Got my new Pedersoli An IX yesterday and there was a brief break in the rain today, so it was time for some initial shots to test its function. As I was getting my stuff out, a couple neighborhood kids road by on dirt bikes and stopped to say "hi". When I told them what I was doing they surprisingly asked if they could try the new pistol! This was the first time I've seen kids interested in muzzle loaders, so there was no way I was going to miss the chance to pass on some knowledge!
For safety and to be sure of function, I fired the first shot. The kids are in the 8-10 age range so I also wanted to make sure there wouldn't be too much recoil. Turns out there was only light recoil, so I began to teach the kids how a flintlock works and basic safety rules for the unfamiliar gun. The An IX was PERFECT for this task as my 1777 is far too long and heavy for kids this small. Plus having the flash further from your face is more comforting for new flintlock shooters. Despite the gun being a bit heavy (they had to use two hands), the kids were able to fire it with no trouble. After about a dozen shots the kids had a solid grasp on how to safely load and shoot the pistol (with careful supervision of course). In the end one of the lil buggers actually managed to show me up by figuring out the guns point of impact before I had (nailing the target nearly center).
As for the performance of the An IX pistol, it was perfect! No failures of any kind and only one shot had a bit of delay. This gun is absolutely fantastic looking and easy to shoot! I dare say this pistol is more fun and a bit better put-together than my Pedersoli 1777. My only grip is the lock geometry is a bit odd so finding flints to fit it, is a bit tough. You want a 3/4" wide flint that's 1" long if not a little longer. The flints I'm using are the 3/4" from DGW and measure 0.85" wide by 0.88" long. These are a little too wide and a little too short but do work when fitted far out in the jaws. I've got some 3/4"x7/8" on order from TOTW which hopefully will run on the long side.
For safety and to be sure of function, I fired the first shot. The kids are in the 8-10 age range so I also wanted to make sure there wouldn't be too much recoil. Turns out there was only light recoil, so I began to teach the kids how a flintlock works and basic safety rules for the unfamiliar gun. The An IX was PERFECT for this task as my 1777 is far too long and heavy for kids this small. Plus having the flash further from your face is more comforting for new flintlock shooters. Despite the gun being a bit heavy (they had to use two hands), the kids were able to fire it with no trouble. After about a dozen shots the kids had a solid grasp on how to safely load and shoot the pistol (with careful supervision of course). In the end one of the lil buggers actually managed to show me up by figuring out the guns point of impact before I had (nailing the target nearly center).
As for the performance of the An IX pistol, it was perfect! No failures of any kind and only one shot had a bit of delay. This gun is absolutely fantastic looking and easy to shoot! I dare say this pistol is more fun and a bit better put-together than my Pedersoli 1777. My only grip is the lock geometry is a bit odd so finding flints to fit it, is a bit tough. You want a 3/4" wide flint that's 1" long if not a little longer. The flints I'm using are the 3/4" from DGW and measure 0.85" wide by 0.88" long. These are a little too wide and a little too short but do work when fitted far out in the jaws. I've got some 3/4"x7/8" on order from TOTW which hopefully will run on the long side.
