Le Mat reliability?

[SeeThirty]

Well, I've been looking at some Le Mat revolvers lately. I know they're not Remmies but just curious if anyone has any info on the various repros?

I've heard some of them can be abit touchy in the mechanics. Who makes these? Does anyone make them particularly "well"? I got the chance to fire one last fall and it was a handful. 

[Long Johns Wolf]

Pietta in Italy is making the clones. They are offering a Cavalry, Navy and an Army model, check www.pietta.it
Bootsie

[Major 2]

When they were first offered... in fact before they were available... a Friend and I paid Navy Arms $100 each subscription and place the order ... The final balance of $200 each was due when they were ready to be shipped...
I recalled that took about 11 months ...By then my friend was a short on $$$ and his original interest.
I bought him out, and sent the Balance to Navy Arms.
I received two really nice Cavalry Models....#'s 663 & 903....

Here then is my take on them... both were nicely blued very good wood to metal fit ... I give them an B+ to an A.
The first weakness, I found was the catch lever that holds the barrel from rotating ... it would drop
( in this regard get the Army or Navy model with it's knurled knob much better catch )
The hammer spring on both were stiffffff and also required some stretch of my thumb to reach the hammer... Larger hands will not have the issue.
The removable ramrod for the shot barrel is easily lost.... Mine jiggled out on horseback at a reenactment never did find it.
But another was simple to make from round bar stock . A slight tweek of a bend to both solved the problem in the future.

Live fire ... both shot high at 25 feet but at 50 feet they dropped and were closer to POA. At 25 feet the 16 gauge loaded with #7 shot
printed a 15''-18''  tight pattern @ at 50' well  I may of hit paper with a few shot....

I used these, I guess 5-6 years , I traded one for a 2 Gen. Colt Navy , the other I sold at Gettysburg 130th. for $400..
I sold them for two reasons... first was my thumb would ache, from shooting them, but the main reason "rules concerning shotguns at Reenactments" forbid the use of the shot barrel....If I could not use it why carry it.
I did like the 9 pistol shots though 
There was one other issue the protuding flat spring catch for the rammer , could and did cut my fingers more that once ...
They still looked very good , with little or no wear to the bluing, still strong , and except for the barrel lever catch... tight.

They are pricy ... 3 times what I paid new back then, but then so is everything else    based on today Euro.

Would I buy another new one ? ...probably not , would I like to have mine back ? ....in a heart beat.

[SeeThirty]

Thanks a bunch! 

So Navy Arms' Le Mats are made by Pietta too? Sounds good. I'm probably not able to afford one just yet but I do like the looks.

[hellgate]

I have not bought any Pietta guns recently but multiple postings say they have markedly upgraded their quality control to rival Uberti's. Prior to the quality upgrade of a couple of years ago I heard several folks state that the two happiest days of owning a LeMat were the day it arrives and the day you sell it. It sounds like Major 2 has a much better experience. I believe they can be difficult to master. 9 shots + a shotgun barrel would be very appealing to a cavalryman during a fracus where it would be shot dry and then the sword be drawn. Running alot of rounds through a C&B which was never intended to be shot in a sustained manner might cause frustration. I have avoided them due to the cost and others badmouthing them. The questionable reputation may no longer be warranted.