Had to do it... added a Pedersoli

[AzShooter]

Well, I saw a Pedersoli Kentucky Pistol on sale and really wanted to add something to my collection so I bought it. It's .45 cal. Looks real nice.

I took it to the range today to test it out. After the troubles I had with my last flint rifle I wasn't very confident with this but figured it would still be exciting to shoot.

Loaded up with 15 grs of 3F, a .440 ball and .015 Teflon Patch. First shot went off. Yippie. Got off 5 before I had any trouble, the flint went flying. Fortunately I had another. It didn't spark but I had a third and it worked perfect. 15 shots with no hangfires. Shoots just as fast as my percussion.

Trigger still needs a little work. It was too heavy to measure on my electronic scale but now it's at 3 lbs. I think I can get it to about 1.5 without a problem.

Little boy next to me was realy interested in the BP guns and got to shoot the one the guy next to me was shooting. He offered first. After a few shots he had enough but I'm sure he's going to make Dad get him one of those big smoking guns.

It was fun to get out and really fun to get a flintlock that fires every time. Even after I got it home and cleaned it I was amazed at how well it sparks. Should be heading to the range again the weekend to see what it does.

 

[Tight_Wad]

Steve

Over here in the U.K, the Pedersoli brand is generally reckoned to be a cut above the rest when it comes to Italian blackpowder firearms. Don't hear much about Pedersoli on this forum, particularly the pistols. Are they easy to come by in the U.S? Mostly you hear about Pietta and Uberti.

I have three Pedersoli pistols, the .44 LePage, .44 Rogers & Spencer and .44 Remington. Whilst not entirely without their faults out of the box (which make is?), they have proved to be well made, accurate and a joy to own and shoot. The trigger pulls on all three is superb.

Happy shooting,

Tight Wad :winking:

 

[No Deer]

I have a Pedersoli Kentucky .45 also. It shoots really well. The problem I had with it was loading. Used a .440 ball with precut/lubed .10 patch. Had a heck of a time loading, even the first one was tight. I tried a smaller ball and it is easier to load, don't know about accuracy, I can't hit the side of a barn from inside with it, but will have to practice more.

 

[mec]

"Over here in the U.K, the Pedersoli brand is generally reckoned to be a cut above the rest when it comes to Italian blackpowder firearms. Don't hear much about Pedersoli on this forum, particularly the pistols. Are they easy to come by in the U.S? Mostly you hear about Pietta and Uberti."

Uberti and Pieta are the major brands here. You can get pedersoli through Dixie gun workds and other sources and Beuchamps Flintlocks etc is the north american service center for Pedersoli.

However well represented the Pedersoli pistols may or may not be in the north american popularity scale, they are escellent in every respect. They show prominently in the international muzzle loader competitions and are a pure pleasure to shoot outside of the competitive arena.

 

[Tight_Wad]

Thanks mec

I know from your book that you rate the Pedersoli make highly.

I've often wondered why it is, with blackpowder shooting so popular the world over, that manufacturers don't up their game and produce some real quality arms comparable to modern day firearms. Obviously the price would go up but I think a lot of people would be willing to pay for a better fit and finish.

We live in hope!

Tight Wad

 

[TFoley]

There are some makers who do just that - Feinwerkbau, more famous for their Olympic-style air-weapons, make a version of the 1858 remington for about $1200 or so, and of course, there are the beautiful Manton pistols from either Uberti or Perdesoli - I can't recall which. they sell for around $3000 with a smooth and rifled barrel.

You tend not to see much of them because most folks don't seem to want to pay that much for a BP weapon...

tac