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*EXTREMELY RARE* MINT BORE* FULLY RE-FURBISHED*Large Frame American Civil War Confederate Army & Navy LeMat Combination 9 Shot .42 Calibre / Single Barrel 20 Gauge Shotgun Single Action Percussion ‘Grapeshot Revolver’. A 1105 - A 1105 Made between 1856 & 1865, the LeMat revolver was a .42 calibre cap & ball black powder combination pistol invented by Jean Alexandre LeMat of New Orleans, which featured an unusual secondary 20 gauge smooth-bore barrel capable of firing buckshot. It saw service with the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. This unique sidearm was also known as the "Grape Shot Revolver." It was developed in New Orleans in 1856 by Jean Alexandre Le Mat, whose manufacturing effort was backed by P. G. T. Beauregard, who became a general in the Confederate States Army. When war broke out, LeMat received Confederate army & Navy contracts for the production of five thousand revolvers and plans were laid to manufacture the gun abroad and then import them into the Confederacy, which lacked the necessary facilities to produce the weapon locally. Confederate gun runners were able to slip shipments of the gun through the Union naval blockade and it is estimated that about 2,500 made it into Confederate service. In addition to General Beauregard and Colonel LeMat, LeMat’s revolvers were used by such famous Confederate officers as Major Generals Braxton Bragg, J. E. B. Stuart, Richard H. Anderson, and Captain Henry Wirz. Confederate Major General J. E. B. Stuart. The distinguishing characteristic of LeMat's revolver is that its 9-shot cylinder revolves around a separate central barrel of larger calibre than the chambers in the cylinder proper. The central barrel is smooth-bore and can function as a short-barreled shotgun (hence the name "Grape Shot Revolver") with the shooter selecting whether to fire from the cylinder or the smooth-bore barrel by flipping a lever on the end of the hammer. Flipping the lever up caused the movable striker to fall upon the primer set directly under the hammer, discharging the lower barrel, while leaving it in the standard position would fire the chambers in the cylinder, much like any other revolver. The pistol’s had a jointed ramrod (mounted on the right-hand side of the frame), which was used to load both barrels. This is an excellent, original, LeMat’s ‘Grapeshot revolver’ fully re-furbished and re-blued to a high standard at some point in its life. The weapon's single action only firing mechanism works crisply in both revolver and shotgun mode. It has a 6 ¾” octagonal barrel (13 ½” overall). The bore is near mint, clean & bright with crisp rifling. One barrel flat has inspection marks and is numbered ‘1170’. The barrel has a triangular blade fore sight & notched hammer rear sight. The shotgun barrel is 4 ¾” length and its smoothbore is equally near mint clean and bright. The correct jointed ramrod has an inspection mark (illustrated). It’s finely chequered walnut grip is in excellent undamaged condition. The price for this extremely rare Confederate combination revolver includes UK delivery. NB As an antique percussion revolver no licence is required to own this item in the UK if retained as part of a collection or display. A 1105
£9,500.00
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