Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket - Review

[Wes/Tex]

You betcha brother! By the by, I told on myself in the "Traditional Muzzleloading Hunting" section but didn't actually say(and for your benefit) the gun I've been using is a Pedersoli Trade Gun like yours. I was forced to sell off my babies over the last couple years due to my late wife's deteriorating health. Local guy had one he didn't think was something you ought to try to hunt deer with...silly person. Now if Ma Nature and her critters will quit screwing with me!! I'm at the point now that even if I don't see a single deer the rest of the season, I've had a heck of a time so far. Should also note, for your benefit, a .600" ball will deflect enough to miss a whole 4-pointer when it clips a couple branches between muzzle and bambi! I'm trying to think of all this as "humility training"! :thumbsup: :haha:

 

[Silex]

All the good bands... oh well I guess I am born in the wrong time, is it strange to love this music at my age... ?

Well different topic:
I have Swiss 1 1/2 myself originally bought for my 45-70, used it in .50 cal caplock and .44 Remington 1858 - both worked fine.
Once I got my smooth bored flintlock (28ga) I tried, but didn't like the result. The first shot out of a clean gun always worked but with noticable delay, not much though.
The second or third shot then was problematic, even with wiping and pan cleaning I couldn't get it to reliably go off.

Then tried Wano PPP (FFF) - problem gone.

You mileage may differ, because yours has a bigger bore - it may to some extend depend on touch hole diameter, too.

Silex

 

[smokeblower]

Mr Dorsey
I have broken a long time silence, if you will get into the woods and get some deer blood on your hands you will answer some of your questions. As far as a .32 for tree rats, you should need only one ball and a good rifle. You sound like a over excited, under hunted new black powder owner. Black powder hunting is a way of life not a QUICK new found hobby. Enjoy but no one likes a new found instant expert. Unless he has a string deer tags or three inch clusters at a range.

 

[matt denison]

Mr Dorsey
I have broken a long time silence, if you will get into the woods and get some deer blood on your hands you will answer some of your questions. As far as a .32 for tree rats, you should need only one ball and a good rifle. You sound like a over excited, under hunted new black powder owner. Black powder hunting is a way of life not a QUICK new found hobby. Enjoy but no one likes a new found instant expert. Unless he has a string deer tags or three inch clusters at a range.

:applause:

 

[Rob Dorsey]

Well Smokeblower :bow: (a very appropriate moniker in this case), I do have the things you mention as qualifiers to post opinion here although they are spread out over 52 years of shooting, both black and smokeless. ALL the game I've taken, both four legged and winged have been killed by either my own hand loads or muzzle loaded. I do not own, nor would I own, a so called "Inline" muzzle loader. I even took my own hand loads to Africa and took plains and dangerous game there.

I am an inveterate experimenter by nature and education so if I sound like I'm fumbling around it's probably because I like trying new things out. And if it seems that I sound like a beginner, that's because I'm not wishing to put myself above the other members of the forum who may have vastly more experience than do I, although I doubt it. They however still deserve the respect I try to impart. I often ask questions to which I know the answer just to spark the conversation.

True, I have been away from flint muzzle loading for a few years concentrating instead on BPCR competitions and load development, that experimenting thing again, but it has yielded the ability to knock down that old ram at 500M with open sights on 65gr Swiss 1 1/2 pushing a 535gr SP lead bullet. If you've never shot black powder cartridge, you're missing something.

I've also been drawn away from front stuffing by shooting and developing loads for extreme long range target shooting (.243, 300WM & 338 Lapua) where I can sometimes put your "3" wad" of bullet holes together at 600M. Gimme another year and I hope to do that at 1,500M but we'll see about that. It's way sub MOA.

So I hope that this relieves your concern about another "instant expert" because I don't want to be perceived as an expert at all, just a seeker of the best loads and guns. I am brand new to muskets so the 8 ball thing is an experiment but since it appears that your criteria for membership in the club is body count. Even though I am Buddhist (but not a very good one) and try to limit my killing of anything not perceived as vermin, but I'll try to do better in that area.

Best Regards,
Rob Dorsey, Florence, KY

 

[RunningBear]

You may not like this but you can make a rear sight out of brass or steel and attach it with super glue,notch it and see if you like it and if not tapp it off with a hammer and wooden dowel.This way its tempory and will not hurt your tradegun.I put a new front sight on my brown bess when i changed it into a trade gun and its held up for years now. :hmm:

 

[nwtradegun]

as to 600 rb deflection. back in 98 I had a French tradegun. me and my runnin mate were in the north ga. mountians. while sittin on a log a spike buck came out of the brush 65 yards down on the path. shot it. did not see a tree in front. 1 1/2 in sapling. down it went. stared cussin a storm. found I hit the critter dead center. got the name bank shot bob. venison bar-b-q that night

 

[roedgecomb]

Hey Y'All,

This is shaping up to be the best Christmas ever! Not only am I alive (which at a certain age starts to be a subject of gratitude and ever so slight amazement) but my wife has gifted me with three guns of my dreams, whittling away at my "bucket list" and presented early enough to take advantage of the season.

They are all Pedersolis, much to my pleasure, and are 1)a 50cal Pennsylvania long rifle, 2) a double SxS 12ga percussion shotgun and 3) a .62cal/20ga Indian Trade Musket. They all arrived within a four day period and, damn, this is one happy boy here.

The reason I'm bothering you on this frosty fall morning is my utter amazement at the Trade Rifle. It was really the last of my list and was included just to fill out my BP battery. Let me cut to the chase by saying that of the three, it is the most wonderful, hands down and will play a big part in my hunting and shooting life from now on.

When ever I get a Pedersoli gun, and I have several, the first thing I do is re-finish it. My earlier Pedersolis had much better rubbed oil finishes but lately they seem to have gone to a very "factory looking" finish that looks sprayed on. I notice that in the Pedersoli videos of the factory they show the stock making but notthe finishing. I therefore lightly sand the stock and then put on one wiping of proper color stain followed by 10 or 12 coats of TrueOil. You all know what this results in and the mediocre walnut of the Pedersoli stock really glows.

However, that taken care of, the Pedersoli hardware is incomparable in the price range. The lock is big, it appears to be the same one used on the Penn. 50cal, and the wood/metal fit is very nice. Not the seamlessness of say a vintage Purdy but again darned nice for the price. My other appearance related re-adjustment has to do with the brass which on all Pedersoli firearms is way too bright. This involves removal of the offending part followed by several applications of a solution which produces an instant greenish-brown patina which deepens with each application. Also, for those familiar with the Ped. Trade Musket, I modify the brass serpent cartouche on the left side by cutting out the fake waves in the middle of the looped tail with a Drimel tool. This makes the piece more original to period and just looks better, IMHO.

This thing is getting long so I'll finish up (no pun). It shoots great! Ball or shot all come out the other end very nicely with short lock times and, so far, sure ignition. The big .610 lead ball gives me a reassuring kick when it launches and it really thumps anything that gets in its way. The shot pattern is like any cyl. bore 20ga and I've settled on 70gr of FFg with 1oz of #6 shot for birds or...ready for this?... 8 .32 balls for small game. The 8 ball thing is very cool. They're from my flint squirrel rifle bag and with the same 70gr FFg will I am sure do an able job on more than squirrels or rabbits (my personal fave') but maybe turkeys, coyotes or coons, dunno yet.

The little musket weighs like 6 pounds loaded and is the easiest carry in my vault. I've only had one outing at our club with Chester our rabbit runnin' beagle and the 8 .32s put easy meat in the fridg.

If you want an easy carrying accurate woods musket for small game and, with ball I dunno how large game but whitetail certainly, this little musket offers authentic woods tromping fun. Maybe a survival gun as well, I'll let you ponder that one. But, if the SHTF thing ever arrives, it's going in the truck with the other guns.

Best,
Rob

Very nice description of your Pedersoli Trade Gun. Almost 10 years later I bought one for myself and have enjoyed it very much. Your description above has convinced me to refinish my stock.

 

[nkbj]

You may not like this but you can make a rear sight out of brass or steel and attach it with super glue,notch it and see if you like it and if not tapp it off with a hammer and wooden dowel.This way its tempory and will not hurt your tradegun.I put a new front sight on my brown bess when i changed it into a trade gun and its held up for years now. :hmm:

To expand on that, I opted for a spare rear band on the Pedersoli 1816 with a rear sight stuck on it.

 

[roedgecomb]

To expand on that, I opted for a spare rear band on the Pedersoli 1816 with a rear sight stuck on it.

Thank you for the tip.