Thoughts on 1885 Pedersoli 38-55

[GARD72977]

Working on a plan for my next gun. Im intrested in this rifle.I believe there is a member here with one. Im not going to compete but want something that will reach out thereif I want to.

[country gent]

They are good rifles and accurate with good barrels. Look for the faster twist rifle barrels 1-12 or 1-14 as these will allow for the heavier rifle style bullets to be used. My C Sharps has a 12 twist and I shoot 365 grn Nasa style bullets out to 500 yds accurately. The 14 will do the 335 and 312 s nicely.

[GARD72977]

The fast twist gun is the one im looking at. I hear a lot of negative stuff from people that dont own a Pedersoli. People that own them seem to like them.

[knifemaker]

I have a 1874 Pedersoli Sharps in 45-70 that will shoot less then minute of angle with several different loads. They are great rifles and have won many shooting matches. Well made and for a price that is far below some others. The Pedersoli 1874 Sharps is made from forged steel, not cast, like a certain American made one that is very popular. They tested the Pedersoli sharps to a pressure of 85,000 PSI and it only set the breech block back 3 thousands at that extreme pressure.

[ian45662]

I have had a couple pedersolis. They were fine shooters but the only thing that I didn't like about them was that they had a very long throat. I had to seat the bullets out pretty far to get the front driving band to touch the lands. I know that some people do prefer that so it's just all in what you want. As I said it was a fine shooting rifle but it wouldn't shoot as good as my c sharps does.


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[GARD72977]

I have a few thoughts on the pedersoli. First I didnt like the shotgun style butt plate compared to a cresent. After shooting my Uberti 1885 45/70 the Pedersoli buttplate is more appealing!

Second the Pedersoli is a production gun at a production price. You do not get to pick and choose your options. This makes ever gun the same.

I have only handled one Pedersoli and the fit and finish was nice.

I found that 5% of the shooters at the 2016 Quigly match used a 38/55. I guess this means it will shoot long range but not as well as the 45s. I have read that it is hard to spot hits at longer ranges.

I wanted something different and the fast twist 38/55 uses cheap starline brass compared to more expensive options like the 40/70. They both would require a good mold and the 38 would use a lot less powder and lead.

As far as the long throat goes here a pic of bullets from a member here
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Im not just set on the Pedersoli 38-55 but it is the most intresting option at the moment. I just spent my gun money stash so it will be a couple months before I buy one.

[ian45662]

See I'm just the opposite. Much prefer the flatter butt plate to the crescent. The throat in that one is about as long of maybe longer than the one I had. I just like to be able to push all the lube grooves in the case and still have the front driving band touching the lands but that just my own personal preference. It is true that ya done see the 38 much at all in the competitive shooting circuit in silhouette and others but it's still a interesting little round. I have seen people at silhouette shoots with them and I have not seen anyone loose a ram with one although I'm sure it happens from time to time. One of these days I will have one of my own.


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[EDG]

I have several Pedersolis and they do not have any throat at all. They have the SAAMI standard chamber which has just a 45 degree chamfer at the front of the case that goes right into the beginning of the rifling.

Depending on the design of the bullet with the SAAMI chamber you can wind up with a full diameter nose bullet pushed way back into the case such as you would load for a lever gun. With a bore rider nose you might wind up with the bullet hanging way out of the case. That is not a length of throat issue that is a reduced bullet nose design.

[ian45662]

The same exact bullets that I had to load way out in my pedersoli very much like the ones pictured above I now have to seat a lot deeper in my to chamber in my c sharps.


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[ian45662]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170706/2d8c124c1468e21a6a6eb9c3140b14eb.gif


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[Red Cent]

The SSAMI chamber for the 38-55 sucks. Especially bad in a Marlin 336.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I have a Pedersoli 1885 in 38/55 with it's 1:12" twist and I have found it to be the easiest rifle I have to tune for accuracy. I use Starline long brass and the 375gn Paul Jones boolit (pic shown above) over 50gns Swiss No.2 (FFFG)powder. This bullet which has a 0.371"nose and 0.380" base engages into the rifling at loading.

Despite the ROT it will shoot boolits down to 220gns with similar accuracy, but the heavy long boolit is perfect for 500yd rams.

I use Federal large pistol primers for consistant even ignition as the shot to shot deviation is as little as 6fps

It is a peculiar thing with small cartridges and large heavy boolits, the burning efficiency is increased because of the back pressure of getting that boolit moving. The amount of residue is less than 1/2 that which I get in the big boomers 45/70 and 45/90.

Negatives to the Pedersoli? it took a bit of practice with the single set trigger snd honestly I prefer the double set triggers on my Pedersoli Sharps. Choose your model carefully as the "Sporting Model" has a comb that drops away sharply whereas the "Target" model supports the face even with the sights adjusted to 500yd setting.

[GARD72977]

I think your post is enough to push me over the edge. Have you tried Swiss 3f. I use it in a 54 cal flint lock. I have about 5 pounds of it.

I have another question about powder. I bought a super nice Trap door. I was thinking about using a powder that does not make as much power to reduce the recoil on the gun. Maybe Goex or Kik 1.5 or 2f with a grease cookie to take up some capacity. I have a NOE 378gr RN mold. Any thoughts on this.

I have shot a lotof BP but not cartridge guns

[ian45662]

I shoot a reduced blackpowder load in my trapdoor for just plinking. I use the saeco 881 govt bullet that weighs 500 grains and Cast it from pure lead. I load the case with just 40 grains of goex 3F and use cream of wheat as a filler. It's very accurate and recoil is very tame.


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[GARD72977]

Hey guys, thanks for all the input. I have decided to sell my Uberti 1885 45-70 and buy a Pedersoli roller supermatch. Im not looking to compete so the sights that come with the gun sould do fine for me. Iove the fast twist 38-55 but the cost is up there. I may get one some day but the difference in money (750 for gun and another 750 for sights) can be spent somewhere else in my gun budget.

The decision came down to economics and the 45-70 is a good cartridge I already load for.

[ian45662]

The 45-70 is a great cartridge and I am sure you will be happy with your choice.


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