smokin' deal on Bess??

[dlocke]

My local gun emporium has a Pedersoli Bess in 95% condition w/ bayo for $550 and I have them holding it for me until I can get there Monday. I know these are close to $1000 at Dixie, so I couldn't pass up the deal. Anyone have a Pedersoli and how do you like it? I have a Pedersoli kentucky pistol kit and compared the lock to my chamber's Ketland lock and was quite impressed with the quality of the Pedersoli lock, not to mention the overall craftsmanship of the kit.
DJL

 

[Grenadier1758]

I used a Pedersoli bess for several years until I replaced it with a first model. The Pedersoli was a reliable gun and with practice shot ball fairly well. I mostly shot blank rounds in it as I participate in a living history unit representing the Royal Scots during the F&I war. Most of the long time unit members have the Pedersoli or the Japanese Brown Bess.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I would voice the usual cautions for buying a used gun. Check the bore, see if the bayonet fits, operation of the lock. If the serial is laser etched it is fairly new. Take a 10-32 nut along. Recent Pedersolis will have a 10-32 thread on the end of the ramrod. Older versions are metric.

Pedersolis are somewhat notorious for having the cased hardening of the frizzen wear off and then not sparking well. Be sure of a good spark, after verifying that is is not loaded. The flint should be one of those 1 1/8" wide musket flints. Even if it doesn't spark well it is relatively easy to reharden the frizzen. You want to see that the lock works cleanly to open the pan and that the springs are strong as you want in a military musket.

 

[dlocke]

Cool beans. I'll be sure to check it thoroughly. I'm not worried about a soft frizzen. I can fix that easily enough.
DJL

 

[Many Klatch]

My Bess is a Pedersoli Carbine. At 25 yards it puts the balls into one big ragged hole. The gun goes off quickly enough for a Bess and it has been real reliable. I get about 30 shots out of flint before I change the flint. I could probably get more, but in a lot of shots a klatch is a miss.

$550 for a Bess with a bayonet is a steal. I paid $75 for my bayonet.

Many Klatch

 

[Rebel]

I just got an older Pedersoli Bess carbine. I haven't had a chance to work up loads for it yet. How does you carbine shoot at 50 yds? What load are you using in it? Mine seems to do well with 80 gr of Goex 2f, an overpowder wad and a patched rd ball. Tried it with up to 100 grs but 80 seems to do the job ok.

 

[Jdzara]

Rebel,
Are you collecting Brown Bess' now?

Jerry

 

[Rebel]

Nope, i only have the short one at this time. :grin: Traded the 1rst Model India Bess for the Pedersoli Bess carbine.

 

[Jdzara]

rebel,
Did you ever shoot the India Bess?
Jerry

 

[Rebel]

Nope, i browned the barrel on it and then traded it off before i ever even fired it.

 

[Jdzara]

Well, Somebody's gotta shoot it!
Maybe this is a"trading gun" and not a firing gun? LOL

Jerry

 

[Rebel]

Well, according to a few of the folks here, all of the India made guns should ge traded and not fired. Looked like a well made gun to me though. I'm sure Bill will fire it.

 

[juancho]

Love mine.Two missfires out of 80 shots. Still the same flint, thou it's been touched up every 30 os so shots.I can probably get over 200 shots out of that flint(1x1 1/8),and I get about 100 from the small 5/8 flints on my Pensylvania.It is all about reshape/resharp the flints. Groups hover around 2 in at 25 yds. and 8 in at 50.. I am sure the gun is beter than that if fitted with a better shooter :haha:
I buoght it as a shotgun and it gives me very nice patterns at 25/30 yds. 100 grns ffg or fg and 1 1/2 oz #5 with wads and shot cups.
I "demilitarize" mine by removing the sling swivels, I find it more pleasing to the eyes.
Luky You I paid full $$ ! :redface:

 

[aloyalistdawg]

:thumbsup: awesome bess... I use my pedisoli for re-enacting ...awesome shoots rebs all day long!!!
Go for in, it works as a good grouse and Rabit gun as well...
My best regards just a loyalistdawg :hatsoff:

 

[Many Klatch]

Hey Rebel. I use 90 grains of 2F and a .715 ball with .010 ticking. I have hit a large gong on purpose at 100 yards with it. At 50 yards I can keep the balls in a 2' X 2' square.

Being the lazy type, I also prime with 2F.

Many Klatch

 

[Rebel]

Thanks i took mine out and did some shooting with it today, mostly with shot loads to try to get a load worked up for turkeys. I did fire a few .690 rd balls too. I use 80 grs Goex 2f, a half a lubed cushion wad and a denim patched ,690 rd ball. Seems to work pretty good. For some reason mine has problems with ignition with 2f as a prime. Worked great with 3f and 4f though.

 

[dlocke]

I picked up the Bess today and I am happy to report that I did get a smokin' deal. The barrel is laser etched, so it is a newer model, the bore is clean and rustfree, and the flintlock springs are tight and the mechanism sent down a good shower of sparks with the old worn flint that was in the jaws. There is some surface rust in the pan, probably the result of neglect there while cleaning. All in all, great deal. Came w/ bayonet and repro white leather sling. The touchhole goes ever so slightly below the pan, so we'll see how that goes.
DJL

 

[Rebel]

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