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Lefaucheux 20-Round

The 20-lap history of Lefaucheux

The Lefaucheux 20-Round was one of the famous attempts to design a revolver that provided the operator with a pistol with more cartridges that could hold five or six rounds than the standard cartridge. This French pistol switched to a rotating 20-round cylinder arranged in two rows of ammunition, with the inner chambers closer together than the outer chambers.

In addition to this unique two-tiered barrel design, the Lefaucheux 20-Round features two barrels arranged in an "up and down" fashion. The hammer is large and can operate two barrels simultaneously, although only one barrel can be fired at a time per successive action.

In this design arrangement, the operator gained a distinct advantage due to the large ammunition capacity of the turret.

Externally, the Lefaucheux has a surprisingly high profile, which is necessary for a large cylinder. The cylinder has an "open" design, which means there is no bridge on top of the cylinder - it's still exposed.

The hammer is a large single piece that is mounted high on the back of the body, just in front of and above the pistol grip. The grip itself is a curved thing with a grip pattern to encourage better grip. The trigger is an elongated lever that extends down and bends outward to accept the correct angle of the trigger finger.

The rear-view mirror is located behind the upper muzzle of the barrel.

The

Lefaucheux revolver originated from the Lefaucheux company in Paris, France, firing a 7.65mm pinfire cartridge from a 4.75 inch long barrel. The Lefaucheux 20-Round uses the "pinfire" cartridge developed by Casimir Lefaucheux in Paris in 1823.

An innovative design at the time was to hit the pin with a hammer from above, causing the pin to ignite the primer and gunpowder inside, releasing the projectile. This action actually closes the shutter. Pinfire revolvers were widely used throughout Europe until they were replaced by more centerfire types.

The Lefaucheux cartridge became the first efficient, self-contained cartridge.

This attempt at a 20-round revolver was not a completely unique design for the French company. Many other pistol companies of the late 19th century had been working to increase the firepower of the revolvers of the time.

However, this particular 20-round revolver is known to have served in the American Civil War.