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Rare CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE Paris Contract LeMAT Grapeshot REVOLVER Antique 9-Shot Cylinder with a Shotgun Barrel Underneath!

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Rare CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE Paris Contract LeMAT Grapeshot REVOLVER Antique

9-Shot Cylinder with a Shotgun Barrel Underneath!

Here we present a rare antique LeMat Grapeshot Percussion Revolver manufactured circa 1862 in Paris, France. These were purchased by the Confederate government during the Civil War. The LeMat revolver was invented by Dr. Jean Alexandre LeMat of New Orleans, which featured a 9-shot, .42 caliber cylinder with the unusual addition of a shotgun bore for buckshot under the .42 caliber barrel. It was a single action mechanism that the operator needed only to manage the tip-down lever on the hammer to put the revolver into the secondary position to fire the bottom barrel. Due to the buckshot capability, the LeMat revolver earned itself the nickname of “Grape Shot Revolver” from Confederate forces.

It saw service with the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War of 1861–65. After the U.S. patent was secured for the revolver, LeMat partnered with the Paris based Girard and Company manufacturing firm to develop the new revolver for the Confederacy. He entered into a partnership with P. G. T. Beauregard (at that time a major in the U.S. Army) in April 1859 to market his handgun to the U.S. Army. Beauregard, besides being LeMat’s cousin, was one of the first U.S. Army officers to resign and join the Confederacy.

When war broke out, LeMat received Confederate 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 into the hands of the Confederate forces. In addition to General Beauregard and Colonel LeMat, LeMat’s revolver was 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 “was known to favor the LeMat revolver” and was carrying a LeMat revolver at the Battle of Yellow Tavern in 1864 where he was mortally wounded. General Beauregard’s personal engraved LeMat, which he carried throughout the war, is preserved at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia.

The overall condition is very good. The action is excellent with strong spring tension, solid half- and full-cock notches, proper cylinder indexing and lockup. This one has the slotted ratchet on the back of the cylinder which locks up the cylinder on each chamber (rather than the “pin in the hole” system on other variants). Nipples are in nice shape. The rifled bore shows still clearly defined rifling. The smooth bore is in good shape. Both bores have a light oxidized scale throughout. The numbers on both barrels, the frame, and cylinder match. London proofed on the cylinder and both barrels. “F” on the left side of the hammer. A small boxed “M” is located on the exterior of the cylinder, which is the mark of Con­federate Navy inspector Lt. William H. Murdaugh. The “star LM” marking is just ahead of the serial number on the barrel on the right side of the gun. The loading lever is a replacement that was made from scratch, which is cracked at the rear, just above the rammer. The loading lever insert (which is the rammer for the shotgun bore), which would normally be tight enough to be held by friction within the loading lever tube, is only retained by the “thumbnail nick” near the muzzle end of the barrel. The hook within which the loading lever would usually rest was broken off at some point, as many times they are. The barrel-to-frame slot is occupied by a bolt that works rather well. The grips are an old set of replacements that are in good shape. A very rare and desirable historical revolver!

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrels: Upper – 6-3/4 inches; Lower – 6 3/4 inches

Caliber: Upper – .42 Percussion; Lower – 20 Gauge (approximate)

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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Guaranteed AUTHENTIC & Includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.

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$17,625
#210030

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Ancestry Guns considers all of our antique firearms as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R, or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade antique guns. All firearms sold by Ancestry Guns that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of Ancestry Guns' antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in “live” condition. They are sold as collector’s items for historical display. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from Ancestry Guns you thereby release Ancestry Guns and its employees from any and all liability associated with use of our antique firearms.

Free shipping. We are allowed to ship direct to door for any deliverable address worldwide.

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Ancestry Guns considers all of our antique firearms as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R, or any license is required to posses, transport, sell or trade antique guns. All firearms sold by Ancestry Guns that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of Ancestry Guns' antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in “live” condition. They are sold as collector’s items for historical display. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from Ancestry Guns you thereby release Ancestry Guns and its employees from any and all liability associated with use of our antique firearms.

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