pedersoli flintlock

[chadeastin]

Hey every one! I just stumbled onto this sight and thought I would ask a question. I have finally (after many years of searching) found a black powder in a local gun shop and bought it. I am new to flintlocks and was wandering if the pedersoli 50 cal shorty is a good flintlock. I was also wondering if you all could give any advice on other stuff I should get as in what kind of powder wadding balls ect....
thanks in advance.

 

[cayugad]

Pedersoli from all I have read is a great rifle. For information on what you will need, well the other flintlock shooters are much better at helping a new shooter out. Just as they helped me with my first flintlock. You are going to really enjoy the flintlocks. I never thought I would get that attached to the flintlock aspect as I did. Granted I still like and shoot the other rifles, but the flintlocks are really something to shoot....

Good luck with your rifle. Be sure and shoot pure black powder. No substitutes. Goex 3f and some .490 roundballs will probably get you started. I am unsure of the rate of twist your rifle has, and it would be helpful in naming projectiles.....

:thumbsup:

 

[chadeastin]

How do I find out the twist? I know that I will love the flintlock. I used to shoot a compound bow but once I made my own selfbow and shot it I sold my compound and have been strickly primitive ever since.

 

[cayugad]

Many times it will say on the barrel what the twist is.

1-48 will shoot roundball and conicals. Even sabots in some cases. 1-66 is a slow twist made for roundball shooting. You say the rifle is a Pedersoli shorty. What model is it? Dixie Cub, or something. You can then look the rifle up on the Pedersoli rifle site.. Pedersoli Rifles and it will normally tell you a lot of information about the rifle. Even the kind of projectile. In your owners manual if you have one it will also list the twist of the barrel...

 

[chadeastin]

Im not sure about the model..... Kentucky I think? I will look it up. Thanks for the link.

 

[chadeastin]

Here is the info from the site!
CAL.50 GROOVES 8 TWIST-1:47 BARREL LENGTH- 35 9/16

 

[cayugad]

With the 1:47 (1:48 American Made) rifle twist your rifle is a kind of shoot anything to a point. They shoot roundball and conical as well. They are a great all around rifle.

Get some Goex 3f black powder.
Some 3/4 Black English Flints.
A short starter.
Some .015 pre lubed patches (for now.. you can get more involved later)
some .490 roundball.
A cleaning jag,
ball puller,
powder measure (clear see through kind is what I like)
patch worm would be another good investment.
tube of bore butter

If you want get a priming flask. It is a small powder flask that dumps about 3 grains of powder into your pan or you can pour a little in, just not too much. Fill the pan about half full is all.

This should get you started shooting. I am sure I forgot stuff and the others will fill you in. That's a real nice rifle you got there. I am sure your going to be real happy with it. You should get good accuracy with about 80 grains of powder and a patched roundball. You will actually have to play with different loads and find what your rifle likes..

Good luck and keep us posted....

 

[chadeastin]

Thank you all so much! I cant wait to get started!

 

[Rebel]

If it is a Kentucky, 3/4" flints will be too large. It will take a 1/2" or 5/8" flint. The Kentucky has a real small lock.

 

[Zonie]

Ah'm a bettin sence it are almost tha weak end your gonna get yer stuff and head out to somewhar whar ye can shoot it!

If you do, just remember: rule number 1 is don't fill the pan with powder. More is not better. Keep the powder level below the touch hole in the side of the barrel for fast ignition.

Then when your tired of shooting, and you've cleaned your gun, read the post at the top of this Flintlock Forum for a lot of helpful ideas.

 

[chadeastin]

Thanks again! Actually I will be fishing this weekend with my dad so no shootin, hopefully next weekend!

 

[jim gray]

I am going to recommend a range rod as well. This is not an absolutely necessary, but in my opinion it makes loading a fouled barrel a lot easier and more importantly safer. It is a lot easier to clean your gun with a range rod as well.

I would also suggest that you thouroughly clean your barrel and then lube it lightly with bore butter (or a similar product) before shooting.

And good luck fishing.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Take it along, the fish will bite real good on round balls, if nobody is looking. ::

 

[chadeastin]

Take it along, the fish will bite real good on round balls, if nobody is looking. ::

That is why I like to take my longbow to the river..... fish bite well on arrows as well. ::

 

[ffffg]

with 1-47 twist i would use 2fg and about 60-70 grains black powder, tight patch..lube patch with pure neatsfoot oil, thomson center t1000 or what ever the shop you go to recomends.. keep barrel well oiled and do not let soapy water rinse set in bore or breach where you cant get at it.... i clean, dry with several patch, run denatured alcohol thru, dry and oil with good quality gun oil.. rerun oil patch later that night and then next day looking for slightest hint of orrange on patch.. i ruined a very expensive target barrel some darn how, and aint going to to it again.. pedersolis are halfway to a good qaulity custom gun.. it will tell you if you want to go the grand or two to get a very fine gun if you fall in love with the sport.. or be good for several times a year, maybe with some parts replacement problems once in a great while, and give you a lifetime of fun. dave...

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Chad Never run a dry patch down a fouled barrel,if you do get a patch stuck pore a little water or bore cleaner in an it will come out. Take your time and have fun with it. :winking: Rocky

 

[Rat]

I'm very happy with the lock on my Pedersoli Brown Bess, it's fast and 100% reliable, but those big Musket locks could be a different animal from the smaller rifle locks.

Yes range-rods are the WAY to go. I just made a couple of range rods out of 1/2" dowell, one for my 1861 and one for the Bess and Jaeger, which both have the same length barrel. I was at the auto-wrecking yard the other day, and realized that old gear-shift nobs would make perfect range rod balls/handles...so I filled me pockets boys! They thread right on the 1/2" dowells, but I don't spare the epoxy either. Obviously a .50" dowel is not going to work with a .45" bore...Your results may vary!! But you get the idea.

:results:

Anyhow I kind of "candy striped" the dowels with the propane torch, then stained and oiled them and they work and look great. Definately much better than using the skinny ram-rod, especially the skinny steel rods on the Bess and Springfield. Kind of like trying to climb a greased pole after you get enough lube on yer hands.

Rat

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

I have had four Pedersoli flinters, 2 Frontiers and 2 Mortimers. All were of good quality and sparked well. Congrats on your find, and good luck with it!

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

BTW, in regard to stuck rods, one trick is to drill a hole in the end of your rifle rod. Then if you stick a rod in the woods, you can thread a thong or string through the hole and tie it off to a limb, then just pull the rifle off the rod.

Works for me. :thumbsup:

 

[BigPaGuy]

Chad,

I'm not trying to hijack your post, or talk you out of a Pedersoli, but I got one for Christmas, a Cabela's Kentucky. Same as the Kentucky on the Pedersoli website except no brass inlays or patchbox.

The problem I have is finding a flint to fit it. I bought the ones from TOW for the Pedersoli Kentucky, but they still seem too long. At half-cock, the flint is touching the frizzen, and preventing it from seating on top of the pan correctly. I don't know if this is a quirk just with the one that I got, or if it is common?

Everything that I have heard about the quality has been good, so maybe I just got a "problem child".

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

By the way, when it DOES spark, it shoots quite well, grouping closely no matter how many grains of ffg i put in her. I need to take down the front blade a little for the elevation, but windage is dead on.

Sorry for being long-winded.