LeMat1856
10-04-2008, 03:36 AM
hello all,
i purchased my first black powder pistol last july and have been to the local ranges 3 times with no major problems, so far.
this does not mean that i feel totally comfortable with many of my decisions or the advice i have gotten from friends on muzzleloading forums, so i have joined the nssa as it seems to be the most diverse and depthful of sources i could find.
in order of concern are issues of materials and workmanship in the lemat itself; proper loading and use of wads, grains of 2f and 3f powder; and cleaning and lubricating substances. fortunately, i have no difficulty aiming and pulling the trigger.
this is a pietta sold through cabela's online. it arrived with a 10 page owners manual that had little more than general recommendations for powder, round ball and shot, cleaning, and a nice parts diagram. overall, the item is well made with some questionable aspects:
1) there is a tool mark on the frame where the right wooden grip seems to have been wedged into position.
2) the right wooden grip has a crack on the inside surface that is about 1/4" deep and 1/2" long. it does not extend to the outside surface, yet.
3) the hammer is off-center when i look at the alignment of the thumb flange and frame. it seems curved to the left by about 1/16" when the hammer is in full cocked position.
3) day one, the loading lever tube poped out of it's spring lock after every round fired. it still does. i have attempted to tighten the spring.
4) the hammer is unevenly finished at the nipple end. percussion caps actually land in a recessed area but the overhanging steel is angled unevenly while the striking surface is flat.
5) the triggerguard is not flush with the frame. the leading end is about 1/16" from the frame where it is screwed in. the rear is fine.
6) the drop down portion of the hammer, which ignites the underbore 20g cap, strikes the cap at half way from top to bottom. caps detonate, but i am wondering if this should strike 100% of the cap, not 50%.
7) some cosmetic issues are: poor fit of right wooden stock to frame, missed engraving on cylinder, makers marks incompletely stamped on .44 barrel, a stamped/engraved "col. lemat" with floral scrollwork is offcenter on the top of the .44 barrel.
LOADING
currently i am using 25 grains 3f with a .44/.45 lubed felt wad and .454 hornady round ball covered with t/c bore butter for the 9 round revolver.
for the 20g smoothbore, i use 30 grains 2f with a 1/8" 'nitro' overpowder card followed by a 1/2" fiber wad with 1 oz of .27" #2 buck shot topped with a .030" .672" overshot card. both powders are goex real black powder. bore butter is applied to the bottom surface of the fiber wad - only. i recently learned that the inside diameter of the '20g' is actually .645" - not .626" - which is closer to 17 1/2 gauge, hence my choice of 16g cards.
CLEANING AND LUBRICATION
the manual simply says "use a good quality solvent and hot water" - that's it.
i have purchased cabela's blackpowder solvent, cleaning patches, jags, wire brushes, and pipe cleaners which are used before rinsing in hot soapy water and then hot clear water and thoroughally dried with a hair dryer and cloth rags, and q-tips. a second round of cotton patches are then run through both barrels and all 9 chambers to be sure all gunk and soot has been removed. additional cleaning is applied if either black or orange residue is found until the final patches are clear.
following the cleaning i apply 'super lube synthetic grease' to the aft surface of the 9 round cylinder where it touches the mechanism, more on the mainspring at the retainer, and a light coating to the threads of the 20g barrel where the cylinder rotates and attaches to the .44 barrel.
any other surfaces are coated with birchwood-casey synthetic gun oil (which has ptfe).
the inside of both barrels and all 9 chambers are coated with cabela's blackpowder pistol lube which is very similar to t/c bore butter but slightly thicker.
SUMMARY
i love this gun. it's a tank. because the front end is so heavy, there is very little recoil and reacquiring the target is fast and surprisingly accurate. i have only 3 targets to show, but at 7 yards my group was quite respectable - 4 rounds in the center circle, the remaining were high and low but inside the 6 1/6" outer circle.
at 25 yards things were quite different. rounds are somewhat high and to the right, then dead on after adjusting. the 'blue whistlers' scatter badly with no pattern whatever. i suppose this was actually designed for more close up and personal engagements.
ADVICE
i am looking for acvice in all 3 areas - physical defects (should it be sent back ?), loading (are my selections correct ?), cleaning and lube (also, are these sufficient and correct ?)
thanks for any comments,
~daniel~
i purchased my first black powder pistol last july and have been to the local ranges 3 times with no major problems, so far.
this does not mean that i feel totally comfortable with many of my decisions or the advice i have gotten from friends on muzzleloading forums, so i have joined the nssa as it seems to be the most diverse and depthful of sources i could find.
in order of concern are issues of materials and workmanship in the lemat itself; proper loading and use of wads, grains of 2f and 3f powder; and cleaning and lubricating substances. fortunately, i have no difficulty aiming and pulling the trigger.
this is a pietta sold through cabela's online. it arrived with a 10 page owners manual that had little more than general recommendations for powder, round ball and shot, cleaning, and a nice parts diagram. overall, the item is well made with some questionable aspects:
1) there is a tool mark on the frame where the right wooden grip seems to have been wedged into position.
2) the right wooden grip has a crack on the inside surface that is about 1/4" deep and 1/2" long. it does not extend to the outside surface, yet.
3) the hammer is off-center when i look at the alignment of the thumb flange and frame. it seems curved to the left by about 1/16" when the hammer is in full cocked position.
3) day one, the loading lever tube poped out of it's spring lock after every round fired. it still does. i have attempted to tighten the spring.
4) the hammer is unevenly finished at the nipple end. percussion caps actually land in a recessed area but the overhanging steel is angled unevenly while the striking surface is flat.
5) the triggerguard is not flush with the frame. the leading end is about 1/16" from the frame where it is screwed in. the rear is fine.
6) the drop down portion of the hammer, which ignites the underbore 20g cap, strikes the cap at half way from top to bottom. caps detonate, but i am wondering if this should strike 100% of the cap, not 50%.
7) some cosmetic issues are: poor fit of right wooden stock to frame, missed engraving on cylinder, makers marks incompletely stamped on .44 barrel, a stamped/engraved "col. lemat" with floral scrollwork is offcenter on the top of the .44 barrel.
LOADING
currently i am using 25 grains 3f with a .44/.45 lubed felt wad and .454 hornady round ball covered with t/c bore butter for the 9 round revolver.
for the 20g smoothbore, i use 30 grains 2f with a 1/8" 'nitro' overpowder card followed by a 1/2" fiber wad with 1 oz of .27" #2 buck shot topped with a .030" .672" overshot card. both powders are goex real black powder. bore butter is applied to the bottom surface of the fiber wad - only. i recently learned that the inside diameter of the '20g' is actually .645" - not .626" - which is closer to 17 1/2 gauge, hence my choice of 16g cards.
CLEANING AND LUBRICATION
the manual simply says "use a good quality solvent and hot water" - that's it.
i have purchased cabela's blackpowder solvent, cleaning patches, jags, wire brushes, and pipe cleaners which are used before rinsing in hot soapy water and then hot clear water and thoroughally dried with a hair dryer and cloth rags, and q-tips. a second round of cotton patches are then run through both barrels and all 9 chambers to be sure all gunk and soot has been removed. additional cleaning is applied if either black or orange residue is found until the final patches are clear.
following the cleaning i apply 'super lube synthetic grease' to the aft surface of the 9 round cylinder where it touches the mechanism, more on the mainspring at the retainer, and a light coating to the threads of the 20g barrel where the cylinder rotates and attaches to the .44 barrel.
any other surfaces are coated with birchwood-casey synthetic gun oil (which has ptfe).
the inside of both barrels and all 9 chambers are coated with cabela's blackpowder pistol lube which is very similar to t/c bore butter but slightly thicker.
SUMMARY
i love this gun. it's a tank. because the front end is so heavy, there is very little recoil and reacquiring the target is fast and surprisingly accurate. i have only 3 targets to show, but at 7 yards my group was quite respectable - 4 rounds in the center circle, the remaining were high and low but inside the 6 1/6" outer circle.
at 25 yards things were quite different. rounds are somewhat high and to the right, then dead on after adjusting. the 'blue whistlers' scatter badly with no pattern whatever. i suppose this was actually designed for more close up and personal engagements.
ADVICE
i am looking for acvice in all 3 areas - physical defects (should it be sent back ?), loading (are my selections correct ?), cleaning and lube (also, are these sufficient and correct ?)
thanks for any comments,
~daniel~