Range report on Pedersoli Kodiak 72 Double Rifle

[wellfedirishman]

Folks, here is a range report on this fun (and noisy) gun. I picked it up a while back off Gunbroker and this is the first time I have had it out at the range.

I am using .715 round balls cast with the Lyman mold, with commercial lubed patches (not sure of exact thickness).

Here is the gun itself. It is a very well made and heavy rifle. It must weigh north of 10lbs, with nice wood and deep-blued steel. It is wearing a thick LimbSaver butt recoil pad.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/Pedersoli%20Kodiak%2072%20Cal%2010-20-2011/PedersoliKodak72Rifleonbench.jpg

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/Pedersoli%20Kodiak%2072%20Cal%2010-20-2011/PedersoliKodak72Riflelockwork.jpg

Here is the business end, with 2 round balls shown on a percussion cap tin.
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/Pedersoli%20Kodiak%2072%20Cal%2010-20-2011/PedersoliKodak72Riflemuzzleview.jpg

It has two flip-up sights, I guess so you can regulate them for either each barrel, or for different distances. It is kind of hard to see here, but the rear flip sight is down and the forward one is up.
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/Pedersoli%20Kodiak%2072%20Cal%2010-20-2011/PedersoliKodak72Riflerearview.jpg

I shot it with 30 grains equivalent of Pyrodex P + a full 45-70 case of Pyrodex RS. This is approximately equivalent to 115-120 grains of Black Powder. I like the pistol powder first (next to the percussion cap) for good ignition in big caliber rifles. It is not necessary, just my preference. I do the same in my 54 cal Hawken.

This gun make a serious boom and flash at the range. I had a few folks come up and admire the show.

First barrel:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/Pedersoli%20Kodiak%2072%20Cal%2010-20-2011/PedersoliKodak72RifleShooting.jpg

Second barrel:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/Pedersoli%20Kodiak%2072%20Cal%2010-20-2011/PedersoliKodak72RifleShooting2.jpg

There is some muzzle rise as can be seen from these pictures. I am shooting a stout load, hence the rubber butt pad to reduce recoil as mentioned earlier. I wouldn't want to shoot this load with just the bare metal on the buttstock.

In terms of accuracy, the gun shoots both barrels parallel at 25 yards (i.e., 2 holes side by side as expected). It does shoot with a point of impact higher than the sights, so I just aimed my bead below the target circle to hit the center of the target approx.

25 yards: (first group 1, then group 2 with lower point of aim)
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/Pedersoli%20Kodiak%2072%20Cal%2010-20-2011/Target25yards.jpg

50 yards:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/Pedersoli%20Kodiak%2072%20Cal%2010-20-2011/Target50yards1.jpg

50 yards with more shots. The point of aim is marked by the red X.
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/Black%20powder/Pedersoli%20Kodiak%2072%20Cal%2010-20-2011/Target50yards2.jpg

I think I will spend some time working up an accurate load for this. So far it looks like a solid 50 yard gun with lots of punch and even more fun to shoot. I need to drift the sight slightly right, and lower the sight elevation also (it is set somewhat high on this gun and I have not adjusted it yet).

If I can get this to be pie-plate accurate with both barrels at 100 yards I would be quite happy.

[Nobade]

Your gun looks just like mine. They are a blast to shoot! Look carefully at your rear sight. There is a tiny screw for adjusting windage, you don't have to drift it over but rather just turn the screw. Same way with the elevation, the blade slides up and down so it's easy to set.

I never could get mine to regulate right with light charges like you are shooting. I kept at it, and finally settled on 4 3/4 drams (I use an old shotgun scoop) of FFg Diamondback powder, with those same Lyman .715 balls and ticking material patches. I got it to shoot to within a half inch for vertical and about 1 1/2 inches horizontal spread at 100 yards. Shooting groups is fun, it chews out two distinct holes with right/left combinations but each individual barrel is real close to an inch group. Any more or less powder and it starts to really open up. I would imagine each one of these rifles is an individual though, so every one needs to have its best load arrived at by trial and error. They sure are great fun though, huh?

Oh, one more thing - use sandpaper and put a good radius on your crowns so it swages the ball into the rifling without cutting up the patch. Make sure you keep them straight or it'll shoot wild. But doing a proper crown makes it way easier to load, and quite a bit more accurate.

[wellfedirishman]

Nobade, thanks for that info, it is appreciated.

4.75 drams = approximately 130 grains by my calculation. I will try that next time.

Do you have any idea of what muzzle velocity you were getting with that load and a .715 round ball? The RB is approximately 1oz if I remember. I didn't bring my chrony to the range yesterday.

Thanks for your input.

[Nobade]

No idea on the velocity, I'd guess around 1300-1400 fps.

A 12 bore ball is 1/12 pound, but these are a little smaller due to the patch so come in around 535 grains. Wheelweight metal is a little lighter than pure lead, so it will vary depending on your alloy.

[Crawdaddy]

Mind if i ask how much these run?

[Naphtali]

Mind if i ask how much these run?Pedersoli's Kodiak rifles are/have been?? available in two quality levels. I owned a semipistol grip .58-caliber rifle that was a Cabela's or Dixie or ?? rebadged Kodiak with [chemically] color case hardened lock plates. Locks needed trigger job. Fit and finish were commensurate with its lower price.

I now own two higher quality Safaris purchased directly from the US distributor.

Hope this helps.

[Fly]

Man that's one bad a$$ rifle.That thing most likly take down a water buffalo.

Fly

[wellfedirishman]

Crawdaddy, if you watch the auction sites you could probably pick a used standard grade one up in the $700 region. The 72 cal is (I think) a little harder to find than the smaller calibers.

They occasionally go on sale at Cabelas, so watch there on the run up to Christmas.

This is functionally equivalent to a 12 gauge slug gun, just slower to reload and maybe more accurate.


Mind if i ask how much these run?

[NickSS]

I had the opportunity to shoot one of these several years ago and they are a lot of fun. The guy who owned it said that he zeroed each barrel at 100 yards using a different rear sight for each. With his standard load which I think was 130 gr of FG GOEX The rifle with the appropreate sight would shoot to point of aim at 100 yards and shoot very accurately. If you used the wrong sight the shots printed up to 5 inches from the point of aim. Interestingly using both rear sight at the same time worked. The groups were a little larger but both barrels printed into around 3 inches at 100 yards. I just never wanted one of these enough to pay the price of them as I could not use it for hunting during the ML season in my state as its for single shot rifles only.

[Alan]

I had one of those .72's and really liked it, but printed 12" or so apart at 50 yards, and the sights would have been replaced to get the right barrel to hit POA - it shot far enough to the right it was still 4" off with the rear sight all the way to the left. sent it back.

2nd gun was about 6" apart and centered with the sights. Still needed a higher front sight. I should have kept it and tweaked it.

3rd gun. I think they sent the 1st one back to me. 8(

Traded it back in for credit on a .72 Gibbs single. 4" longer barrel, and 1 lb lighter. I haven't even shot it yet. Had shoulder problems last winter, and was too stinkin' hot this summer. Found some nice straight-grained 5/8" hardwood dowels at Lowe's to finish and use for a loading rod.

I LIKE the Gibbs. Great trigger, points like a shotgun, and rated for 20 gr more FF than the Kodiak. If the barrel is as good as the Kodiak's this should be one nice shooting gun. (The individual barrels shot really well, ~1" at 50 yards with open sights. They just didn't print together)

[StrawHat]

What is the rifling twist in these?

[Alan]

1:86 iirc. They shoot superbly w/ prb, and you can get enough velocity to make for a fairly flat trajectory to 100yards. Pedersoli recommends 80gr charges in the double, but I've gone up to 140 with no problems (other than a health kick)

If you go to a conical, you are going to have a REALLY steep trajectory, even to get to 100 yds, unless you are a lot more recoil tolerant than I am. A .72 prb, esp. if you cast it a little harder than pure lead, has some amazing penetration.

[Naphtali]

My Safaris have 1:72 twist. I have two conical molds (775 and 900 grain respectively @ 30:1), plus RB molds. The conicals are both accurate and stable at MVs between 900 and 1325 fps. Stable, straight penetration is, to my mind, as essential as is accuracy. FYI: Heavier bullet is nearly unshootable.