Pedersoli P 1853 rifle

[craig61a]

Bought a Pedersoli P'53 from Cabelas. Had been thinking about one for awhile, and will be good fit with the Sniders I've got. I saw on the Pedersoli site that they also have molds, sizers, etc. After looking around I came across Flintlocks or some such place out east that seems to handle a lot of Pedersoli assy's.

It's quite nice - fit and finish are great. I have read that they are supposed to have match quality barrels... I'll have to fire it up soon. Have a couple modern inlines, but this my first experience with a traditional. Outta be a lot of fun!

[plourbag]

Hope you enjoy your Pedersoli. I bought a Parker Hale Musketoon in 1973 and the sold the darn thing over twenty years later without ever firing a shot through it (Not enough time to shoot everything I owned at that stage and I was hunting a lot, then necessity - I fell in love with the Pedersoli Sharps and the PH financed it). I've regretted selling the P'53 ever since, especially as I now shoot mainly black powder and see the price of ones that are well (ab)used is frightening. If the Pedersoli performs as good as it looks, I'll be interested. Please keep us up to date when you touch it off! I know that a lot of shooters had trouble getting the PH to shoot well when they first took them to the range but those that persevered seemed to win their class on a regular basis - maybe the Pedersoli needs the same sort of commitment so don't be disappointed if your first range tests are disappointing; I hope they're not but, BP is a frustrating passion.
I'm sure you'll love your P'53 - a beautiful looking rifle AND I remember when I shouldered my old Musketoon it pointed like a good shotgun! Amazing.

[Nobade]

It's all about making your minie' bullets from pure lead, sizing them .001 - .002 under bore diameter, using the proper load (usually FFFg from 35 - 65 gr.) and good lube. Give the boolit a tap from the ramrod after it's on the powder. Just one. And go shoot tiny groups! I was pretty new to rifled muskets a year ago, got lucky and found a Parker Hale '61 carbine, and have been having a great time with it since.

A tip - if you can't find caps or want to shoot cheaper, Mag-Spark nipples that use 209 primers work quite well. They are needlessly powerful but cost 1/3rd of musket caps and are a lot easier to get.

-Nobade

[craig61a]

I just placed an order for 2000 Dynamit/Noble caps, and while I was at it I ordered a couple 209 converters that pedersoli makes for their percussion rifles. Now I just have settle on a bullet design/mold and start pouring...

[Nobade]

I am really happy with the RCBS 500 gr minie' recently, it is so much nicer to cast with compared to the Ideal #575213OS that I got first. You might take a look at Moose Moulds, I just got one from them for my Sharps and am really impressed with the workmanship and how nice it is to cast with.

-Nobade

[GARD72977]

for your first traditional traditional you jumped in with both feet!!

[BrassMagnet]

I am really happy with the RCBS 500 gr minie' recently, it is so much nicer to cast with compared to the Ideal #575213OS that I got first. You might take a look at Moose Moulds, I just got one from them for my Sharps and am really impressed with the workmanship and how nice it is to cast with.

-Nobade

You're making me worry!
I only have two of the 575213 and a Lee 585505.
Now I might need to buy out RCBS, too!

[bob208]

for my 1841 rifle i got a nipple that uses #11 caps. i used it for a match and it never let me down. except when i got to talking and forgot the black stuff.

[fgd135]

I have one of those new Pedersoli 1853 Enfields, also from Cabelas, and it is a joy to shoot! The very first time I shot it last summer, the first round out of the tube hit the 9 ring. The Lyman old style minie, sized to .576, lubed with SPG, and launched by 60 grains of Graf 3fg is very accurate at that distance. Goex BP is much cleaner burning, but the Graf's stuff was way less expensive. I just have more cleaning afterwards.
The other balls I've fired in it include that Lyman N/S 400 grain SWC minie, and a heavier Lyman minie. The 400 gr shoots well with about 35-40 grains of bp.
Lately I've been sizing the heavier Lyman minie to .568", re-creating as cheaply as possible the English Pritchett bullet, with out having to buy a dedicated Pritchett ball mould. With the same 60gr Fffg load, wrapped like the Pritchett with an outer case of 9# paper, dipped in beeswax/spg, it's accurate and has much less fouling than shooting it the "normal" way.
Fwiw, I also own an 1853 Parker Hale, and an 1861 PH musketoon. Both required replacement taller front sights in order to zero properly at 50 and 100 yards. The Pedersoli is spot-on with it's factory sights.

[craig61a]

Well my caps should be here any day now, and I've got a 500 gr Lee Minie mold which I've cast about 30 rounds from. Just need to pick up some powder and I'll be out soon...

[bones92]

I have a couple Armisport 1853s. Haven't had a chance to fire them yet, but I have everything I need, except time.

Let us know how she shoots.

[Fly]

All I can say, WOW, I would love one like that.Great job.Give us a report after
you shoot that guy.I,m looking forword, I mean that.

Fly

[Engineer_Scott]

Nice rifle! I'd love to hear what you think of after you make some smoke!

[HARRYMPOPE]

My two band Parker Hale has the rifling that is progressively deeper towards the muzzle. The RCBS made PH 560 “ish” Minie of .575 dia works very well. The sight height works as intended ,you just have to hold “half sight” for shorter ranges.

[Nobade]

My two band Parker Hale has the rifling that is progressively deeper towards the muzzle. The RCBS made PH 560 “ish” Minie of .575 dia works very well. The sight height works as intended ,you just have to hold “half sight” for shorter ranges.

Um....don't you mean toward the breech? At least that's the way mine works.

-Nobade

[Boaz]

VERY nice rifle , good choice ! Pendersolli is good .

[HARRYMPOPE]

Um....don't you mean toward the breech? At least that's the way mine works.

-Nobade

The muzzle is the smallest dial. groove depth not deeper rifling.its basically choked.I didn't realize how I phrased it.

[craig61a]

Took me longer than I planned to get out with this. But since it was a nice afternoon I figured I'd see what it could do. Only shot at 25 yds to start so I could easily see were the rounds were going.

I used a pure lead Lee Minie that weighed in about 550 gr, 70 gr. 2F, and Bore Butter. The boolits cut dead center about 2" high with post in the bottom of the V in the rear sight.

I shot about 12 rounds through it and there was very minimal clean up. No problem pushing 12th boolit down. This is really fun gun to shoot, and extremely accurate!

The first 4 shots...

[dagger dog]

Took me longer than I planned to get out with this. But since it was a nice afternoon I figured I'd see what it could do. Only shot at 25 yds to start so I could easily see were the rounds were going.

I used a pure lead Lee Minie that weighed in about 550 gr, 70 gr. 2F, and Bore Butter. The boolits cut dead center about 2" high with post in the bottom of the V in the rear sight.

I shot about 12 rounds through it and there was very minimal clean up. No problem pushing 12th boolit down. This is really fun gun to shoot, and extremely accurate!

The first 4 shots...

Great googly moogly !

Hope mine shoots that well. I bought the Musketoon 2 band in May, only fired 10 rounds out of mine off shooting sticks, haven't found the time to cast any of my own yet, I have the Lyman wadcutter HB Minie 385 gr it will probably drop 400 gr with pure lead and I have the Lee "original minie", but the ones I shot were the Lyman original OS, mine shot a little high with the 60 grain charge so I upped the charge to 70 and it printed lower. Have to get it out and bench it at 100 yds.

[Southron]

Want to shoot in competition with your new Pedersoli?

Nothing is more fun that the Musket Team Matches. These are rapid fire matches at breakable targets at 50 and 100 yards. FUN, FUN, FUN...check them out:

www.n-ssa.org/