Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket - Review

[Britsmoothy]

Rob, can not answer that question directly but I am struggling with my Peder' trade gun (got it Friday)!
Very poor sparks! I have lightened the frizzen spring and now seems to be sparking better. I hope for better things next time out now!There is a snap in the hunting section.
The flints may be poor but with no experience etc etc!
The flint was hitting the frizzen so hard it was cutting into it and chipping the flint severly!
I think I have eased this situation but open to instruction.

All the best.

Brits. :thumbsup:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

If your flint is "cutting into" your Frizzen, then it's too soft, which would account for the poor sparking. The geometry may be off as well. A standard file should not grab or "bite" as you slide it along the face of the Frizzen. If it does in any way... too soft.

LD

 

[Wes/Tex]

Lott is one of those gunmakers who did't leave foot print on history. All we know for sure is that he was a Birmingham maker who was active during the late flint and percussion era. Most guns marked with his name are percussion sporting or 'trade' guns and generally smoothbore, though a couple rifled sporting guns are known. A couple have speculated he may have limited his work to lock making only, but it's not confirmed.

Ironically, the whole area of Birmingham known for over a century as "The Gun Quarter" and home of Greener, Westley Richards, Webley, Tranter and many other famous gun makers is going, or has been, renamed "Birmingham City Center" to be politically correct and move away from the terrorist image of gun making!!!

 

[Britsmoothy]

If your flint is "cutting into" your Frizzen, then it's too soft, which would account for the poor sparking. The geometry may be off as well. A standard file should not grab or "bite" as you slide it along the face of the Frizzen. If it does in any way... too soft.

LD

Thanks LD.....I just drew a file across it and the file does not pick up so that is a good sign.
I got better sparks when I removed the spring and just used light hand pressure.
So after the next field test I will know if it has improved things etc.

B :hatsoff:

 

[Alden]

My guess is your brittle flint is set so that it is hitting almost perpendicular to the face of the frizzen as opposed to incident upon it. It should not be slamming into the frizzen straight in where the harder flint SHOULD damage the softer steel -- that relationship is how flintlocks work -- but graze it from an angle down along its face.

A picture will show us Sir. I hope you haven't done irreversible damage to the lock by working on the spring...

Let's see. Literally please. A picture is worth more than most people's words...

 

[matt denison]

Guys have been fighting with those LOTT locks for over 30 years now. Some of us were shocked when pedersolli used them on the indian trade gun. (and the blue ridge rifle)

 

[Pioneer flinter]

Hey Rob I don't know if this would work for you. I have been using the tubes that the bore brushes come in from klean bore. they are not to big but still hold plenty of powder. Good luck with your trade rifle.

 

[Black Jack]

Guys have been fighting with those LOTT locks for over 30 years now. Some of us were shocked when pedersolli used them on the indian trade gun. (and the blue ridge rifle)

I believe the Pedersoli Frontier/Cabela's Blue Ridge flintlocks use a different lock than the Indian Trade Rifle.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Thanks Alden.
I don't think I have damaged anything no but have improved the sparks. However would like more!


I will take a photo later and put it up for comment.

B.

 

[Rob Dorsey]

Hi,

I have both the Cabelas Ridge Rifle in 50 Cal and the Pedersoli Trade Musket and they are indeed different locks. The rifle has a flat plate lock like a Siler and the musket has the Lott, rounded English style lock.

After all my crowing about the musket I had my first ever "bad day" with a Pedersoli firearm. It was chilly and almost misting but not quite and I had no-fire after no-fire. I ended up turning the flint over and using a little more prime (I'm a real miser for priming powder, I have my reasons) and finally got her to be semi-reliable. I say semi because when I was clearing the gun at day's end I stumbled up on a chukkar and swung on him only to have the lock go snap, no fire, no smoke, no chukkar.

The good news is I spent the first few minutes at our little range and made a target by shooting all three of my musket loads at it just to keep. The ball put a nice big hole pretty much near the middle at 15 yards, then the 8 little .31 balls which I've never gotten to pattern. It made the prettiest little "fairy ring" pattern with all eight arranged in a perfect circle about eight inches in diameter. Very cool. Then the oz. of #6 which made a nice pattern about 30" in diameter. If small game is your quarry, I highly recommend the 8, .31 ball load, serious medicine for squirrel, rabbit, yotes, etc.

Best,
Rob

 

[Britsmoothy]

Yes been damp here today and I had just a few mis-fires but then noticed the soot on the underside of the flint was wet so I wipe it away with my finger now and got regular fire again until later and I just had to move the flint slightly.

B.

 

[Rob Dorsey]

Well, more egg on my and Pier Angelo's faces. Really noticing extremely long ignition times on my Pedersoli Trade Musket. Like half a second or more. Once it flashed and I had almost started dismounting the gun when it fired. The long ignition cycle makes hitting flying birds a real challenge because you have to continue the dead on swing long after pulling the trigger. It's that long.

Flash hole is 1/16", pan and hole well aligned, using #FFFF in pan, 3/4" Dixie English flint, decent spark, Pyrodex RS 60gr (my choice for a culprit) all under 1oz #6 shot with 3/16 cardboard over-powder wad and thin card over-shot.

Any ideas before I takes a drill to this here flash hole bushing?

Best,
Rob

 

[Rob Dorsey]

PS: The only reason for using the Pyrodex RS is that a couple of years ago I bought 4 pounds of the stuff for shooting in my cartridge rifles.

 

[Alden]

Dude, I'd blame the Pyrodex too, but you say the pan is going off fine? Try real blackpowder down the bore and see what happens -- I'm sure it'll be better. Stop with the drilling already. Still, I'm a little surprised as you seem to be. And obviously keep gun clean...

 

[Britsmoothy]

how about dropping 10grn or so of the ffff down the barrel first!

b.

 

[Alden]

Ooo...! I'm telling!! That's a no-no Brit!!!

 

[Mercian]

I have to say that my Pedder trade gun can at times be a bit fickle when it comes to sparking. I find that I have to keep the flint well knapped. I have considered whether or not the flint may or may not be striking the frizzen to squarely, but I can't make up my mind. As regards slow ignition, I certainly think that the touch hole is situated too low, but looking at it, if the position of the touch hole in relation to the centre line of the barrel is important, something about which I don't really know, then I don't think the vent liner could have been positioned in the barrel much or any higher. What are your thoughts on touch hole position.

 

[Mercian]

I've just been and dry fired her, no priming powder, outside in the dark several times with the lock held up level and square to me, and she's sparking like a "good un."

 

[Wes/Tex]

Think you'll find that keeping the priming charge away from the touch hole will make more difference than just how high or low it may be. If it settles over the touch hole, you'll get a slight time lag like a fuse burning.

To Rob: Pyrodex requires a hotter ignition source than black powder and is probably the reason for your delayed ignition. The stuff works much better with percussion ignition than flint.

 

[Renegade Dan]

Dude, I'd blame the Pyrodex too, but you say the pan is going off fine? Try real blackpowder down the bore and see what happens -- I'm sure it'll be better. Stop with the drilling already. Still, I'm a little surprised as you seem to be. And obviously keep gun clean...

I'm with Alden, Try real black powder first before you try anything else.