Pedersoli Frontier Muzzleloader

[Edwin]

Can anyone tell me about the quality of Pedersoli guns? Does anyone own a Pedersoli Frontier, and what do you think about it?

 

[J.D.]

There have been several discussions on Petersoli guns of late.

Check out the latest one on the "Cabela's Blue Ridg" Flintlock thread (Topic#203438) in the flintlock rifles forum.

The blue ridge and frontier are the same gun, BTW.

 

[BrownBear]

My pard has the short barreled version in 50 cal percussion. It's outstanding!

 

Hi Bavarian,
I have a pedersoli pennsylvania flintlock 50 cal.
It is excellent quality, very accurate and dependable.

 

I have a Frontier in .54 flint and it's a great rifle. You may hear some negative comments because it is not PC and not from the bench of a US builder, but if you are like me and on a budget - they are still less expensive than the custom models. Someday, I hope to have a Jim Chambers built rifle, but until then - this Frontier rifle is going to get a workout and all indications are that it will be around for many years.

 

[Jarikeen]

I own a pedersoli scout 28 1/2" barrel in .45cal.
Similiar to the frontier. I delibrately chose this rifle for its lightness and comfort. It has a nice 2 stage trigger.
We had a shoot yesterday and I achieved a 92 (10 x 2, 9 x 8) at 50 yards. They can be a very accurate rifle with correct load development.

 

[blacksmithman64]

I custom built my .50 Golden Age Arms with all premium parts and my ex girlfriend used to whip me on a regular basis with her pedersoli .40 :redface: :shocked2: :rotf: (at the gun range, not over the head!)

 

[Stony]

:hmm: Is that why she's your EX-girlfriend?? :rotf: :blah: :shocked2:

 

[davy]

I have a Ped Frontier flinter 45 cal .. its a tack dirver too! :thumbsup:

Davy

 

[J.D.]

One of the things I don't like about Petersoli is their warrantee service after the sale. IMHO, it's nonexistent, as are parts, for the most part.

Parts, when they can be found, are two to three times more expensive than replacement parts for American locks. Not to mention that American locks carry very good guarantees. Some American locks have lifetime guarantees.

IMHO, You are on your own with Petersolis locks.

Oh Yeah, almost forgot. Petersoli's replacement parts may or may not fit correctly...if you can get 'em.

Petersoli makes their cheap guns for the American market, 'cause we, as a nation, are too cheap pay for quality. The cheap guns translates to spotty quality and little or no after market service. IMHO, They got your money, mine too, and leave us to swing in the wind when the guns don't work right.

Petersoli's quality and parts accessability are so spotty, that many ML gunsmiths won't even work on them.

The good ones can be very good, but the bad ones can be VERY BAD...and very difficult to make right.

IMHO, anyone wanting a good ML gun should stay with an American maker, even if it costs a coupla hundred more. The difference in quality is like night and day. And IF the gun breaks, notice I said IF and not WHEN the gun breaks, parts are readily available.

IMHO, the people who rave about how good Petersoli's guns are have never owned a quality piece and wouldn't know a quality ML gun from a hole in the ground.

I say that from experience, 'cause I own two Petersolis and one semi custom gun that is far and away higher qulity. I have had to rebuild the lock on the Bess as well as doing a good bit of work on the frontier to make 'em even close to being right. Didn't have to touch the semi-custom gun.

If ya want cheap buy a Petersoli, but be aware you may or may not get a good one. And if you get a bad one, or when your good one goes south, its up to you to fix it....if you can. And it ain't gonna cheap to fix it, IF you can find someone to work on it.

I have considered starting a sideline of lock repair. The problem with that is that sometimes new parts have to be made, or existing ones modified to complete the repair/rebuild. And in my experience people who are too cheap to buy quality are too cheap to pay the expense of the rebuild.

IMHO, you can pay up front for quality, or pay even more later to try to fix bad quality. It's your choice.
J.D.

 

[Tom Wilson]

Bavarian,

I really do NOT agree with the previous post by J.D.

I have a frontier/Blue Ridge rifle with a .32 barrel and a .36 barrel.
I am very satisfied with the rifle. (Also have a Pedersoli Kentucky
Rifle .50. Again very satisfied. And all percussion

I have not experienced any "spotty" quality in the Pedersoli products.
Nor have I read much on the Forum about poor quality. But then I'm
new to the Forum, and to muzzle loading in general. But not to
shooting in general. I got my first rifle, a .22 of course, when I
was 12 (63 years ago) and have gone through many other firearms,
shotguns, M16's, AK-47's, Rugers, Marlins, etc. But I like my Pedersoli's
best.

As to price. Pedersoli arms are expensive. So are the parts. But
they are made in Italy, part of the EU, and the last time I looked the
excange rate between the Euro and the dollar was not in favor of the
dollar by a long shot. Is that Pedersoli's fault? Perhaps their
problem, but certainly not their fault. Parts are available from
Flintlocks, Etc. (www.flintlocksetc.com)

I have checked around for US made muzzleloaders, and they are not much
cheaper, if any (check the TOTW catalog). I can't comment on quality
of US made arms, although reading various posts on the forum make me
pause for thought.

I apologize to JD if I have stepped on his toes, but life is too short
to carry a grudge or a chip on one's shoulder. And remember I'm an
"old geezer" and set in my ways.

Cheers

TK (in the Miami River Valley area)

 

[J.D.]

Well TK, I don't intend to step on anyone's toes either, however, I stand by my earlier statement that people who rave about how good Petersoli flint guns are have never had a quality flint gun in their hands.

I have been shooting black powder for nearly 40 years and have handled and shot more muzzle loaders than many of the posters here have seen, including shooting several originals that I have owned over the years.

I bought my first Petersoli over 20 years ago, and it was ok, but the lock was sloppy loose and had to be rebuilt because of it.

The hole in the bridle was drilled 10 degrees off perpendicular to the axis of the tumbler. The hole was so big that the tumbler wobbled when the hammer was cocked. That's real quality.

There is a BIG difference in ok and in quality, BTW.

The frontier was bought over 10 years ago and has required a bit of work to make it as right as I can make it.

That said, both shoot pretty well, but have required a good bit of work to keep them shooting.

Fortunately, I have the equipment and know-how to do the work myself and didn't have to spend a ton of money to have the work done for me. How many of you can rebuild a lock? How many even knows what constitues a good flint lock? Not many.

I don't claim to be an expert, 'cause there are many more who are far more expert than I, but I have learned a bit about flint guns and what makes a good one. Especially in the last ten years.

I'm trying to share what little expertise I do have in an attempt to help others avoid the mistakes I made.

You can take the advice of someone who has been at this for forty years and who has rebuilt a few locks, or you can take the advice of someone who started last year and who has never had a lock apart. The choice is yours.

J.D.

 

[LRB]

I totally agree with JD. I have had to do extensive tuning on Pedersolis, especially the ridiculous breech system on the guns you guys are refering to, and I have yet to see a Pedersoli lock on any of their guns that did not need attention in one manner or another, from relatively minor, to a complete rebuild, and that includes their cartridge guns. I worked over one their Sharps locks for a friend. No screw in the entire lock was 90o to the plate! Everything was out of whack, and had the smoothness of a dried corn cob. Oh sure, it would fire, but only if you set the set triggers. I will say, that it was a very accurate gun, even with the oversize bores they run in .45 cartridge.

 

[Tom Wilson]

Sorry guys, didn't mean to stir up a hornets nest.
I didn't realize that Bavarian was talking about flinters, so I threw out my 2 cents regarding my
Pedersoli cap guns.

My mistake. But I still like my cap guns!

I'm out of here now. Going to be working for the next 3 months on building a church in LA.

Cheers

 

[Edwin]

Sorry guys, didn't mean to stir up a hornets nest.
I didn't realize that Bavarian was talking about flinters, so I threw out my 2 cents regarding my
Pedersoli cap guns.

My mistake. But I still like my cap guns!

I'm out of here now. Going to be working for the next 3 months on building a church in LA.

Cheers

I was not talkin about flinters in particular. I just meant Pedersoli in general. But, when I buy a Pedersoli, it will have a caplock.

 

[cowpoke1955]

I have a .45 Pedersoli Blue Ridge flinter. I love that rifle and wouldn't give it up for anything. It seems that only Dixie and Cabela's are affected by the Euro Dollar. Prime example is the Lyman GPR, which is also made in Italy. Check their price, then check places like Midsouth Shooter and DNR Sports. Who's pulling the wool over whos eyes?! With the recent jump in Pedersoli's price, they are almost the same range of a quality semi-custom rifle. Don't get me wrong. Pedersolis are fine rifles, but they don't justify their current price.

 

[davy]

You guys are just jealous of us Ped users .. thats all! :hatsoff: :surrender: :rotf: :snore: :blah:

Davy

 

[J.D.]

You guys are just jealous of us Ped users .. thats all! :hatsoff: :surrender: :rotf: :snore: :blah:

I'm not the least bit jealous Davy. The locks on my Pedersolis work almost as well as a Chambers. Not quite, but almost. :blah: But it took some work to get e'm that smooth. :thumbsup:

Sometimes I think I gotta be :youcrazy: to work on those locks.

I had to harden all of the internals on the bess, and some on the frontier. Those parts were soft enough cut with a dull file.

One of the things I did to the frontier was to remove the breech and ream that .24 cal chamber to .300. The liner extended nearly half way across the ID of the chamber, so I reduced the length to equal the thickness of the barrel and breech. The inside of the liner was coned a bit too.

Those two operations improved ignition speed, reliability and accuracy a bunch.

Those Italian guns do shoot pretty well...when the locks are well tuned. There are more than a few folks who hate to see me walk into a shoot carrying that old bess.

The next step in reworking those locks is brazing on a half sole so's I won't have to reharden those frizzens again.

IT's good to hear you chime in on this thread Wick. I feel like I'm whistling into the wind sometimes.

I understand that the long range ML shooters buy Pedersolis because they are so accurate, but they have the locks rebuilt before the guns ever hit the range. I think Bob Roller rebuilds a lot of those locks. I sure would like to watch over his shoulder while he works on 'em.

TK,
It really doesn't matter if we are talking cap guns or flint. Flint guns are just more finicky to get to work correctly. Cap locks can be even more sloppy and kinda, sorta work well enough.
J.D.

 

[romeoh]

But I like my Pedersoli's
best.

As to price. Pedersoli arms are expensive. So are the parts. But
they are made in Italy, part of the EU, and the last time I looked the
excange rate between the Euro and the dollar was not in favor of the
dollar by a long shot. Is that Pedersoli's fault? Perhaps their
problem, but certainly not their fault. Parts are available from
Flintlocks, Etc. (www.flintlocksetc.com)

I have checked around for US made muzzleloaders, and they are not much
cheaper, if any (check the TOTW catalog). I can't comment on quality
of US made arms, although reading various posts on the forum make me
pause for thought.

Well TK, Pedersolis have a good reputation over here in germany. But: The prices are higher than in the US. Pedersolis aren´t cheap, no matter where you buy them.
For an example, the site of a german seller:
Link
Those prices are in Euro!

Pedersolis have usualy good barels and therefore are accurate shooters.
And for a factory-made ML they are not bad - but they are still factory-made.
You can see and feel the difference when you compare custom-made guns and factory-made ones.
Mistakes happen everywhere where humans work, you can´t prevent that by buying only custom or factory-made.

Don´t get me wrong, I own a pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken and it shoots better than me :winking:
But after I got infected by the flintlock-virus and looking around at one of the biggest ML-shooting-contests/rendevous over here I do no longer think of a pedersoli flintlock frontier which I first thought could be it.
I now look around here, at TOW´s etc, for a custom flint-longrifle that fit´s to my taste and purse. (Best for my purse would probably be a poor-boy :rotf: After getting it through german customs and paying a few "fairy-tale"-taxes it will cost me in the end about the same in Euros than it was before in $$!)
Those custom guns are mostly much more correct copys of ancient rifles - the frontier is just fantasy, not more - and hopefully will not let me be ashamed at the local shooting range... :redface:
My day will come... :v
And the nearly 1000,- Euros for a pedersoli maple frontier? - No :nono:

Many greetings from bavaria

romeoh

 

[hawkeye1755]

And the nearly 1000,- Euros for a pedersoli maple frontier? - No :nono:
romeoh

Wow, in 1993 i bought my Pedersoli Frontier flint cal.45 for ca.1100 DM that's today € 562.
And now the price is € 973, that's $1265 :cursing:
BTW, it shoots perfectly.It's not a custom made rifle, but was one of the best shooters i ever had.
:hatsoff: