Pedersoli 12 ga Coach gun trigger issue

[Rfp10000]

I have a Pedersoli 12 ga SXS Coach gun.. double triggers, double hammers. Today when shooting the right trigger lost its ability to go to half or full cock. I can move the hammer back but it doesn’t lock on either half or full cock. The trigger is toward the rear rather than more forward like normal. The left still works like normal. This happened once before and as I recall , I took the lock and trigger mechanism off the gun and fixed it. I think there was a spring in the trigger mechanism that came undone.
My problem is that I can’t remember how I took the gun apart. Can anyone give me some guidance on getting to the trigger mechanism? Like I said when I did it before I think I took the lock & trigger guard off to get to the triggers to fix it.

 

[Rfp10000]

FYI… I did find this showing how to take apart a Pedersoli double barrel percussion shotgun.

 

[Rfp10000]

Fixed ..

 

[Rfp10000]

I thought I posted this link to the disassembly … I’m old !

 

[Historian]

Good job
Rob

 

[Rfp10000]

Interesting discovery when I took trigger off …. There is a small pin that both triggers pivot off toward the front. When I shoot the force from about a 70 gn charge & 1-1/4 oz of shot jars the pin loose on one of the triggers . It’s a bad design in my view. Maybe they gouged too much wood to install the mechanism. At any rate I cut a couple of thin pieces of brass sheet and glued them to either side to keep the pin in place. I doubt the weak glue I had will hold so after the next failure I’ll come up with a pin that has a head on one end and crimp the other to keep it from coming out . Sad for an old design and expensive reproduction. I doubt the original double trigger set up was so weak.

 

[ZUG]

I agree especially with " expensive reproduction " part. I don't know of any commercial SXS shotgun manufactures other than Pedersoli so they have the market tied up and that means YOU pay what they want for it. The making of a SXS is not cheap buy you do expect a better quality job from such a manufacture

 

[Lorne Johnson]

The wood of the stock is supposed to hold that pin in place (it is a common method, Perazzi uses it). Either the inletting is not to tolerance, or the pin is too short--I would expect the former.

That pin is part # COP5521 and is the cheapest part on the factory list. You can get one from flintlocks.etc or probably Dixie Gun Works.

If the problem is the inletting you might want to make, or have made a longer pin. Probably the easiest part on the gun to manufacture.

Your fix may well prove permanent, or close to it since it all may be held in place by the stock.

I have 4 Pedersolis, mostly the old lighter ones. I've never had that problem, though I have had to go in and do work on a trigger, and had to replace a couple of sear springs, long ago. I've put somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 rounds though my 20 gauge; its been very reliable, and looks damned near new.

Best of luck with it!

 

[Rfp10000]

I’m glad to hear that you have gotten good service from your gun. I really like my Coach gun and see it as an easy fix although I might need to take another crack at it. The little spring that returns the triggers is pretty cheesy too but it seems to work.

 

[Lorne Johnson]

As I remember getting that damned spring in the correct holes and fixed in place was a real pain. But i haven't had to do it often.

 

[Rfp10000]

I let the weak glue I used sit for a day and took the gun apart and the brass sheets I put on either side of the pin actually look good. I got some super glue in case they fall off next time out but I’m leaving well enough alone right now. I really do love this gun . It’s just so classic looking & with feedback from happy Ped shotgun users I’m sure it’s solvable . It’s awful fun with smoke , thunder and maybe a little flame!

 

[flntlokr]

you could try slipping a sliver of paper into the holes to make shim.

 

[Rfp10000]

you could try slipping a sliver of paper into the holes to make shim.

I was thinking of putting something in the one side, paper sounds ok, to keep some pressure on the brass I put on since I measured the width of the trigger mechanism in that area and the gap allowed for it in the stock and could see that they took out a bit too much wood. I’ll try it as is and see if might light touch fix was enough. I just have to make sure to keep an eye on the triggers/hammers before I load so if there is a failure I haven’t loaded one of the barrels. I always 1/2 cock the barrel I’m loading so I make sure I’m doing the right one. What happens with this problem is that the bad side won’t stay on 1/2 cock so it’s one give away that the pin slipped out.

 

[Rfp10000]

My fix worked . I shot it today and removed the trigger mechanism and it looked just as it did when I had initially fixed it. It’s really fun to shoot…now!

 

[Rfp10000]

I noticed Pedersoli seems to only offer the single trigger model of the Coach gun now!

 

[4575wcf]

You are on the right track for the fix. Probably you can find a soft iron finishing nail that will just press into the hole. Drive the head in soft a little to get a bit of form and upset on the drive end and drill a very small shallow hole into the driven end to accept a slight peening and upset. A treatment with Casenite will give the soft nail the necessary hardness to hold up in there, then drive it in and peen the driven end to hold in place. Pedersoli let the gun slip through inspection with an undersized loose trigger pin, they sometimes skip the last 30 minutes of the finish inspection process and let stuff like that slip through. Sadly they are being paid well enough to do better.

 

[4575wcf]

I noticed the single trigger versions when I was last looking up the flintlocks. How does this set up work? I assume you cock both hammers and give it one long pull till they both go one after the other? I don't think it would be on my gun very long.

 

[Rfp10000]

FYI, I talked with Pedersoli and they said they only offer the single trigger model Coach gun and the double trigger model is made especially for Dixie.
I was very disappointed with Pedersoli and their quality control for this trigger setup. I asked him to send me a new proper trigger setup and he said I’d have to send in the shoddy one to have it fixed. I told him I was able to fix it because it was simple but thought as a customer who bought a number of their guns recently I deserved better service and frankly they should be embarrassed to allow something like this to get to a customer. I let him know I thought their response was poor. He never replied.

 

[4575wcf]

I had a similar negative experience with a Pedersoli .45 papercase Sharps. I loved that gun, I still do, but it gas cut so badly at the breech of the chamber insert it was impossible to open after a few shots. Why Pedersoli brought back the floating chamber on their repro is cause for wonder. Sharps themselves gave that set up a very long and thorough production test and abandoned it because it does not work. I returned the gas cut .45 block to them, they sent a .54 version that fitted worse and leaked gas so badly out the bottom as to be dangerous. Now the gun resides in my incoming rack, pending a conversion to a proprietary Winchester cartridge of 1872 that fits the receiver and barrel. Had they stuck to the original design, the fix would have been no more difficult than installing a new front plate to the block. The chamber insert is too long to be removed without pulling the barrel, therefore absolutely no means to service or clean it. Poorly thought out design, and even poorer customer service.

 

[Rfp10000]

I had a similar negative experience with a Pedersoli .45 papercase Sharps. I loved that gun, I still do, but it gas cut so badly at the breech of the chamber insert it was impossible to open after a few shots. Why Pedersoli brought back the floating chamber on their repro is cause for wonder. Sharps themselves gave that set up a very long and thorough production test and abandoned it because it does not work. I returned the gas cut .45 block to them, they sent a .54 version that fitted worse and leaked gas so badly out the bottom as to be dangerous. Now the gun resides in my incoming rack, pending a conversion to a proprietary Winchester cartridge of 1872 that fits the receiver and barrel. Had they stuck to the original design, the fix would have been no more difficult than installing a new front plate to the block. The chamber insert is too long to be removed without pulling the barrel, therefore absolutely no means to service or clean it. Poorly thought out design, and even poorer customer service.

Everyone seems so happy with the Hahn & Flees fix that it is a little odd they don’t follow their lead. I get about 15 -20 shots before it’s bad. I pulled the block out of the Sharps around 14 to give it a little cleaning and found it very difficult to get back in until I took the plate and O ring off and cleaned in there.apparently the fouling was pushing the plate forward and compressing the O ring. I’ll try not removing the block until I’m ready to do a thorough clean in the future and just spray with Ballistol water mix every 10 shots or so. 25 is about all I care to do at this point but it is funny if there is a better build they don’t do it. The products are nice looking and as you say you like them but …