I realize I may be the only individual still working on this, but I'm sure no one minds, especially considering that it intrigues me and gives me something to research, which I love doing. I agree that a good cleaning is what the relic needs and that it will no doubt tell us a lot more about it.
In my last reply when I said I compared the relic to about 20 different revolvers, what I really meant is that I compared it to about 20 different revolvers that were "similar" in design. In reality I have looked at no less than 350 various types of revolvers and so far the "
LeMat" is the best match. I admit it is not a perfect match because one characteristic of LeMat revolvers is that flair at the back end of the trigger guard, which the relic obviously does not have. However, I have discovered that LeMat made a variety of other revolvers, some of which did not have the flair. Additionally, in the original patent drawing below, dated October 21, 1856, you will notice that the forward portion of the trigger guard is quite long. So when you combine the patent illustration with the fact there were variations made over the years, that was just enough to convince me to pursue my research further in the hope of finding a variation that matches. I haven't found it yet, but I'm looking.
Hopefully the following pictures, etc. will be self explanatory and better illustrate what I have failed to say in words. I'm sure I will forget something here, but I guess that's what the edit feature is for. And to put all of this in a nutshell, even if the relic turns out to be something other that a LeMat trigger guard, it's the closest match I've seen after at least twelve hours of research. But I'm still not a gun expert and never will be. Even if my research is in vain and the relic turns out to be something other than a LeMat, I have no regrets and have enjoyed every second of the research. If nothing else, at least we know a few things now about one of the most interesting Civil War era revolvers ever made ...
The double barrel Lemat. Can you imagine the damage a revolver with a small shotgun-type barrel on it could do at point blank range? I shudder at the thought.
Be sure to click on the images to enlarge them.
Sodabottlebob 
Wikipedia Link:
LeMat Revolver - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia which includes ...
Civil War use: LeMat hoped to market his adaptable revolver as a primary sidearm for
dragoons and other mounted troops. He entered into a partnership with
P.G.T. Beauregard (at that time a major in the U.S. Army) in April 1859 to market his handgun to the
U.S. Army. Beauregard, besides being LeMat's cousin,[SUP]
[1][/SUP] was one of the first U.S. Army officers to resign and join the Confederacy.
When war broke out LeMat received Confederate contracts for the production of five thousand revolvers, and plans were laid to manufacture the gun abroad and then import them into the Confederacy, which lacked the necessary facilities to produce the weapon locally. Confederate gun runners were able to slip shipments of the gun through the Union naval blockade and it is estimated that about 2,500 made it into Confederate service.
The rusted relic (for the 10th time) Lol
Original Patent No. 15,925 ~ Oct 21, 1856 ~ Painted red to illustrate long portion of guard. There are hidden features in the grip that cannot be seen. The blue arrow points to the "fancy" part.
Exposed Parts ~ Notice how the trigger guard on this variation is attached in two pieces.
Multiple variations from LeMat book. This is the largest image I could create. Particularily notice the revolvers without the fancy guards. I wish I had a copy of this book.
Variation ~ Without fancy guard. Sold at auction for $69,000.00
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