Pedersoli Mortimer - Opinions

[Robbo]

Gentlemen

I eyeballed a very nice flinter rifle yesterday at the range. A Pedersoli Mortimer. The guy using it had owned and used it weekly since 1989 and it was still going strong, apart from a bit of recent lockwork.

To my eye they are fine looking rifle in the English tradition, as opposed to the USA styles which tend to dominate the blackpowder scene here in Oz. Does anyone here own one of these guns? I would be very interested in your views - ie quality of build, reliability, accuracy and so on.

Best Wishes

Robbo

 

[romeoh]

Hi,

a german gun magazine tested the Mortimer. I´m not sure when exactly, I guess it was 1992.
They said it´s only one thing wrong with it - if you don´t hit the bullseye you can´t blame it on the rifle... :grin:
Also a lot of world championships have been won with this gun and AFAIK it still rules many competitions.
I would say if you like the look you can´t do very much wrong with it. :thumbsup:
Check out the Pedersoli website, there are a few different models, you can get it as rifle or shotgun, with or without peepsight etc. Find out what fits best to your needs and then grab one.

Best wishes from bavaria

romeoh

 

[xxgrampa]

hi ho robbo,

don't have one myself, do know a guy that does. and like romeoh said, they shoot great. this guy takes home more than his share at the money shoots.

as far as problems, he had none.


best wishes from calif, and ..ttfn..grampa..

 

[cricket]

I have one. A very nice gun. But, and this is only my opinion, Pedersoli is a little overpriced. They are around a 1000.00 where I live and I am not so sure that I would be willing to drop that kind of Jack for one. I would more than likely throw my Dough at some semi custom rig. But, like every Pedersoli I have owned, it is accurate and good looking. Just my thoughts.

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

Back in the late 80's I had a Pedersoli Mortimer shotgun with a .54 caliber drop in rifled barrel.
The complicated lock did not perform nearly as well as any of my Siler locks. The pan to barrel fit was poor, with a pronounced gap between the pan and breech. Perhaps the current owner has corrected these shortcomings on the gun he's offering for sale.

The shotgun performed well for breaking clays, but the rifled barrel wasn't nearly as accurate as a longrifle. Never shot higher than a 46 with it offhand at 50 yards, and my other rifles always outshot it off a bench.

All, in all it was a decent gun, with the usual assortment of warts that you'd expect on a production gun.

 

[Padre]

Hi Robbo!

John Dunn did a write up in the Australian Shooter a couple of months back on this rifle. He took a deer with it and rated it highly. It was .54 cal. I'll try to find my copy of the article and let you know.

Padre

 

[ffffg]

MY OPINION ONLY!!!.. The biggest problem with a mortimer is that it doesnt have a chambers virginia lock on it.. You cant just upgrade it easily into custom quality. My mortimer has a pistol sized lock which I dont care for very much.. ...Its fine for several shots, then as it all gets dirty and the flashhole and chamber starts to crud up,(patent breach) you can occasionly run into minor problems with out cleaning... They just dont have the heat of the large military pans, and powerfull mainsprings with huge flints and tremendous shower of sparks, for 30 rounds strait that a good lock can do.. The mortimer is a good gun for the money, but the chambers kit, or a good custom is well worth the little extra money... . Parts and service are not a strong point with pedersoli.. AS I SAID MY OPINION ONLY... dave

 

[ffffg]

I rambled from gun to gun when I started black powder shooting.. I still have most of them.. I think I have all of them, except a terrible .50 cal pistol I first had.. Some how the flash hole was very long and angled.. strange... Starting with cap and ball then on to flint... I cant think of a parallel, but when you finnally get a good flintlock youll know it and it will not be pried out of your hands for love nor money, its true worth only be known to you.. The birds (deer) or what ever your after will fall one after the other, Youl hit what your aiming at, and it can be ugly as sin, but that one will be the one you take to the shoots, the range, and to the field.. And everone else will know its a great gun, without ever a word said...
that is what me and some others are trying to convey.... When you have that flintlock, the gun rambling will end... If you want a good price go to the shoots and buy one that an old timer is selling, or custom builder is selling...One that you like that is well known to be a good gun,.. I picked up a .54 with a sharon barrel last year for 500 dollars.. Best shooting flint rifle i own, but it has the small siler type lock.. Not a pretty gun but a true keeper, high quality custome made, and the owner was to sand, and finish it out, and never got there.. Its Ugly, but fantastic for hunting as it will always get off three good shots or more,, but as i said when she gets good and dirty, a simple wiping of the flint and pan and frizzen, a poke in the flash hole, isnt a sure fire any more... The sights are the best ive ever seen/used.. My chambers 16 gauge mark silver with a virginia lock and white lighting flash hole with a good flint will shoot alllll day long with no problems, and I cant remember, but at well below zero, or snow, sloppy manure, may never have misfired when a bird was in the air.... High humidity is the enemy of primer, and i keep the lock under my armpit in any of those conditions... If I replace the primer often (during high humidity situations) the virginia lock is going to go poof and the gun is going to go bang...
when a lock cools after fireing in cool or humid weather the pan will draw moisture and will never be completely dry after youve fired.. as your gloves,brush or rag are damp,and you wipe the pan, you still dont get all the moisure out, and your at the mercy of the weather..The best way to get it completely dry, is to prime wait a minite or so wipe the prime out and prime again... The huge military locks fare best in these conditions.. ......... People at the range sometimes will gather around to ask questions about flintlocks and such.. when i have that gun or one like it with the big lock, ill usually ask if they want to shoot it,, they usually say no. One man said after i offerd said "no thanks, too much fire comming out all over." :grin: Shoot one of these in a big bore at night and the forth of july isnt as exciting any more... :grin: the pedersoli is a nice gun, And it will take care of the itch until you find a better one, but i doubt it will be your favorite gun... dave..