What if any difference? Dixie vs. Pedersoli ...

[Boom Stick]

I have been looking for a certain rifle for a while now (availability) and Dixie Gun Works seems to be about the only option.

While they do have a Pedersoli in the model I want (just different caliber), there is also a Dixie model, made by Pedersoli, also available. The only difference that I can see is that the Dixie model is approx $300 less.

What is the difference between a 'straight' Pedersoli gun vs. a Dixie gun manufactured by Pedersoli? Less finished or blemished?

 

[azmntman]

$300.00 is the difference if they have the exact features (twist, bbl length, ignition, sights etc.)

"Same" gun by Dixie may have a different twist, lock style, sights etc. Get the cheap one and use the $300,00 for case of Schutzian powder.

 

[stikshooter]

$300.00 is the difference if they have the exact features (twist, bbl length, ignition, sights etc.)

"Same" gun by Dixie may have a different twist, lock style, sights etc. Get the cheap one and use the $300,00 for case of Schutzian powder.

And add another $200.00 plus at Travelers ,where I bought my last 25LBs (includes hazmat/shipping)/Ed

 

[maillemaker]

Dixie Gun Works does not manufacture guns to my knowledge. If they are selling a Pedersoli gun, it is made by Pedersoli in Italy.

If one is $300 more than the other and the difference is caliber than that must be the difference in price. Or, they just have a screw-up in their inventory system.

 

[UndeadPoet]

What models are you looking at?

 

[Boom Stick]

1841 Mississippi.

Odd, I just checked the site and both are now the same price, though the Dixie (Pedersoli) is a .54 and Pedersoli is a .58. Eventually looking to pick up two to play with ... one to add the front and rear sights as used on the Zouave to research and use .54 Burton/Minne bullets and paper cartridges. The other to get rebarreled by Mr. Hoytt (sp?) into a pure .54 PRB barrel, ie. 1:66 twist, 7 groove like the originals. And before anyone asks or offers a suggestion, I do not like the lines of the Zouave with the bayonet lug and the front barrel band. I'm currently not a reenactor so the bayonet lug is meaningless and just a waste to my thinking and if I wanted to get into it at a future date I would still use an 1841 and approach it as a Confederate volunteer straight from indian and bandit fighting out west, starting from the gold fields through Texas.


Yeah, I understand that Dixie doesn't make their own rifles, just pays a manufacturer to produce 'under their name'. Same as Cimarron and Taylors with the Uberti and Pietta revolvers.

 

[Stantheman86]

I have a .54 Mississippi made by Euroarms and it drives tacks with .534 Minies. Not saying all of them will, but mine does. It's also good with .530 round balls.

Pedersoli simply bought all of Euroarms tooling and machinery , and makes the old Euroarms rifles. They are exactly the same rifles. In fact the old Euroarms rifles may be fitted a little better than a new Pedersoli.

 

[maillemaker]

I can't speak to the Mississippi rifles, but their Enfields are not exactly the same, for sure. I have a 3-digit Pedersoli P58. The lock internals were still old Euroarms parts (still have the cast P-H cast into them from when they copied the Parker Hale parts). And the rear sight was a muddy casting also. I then got a newer Pedersoli P53 and it has all new internals and a machined rear sight. So when they used up the old Euroarms parts they made new stuff. And their springs were much nicer looking / crafted.

 

[Stantheman86]

I can't speak to the Mississippi rifles, but their Enfields are not exactly the same, for sure. I have a 3-digit Pedersoli P58. The lock internals were still old Euroarms parts (still have the cast P-H cast into them from when they copied the Parker Hale parts). And the rear sight was a muddy casting also. I then got a newer Pedersoli P53 and it has all new internals and a machined rear sight. So when they used up the old Euroarms parts they made new stuff. And their springs were much nicer looking / crafted.

I remember when Pedersoli added a clean out screw on the bolster of the P53 and caught all kinds of heat from reenactors. So they have since deleted it.

Pedersoli has likely moved to CNC machining so you're right, they are probably updated from Euroarms original rifles. I do like my Pedersoli CS Richmond but my only small gripe is the polycoat they put on the stocks. It's a repro, I get it, and I buy them to shoot but it looks terrible to me. I'm hoping hand wear from handling and cleaning knock the shininess down .

I don't think Pedersoli sells as many of their Mississippis or if they even make them anymore, so who knows how old any of them that are in stock are. My Pedersoli 1816 Springfield percussion conversion was made in 2008, and I bought it brand new from Dixie in 2019.

 

[Boom Stick]

Stantheman86, the Mississippi is still in their catalog, as of 2022. Hopefully they do not drop it as it is a really sharp looking rifle. Also, as to your rifle ...

Do you lube your Minne bullets?

If so, how may rounds are you able to shoot before you have to swap / wipe the bore?

Have you tried shooting any of the Enfield Pritchart cartridges through yours? If so, how was the accuracy with that cartridge? Not out of the realm of possibility, historically, as the Confederacy imported multiple-millions of those rounds to feed their arms during the War of Northern Aggression.

As I stated earlier, I'm looking at two Mississippi rifles, one as a straight PBR rifle with the proper twist ala barrel work by Mr. Hoyt and the second as a Minne/Burton bullet gun with the addition of adding the front and rear sights from a Zouave rifle installed as an 'upgrade'. I have already found and bookmarked a site that sells them.

 

[maillemaker]

I remember when Pedersoli added a clean out screw on the bolster of the P53 and caught all kinds of heat from reenactors. So they have since deleted it.

I was part of the heat!

Do you lube your Minne bullets?

If so, how may rounds are you able to shoot before you have to swap / wipe the bore?

Have you tried shooting any of the Enfield Pritchart cartridges through yours? If so, how was the accuracy with that cartridge? Not out of the realm of possibility, historically, as the Confederacy imported multiple-millions of those rounds to feed their arms during the War of Northern Aggression.

I have shot N-SSA competition with muskets for 10 years. We shoot carbines and muskets in 5-minute rapid-fire events. Probably get off 10-12 shots. The N-SSA does not allow paper-patched bullets for muzzle loaders. So everyone uses some kind of expanding or compression bullet ("minie" ball or "wilkinson"). Yes, they are lubed and need to be or your bore would rapidly foul and you would be unable to load.

On my own, I can pretty much shoot lubricated "minie" bullets indefinitely.

I have also made Enfield cartridges, which are paper-patched and dip-lubed. They definitely lube the bore better than "naked" bullets. They are a dream to load and shoot. I did not get great accuracy but I did not do load workups to get the best load - I just used 68 grains of 2F Goex to approximate the service load.

 

[Stantheman86]

Stantheman86, the Mississippi is still in their catalog, as of 2022. Hopefully they do not drop it as it is a really sharp looking rifle. Also, as to your rifle ...

Do you lube your Minne bullets?

If so, how may rounds are you able to shoot before you have to swap / wipe the bore?

Have you tried shooting any of the Enfield Pritchart cartridges through yours? If so, how was the accuracy with that cartridge? Not out of the realm of possibility, historically, as the Confederacy imported multiple-millions of those rounds to feed their arms during the War of Northern Aggression.

As I stated earlier, I'm looking at two Mississippi rifles, one as a straight PBR rifle with the proper twist ala barrel work by Mr. Hoyt and the second as a Minne/Burton bullet gun with the addition of adding the front and rear sights from a Zouave rifle installed as an 'upgrade'. I have already found and bookmarked a site that sells them.

I hot dip and use a .543 push thru sizer for the Minies. I fired over 40 of them last time out, no wiping. I sometimes roll paper cartridges, sometimes load the Minies loose..

I bought my .54 Mississippi used from a reenactor who did it up like a re-arsenal , with a ladder rear sight and "struck bright ". I'd like to get another one just to shoot patched balls through.

 

[Boom Stick]

maillemmaker,

So, the enfield paper cartridge is not allowed in the N-SSA matches? If not, that is quite odd as there were millions, if not tens-of-millions of those cartridges fired during the War of Northern Aggression.

Thank you for the info about being able to shoot lubed Minnes over extended shooting sessions. I have read many accounts about US troops being able to shoot 8-12 rounds before their bores were so caked with crud that they had to 'hammer and or slam' their ramrods with rocks and against trees and after a couple more shots the gun was out of service until cleaned - my assumption for the cause of this was shooting un-lubricated. bullets. This against the Confederate units shooting the Enfield cartridges being able to shoot until completely out of ammo without issue.

 

[Poof]

I called Dixie gun works today to ask them the difference between the Dixie/Pedersoli and just the standard Pedersoli M1861 Springfield. All they said was Pedersoli made that gun specifically for them. However it still leaves some unanswered questions. Funny how it’s cheaper for them but cost a little more elsewhere. Usually means cut corners somewhere like Costco/sams club selling TVs vs the same one you can buy at Best Buy. Just curious as to what that might be.

​

 

[Stantheman86]

Dixie isn't always good at cleaning up their website and often have weird pricing, and randomly will call an ArmiSport a "Dixie CS Richmond "

A .36 Brasser kit gun revolver is $255 and they have the same gun in finished form for $275.....while Midway has a finished .36 Brasser Navy for $240 so it's kind of random . Or you'll check the Dixie site and one certain Pedersoli musket is either on sale for 500 off or the price went up $700 overnight as they updated something from Out of Stock to In Stock

 

[maillemaker]

maillemmaker,

So, the enfield paper cartridge is not allowed in the N-SSA matches? If not, that is quite odd as there were millions, if not tens-of-millions of those cartridges fired during the War of Northern Aggression.

Correct, they do not allow the British Enfield style of paper cartridge in N-SSA use. One of the reasons is you pretty much have to put your hand over the muzzle during loading. Another is the possible potential for cook-offs.

Thank you for the info about being able to shoot lubed Minnes over extended shooting sessions. I have read many accounts about US troops being able to shoot 8-12 rounds before their bores were so caked with crud that they had to 'hammer and or slam' their ramrods with rocks and against trees and after a couple more shots the gun was out of service until cleaned - my assumption for the cause of this was shooting un-lubricated. bullets. This against the Confederate units shooting the Enfield cartridges being able to shoot until completely out of ammo without issue.

I have also read those accounts. One thing to bear in mind is that it's one thing to have precision-sized ammunition as opposed to as-issued ammunition. All of my ammunition is sized to be .001"-002" under bore size. It's possible that they were dealing with over-sized ammo and then with fouling it would not load well. I don't know.

 

[maillemaker]

I called Dixie gun works today to ask them the difference between the Dixie/Pedersoli and just the standard Pedersoli M1861 Springfield. All they said was Pedersoli made that gun specifically for them. However it still leaves some unanswered questions. Funny how it’s cheaper for them but cost a little more elsewhere. Usually means cut corners somewhere like Costco/sams club selling TVs vs the same one you can buy at Best Buy. Just curious as to what that might be.

​

Would have been a good time to ask what special features are included in the ones made just for them.

A friend just bought at 1861 Navy revolver from MidwayUSA - came in a Taylors & Co. Box.

 

[springfield art]

I have been looking for a certain rifle for a while now (availability) and Dixie Gun Works seems to be about the only option.

While they do have a Pedersoli in the model I want (just different caliber), there is also a Dixie model, made by Pedersoli, also available. The only difference that I can see is that the Dixie model is approx $300 less.

What is the difference between a 'straight' Pedersoli gun vs. a Dixie gun manufactured by Pedersoli? Less finished or blemished?

Zero.

 

[Stantheman86]

maillemmaker,

So, the enfield paper cartridge is not allowed in the N-SSA matches? If not, that is quite odd as there were millions, if not tens-of-millions of those cartridges fired during the War of Northern Aggression.

Thank you for the info about being able to shoot lubed Minnes over extended shooting sessions. I have read many accounts about US troops being able to shoot 8-12 rounds before their bores were so caked with crud that they had to 'hammer and or slam' their ramrods with rocks and against trees and after a couple more shots the gun was out of service until cleaned - my assumption for the cause of this was shooting un-lubricated. bullets. This against the Confederate units shooting the Enfield cartridges being able to shoot until completely out of ammo without issue.

I have fired 40 or 50 rounds of lubed and sized .575 Minies through all of my .58 rifle muskets , many times. All of it loaded and fired with no problems.

The accounts of soldiers beating on ramrods was most likely due to massive variance in the countless types of rifles used, there were over a dozen contractors making 1861s with a "nominal " .58 bore size but you pretty much got anything close that would work , both sides used Enfields, Lorenz rifles and Mississippi's bored to .58 sometimes by machine works or small gunsmith shops paid by the Govt, and also, Minies varied in size and originals found intact in 10 round packs from various manufacturers varied in size from way undersized to the .560s or .570s to oversized above .580......so it was just a recipe for issues with ammunition.

Remington cast most of the US Minies and they apparently did a good job, but there were other sources paid to make ammunition and the South had numerous contractors casting bullets and making cartridges

I have also fired full cartridge boxes of Pritchett cartridges I got from Brett at Paper Cartridges, the 50th one loaded as clean as the 1st. I have a YouTube video of me loading and firing a bunch of them and also me shooting the last of a box full of .575 "Burton Balls" through an Enfield Musketoon.

 

[dave951]

Like Mailemaker, I'm also N-SSA. Since we're more interested in competition shooting, we take great pains to find what works in rifle muskets. The steps to getting a minie to shoot well aren't rocket science. Lube- nearly every N-SSA shooter will dip the ring part of a minie. Lube is usually beeswax and some form of tallow. We just finished a competition in my region last weekend. For a match that lasted 5 events and I fired about 45 shots, I never wiped or brushed my bore on my Parker Hale P58 and I was still nailing targets in the last event as I was in the first. Get a minie set up like designed and you can shoot till you run out of ammo, shoulder or daylight.

Stantheman86, the Mississippi is still in their catalog, as of 2022. Hopefully they do not drop it as it is a really sharp looking rifle. Also, as to your rifle ...

Do you lube your Minne bullets?

If so, how may rounds are you able to shoot before you have to swap / wipe the bore?

Have you tried shooting any of the Enfield Pritchart cartridges through yours? If so, how was the accuracy with that cartridge? Not out of the realm of possibility, historically, as the Confederacy imported multiple-millions of those rounds to feed their arms during the War of Northern Aggression.

As I stated earlier, I'm looking at two Mississippi rifles, one as a straight PBR rifle with the proper twist ala barrel work by Mr. Hoyt and the second as a Minne/Burton bullet gun with the addition of adding the front and rear sights from a Zouave rifle installed as an 'upgrade'. I have already found and bookmarked a site that sells them.