Pietta Firearms is known for its faithful reproductions of classic and black powder with historic 19th century connections to the American West, and it is once again offering the historic Le Mat reproduction revolver.
Designed by Frenchman Jean Alexandre LeMat in New Orleans, the LeMat revolver is one of the most iconic revolver designs of the 19th century. The cap and ball LeMat revolver’s claim to fame is its double barrel configuration. The main cylinder has a capacity of 9 shots and spins around an independent smoothbore barrel that could be loaded with shot, effectively serving as a pistol sized shotgun. This is how the gun ended up with its 19th century nickname “The Grapeshot Revolver.”
The LeMat revolver design also evolved from its original cap and ball setup to accept pinfire and eventually centerfire metallic cartridge ammunition. Given this revolver’s Southern heritage and the historic timeframe in which it was designed, the LeMat was also popular with Confederate cavalry soldiers during the Civil War. Original Le Mat revolvers are considered rare, with less than 3,000 made and even fewer of those being made in the United States during its heyday.
The modern Pietta LeMat revolver has a .44 caliber barrel and cylinder and the second barrel is built for 20-gauge shells. Retail pricing for Pietta-made LeMat reproduction revolvers starts at $1,360.90. Pietta is currently offering three versions: an Army, a Navy and a Cavalry model.
To learn more about Pietta’s reproduction .44 caliber and 20-gauge LeMat revolvers, visit emf-company.com.
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