Cabela's Blue Ridge rifles

[laufer]

They sure look great on their web site, and tha soty is nice.
Does anybody shoot one of those and whata are pros and cons?
Thanks and God bless! :front:

 

[Rebel]

See my reply to you in the flintlock forum.

 

They are good shooters. A fellow in the club I belong to shoots one and wins matches with it. Depends on what you want it for, shooting/hunting or reenactment. It does not closely follow the lines of 18th century guns, though I have seen several early 19th century rifles from the Lehigh Valley area that are similar. IMHO it would be a better choice than the T/C Hawken clones if you plan to rendezvous pre-1840.

 

[Tahquamenon]

They are nice. The Blue Ridge is made by Davide Pedersoli which makes the DP Frontier which is almost identical to the Blue Ridge. Pedersoli also makes several other long rifles. http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/

Available at: www.dixiegun.com
www.thunder-ridge-muzzleloading.com

The Perdersoli Frontier/Blue Ridge in flintlock are not period correct as many folks will certainly be all too quick to tell you, but they are nice rifles IMO and will not cost you your life savings. Not being PC is about the only con as far as I can tell.

I picked up a NIB DP Frontier 50 cal in percussion for a song from a private party and ordered a drop-in flintlock and ventliner from Thunder-Ridge to replace the bolster drum for $135.
http://www.thunder-ridge-muzzleloading.com/

I've not shot the Frontier/Blue Ridge in flint yet, but in percussion it's an very nice finish, looking, handling shooting rifle.

Supposedly the Perdersoli Frontier/Blue Ridge is pattern after a Hatfield Rifle described here:
http://www.muzzleblasts.com/vol3no1/articles/mbo31-2.html

 

[laufer]

Thanks guys! :front:

 

[JackAubrey]

I have a Cabelas/Davide Pedersoli Blue Ridge rifle in .36 cal. flint.It is my squirrel gun,a right spitfire she is!Within 50 yards she'll hit anything I am at provided I do my part.Jack.

 

[sparkie]

Cableas sells the Blueridge in a .50 cal kit for $329.00 even though it is not listed on the web sight or in the catalog.There are a couple of guys that belong to the club that I'm in that have the Blueridge in 45 cal and they shoot great!
I purchased mine at the new Cableas store in Wheeling,WV about 2 months ago. The rifling in barrels have very sharp lands, but after polishing the bore with steel wool & about 125 rounds through the barrel it is starting to shoot great.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

:agree:-- I'm not sure I understand why so many folks are so quick to disparage the Blue Ridge as NOT PC. Perhaps you can't find an old rifle that looks exactly like it but as you mention there are many that look similar. I do wish they had made the butt plate a bit longer, mine measures only 3 3/4" from top to bottom, 4 1/2" would look much better proportioned. Aside from that it could pass for a Herman Rupp or Allentown style.
:imo:

 

[CoyoteJoe]

PS--if you ever need parts you got a big problem!! :shake: :curse:

 

[Chrismico]

Why are parts a problem? You can get them through Cabelas, Dixie, Pedersoli, and probably several other vendors. Just wondering what the parts problem is.

 

[Rebel]

Well, for one thing, the price. For less than what a Pedersoli lock cost, you can get a Siler. In fact about $40-$50 less for the Siler.

 

[Tahquamenon]

Well, for one thing, the price. For less than what a Pedersoli lock cost, you can get a Siler. In fact about $40-$50 less for the Siler.

Not true.

:no:

http://www.thunder-ridge-muzzleloading.com/p_locks.htm
Pedersoli locks are listed in numerical order

S400* Frontier/Blue Ridge flintlock rifle $130.00
S410* Flintlock Ky rifle and pistol country hunter, pa rifle $125.00
S401* Frontier/Blue Ridge perc. $120.00
S413* Ky rifle/pistol/country hunter $115.00
S456* Pennsylvania rifle flint $130.00
S455* Pa rifle, Charles Moore target $125.00

From TOW http://www.trackofthewolf.com/categories/partList.aspx?catID=14&subID=148&styleID=842:

LOCK-SL-FL-RH Siler large right Flint Lock, by Jim Chambers . . . $119.95

Dixie gun works has plenty of Pedersoli parts on hand as well as Thunder-Ridge and Cabela's can order anything you would need.

I've got a Frontier Rifle in Percussion 50 cal and while it may not be PC, it's an excellent rifle IMHO. I paid well under $400 for mine NIB from a private party. I bought a Flintlock and vent liners ala-carte from Thunder-Ridge.
The flintlock drops right in.

So for less money than a box of parts for an I get to assemble and finish rifle, I have one with both Flint and Percussion and am shooting now not later. The fit and finish are excellent for the money.

:m2c:

 

[Rebel]

Ok, i may have been mistaken, i only checked one place, but i just checked the prices the other day and the sight i was on showed the Pedersoli lock as about $50 more. Unfortuantely, i can't find it now. I did find the large Siler for $119.95 at Track. They are still more than the Siler though. I have nothing against the Blue Ridge rifles. I have had 3 of them, and they were all good rifles. I did have a lock problem with one of them and sent it to Flintlocks Etc. the Pedersoli warranty center, for repairs. They wouldn't warranty it, even though Richard told me he had never seen a mainspring stirrup stretch like that one was. Cost me $60 to get it fixed. But all and all, they are a very good shooting rifle.

 

[Tahquamenon]

Some of the other Pedersoli locks are huge money for Mortimer, Bess and many others. They also have engraved locks that are more spendy.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

While it is true that the Pedersoli locks for some of their lower priced guns are only a little more expensive, a lot of their locks range from $195.00 to $300.00. A number of them are $230.00. For mass produced locks this is ridiculous. And it's not because of the exchange rate-- they cost this much before the Euro made its gains.

 

[Tahquamenon]

:agree:

But in the case of the Frontier/Blue Ridge, the lock cost is a non-issue in my view.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

How do they compare in terms of quality? That is the true measure of value. And the ones I've seen don't measure up to the fit and finish of a Siler or Davis. And given the price being asked, they should.
Italy has a long and proud history of gunmaking, so it isn't that the quality is unattainable. More likely just corporate greed and indifference.
Ask yourself this question: Given more or less equal prices, if you were building your dream rifle which would you rather use as a lock--the Pedersoli or the Siler?

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Thanks for the alternate parts suggestions, I will check them out! I need a frizzen for a Frontier flintlock and Pedersoli's web sight and printed catalog list no parts at all, not even such a catagory. They do list locks, $130 for the Frontier and some over $400, but I only want a lock PART, just a frizzen.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

OK, here is what I've found so far; Thunder ridge has locks but not lock parts, just like Pedersoli. Dixie lists the Blue Ridge and Frontier as "parts not yet stocked". Dixie does list a frizzen for their Jeager which "might" fit the Frontier lock but before I pay $24.95 plus Dixies $6.75 S&H I'd want more than a "might".
I couldn't find a site for Flintlocks Ect.
Cabelas has ordered a frizzen, don't know what it will cost, they estimate shippment in two weeks, maybe. It would be the same problem if I only needed a lock screw.
So I still say, "if you need parts you got a problem".
:imo:

 

[Chrismico]

If you have any problems finding parts, contact Gloria at Pedersoli. She communicates with the folks at Dixie Gun Works, and I think they are one of Pedersolis main parts distributors.

The contact information for Pedersoli is [email protected] If the correct parts cannot be found in the US, they will ship them to you from the factory in Italy if they have them. It would be cheaper to find the parts here though. Aftermarket parts may be another good solution.

These distributors were listed on their web site:

BEAUCHAMP & SON INC., DBA Flintlock's Etc
160 Rossiter Road RICHMOND, MA. 01254 U.S.A.
Tel: 413 698 3822 Fax: 413 698 3866
eMail: [email protected]

CHERRY'S FINE GUNS
3402-A-West Wendover Ave. GREENSBORO, NC. 27407 U.S.A.
Tel: 336 854 4182 Fax: 336 854 4184
eMail: [email protected]
Web: www.cherrys.com

DIXIE GUN WORKS INC.
Reelfoot Avenue - P.O.Box 130 UNION CITY, TN. 38261 U.S.A.
Tel: 731 885 0561 Fax: 731 885 0440
eMail: [email protected]
Web: www.dixiegun.com

VTI REPLICA GUN PARTS
P.O. Box 509 LAKEVILLE, CT. 06039 U.S.A.
Tel: 860 435 8068 Fax: 860 435 8146
eMail: [email protected]

LEE SHAVER GUNSMITH
1020 Broadway St. - P.O. Box 570 LAMAR, MO. 64759 U.S.A.
Tel: 417 682 3330
eMail: [email protected]

BIANCO GUNSMITHING
181 Bentley Street Unit 10 MARKHAM ON. L3R 3Y1 CANADA
Tel: 001 905 513 8880 Fax: 001 905 513 9041