Well I went and done it

[Boerrancher]

I just couldn’t help myself. I had some extra money in my play account and I just couldn’t help myself. I really like my 36 cal Hawken, but I have always wanted a Pennsylvania rifle. There is just something elegant and graceful about a well made Pennsylvania flintlock. I had been eyeing the Pedersoli rifles for many, many years. I’ve even owned a few of their cartridge guns over the years and regret parting with most. The fit and finish were spectacular on all of them.

I was digging around on the internet yesterday looking at 32 Cal rifles. Surprisingly there are very few to be found. Then I saw the Pedersoli Pennsylvania rifle in 32 cal. I just couldn’t help myself. I have everything for it already from the Crockett I have. So I couldn’t help myself, and ordered it.

[LAGS]

I bought a Pedersolli "Cub" kit in .32 a year or so ago.
I haven't had time to build it since I am doing so many other projects.
I really like that super long Pennsylvania model rifle and when caught up with all these other projects I probably will buy one.

[Winger Ed.]

Cool.
But don't fret over it.
Say a couple Hail Mary's, a Anna-a-godda-vida, and you're good. All sins will be forgiven.

[sigep1764]

You've been married a lot longer than I, and my wife doesn't even ask if something is new any more. She doesn't even notice now thar my reloading room is half the basement. Now, if you're wrestling with your own conscience, just stare at some pretty wood stocks and get lost in their grain.

[Sandro_ventania]

be happy, make yourself happy...life is short!

[Rockingkj]

A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. Bet it will be well worth it.

[Gtrubicon]

I’ve also been looking at the 32 cal rifles. I’m a half stock guy so I’ve been looking at the Crockett. I’ve also been looking at the Pedersoli scout, and making it into a half stock. I dunno, I’ve got a 36 cal Cherokee and really like it. I wish I could shoulder the two I’m looking at to see how they feel. Out here no one sells them, so I’d have to order and hope I like my choice.

[LAGS]

I too thought of turning that "Cub" into a half stock also.
The Cub and the Scout are almost identical models.
I almost bought the Scout in .36 cal flintlock and still may.

[indian joe]

I too thought of turning that "Cub" into a half stock also.
The Cub and the Scout are almost identical models.
I almost bought the Scout in .36 cal flintlock and still may.

for complete forgiveness pictures are required hereunder

[LAGS]

Sorry,
For some reason I can't post pictures.
But look on Dixie Gun works site.
That is where I get lots of my Kits.

[Boerrancher]

I’ve also been looking at the 32 cal rifles. I’m a half stock guy so I’ve been looking at the Crockett. I’ve also been looking at the Pedersoli scout, and making it into a half stock. I dunno, I’ve got a 36 cal Cherokee and really like it. I wish I could shoulder the two I’m looking at to see how they feel. Out here no one sells them, so I’d have to order and hope I like my choice.

I have a Crockett. I got it when they first came out, don’t waste you time and money on a new one. The sights are plastic, the rod thimbles are plastic, and instead of the solid 1 pieces aluminum rod, it now has a wooden one. They have really cheapened them up. My Crockett is a shooter for sure, I have a guy interested in buying it, but he doesn’t like the price tag. I told him $500 because other than a few safe marks, it is like new and all metal. I really don’t want to sell it, because I can’t replace it, being the older one. I just don’t care for cap locks. Blame Ric for that one. I really love that 36 Santa Fe Hawken, but it is a 10 lb rifle. If I was going on a squirrel hunting adventure and was going to be camping along the rivers and creeks for a week or so like I did as a kid, I would take the Hawken 36 cal, because of the hooked breech and ease of cleaning in the field. For around the house the Crockett is a much lighter and manageable size. Here in the Ozarks in the early spring and most of the summer the morning dew is so heavy that when you’re in the woods it sounds like it is raining as the dew is falling off the leaves. My issue with it is it’s a cap lock. I have had too many hunts ended prematurely because of a big plop of dew. The capped nipple sucks up water faster than a shop vac with a straw. With my flintlocks I just wipe out the pan, reprime and I am good to go.

[Boerrancher]

You've been married a lot longer than I, and my wife doesn't even ask if something is new any more. She doesn't even notice now thar my reloading room is half the basement. Now, if you're wrestling with your own conscience, just stare at some pretty wood stocks and get lost in their grain.

No the wife doesn’t pay attention at all. In the basement I have 4 large gun safes, each with 15 -20 guns in each of them, and on the walls are gun racks with 26 guns in them, plus there are guns stacked in every closet. She has gotten so use to guns coming in and going out, a new one doesn’t even register.

[LAGS]

My wife wants to see all the guns when I finish them up.
She does sometimes look at the ones I buy so she can see the Before and then later the After condition.
But she does pay close attention if I have one of Her guns out for some reason.

[Gtrubicon]

Great info on the Crockett, thank you. Is the barrel dovetailed for the sights or D/T?

[LAGS]

The Crockett I built for my wife out of a kit has both dovetailed front and rear sights.
I was going to put on an Adjustable CVA rear site that mounts with a dovetail insert.
But my wife likes the basic old style fixed sights.

[Boerrancher]

Great info on the Crockett, thank you. Is the barrel dovetailed for the sights or D/T?

I believe they still dove tail the plastic ones in, but I will not swear to it because I know on another forum that I frequent that is dedicated strictly to hunting with black powder guys are constantly asking where they can get metal sights for theirs, as the plastic has become broken or damaged. They also complain about the poor accuracy of the new Crockett rifles, though that could be because they haven’t learned how to load them yet. Exact powder charges, and exact seating pressure of the PRB seem to be the key to good accuracy. I can shift the point of impact by 4 inches at 25 yds with just the pressure exerted by my thumb. So if you are not careful seating the ball exactly the same each time, it will shoot all over the place.

This spring through early fall, I was having lots of trouble with my right hand and wrist. Nerve damage from my days in the Army, and because of it, I had to squirrel hunt with my trade gun, because I couldn’t get the seating pressure right from shot to shot. I am hoping that with the longer barrel on this Pennsylvania rifle, that it will help alleviate some of that finickiness that the Crockett has. My 36 cal is not finicky at all, once I found the right powder charge for it.

[LAGS]

My Crockett came with steel sights.
But the Traditions St Louis Hawken kit that I bought , did come with Cheap Funky Plastic adjustable sights.
They stripped out with in the second shooting.
And the front blade bent over when I stood the rifle up against the wall overnight.
Yea.
I replaced the sights with metal sights before I sold that rifle.

[Boerrancher]

Yesterday evening the Pennsylvania Frontier rifle showed up. I wish I was able to post photos because it is absolutely beautiful. The wood on it is fantastic. I figured it would be just a straight grain piece of walnut but it must have come from the butt and center of the log with the amount of waves it has in it. The barrel is a nice even brown, and the sights are fantastic full buckhorn rear and a blade up front. Unlike my Hawken rifles it is far enough up the barrel that I can actually see the notch in the sight. With my Hawken rifles it is put the beed that sits atop the blade in the center of the rectangle and use a Lollipop hold on a squirrel’s head. I will still use the lollipop hold but I can actually see the rear sights for the first time in about 10 years. Y’all have no idea how excited I am to be able to see the sights.

[T-Bird]

I know how exciting that is. My eyes finally got bad enough that with my glasses I can see the sights again, and even see what I'm shootin' at! That's why I'm shootin' muzzle loaders again!

[Boerrancher]

The Range report, and the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Pedersoli Frontier 32 cal.

The Good:
Right out of the box the rifle shot exceptionally well with my 20 grs of 3F, a .310 ball patched with a 0.015 ticking. Right from the get go I was getting dime sized groups at 27 yds (25 meters). I played with other loads up and down and they were ok but not like the 20gr load.

The lock is great, couldn’t ask for better. No delay at all unless I over primed the pan. About 1.5 grains of 4F is all you need. About half of what my priming flask puts out if I’m not careful.

As stated before the sights are amazing. Easy to line up on a walnut sized dot at 25 meters.

It cleaned up quick enough just like my trade gun, pull the lock, clean it up and scrubbed the bore with moose milk until it and the patches came out clean. Then I blasted some moose milk out the touch hole a couple of times after the scrubbing with it plugged, ran a couple dry patches through it, followed by a Ballistol patch and called it clean.

The Bad:
I really don’t have anything bad to say about the rifle, as I said dime sized groups out of the box, the bad was they were a foot low. The front sight was a mile high. A bunch of filing with a flat file and a dozen shots later and it was laying them all in there at the point of aim.

The Ugly:
The ramrod is nearly unusable. It is a fiberglass rod with a soft plastic coating on it that tears and peels away very easily. The the plastic coating is bigger in diameter than the patch jag, and you can’t put a patch on it to swab it in the field, without carrying an extra rod. Needless to say, I have two hickory rods and end’s ordered from Track of the wolf.