gewing Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Re: I need a gun. I have an old (1987) copy of "Guns Illustrated' that says that reproduction LeMats were being made at that time in .44/.65 by "Navy Arms" . Their address is given in the back as 689 Bergen Blvd Ridgefield NJ 07657. The book is old so I have no idea whether the company still exists or is still manufacturing reproduction Le Mat revolvers. The repros are still available, I think even through Cabelas. I wouldn't mind having the percussion version, but the cartridge version would be great fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edsel Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Re: I need a gun. I haven't studied them in any detail but I heard somewhere that the LeMat's were a little more prone to exploding than than the average revolver of their day. Being black powder percussion cap jobs I can see how that big central chamber might cause some problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Re: I need a gun. I haven't studied them in any detail but I heard somewhere that the LeMat's were a little more prone to exploding than than the average revolver of their day. Being black powder percussion cap jobs I can see how that big central chamber might cause some problems. I have read that as well. I have also read the contrary and that the LeMat was one of the best (and most popular) of the Confederate weapons during the Civil War. I have read that it was used by Generals Beauregard and J E B Stuart and that when Jeff Davis was captured at the end of the war he was carrying one as well. Being prone to explosions would imply that they were poorly made but, considering that they were manufactured by experienced gunsmiths in Europe and most of the other weapons manufactured in the Confederacy were made by amateurs under very difficult conditions I think that I would have felt safer with a Le Mat than a Spiller & Burr or any of the other Confederate weapons ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Re: I need a gun. BTW: The LeMat is the revolver carried by the male protagonist of Cold Mountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Re: I need a gun. BTW: The LeMat is the revolver carried by the male protagonist of Cold Mountain. I had forgotten that ! I also read somewhere that it was issued to the prison guards on Devil's Island ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Re: I need a gun. I haven't studied them in any detail but I heard somewhere that the LeMat's were a little more prone to exploding than than the average revolver of their day. Being black powder percussion cap jobs I can see how that big central chamber might cause some problems. another interesting gun that was prone to problems was a .36 caliber 12 shot revolver. AIUI There were only 6 chambers, with 2 hammers and percussion caps each, the bullets were loaded sequentially, like a roman candle. If the rear one was fired first, it probably caused very bad things... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edsel Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Re: I need a gun. I was thinking Starr made that 12-shot revolver, but I came up blank with a google search. Perhaps I have the name wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Re: I need a gun. I was thinking Starr made that 12-shot revolver' date=' but I came up blank with a google search. Perhaps I have the name wrong.[/quote'] I have also heard that Starr made a twelve shot revolver, but I am not sure whether I have the book I found the information in anymore. If I remember correctly it operated on a principle of two "cones" of six bullets; after one group was used up the shooter cwould then make some sort of adjustment and fire off the other six. I have no idea just HOW this arrangement worked, but it doesn't sound as if the Starr had a massive cylinder like the Le Mat ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Re: I need a gun. To 'Edsel" Not being a great user of "Google" I tried putting "Starr revolver" into my Copernic search engine and found a forum called "The Firing Line" which is for firearms enthusiasts. If all else fails you could try asking there. I will have to try "twelve shot revolver" in my search engine and see what I get ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Re: I need a gun. There was a French pistol designed at the end of the 19th century (don't recall the manufacturer -- possibly LeMat?) that I've always thought would be the ideal pulp adventurer's sidearm. It was an under-and-over double barrelled revolver, the lower barrel chambering a single 10-guage shotgun shell and the upper firing big fat soft lead slugs from the revolving chambers (7 shots, if I recall correctly). It was probably an awful heavy ungainly thing to use in real life, but it looked pretty cool, and in game-world that shotgun shell comes in awful handy when you're fighting off masses of cultists in some twisty-turny catacombs Edit: It was LaMat, not LeMat, and the revolver held 9 11mm rounds over one shotgun cartridge. There's a picture of it here Not french I beleive it was invented by a Doctor living New Orleans...it was real popular with the well heeled confederate though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Re: I need a gun. I couldn't find anything on the Starr twelve shot revolver on "Copernic" either but I DID find a site called "Greg Martin Auctions" which is selling a bizarre John Walch Navy Model 12 shot revolver. This works on the principle of a longer than usual cylinder with two loads, two sets of nipples and two triggers the loads are put in one behind the other in the longer than usual cylinder ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Re: I need a gun. Not french I beleive it was invented by a Doctor living New Orleans...it was real popular with the well heeled confederate though... Correct about the inventor but the leMat WAS manufactured mostly in France and Belgium. Hence the unusual calibre (11mm). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 Re: I need a gun. I couldn't find anything on the Starr twelve shot revolver on "Copernic" either but I DID find a site called "Greg Martin Auctions" which is selling a bizarre John Walch Navy Model 12 shot revolver. This works on the principle of a longer than usual cylinder with two loads' date=' two sets of nipples and two triggers the loads are put in one behind the other in the longer than usual cylinder ![/quote'] 'ats the one!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Re: I need a gun. Another interesting gun for a pukka British adventurer is the Lancaster 4 barrelled pistol. Patented in 1881 it had four barrels in a drop down unit fired one at a time by a single trigger, Calibres were either .455 or .476. I read that it was popular as a "Howdah Pistol"; the sort of weapon you keep as a backup for when that tiger you just wounded is climbing your elephant with intent to remonstrate with you ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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