Pedersoli Rolling Block Carbine

[Cannoneer]

I purchased a Rolling Block Carbine in .45 Colt a few years back and was not pleased with it. Regardless of the load, the impacts were all over the place. Target looked like it had been shot at with a shotgun using .45 caliber shot. The worst was that it wouldn't extract any of the brass after shooting. I was using Winchester and Starline brass. These same loads were used for my cowbow shooting and were great out of my '73 and SAA.

Well, I sent that carbine up to Norm Johnson to have the barrel bored out and rechambered to 56/.50 Spencer. Now it shoots just fine.

Anybody else have an issue with these carbines?

[NickSS]

I had one in 357 mag and could not get it to shoot as well as I thought it should so sold it. I currently have a 5650 in a spencer carbine and like the cartridge a lot. I found a load of 5744 that would put my bullets on target with the issue sights. I also tried black powder but could not get enough velocity to get the sights on target as it shot low. As I have the carbine strictly for fun I did not want to fool with sights. Now I fire a 370- gr flat point with 19 gr of 5744 and it places the bullets in the 10 ring at 100 yards. Just what I wanted.

[725]

Perersoli's are getting the reputation of pure junk. I know with lots of remachining and gunsmith magic they can be made to shoot. Heck, that is even an attraction for some. Take a *** and make it a vundermarkableshooter. I don't have enough time left in my life to waste it on a Pedersoli. My friend just spent from last September going around and around with Pedersoli himself and his near non-existant USA support before he got a double rifle that didn't have major problems. The issue is still in doubt. We have to give it another try and see if this fix is any better than the last fix. Why put yourself through all that?

[Nobade]

I bought one of their rolling block rifles in 30-30 a few years ago. Worst barrel I'd ever seen. It was so rough that it shredded cleaning patches. I had it rebored to 35 cal, and made it up into a 35X30-30. Now it shoots very well, as expected. Strange, the muzzleloader guys and especially ones using the Gibbs rifles rave over Ped's barrels. But the cartridge guns don't seem to be all that great. To their credit, my 12 bore double they made is exceptional. It keeps those big balls stacked on top of each other at 100 yds no problem, as long as you care to stand the recoil.

[cajun shooter]

I don't have the Pedersoli RB but do own the 74 Sharps. 725, Do you own or have you had any time shooting a Pedersoli? I hate it when rumors start rolling down hill they are just like a snowball. I don't have any time with snowballs as I live in Louisiana. The Pedersoli that I and a lot of others own are fine well made rifles. My income level is such that I and Pedersoli fit well together. I just finished a CAS match this past Saturday and afterwards my two friends who own 6 Shilohs between them and I shot my rifle. It stacked the 535 Postells at the 100 mark and they spread to 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 at the 200 mark. They both fired and had like groups with the rifle. They said at the end that the Pedersoli shot just as well as the Shilohs they owned. In fact we had two of the Shilohs there one in 50-90 and the other in 45-70 and they did nothing better. I'm a neophyte as far as BPCR goes and you can count all those matches that I've shot in on one hand if you don't hold up any fingers. So my match time is limited but I'm 62 and a former sniper on the swat team and I know a fine shooting rifle when I shoot one. Maybe Pedersoli has a problem with the RB's I don't know but the entire line is not junk as was stated. 725, How about some pics of your rifles that shoot so well. I would love to see them as someone who says that the entire line of Pedersoli's are junk, surely must own some very fine rifles.

[Boz330]

I'm not going to say that there aren't some bad Pedersoli's out there, but my shooting buddy has owned the BPCR division championship at the club we shoot with for the last 6 years. He shoots a Ped 74 and a roller and he shoots both about the same, extremely well. He had leading problems at first with both, but once they were broke in those problems went away. BTW the roller belonged to 2 other people that couldn't get it to shoot, but he did, and did it with load developement.
He also has a Pedersoli Gibbs rifle and holds the 900yd record at Camp Atterbury with it. He along with 2 other good friends made the US Long Range ML Team and are shooting these rifles. I don't think you can paint them all with a broad brush.
Having said that I don't own one and don't particularly want one, but not because I think they are inferior. I like highwalls and for close to what the Peds bring I can get a CSA with a Badger barrel in ANY caiber that strikes my fancy. Help and parts are a phone call away. JMHO!

Bob

[725]

Hey cajun shooter,
I very happy you have a good shooter in your Pedersoli. Enjoy it to the fullest. I'm glad others have had a good experience as well. What I will continue to say is that the example I shot, and shot, and shot had the worst barrels I have ever seen. A double rifle with a significant difference in actual bore size to the point that once a boolit was found to fit one side, it couldn't even be put in the other side. The patches were cut clean through by some extraordinarily jagged and uneven rifling. Chatter marks and burrs all through the barrels. Cleaning patches shreaded little threads off when we cleaned it. One trigger was in the 1# - 2# range and the other trigger was around 10#s or so. Both had a little creep and both were "gritty". Gave up on trying to see if the barrels were regulated as we couldn't get a group going. We shot series of various loads - no joy. There were other problems, but those were the most noteable. Hey, sometimes a stinker gets through quality control. If that were the case, I'd never venture forth this opinion. The owner contacted Pedersoli Co. only after weeks of nobody picking up the phone. That's right!!! They didn't answer the repeated phone calls for weeks. The owner did a face to face with Mr Pedersoli at the shot show - no joy. And after lots of shipping charges, outside gunsmithing, arguing, and frustrations, the owner just got the rifle back and we have yet to sit down and see how it performs. This started last September. One hunting season lost (with this many hundreds of dollars rifle), and we still don't yet know if it's going to be acceptable, not extrodinary, just acceptable. Again, I'm glad you got a good one. I admired Pedersolis until saw this poor quality example and had to listen to my friends unbelieveable experience in trying to deal with the company. I'm just glad I never bought one.
As far as your bonfides go, cajun shooter, bless you for your service. I, too, am retired LEO and my background mirrors yours and then some. I've been around the block and found my way home. Average sworn numbered around 3,300 in my agency and who knows the number of non-sworn support. We were busy, if you know what I mean.

[cajun shooter]

If you mean being dispatched to three calls in three minutes and having to 10-9 the dispatcher, yes I know what busy is 725. If you mean burying 7 friends in 14 years with two of them riding partners, yes I know what busy is. If you mean running 7 Narcotics warrants in one day with 23 arrest yes I know what busy is. As far as the then some I would have to say that I'm not sure how you can say that. Unless you have a copy of my personal file. Later David

[Old Footman]

Dear Cajun Shooter,

I am new to this forum (first post), but I have been an active shooter and hunter for most of my life. I am the friend to 725 who had the major problems with my Pedersoli Kodiak. Just as a FYI, I am also retired off the job and I spent many years as my departmental firearms instructor and armorer.

I won't get long winded here, but you just could not believe the problems and issues I had with this rifle and the lack of customer support and service from Pedersoli. No snow balls here, just fact. I first contacted Pedersoli in September of 2008 and my story finally ended on August 5th, 2009 when I received my Kodiak back from the US (Pedersoli Agent) gunsmith. To show you the issues of the rifling in the barrel, the gunsmith typed me a letter in which he stated -

"As you know the real problems was with the barrels. I built a guided cutter that I used manually to follow the riflings and cut a tiny chamfer on the corners of the riflings to remove the burr. That of course had to be tested on other barrels and redesigned a couple of times before I could put it in these fairly expensive sets of barrels".

As we know as shooters we can get a great rifle out of the box or a dog. Mine was a down right dog. The real issue with Pedersoli was the lack of customer service and support to the US shooter. Personally I hope no one has to go through what I did.

I know that after this experience I will never own or buy another Pedersoli firearm.

Thank you for letting me post.

YMO&HS

"Old Footman"

[Swampman]

I sure like my Pedersoli 1874 Sharps Carbine...

[DHB]

Peace, Brethren, peace. We are not against one another.

[pls1911]

I guess I'm lucky..
I have four Pedersolis:
Tow Sharps 74's (a Quigley and a similar non quigley Pedersoli marketed by Traditions.
Two Rolling Blocks (Bodine target model and 30" barrelled hunter model )
All have been very accurate and reliable.
Out of the box, the Traditions unit required me to relieve the stock in order for the set trigger to function(?). Not a big deal, as I rework trigger groups and stocks.
The bottom line is that I've not had any serious defect challenge with any Pedersoli product.

[Ed in North Texas]

I think it reasonable to say that this thread established a problem with one Pedersoli double for sure, and probably others as well. And that Pedersoli's US representative's problem solving skills didn't impress in one problem in particular. And it also established that there are also Pedersoli firearms which shoot well and have not been problems.

Firearms manufacturers which produced nothing but junk have existed, but usually have not been in business for very long.

Ed

[NSB]

Two Pedersoli's 74 in 45-70. Both shoot an inch at 100yds. five shot groups with the right load. As far as service from Pedersoli...pretty poor if you do need anything. They don't even answer emails after they give you the email address to send your inquiries. They could do a lot better in customer support but the guns are very well made for the most part. I've bought some pretty expensive items in my life (I'm pretty old) and have gotten some real turkeys from some "excellent" manufacturers. I try not to go off on a rant about it though.

[oldred]

Count me also as being impressed with the two 45/70 Pedersoli's I had the pleasure of shooting, excellent shooters to say the least and fit/finish was really good as well. I guess there may be the occasional Lemon from most any manufacturer but the two I am talking about certainly did not fit that description!

[Longwood]

Everyone kept saying "Go to Starbucks" sooo,,, I made a special trip to town and bought some $2 bills and took them to the gun store.

A Pedersoli Sharps that looked like new was in the rack. of course,,, I just 'HAD' to fondle it. It had Soule Long Range and a bubble globe so the $15 hundred tag was looking "Not so bad".
I was stong willed enough to hand it back until he played his hold card.
He said "And that stuff goes with it" as he pointed to a shelf with a very nice shooting box with two fancy/expensive black powder wiping rods.
Of course, I had to look in the box. It contained 150 loaded rounds and the nicest short shooting stick I have seen.
I may have made it out the door without the rifle until the lady that owned the place said, "We don't need to fill out the paper work because it has, For Black Powder Only, stamped on the barrel". "You can take it with you right now".
It DIN'T, and for once, I kept my big mouth shut and left the shop with it.:bigsmyl2:
I am now the proud owner of my second Pedersoli, a Hiwall and now, a Sharps. I hope the sharps is as trouble free as the Hiwall.
Thanks Cast Boolits members
Thanks Starbucks