Hey fellas I just ordered one of these kits for a small game rifle as a black powder enthusiast and hunter. Has any one assembled one of these kits and do you have any advise? I was reading that it was a Level 1 skill build, however when I was reading Pedersoli manual it was discussing wood removal around the tang and filing the tang level with the wood and also draw filing the barrel? I didn’t think there was gunna be much more than just blueing the barrel and finishing the stock. This is my very first kit and now I am very hesitant about it. My choices were this kit or a Traditions Crockett rifle so I stretched my budget to get a better quality rifle. Now I wonder if I made a mistake. Please help me.
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Pedersoli Scout .32 cal Kit Help
- Thread starter Leadriver
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I don't have any experience with the Scout but I've owned a number of Pedersoli muzzleloaders, AND I've recently acquired a Crockett kit to fool with this winter. The Crockett I ended up with is something of a trash fire, with multiple issues throughout that will take considerable work to correct. You likely made a very good choice going with the Pedersoli, or at least that's my opinion. The work you mention is not difficult to do, especially with all the online tutorials we have available nowadays, and is really basic to muzzleloader construction. Just ask here if you run into something confusing or outside your current skill level. There will be several highly skilled individuals right along to help you out.
Treestalker
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Go slow, take time to get or make some really narrow sharp chisels for your tang inlet. Take a little less wood than you think you need to, and then tap the tang gently in place to mash the edges of the inlet to show you where to finish taking wood. A little lipstick on the underside of the tang helps. Filing it flush with the wood and sanding with a file for a backer will clean up the job, just be careful not to change your stock contour too much, good job. It'll be fine. George.
I've found that hacksaw blades can be fashioned into fine little inletting chisels, if you're working on a budget and learn how it's done. Like George said above, it'll be fine.
I’ve done a few Pedersoli kits in the last few years. Every one of them could be put together straight out of the box, loaded and fired. On the other hand there was some wood that needed to be sanded to remove machine marks, level the wood to the lock, trigger guard, butt plate and tang. The wood along the barrel was too thick and needed to be sanded back. Brass parts were as cast and needed the casting marks removed and polished. I’m a terrible woodworker and i completed them just fine. Pretty much all woodwork can be done with sandpaper. Take your time and look at lots of pics of rifles similar to yours.
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Richard Turner
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Treeman: You hit every point dead on, exactly what I was going to say. I just finished a Pedersoli Indian Trade Gun Kit from Dixie in August. The Trade Gun was fully assembled in the box when it arrived, brass hardware needed a little work, filing, sanding, used a buffer with jewelers rouge. I cut the waves out of the serpent side plate with a jewelers saw and finished, polished/antiqued. The stock was fully inletted, didn't really need any chisels, just thinned the profile of the buttstock, and sanded flush with the tang and buttplate. Sanded the router marks around the lock mortice and thinned the forestock, rounding the edge to the barrel. I found that having a hard rubber auto body sanding block worked well in thinning the forestock. The barrel came with what Pedersoli calls a rust protective finish, which has to be removed. I took the barrel outside and stripped the finish using chrome wheel cleaner. The finish basically slid off as I sprayed, the rest I removed with Scotchbrite and an old toothbrush. I then sanded the barrel and browned with Laurel Mtn Rust Brown finish.
Here is a link to a photo album which details pretty much what I experienced from out of the box, start to finish. I thought it turned out pretty good for a production kit. Upon testing, it more than exceeded my expectations for a trade gun style smoothbore. Very reliable ignition after opening up the touchhole to 1/16" diameter.
Pedersoli Indian Trade Gun Kit
You did not make a mistake. Needing a little wood work to open the inlets, filing down some metal is to be expected. You will need a fine single cut file for the metal, some inletting chisels, some sandpaper with backing blocks (which can be small pieces of wood. The best advise is to be patient. There are several good videos and books to help in the build. You have plenty of mentors available on the forum and probably some local to you.
Thanks for all the comments fellas, I can’t wait to recieve the kit. I love shooting my Lyman Great Plains Rifle in LEFT hand flintlock. Just wished Pedersoli made a left hand .32 but I wanted a cap lock because this will be used in late season for small game and it gets pretty snowy and wet in my area so a cap lock would be best anyway. What stain and oil finish do you recommend? Blueing or browning? I would like it to have a dark brown with a red hue to it if that makes sense.
That's pretty consistent with my Dixie experience, and I'm sure they're facing a tremendous surge in orders like everyone else. Most orders of mine seem to sit "in shipping" for several days while they're working their way down to mine, but the order eventually updates to shipped.
I bought an odd Sharps rifle from them last year. So odd, in fact, I thought the listing was a mistake. I finally got through on the phone and spoke with an older lady who tied up almost an hour of her day verifying the rifle and then wrangling the interstate transfer of a "modern" gun. That kind of care seems pretty rare nowadays, or at least it has been for me. I'll usually place several orders a year with them and while their prices tend to be full retail, they often have things I can't find anywhere else.
Turner was still alive the last time I visited the store, and the place was just insane then. I wanted to move in and live there for a year or so to see what all I could find!
I bought an odd Sharps rifle from them last year. So odd, in fact, I thought the listing was a mistake. I finally got through on the phone and spoke with an older lady who tied up almost an hour of her day verifying the rifle and then wrangling the interstate transfer of a "modern" gun. That kind of care seems pretty rare nowadays, or at least it has been for me. I'll usually place several orders a year with them and while their prices tend to be full retail, they often have things I can't find anywhere else.
Turner was still alive the last time I visited the store, and the place was just insane then. I wanted to move in and live there for a year or so to see what all I could find!
I just hope it ships soon, I have made time on the 30th to go hunting and really wanted to take it hunting. I already have all the other supplies coming Monday and Wednesday. There site doesn’t list any extended shipping times but who knows.
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Beyond build time, and wood finishing time, you will still need range time to bring it to accuracy that will make an ethical kill shot. 2 weeks is pushing it.
As far as making a mistake....you have not. You need a copy of "the Art of Building the Pennsylvania Longrifle" by Dixon, Miller and Ehrig. Not as complicated as the more detailed books out there, but it will show you how each piece is supposed to fit and why they may need adjustments. It will walk you through anything in the process that makes you nervous.
And I bet if you order the book today it will get to you long before Dixie gets their box to you.
Gives you something to read while you wait.
As far as making a mistake....you have not. You need a copy of "the Art of Building the Pennsylvania Longrifle" by Dixon, Miller and Ehrig. Not as complicated as the more detailed books out there, but it will show you how each piece is supposed to fit and why they may need adjustments. It will walk you through anything in the process that makes you nervous.
And I bet if you order the book today it will get to you long before Dixie gets their box to you.
Gives you something to read while you wait.user 48702
Richard Turner
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On the Pedersoli Trade Gun, I had about 7 hours of sanding time in the stock, and finishing the stock took about 3 to 4 days, lots of drying time involved between staining and oiling. Metal work and finishing/browning the barrel, filing/polishing the brass hardware, and aging the brass, another 3 to 4 days if you stay after it. All in all, about 30 actual hours if you take your time and do it right. It took 3 days of application/carding to achieve the finish that I ended up with. Even though all the inletting is done there is still a lot of wood to be removed to make it look right.
Col_Houston
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I finally got to visit Dixie Gunworks 2 years ago when we were shooting a movie in a nearby town. Very unassuming on the outside, when you step INSIDE! Wow! There was an older lady at the front and she visited with us for at least 20 minutes BEFORE we got to look around. Super customer service. Several more people were seen packing and filling orders and they didn’t stop. 
user 48679
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Lately, parcel delivery has been slow & spottier than it has in the past - lack of employees, etc, etc
The gun is too important to rush things. Take your time and you will be more than satisfied.
Well I just got my kit this evening, looks like there’s going to be more work involved than I initially thought. Mainly appears to need a lot of sanding and the brass needs the casting lines removed and polished. There are a few chips on the edge of the barrel channel and where the stock meets the brass end cap. It does have rather nice color case hardening on the lock, and has a really good overalls fitment of the various metal to wood pieces.
