Lefaucheux Model 1862
- Category
- Revolver
- Barrel
- 130 mm
- Weight, empty
- Not recorded
- Introduced
- 1862
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Lefaucheux Model 1862 is a French six-shot pinfire revolver designed by Eugene Lefaucheux and covered by French patent no. 55,784 of 27 September 1862. Chambered for the self-contained 12mm Lefaucheux pinfire cartridge, it refined the earlier military Lefaucheux revolvers with a so-called 'triple action' lockwork, in which the trigger could cock the hammer to a held partial or full position without firing, combining the control of a single-action with the speed of double-action trigger-cocking. It retained the classic open iron frame, right-side loading gate, under-barrel ejector rod and walnut grip with lanyard ring of the Lefaucheux line.
Lefaucheux termed the Model 1862's lockwork a 'triple action' because the trigger could hold the hammer at a partial or full cock without releasing it - letting a shooter stage the trigger like a single-action while keeping the rapid self-cocking fire of a double-action pinfire.
The '1862' designation refers to the patent year; surviving examples are typically dated 1862-1863. Commercial production continued into the following decades at Liege, Belgium and in France. The pinfire cartridge featured a small pin protruding from the case head that struck an internal primer when hit by the hammer.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Lefaucheux
- Category
- Revolver
- Country
- France
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1862 to 1880
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 130 mm
- Overall length
- 285 mm
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Double action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 168 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 141 J
- Effective range
- 25 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Open frame
Loading gate
Ejector rod
Pinfire cartridge
Six shot cylinder- Triple action mechanism
Lanyard ring
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall lengthAmong 415 revolvers | 285 mm | 260 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 431 revolvers | 130 mm | 127 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 434 revolvers | 6 | 6 | Holds more rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Lefaucheux Model 1862
What caliber is the Lefaucheux Model 1862?
The Lefaucheux Model 1862 is chambered in 12mm Lefaucheux.
How many rounds does the Lefaucheux Model 1862 hold?
The Lefaucheux Model 1862 holds 6 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Lefaucheux Model 1862?
The Lefaucheux Model 1862 is 285 mm (11.22 in) long overall, with a 130 mm (5.12 in) barrel.
Who makes the Lefaucheux Model 1862?
The Lefaucheux Model 1862 is made by Lefaucheux (France). It was designed by Eugene Lefaucheux.
When was the Lefaucheux Model 1862 introduced?
The Lefaucheux Model 1862 was introduced in 1862 and discontinued in 1880.
How does the Lefaucheux Model 1862 operate?
The Lefaucheux Model 1862 uses a double action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Union Army
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
66%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/lefaucheux-m1862' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "lefaucheux-m1862", "name": "Lefaucheux Model 1862", "manufacturer": { "id": "lefaucheux", "name": "Lefaucheux", "countryCode": "FR", "foundedYear": 1832, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "bf13f38c00793b491361fc40cb521390ec7a98fcce23b019a765f60a0e625193" }, "category": { "id": "revolver", "name": "Revolver", "description": "Handguns with a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers" }, "country_of_origin": "FR", "year_introduced": 1862, "barrel_length_mm": 130, "weight_empty_g": null, "action_type": "double_action"}