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LOT 3169
Desirable Documented Civil War Second Model LeMat Two-Barrel Percussion Revolver - Serial no. 1906, 42 cal.,
6 3/4 inch octagon bbl., blue finish, checkered walnut grips. Manufactured in Paris, France, circa 1863. This revolver
is pictured in “LeMat, The Man, The Gun” by Forgett and Serpette on page 99 and is identified as having the 1863 production Paris barrel
address. Patented in 1856 by Dr. Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat of New Orleans, Louisiana, the LeMat revolver was a unique pistol that combined a 9
shot .42 caliber percussion revolver with a .63 caliber smoothbore grapeshot barrel. The grapeshot barrel served as the center axis for the cylinder. The
Second Model, Paris made, LeMat revolvers had a full octagon upper barrel with loading lever mounted on the left side, rounded trigger guard with no
spur, pull-out assembly latch, butt with a lanyard ring hole and hammer with center mounted pivoting striker. In the upper position, the striker engages
the percussion nipples in the cylinder and in the lower position contacts the percussion nipple for the center grapeshot barrel. The top of the barrel is
engraved “Systeme Le Mat Bte. s. g. d. g. Paris” in Old English style script. The right barrel flat is stamped with the serial number, “1906”, followed by the
LeMat logo which consist of a star above the letters “LM”. The serial number, “1906”, is also stamped on the right side of the frame below the cylinder and on the
side of the cylinder. Total production of LeMat revolvers in Liege, Paris and London was less than 2,900 between 1856 and 1865. During the Civil War, the Confederate government awarded contracts for 900 LeMat revolvers for the Army and 600 revolvers for the Navy. Many senior Confederate officers, most notably cavalry commander General J.E.B. Stuart, carried LeMat revolvers. General Stuart carried a LeMat revolver when he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, Virginia, in 1864. A copy of “LeMat, The Man, The Gun” accompanies the revolver.
CONDITION: Very good plus. The revolver is all original and has strong traces of original blue with the balance an even brown patina. The percussion nipples and adjacent portions of the cylinder, frame and hammer have light flash pitting. There are a number of shallow dents on the butt near the lanyard hole. The screws all show moderate screwdriver battering. The two-
piece walnut grips are fine, and the
checkering shows moderate handling
wear. The barrel markings and the
serial numbers are sharp. The action is
tight and functions fine. The revolver
lacks a lanyard ring. This is a solid
representative example of a desirable
Parisian LeMat Two-Barrel Percussion
Revolver.
Estimate: 16,000 - 25,000
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK LEMAT: THE MAN, THE GUN BY FORGETT & SERPETTE