POTD: LeMat Brevete Centerfire Single Action Grapeshot Revolver
Sam.S 12.12.22
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a really cool take on the iconic Lemat revolver that was beloved by the Confederacy. This is a LeMat Brevete Centerfire Single Action Grapeshot Revolver. The significance of this particular revolver is that it uses centerfire self-contained cartridges. The original Lemat revolvers did and do not (It is basically impossible for several reasons). The original Lemat revolvers were black powder “muzzle loading” revolvers. This one needs to be giant in order to both handle centerfire pressures but also to contain and not overlap cartridges. It has a loading gate at the back to aid in loading and unloading.
“LeMat revolvers are most famously associated with the Confederacy during the Civil War as percussion revolvers, but they remained in production well-after the war ended. Centerfire LeMat revolvers were manufactured from the late 1860s until the early 1880s. The odd cylinder flute pattern can be seen in patent drawings for the centerfire LeMat revolvers pictured on various pages of “LeMat: The Man, The Gun” by Forgett and Serpette. The maker is unidentified other than that they are Parisian/French (see page 187 of the book). The barrel has “Colonel Le Mat Bte Paris” in Gothic script followed by the reversed “E” conjoined “EP” Parisian proof mark. The only other markings are the matching serial number marked on both barrels, the recoil shield, loading gates, face of the nine-shot cylinder, right side of the frame, and underside of the grips. It features a high blade front sight, groove in the frame above the hammer for a rear sight, central hammer selector switch, loading gates for each barrel, and smooth European walnut grips. It weighs in at a hefty 3 lbs. 3 oz. unloaded. The calibers are 12 mm for the cylinder and 15 mm for the shot barrel.”
Lot 180: LeMat Brevete Centerfire Single Action Grapeshot Revolver – Exceptional Parisian LeMat Patent Centerfire Single Action “Grapeshot” Revolver. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/75/180/lemat-brevete-centerfire-single-action-grapeshot-revolver.
