.

 

[David Meister]

Someone told me to use florists foam as it will vaporize upon firing but im not sure how to use it

 

[LeMat1856]

.
. JULY 11 / 11:45PM


can you use over-shot cards ?

i get .030" thick by .659" diameter (18 gauge) cards from track of the wolf which fit over my #2 buckshot (obviously you'll leave out the #2) and they fit tight enough to keep everything in place yet are light enough so they never reach a 15 yard target.

pietta recommends 1/8" cork but they are hard to find.. maybe you could cut some from a wine bottle.

~d~

 

[Zonie]

Although it may violate the rules I would think that one of the Styrofoam "Peanuts" used for packing easily damaged things for shipping would make an excellent "wad" to keep a blanks powder in place.

As light as these things are I cannot imagine them traveling over 6 feet beyond the muzzle if they stayed together and I suspect that firing one of them would tend to vaporize it into dust.

It might leave a thin coating of vaporized Styrene plastic in the bore though.

 

[Homesteader]

How about nitrated paper for a wad? It'd hold the powder charge in place, but should completely combust before it could travel much further than the length of the barrel, I'd think.

I make nitrated paper for Sharps cartridges and occasionally revolver cartridges, and I've never found so much as an ember left if they're made right.

Just a thought... :hmm: