Pedersoli Whitworth

[newrib]

Has anybody shot a Pedersoli Whitworth ? I bought one new in the box off GunBroker a few weeks ago, its a beauty but the weather will have to get a lot warmer for me to shoot it. So while waiting for it to warm up I will be gathering supplys and getting the rifle ready. My question to those who have shot this rifle is, What bullets and powder powder charges are you using ? are you using over powder wads ? and what have you done to your rifle, such as glass bedding, different sights, ect. and at what yardage are you shooting ? Have a Great Day !

[Boz330]

I was considering buying one but a friend that has a lot of experience with Whitworths said that they can be a problem to get to shoot well. Hope that helps.

Bob

[heelerau]

New Rib, I shoot a .451 volunteer, but with rigby rifling, not hex. This rifle will have a lot of similarities in it use. The barrel has been bedded at the breech and has paper shims under the barrel at the bands. I use 90 grains of FFg, with a 450 grain cannelured bullet cast from pure lead, a greased felt wad over powder a card wad on top cut from a beer coaster. The initial shot is tricky because of the patent breech and I recomend a platinum lined cone (nipple) from Buffalo Arms . You often have to prime under the nipple to get the first shot away. I am going to try a small charge of fffg with just wadding to clear the vents. I have used air compressor, pipe cleaners but still a bit hit and miss. Once the first shot is away you do not seem to have to much of a problem. Loading I use a long funnel {drop tube} which prevents powder from sticking to the barrel on the way down, then the wads, then wipe with a windex patch, wet, then a dry one, then I index the cast mark on the bullet with the front sight and the weight of the rod pushes the bullet down I then with a gentle and each time constant pressure seat the bullet carefully on the charge. I do not rapp the loading rod in fact on any of my rifles as this will deform the bullet and affect acurracy. Sights, I have a lyman aperture front sight, land a Pedersoli tang sight screwed to the stock just behind the barrel tang. This is a ver old rifle and has been well used by my late friend who gifted it to me just before he died. I can hold 8 ring at 38 rods. Try your rifle without bedding first as the Pedersolis may have a better wood to metal fit barrel wise than the Parker Hale repros did. I lube with a mix of crisco shortening and beeswax as advised by a wise old bloke on the American Long Rifle Forum. Most of the chaps in the club I now belong to gave up on their .451s donkeys years ago because they would not shoot consistently, well my old girl does and is getting better as I get to know her. Keep in touch

Cheers

Heelerau

[Pavia]

The Pedersoli Whitworth does shoot well, but it’s more like learning a BPCR then a say a Hawkin or a rifled Musket. I get excellent results with the Parker Hale Lyman mold and also the postell bullet molds with 80gr FFg and lubed felt wad. The 45 ox yoke wads for pistols work fine. You don’t need hexagonal bullets and in fact the Confederates ended up using round bullets with no issues to accuracy. It takes Musket caps and I went with the ampco nipples. No issues with wear and they are a lot cheaper than platinum to replace either way. The sights on the Pedersoli are not good. Front sight is fine, but the rear sight is a very large V shape. It’s hard to maintain a repeatable sight picture. A tang sight or a some kind of peep adaptation to the rear blade will fix this.

The hardest thing is sizing the bullets. The bore is a tight .451 or even .450 on the Pedersoli and anything larger than .452 size will require effort to load. The Lee sizing dies work best, as they are less likely to deform the pure lead bullet as the Lyman sizer may do... and Lee will custom make you one that best fits your bore.

[Pavia]

One more thing... this thread is a must read:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?67657-My-Whitworth