Pedersoli lock quality

[user 28522]

I would like to hear from folks who have a Pedersoli flintlock rifle that could comment on the quality of the lock itself. How does it spark, consistent spark, hardness of the frizzen, etc.
Considering buying a flintlock Pedersoli and some opinions seem to be all over the map, not sure if these comments were from actual owners or from people that just poo poo factory stuff.

Longone

 

[curator]

All Pedersoli flint locks are better than Spanish made or coil-spring flint locks on low price rifles and pistols. However, there is a big difference between the locks on their "Kentucky" rifle and their Mortimer rifles. I would make the analogy of comparing a Ford Pinto with a BMW. On their reproduction military muskets, the locks are rugged and reliable. Occasionally I have had to re-harden a Pedersoli frizzen, but they are made of the correct steel alloy so no case-hardening is required. The correct temperature heating/quenching/drawing procedure usually permanently fixes this issue. The MOST important part of a flint lock rifle is the lock. Buy the best you can afford and you won't be sorry later.
A direct comparison between the lock on my Pedersoli Mortimer and a friend's $6000, original 1801 Joseph Manton shotgun showed the careful attention to detail that Pedersoli put into the making of their high-quality locks. Both look like the inside of a fine Swiss watch, are glass-smooth, lightning fast, and sure fire with a very small amount of priming powder.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I own several "factory" rifles and guns, though not all are Pedersoli.

The lock on my Pedersoli Frontier, bought as a Cabela's Blue Ridge Hunter was very good back in 1994 when it was purchased. It was a large lock compared to Pedersoli's other flintlock rifles, and I wouldn't mind having one again in .54. (As a gift or wait until it goes on sale). Mine at the time was in .50, and I sold it to a young man getting into flintlock hunting. :grin:

The barrel on the Frontier is shorter (39") than that on the Pedersoli Pennsylvania rifle, but the Pennsylvania has a smaller lock, and the largest caliber offered is a .45. Other than those two, their Jaeger gets good reviews as a flinter, and that's the only short barrel version of their flinters that I like...just personal preference. I prefer my rifles with barrels 38" or longer for big game calibers, in most cases.

My Blue Ridge Hunter's lock sparked well, and was pretty reliable in that respect. Pedersoli in that model uses a "patent breech" so you have to be sure to clean breech area in a special manner. The Pedersoli locks are priced about $100 higher from parts supplies than better made Chambers or Davis locks. I don't know why unless it's the currency exchange rate.

I have a Pedersoli trade gun and the frizzen was poorly heat treated, and the ramrod thimbles were very badly installed. :idunno: I think the lock quality on the Bess muskets has declined over the years, but you're asking about rifles, not muskets nor trade guns, eh?

I hope this helps.

LD

 

[nwtradegun]

on a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 8.75. had a petrosolie indian trade musket. a reworked brown bess. sparked like a devil served me for many years till I sold it. only other locks that were better were custom made and tuned locks

 

[Jumpshot]

I have a Penn. rifle and Kentucky pistol flinters. They perform great, very reliable and lots of sparks with a sharp flint. The rifle is 17 years old now and still shooting fine. The stiff frizzen spring is the only thing I'd change, it's stiffer than it needs to be.

 

[ohio ramrod]

So true, mine "ate" flints until I thinned it to reduce stiffness. Now it sparks well and the flints last four times longer. :idunno:

 

[user 28522]

Good information guys, thanks.
I'm 99% sure I'm going to move on a new flintlock.

Longone

 

[Rick Boylan]

My Pedersoli Kentucky works exactly like I want. It always sparks good and goes boom. Beautiful rifle.

 

[Commodore Swab]

I have a factory Harpers Ferry pistol. I received it as partial payment from a friend who has an identical. The geometry is horrid and if everything is "right" some sparks make it to the pan. I have found it to be easier to make an India lock reliable (due to the poor geometry). I do not have any other Pendersoli products.

I will eventually replace the cock and fully fix it as it is mine. It is not worth selling especially after I put the time into it.

 

[Rick Boylan]

Sounds like you had a bad situation. It could have been the lock or it could be that the guy gave you a gun that was goofed up and he couldn't fix. The majority of those who discuss Pedersoli on here like them and say they are quality. A lemon happens in the making of any product. I would caution you to not judge all Pedersoli guns by your one bad instance. :v

 

[Critter Getter]

I have a Pedersoli Frontier ( Blue Ridge) in a 50 caliber flint that I am thinking about selling now. I have put only about 60-75 shots through it and can tell you that it sparks wonderfully and is very reliable. This is the only Pedersoli flintlock that I own so I can't comment on any of their other models. Greg

 

[19 16 6]

I must agree with Curator.
I own & shoot only one Pedersoli & that is a Mortimer.
They cost BMW $$ & if you don't want a Pinto then expect to spend to get the quality.
O.

 

[Commodore Swab]

Judging by others opinions here regarding the same pistol as well as the mate that he still has it is not a single lemon. I estimate I've easily played with over 100 different flintlocks ranging from India, Japan, Spain, TRS, Chambers, etc. I would rank this particular Pendersoli at the bottom of the pile due to the geometry.

"The lock suffers at least as many problems as the Pederosoli 1803 Harpers Ferry rifle, possibly more. I have been thinking of trying to fitt a shorter goose neck cock to mine as a starting point to make it shootable."
-hawkeye2

"Agree that the lock is not right, with the following caveat: I have the production Harper's Ferry gun, not the kit. I am assuming that the kit has the same lock.
The geometry of the lock is all wrong. Not only is it wrong for proper lock function, it's wrong from the perspective of copying the original.
In addition to that, the production model is rifled. Really? Why????
Mine has consistent ignition problems due to the lock geometry."
-Chowmif16


"The kit is not hc. It is the wrong caliber in the first place, and the lock geometry is odd. The flint hits the frizzen as if the intent is to chop the frizzen in two It is, however a very pretty gun."
-frogwalking

My idea as to a reliable piece is one that I can take and ignite powder in 20 times with better than 90% reliability without cleaning or having to touch the flint. This lock fails miserably.

Having said all this it is my pistol, I do like it but just need to rebuild the lock into one that works reliably to my standards.

 

[Rick Boylan]

So you have a problem one, and you copied two others that were unhappy with their locks. The third guy just said it was odd, not that it was wrong. True, the Pedersoli isn't an PC/HC build. But it is one of the top of the line production guns. There are more here who own and like their Pedersoli's. I don't judge a manufacturer by the opinions of a few who are disgruntled.

Even custom made guns suffer from bad locks from time to time. I've read a few accounts on here from people who received custom built guns and they had to send back the lock to get it to work correctly. So this failing isn't unique to Pedersoli. Buy a Traditions and you will see that they have similar issues. In fact, most production guns have lemons.

You can't judge all Pedersoli guns by the failings of a few.

 

[jamieorr]

You're right, but as a relative newcomer I've been struck by the number of negative comments that I've seen about Pedersoli locks, especially as I thought they were an upscale product.

If I were still looking for my first flintlock, I would not be choosing a Pedersoli. I hope the company is hearing some of these complaints so they can take any action they think needed.

Jamie

 

[Commodore Swab]

First off Pendersoli is a quality product, I was making note to a particular piece in their line that is designed poorly.

The issue is that someone dropped the ball on the design. As far as being a "lemon" the problem, the same problems exist with every harpers ferry I have handled. When I see the same problems in Every piece of this model it is a design problem and not something unusual. As the quality of the build is very good and the problem is design you can't compare this lock to another lock as the design is different.

If there is somebody out there with a Harpers Ferry (pistol) lock that has good luck I would like to hear from you. Good luck meaning 20-30 shots with little to no problems, flints that are not destroyed. Basically something that doesn't need checking and cleaning every few shots.

 

[Jumpshot]

All this discussion about the Harper's Ferry pistol would be interesting, if that's what the OP were asking about. He's asking about a rifle. The Harper's Ferry pistol has a different lock. Notice that the comments on flintlock rifles are positive. Mine still sparks fine and shoots accurately 17 years after I bought it, no modifications or 'improvements' being done to the lock.

Next time I want advice about a Dodge Challenger, I'll be sure to ask about a Ram truck so I'll get helpful advice.

 

[Bo T]

I just received a Pedersoli Harpers Ferry kit and I am convinced that the current lock is NOT the same as some that were obtained earlier. First, the pictures of earlier locks show the mainspring riding directly on the tumbler (I hope I am IDing the parts correctly, I'm sort of guessing at my schematic). My lock has a stirrup that fits in the tumbler and the rear of the mainspring rides on the stirrup (the design seems to serve the purpose of decreasing lateral play in the back portion of the mainspring). I cannot attest to the design but the parts and assembly are on par with any of a number of modern guns that I have looked at.

 

[Rick Boylan]

:hatsoff:

 

[Joe Yanta]

Being retired and always looking for something to do with my time I visited an old and well known mail order company and read through the hundreds of reviews that are available on the Pedersoli arms they sell. I took a few notes.

Pedersoli Flintlock Rifles.

72 reviews total being as follows:

57 reviews were 5 star
11 reviews were 4 star
3 reviews were 3 star
1 review was 1 star

I read the 1 star review in total. It seems that the complaint was the cock was to far forward. When a flint was located in the jaws the flint would not allow the frizzen to close over the pan.

ON the Harpers Ferry flintlock pistol

14 reviews as follows:

10 reviews were 5 star
3 reviews were 4 star
1 review was 3 star

So out of 86 reviews 81 were 5 and 4 star which I would think is excellent. You would also have to conceder that some of the reviews came from first time flintlock shooters.

Joe