Le Mat

[rodwha]

Really don't know. I was just thinking they were .42. Don't know what other calibers.

Seems I’m still not on the ball:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeMat_Revolver

So indeed it was a .42 cal or a .36 but only came with a 20 ga “cylinder pin.” I was pretty certain the .42 came with a larger gauge and the .36 with a smaller one...

 

[snider]

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

I've see and handled a LeMat revolver.
They are unusual and different, but they are not a $800 gun.
Waay over priced, and just a novelty.
The shot gun barrel was designed to shoot a single round ball, so a fifty grain charge, and a patched round ball was a stout load, but not unreasonable.
The internals are a bit fragile, so continued shooting will present a problem.
Fred

Yeah, okay.

It was called Col. LeMat’s GRAPESHOT revolver during the time period for a reason. They were designed to fire a small buckshot load.

One big issue with the LeMats is lack of spare parts and they are a lot harder to get apart than the Colt’s and more complex. They are ungainly (though impressive) and don’t point nealy as well as the Colt’s. The standard 9 rounds of .44 are generally considered pretty reliable, though an issue with the shotgun barrel is light strike due to the geometry of the design of the selector switch.

I can think of worse ways to spend the money for a gun in the hobby. If you know what you’re getting into and just love the design, by all means get one. They are amazing in person and draw a crowd at the range. I sold mine and now prefer the slender and practical Colt’s.