Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket

[jeffdrown]

Where can I get a Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket ( .62 cal. 20 gauge) New or used.

In kit or built ?

Anyone have one????" Any info would be great..Jeff

 

[matt denison]

Get it in a kit if you can. Then you can replace the LOTT lock for one that works, use a correct sideplate, put some drop in the stock, use a better finish than the one from the factory, try to get a decent trigger pull out of it. Or look for one elsewhere that already has these things.

:stir:

 

[Red Jacket]

Dixie sell's them , built or as a kit . I bought one as a kit. I've no complaints about the lock , I set the trigger myself and am happy with it .

 

[Shine]

What would you know :wink: :grin:

 

[Alden]

I just bought my beautifully browned, nicely stocked, Pedersoli (they didn't say what brand it was but I knew and got it for a good deal as a result) trade musket, used, in excellent condition with a hand-braided sling thrown in. I couldn't be happier. As for the lock? It throws so many sparks it is actually scary -- hottest I've ever seen, period.

Reminds me of a BlastMatch emergency fire starter if you've ever used one -- OMG!

 

[pargent]

Is it true in your opion that they look more like an english fowler than a tradegun? The reason I ask is because we dont have the access to you builders like we used to down here,a friend is after an english fowler and we were dicusing changing a pedersoli tradegun to suit .

 

[Renegade Dan]

Jeef
Check out the classifieds in this forum. There's a nice North West trade 62 cal. gun for sale. http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/pp-classifieds/showproduct.php/product/8478

This would be less money for a high quality gun. :thumbsup:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Is it true ..., that they look more like an English fowler than a tradegun? ..., a friend is after an english fowler and we were dicusing changing a pedersoli tradegun to suit .

I'd have to say yes, sorta. I have one, and the butt plate is screwed on, and the side plate is incorrect, as is the blued trigger guard. The barrel is octagon to round, and is browned, and the ramrod pipes were incorrectly drilled and pinned with one pin simply breaking out of the wood. (So much for those that claim that Pedersoli guns are of superior cosmetic quality.)

I have considered swapping out the lock plate to a more correct one, and swapping out the trigger guard to a brass one closer to a Carolina trade gun or English fowler. The screws on the butt plate will need to be removed and unblued, and the browning needs to come off of the barrel.

With those cosmetic changes the gun will look a lot closer to an English gun. I'd say that your friend will probably want to add an entry thimble, so replacing the two from Pederoli would be needed to to match the after market entry thimble that was bought. The butt plate could be improved by fitting it with a more "English" one. I don't mind the look of the lock but the case hardening color would need to be polished off.

As for functioning, the gun works quite well.

Brand new the kits from Dixie go for $875. I bought mine used for less than half that, so the cost of swapping out several of the parts would still put me below the cost of the kit. Swapping out the butt plate, fitting the new trigger guard, and installing the entry pipe are a tad higher on a skill level than simply putting together a Dixie kit, or finishing the wood of a gun bought in-the-white. AND consider, with all of those changes, the gun would only be "closer", but it will not be as good as something like this Pennsylvania Smooth Rifle or this Virginia Smooth Rifle finished in-the-white, in my opinion. These essentially require the same skill to complete the stock as does a Pedersoli kit, but I think the lock and trigger are higher quality, and the barrel probably is as well. You will need to polish the metal, both the brass and the lock & barrel, but for the finished results and the cost of the "kit", in my opinion it's worth that added effort.

I would recommend that your friend consider one of the Sitting Fox smooth rifles in something like the 24 bore (.58), or the more common 20 gauge in-the-white. The 20 gauge is more common than the 24 gauge so wads and cards may be easier to find, and the 20 should only weigh a few ounces heavier than the 24, but if your friend was thinking of bird shooting as well as squirrels and deer, he might consider the slightly lighter barrel of the 24 bore, and order it in a 36" barreled gun. A few ounces does make a big difference when swinging the gun on a flying bird. The Sitting Fox guns that I have seen are very nice, and I am currently saving up to get one myself, 24 gauge.

LD

 

[fosters]

I do not post much because I usually do not have much to contribute, and in this case I really do not either other than seconding what LD and Laffindog have mentioned. I have a factory one that was my fathers. After replacing the mainspring atleast 2-3 times we finally ditched the Lott lock and replaced it with a Davis that sort of fit the inlet. Reminds me I still need to fix that. As for what LD mentioned he is spot on as usual.

for what it's worth, fosters