So I'm completely new here, and was brought by Texas Johnny's thread from a couple of months ago. After a conversation with him directly, we both thought we might gain more insight from crowd sourcing info and opinion. What are your thoughts?
Here's what I got.... quite by accident a couple of days ago, I came across this "LeMat", which is very difficult to determine if it is real or reproduction, or maybe even a historic copy. It's in pretty bad shape, as the photos show, and I apologize in advance for the fact that the photos suck but I wasn't planning on archival grade images at the time, so this is what I got at the moment. The seller knows nothing about it at all, having gotten it in an estate sale lot of Colts and other "western" guns and he's asking very little because he's of the belief that it isn't restorable and cannot himself confirm its history at all. He did remove the grips and found them to be quite finely fitted and showing less wear and corrosion than you can see here, but the fact that much of the gun doesn't want to move stopped him from any further disassembly since he didn't know how it comes apart.
From my first examination, all I can find is a single number, 3023 on the frame near the trigger. Obviously the guard is an early spur type and the complete but stiff loading arm is on the left like a later model as the number would suggest. The hammer seems like an earlier verion too though. The top of the barrel does say Col LeMat with some scroll work in front of the C, while the T seems faded or starting to wear away without anything after. There might be something like an L and a star in front of the cylinder or it could be the corrosion playing tricks on my eye. I can't find anything else on the cylinder or barrel, there does not seem to be any other evidence of any makers marks, the reproduction Pietta stamps, or any embellishments on any other part of the gun. At least to me, it seems to defy both proving to be original, but also defies proving to be a reproduction and I'm not sure what else to look for.
I originally guessed that it might have spent some time under water due to the depth and texture if the corrosion, however the seller claims that the condition of the grips internally suggests that it couldn't have been submerged because they seem much cleaner. If it is original, I wouldn't mind having it as a display piece for the price he's suggested he will sell it to me for. If it is a reproduction, I'm not interested because I don't feel it could (or would be worth) restoring and I feel like I would want to shoot a reproduction rather than hang it on a wall. What do you see that I'm missing here?
Here's what I got.... quite by accident a couple of days ago, I came across this "LeMat", which is very difficult to determine if it is real or reproduction, or maybe even a historic copy. It's in pretty bad shape, as the photos show, and I apologize in advance for the fact that the photos suck but I wasn't planning on archival grade images at the time, so this is what I got at the moment. The seller knows nothing about it at all, having gotten it in an estate sale lot of Colts and other "western" guns and he's asking very little because he's of the belief that it isn't restorable and cannot himself confirm its history at all. He did remove the grips and found them to be quite finely fitted and showing less wear and corrosion than you can see here, but the fact that much of the gun doesn't want to move stopped him from any further disassembly since he didn't know how it comes apart.
From my first examination, all I can find is a single number, 3023 on the frame near the trigger. Obviously the guard is an early spur type and the complete but stiff loading arm is on the left like a later model as the number would suggest. The hammer seems like an earlier verion too though. The top of the barrel does say Col LeMat with some scroll work in front of the C, while the T seems faded or starting to wear away without anything after. There might be something like an L and a star in front of the cylinder or it could be the corrosion playing tricks on my eye. I can't find anything else on the cylinder or barrel, there does not seem to be any other evidence of any makers marks, the reproduction Pietta stamps, or any embellishments on any other part of the gun. At least to me, it seems to defy both proving to be original, but also defies proving to be a reproduction and I'm not sure what else to look for.
I originally guessed that it might have spent some time under water due to the depth and texture if the corrosion, however the seller claims that the condition of the grips internally suggests that it couldn't have been submerged because they seem much cleaner. If it is original, I wouldn't mind having it as a display piece for the price he's suggested he will sell it to me for. If it is a reproduction, I'm not interested because I don't feel it could (or would be worth) restoring and I feel like I would want to shoot a reproduction rather than hang it on a wall. What do you see that I'm missing here?
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