Anyone shoot a Lemat? How are they? I like the looks and the history. Are the Pietta ones good? They are expensive for sure but do they should straight and are they authentic?
Thanks!
Thanks!
-
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
Lemat?
- Thread starter Smokey Plainsman
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
They are heavy I find them uncomfortable to shoot. They were made for close range but very deadly. They are hc but very low production, something like a thousand or so.
A couple of our members shoot Lemat's but I haven't seen them post recently.
Except for the caliber size they are pretty good reproductions of the originals.
The originals were .36 or .42 caliber and the Italian versions are .45's.
Like the originals, the loading lever is a weak spot and most people do not try to open up the plate that covers the internal parts.
These guns are quite complex internally and leaving that area alone is a good idea.
Here's a few links to posts on our forum about these pistols.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/302235/post/1599992/fromsearch/1/
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...tid/301394/post/1587374/fromsearch/1/#1587374
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/284625/post/1338760/fromsearch/1/
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/297940/post/1532030/hl/fromsearch/1/
Except for the caliber size they are pretty good reproductions of the originals.
The originals were .36 or .42 caliber and the Italian versions are .45's.
Like the originals, the loading lever is a weak spot and most people do not try to open up the plate that covers the internal parts.
These guns are quite complex internally and leaving that area alone is a good idea.
Here's a few links to posts on our forum about these pistols.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/302235/post/1599992/fromsearch/1/
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...tid/301394/post/1587374/fromsearch/1/#1587374
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/284625/post/1338760/fromsearch/1/
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/297940/post/1532030/hl/fromsearch/1/
Last edited by a moderator:
I wonder the power of the shotgun? Such a short barrel...
Mighty interested in one of these "grapeshot revolvers" as it were. Sold some guns recently and have the cash, just wondering how actually fun they are to take to the range?
Mighty interested in one of these "grapeshot revolvers" as it were. Sold some guns recently and have the cash, just wondering how actually fun they are to take to the range?
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2005
- Messages
- 7,087
- Reaction score
- 5,382
Youtube, duellist1954 [Mike Beliveau] is your friend.
tac
tac
hanshi
Cannon
Mike may not be a fan of the Le Mat but it sure does look like he's having fun. :idunno:
Yeah, I've already watched Duelist 1954's videos on YouTube. He seems to be the only serious Lemat shooter on YouTube, and doesn't even like them!
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2013
- Messages
- 307
- Reaction score
- 211
”˜morning,
I have one, it’s a low serial number Navy Arms import that I picked up for a song. Almost NiB condition, along with all paperwork and a spare loading lever.
It is fun to shoot and always gets looks at the range, however, it has a shorter cylinder than other .44s, so it requires a reduced powder charge. I’m not sure if that would be true of the originals and their smaller calibers. Because of the weak design, I haven’t tried using the actual loading lever, I load with the cylinder off. Nine chambers takes a while”¦ Not to mention cleaning.
The shot barrel handles both shot and patched roundball relatively equally. It is underpowered, and I haven’t played around with caps for it much, but the shot barrel always seems to take two strikes to fire. I suspect that part of it is the short arc the hammer travels, not much momentum. Do watch your shot ramrod when firing ”“ it tends to come out”¦
Mine is the cavalry model, with a lever to disassemble instead of the pin used on the navy model. I find that I need to “close” the lever around a piece of paper or it falls due to the recoil.
As Tenngun said, they are heavy, but I find it to balance fairly well and not unpleasant to shoot.
Mike
I have one, it’s a low serial number Navy Arms import that I picked up for a song. Almost NiB condition, along with all paperwork and a spare loading lever.
It is fun to shoot and always gets looks at the range, however, it has a shorter cylinder than other .44s, so it requires a reduced powder charge. I’m not sure if that would be true of the originals and their smaller calibers. Because of the weak design, I haven’t tried using the actual loading lever, I load with the cylinder off. Nine chambers takes a while”¦ Not to mention cleaning.
The shot barrel handles both shot and patched roundball relatively equally. It is underpowered, and I haven’t played around with caps for it much, but the shot barrel always seems to take two strikes to fire. I suspect that part of it is the short arc the hammer travels, not much momentum. Do watch your shot ramrod when firing ”“ it tends to come out”¦
Mine is the cavalry model, with a lever to disassemble instead of the pin used on the navy model. I find that I need to “close” the lever around a piece of paper or it falls due to the recoil.
As Tenngun said, they are heavy, but I find it to balance fairly well and not unpleasant to shoot.
Mike
Erzulis boat
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
- Messages
- 566
- Reaction score
- 78
If it's not too much to ask- Can someone post a picture of the shot barrel beneath the cylinder?
I am trying to determine the location and number of the bearing/fouling grooves that the cylinder revolves upon- thanks!
I am trying to determine the location and number of the bearing/fouling grooves that the cylinder revolves upon- thanks!
Not sure about the powder capacity compared to the originals. I wish Pietta would have brought them out in the original .42 with 16 gauge. But I understand that might ward people off so they brought them out in the easily found .44 caliber.
Erzulis boat
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
- Messages
- 566
- Reaction score
- 78
Just measured an original.
Chambers measure 0.399" x 1.155" deep.
Somebody got the math?
ETA- Bore measures 0.410
Chambers measure 0.399" x 1.155" deep.
Somebody got the math?
ETA- Bore measures 0.410
Very cool, thank you! Can you tell us the bore diameter of the shotgun barrel on that original LeMat?
Erzulis boat
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
- Messages
- 566
- Reaction score
- 78
Smokey Plainsman said:
Outer diameter is 0.845 and bore is 0.647
Threads on the shot barrel that the primary barrel threads on is 0.845 X 18TPI- (so close to 18TPI, that it's either a coincidence, or it was intended). Threads are standard 60 degree as far as I can tell.
Nice! Very cool, thank you kindly. Apparently that makes it an 18 gauge shotgun. Not too far off the 20 gauge of the repros, but the cylinder? Hmmm... the Pietta is much oversized, not authentic. Somewhat disappointing. But I can understand them wanting the repros to use the common .451-.454 balls that all the other repros use. They need to sell the guns after all, and having them in a common caliber would help.
An interesting study indeed! Thank you for the measurements from an original!
An interesting study indeed! Thank you for the measurements from an original!
So this begs the question... the Pietta version MUST use a larger diameter cylinder over the originals, right?? If so, I wonder how much larger? Has the frame been enlargened too over the originals??
These are the kinds of things I think of when I lay down at night! :grin:
These are the kinds of things I think of when I lay down at night! :grin:
