Pedersoli Tryon Rifle: What decades is it PC ?

[Birdwatcher]

Embarassing to admit around these parts, but I aint fired BP in nearly 20 years. Back then I had an 1858 Uberti Remington and an el cheapo Zouave repro that I shot constantly. Gave 'em both away to friends when I moved, and got into smokeless when I got there.

A couple of years back I picked up a .54 Pedersoli Tryon rifle used at a gun show at a great price. In good shape, a little honest wear. Cleaned it up first thing and oiled the bore (its a slow twist .54, about one in 60") and put it up, intending to shoot it "some day".

The other day I bought one of those little bore lights that you drop down the barrel. Darn, the bore is bright and shiny as a mirror, whoever had it last took good care of it.

Got most all of the fixings, powder, ball and such, reckon I'll get to it this holiday.

OK, a couple of questions at a time: Browsing around on the web I couldn't find out much about the Tryons as gunmakers, except that they operated out of Philadelphia and at least one of them associated with the Hawken brothers for a time.

#1) Anybody got a source of info on Tryon rifles?

It has a back-action lock which apparently gives a fast lock time, but which I think I heard around these parts puts it late in the percussion period.

#2) Anybody know which particular decade the Pedersoli repro is based upon?

Seems like Pedersoli put out this rifle in a number of different versions. DGW carries some, currently all in .50 cal 1-48" twist. IIRC one of these is called the Tryon Creedmore with a tang-mounted peep and they state another version is drilled and tapped for such a sight.

#3) My own Tryon has a long tang with three screws, a single large one close to the hooked breech, and two smaller ones further down the tang. Anybody know if a peep sight can mount on those screws?

Finally, on my rifle all the furniture, including buttplate and trigger guard appears to be pewter. The front and rear sights are blued; the front a simple blade the rear sight a familiar high buckhorn with the stepped elevation shim, pretty much similar to the factory sights on countless .22's and modern lever actions.

#4) Is this rear sight period correct? (If it ain't, switching it out for a fixed buckhorn or such oughtta be easy enough)

Thanks,
Birdwatcher

 

[ResearchPress]

#2) Anybody know which particular decade the Pedersoli repro is based upon?

According to the Pedersoli catalogue the rifle is c1845. I don't own one or know anything of their history.

David

 

[Birdwatcher]

Thanks Dave, I didn't know Pedersoli HAD a catalogue.

Probably I have the "Tryon target delux" version, which the website ( http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/en/default.htm ) calls an "exact replica". Apparently the fittings are "brushed steel" which I expect is meant to copy pewter on the originals??? The do offer a "Tryon creedmore" sight too, with two different mounting screw spacings. Oughtta be a simple matter to measure the distance between the tang screws.

Birdwatcher

 

I can't help you about 'dating' the rifle, however sights should be fixed for the mid 1800's period, IMHO. They and may different styles of adjustable sights, some PC, others not, are easily available from www.trackofthewolf.com. They also generally mention the base dovetail size.
: BTW- the catolog is a very good investment- for $14.00 or is it $7.00? - anyway, everything they sell is full scale pictured in the catolog and makes replacing parts, locks, whatever, very easy, as well as shoing off many different stocks, locks, barrels, butt plates, patch boxes, and all other parts as well as books, plans, & possibles bags, shooting accesories, moulds- you name it, they've got it.

 

[Zonie]

I have owned 2 of these Tryons, one in .45 cal and one in .50.
I sold the .50 and added the sights you see in the photo to the .45.

I haven't been able to find pictures of Tryons catalog which shows this style of rifle so I cannot put a date on when the original was sold.
Based on the general style it could be anywhere from the 1850s thru the 1870s.
I don't think adjustable buckhorn sights were very common (if at all) in this time period.

I added the Pedersoli mid range tang sight and the Lyman Globe sight.
This model is a .45 cal with a 1 inch octagon barrel. IMO it's a bit heavy to be toting around in the woods but it makes one He.. of a target rifle.
Very well made with little niceities like retained barrel wedges. It has a Single lever double set trigger so it will only fire from the set condition which is OK for target shooting but isn't real great for hunting.

All of the furniture on this gun is color case hardened.

The 1980 Dixie Catalog does not show this gun, however the 1987 Catalog shows the .50 caliber version.
This 1987 version ($299) had color case hardened furniture however they also sold it in kit form ($249).
It may be possible that your gun is a kit with polished furniture?
As for the shiny barrel, these .50 caliber guns (at that time) had a 1;62 twist with .015 deep rifleing. The bore was Chrome plated so that could explain its excellent condition.

The Blue Book of Gun Values (1997) shows the Tryon in .45, .50 and .54 caliber. There was a engraved model with a "white steel hammer, lock, furniture and patchbox" which was worth $120 more than the standard version values.
In 1997 the values for the standard guns were: $450 for 100%, $390 for 98% and $300 for 95%.
The "Creedmore" was valued about $200 more than the standard version.
These guns are among Pedersolis top of the line and around 1999 - 2001 they were used to win the World BlackPowder Shooting competition. ::

 

[Birdwatcher]

Gentlemen... thanks for the info, the rifle might have been a kit but if so, it was well done. I'd believe the bore is chrome plated, bright and shiny as it was.

Hmmm... looks like I may have lucked out if shooting it doesn't reveal any unsuspected faults. I will say I got it for considerably less than 1997 blue book (its about 95% finish). And mostly period correct for post-Mexican War, pre-Civil War Texas. To top it all off a slow-twist .54, exactly what I wanted.


Zonie, I am a big fan of receiver peeps on my lever guns, would you recommend that Pedersoli tang-mounted peep on a muzzleloader for general plinking/shooting, or am I better off with buckhorns?

Thanks,
Birdwatcher

 

[Stumpkiller]

Henry Leman

In 1831 Henry Leman went to work for Tryon Rifle Co. The Leman's and Tryon's were both contemporaries of the Hawkens, and probably accounted for far more "plains rifles" that the Hawkens Brothers did. I don't know about the particular model of Tryon, but the original factory was in place throughout the whole percussion era.

 

[Zonie]

Birdwatcher: I can't say if you would like these sights or not.
I will say that a tang mounted ladder type of sight like I have will make the gun almost impossible to shoot with the sight folded. In other words, the open sight becomes un-usable IMO.

This is because when the sight is folded, it comes VERY close to your eye while you are aiming.

Although these sights (to me) look neat, I much prefer the TC, Lyman or Winchester folding tang type of peep sight but mounting one of these might require drilling and tapping a hole in the tang.