Lot 3125: Fully Documented Rare and Unique LeMat Cartridge Carbine

This rare carbine is profusely illustrated in Forgett and Serpette's book "LeMat: The Man, The Gun" on pages 214 to 219. The authors identify this carbine as following the "1877 British Patent No. 588 and French Patent No. 117,926. . ." and go on to discuss the carbine's mechanical functions. They also note that the superimposed "FG" markings indicate that the carbine was manufactured in Belgium by Fagard.This rare LeMat carbine features a 23 1/4" 12mm rifled upper barrel and 15.2 mm lower shotgun barrel. The front sight is a blade integral to the front barrel band, and the rear sight is a folding two leaf with graduations from 100 to 300 meters. The top flat directly ahead of the rear sight is marked "COLONEL LE MAT. PATENT". The cylinder holds 9 rounds. There is a loading gate mounted on the recoil shield on the right side, and the lower barrel loading gate is mounted on the left side of the frame and has an articulated extractor that extracts the shell when it is opened. The ejector rod is mounted on the right side of the lower barrel. The trigger guard has a straight spur at the front and a lanyard stud and ring mounted on the right front. The right side of the frame is marked with the letters "B" and "M." The bottom of the barrel is marked with the number "152", and a "0" is stamped on the right side of the trigger guard. There is a small sling swivel mounted on the bottom of the forward barrel band and on the lower tang. Mounted with a smooth walnut buttstock that is stamped "H. GONCEAR/AMANTES."

Very good as partially refinished. The cylinder, barrel, and trigger guard retain traces of the blue finish with the balance is a mixture of smooth brown and gray patina. The remaining metal surfaces have a bright appearance overall. There is some very scattered minor pitting. The stock is fine with some minor pressure dents and scratches. Mechanically fine.