Dr. Jean Alexander Francois LeMat received patents in the U.S. and Belgium in 1869 that covered a centerfire version of his famous double barrel handgun that combined a revolver with a central shotgun barrel that also served as the cylinder pin. He also received patents in France. The 1869 patented LeMats have separate loading gates for the shot chambers and the revolver cylinders and utilize pivoting arms on the hammers in order to allow the hammer to strike the firing pins at the rear of the shot chambers. This example has no visible markings other than "FW" on the right side of the frame just above the trigger and Liege proofs on the front face of the cylinder. An "LM" stamp on the left side of the grip frame is concealed by the grips. The barrel has a round blade front sight, and the top of the recoil shield has a notch for a rear sight. The bottom of the frame has a lanyard ring. A lug and cut in the back strap suggest the revolver was designed for use with a detachable shoulder stock (not included), and there is a screwdriver threaded into the butt. The shotgun barrel gauges approximately 20 gauge.