Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket Kit

Anyone have any experiences with this kit. I was looking to build/put together a 20 ga kit gun. I also looked a the Track of the wolf fowler but something is always on back order. Any recommendations on any fowler would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

Personally, being limited in my choices I rate Pedersoli products highly but!
My trade gun from Pedersoli needed alot of lock mods to speed it up and the rammer might be brittle.
The stock timber is kiln dried and may chip if not handled carefully.
Steel parts finish wise seem of a high standard.

B.

I priced out a trade gun kit at Pecatonica River for @ $750 - $800 last year. Lack of $$ prevented me from purchase though. That was with the lowest price stock.

B-- Thank you for the info. I don't want to spend money and time working this musket only for it to need mods to work....Id rather look for something better any recommendations?

Kamu said:

B-- Thank you for the info. I don't want to spend money and time working this musket only for it to need mods to work....Id rather look for something better any recommendations?

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I don't sorry. My access to well made examples is severely handicapped over here!

B.

Kamu said:

Anyone have any experiences with this kit. I was looking to build/put together a 20 ga kit gun. I also looked a the Track of the wolf fowler but something is always on back order. Any recommendations on any fowler would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

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For a savings of $300.00 you could get Track's NW Gun.

Think I'll wait for TOW to get locks or sticks in

I could be wrong, but, I think from what I've read here over the years, you are comparing 2 very different things. My impression is that the Pedersoli, Traditions, etc. "kits" are are like assembling a model, just finish and assemble the parts. Whereas building a kit from TOW, Pecatonica, Brooks, etc. are true builds, the "kit" is just a group of parts that belong together so you're not missing anything and things match, nothing is fit to the stock or finished in any way.

I could be wrong, but that's how I understand it.

You're right.

The "kits" from the suppliers like the ones you've named are basically a box containing rough castings for the sideplate, trigger guard and butt plate, a (often) unbreached barrel without dovetails or anything else cut into it, a as cast but assembled lock without any threaded holes in it for mounting, a trigger assembly (again, without any threaded holes), a ramrod blank without the ends attached and a rough carved wooden stock with a (usually undersize) barrel channel and ramrod hole machined into it.

Everything in the box will need finishing which involves filing and shaping, sanding and fitting, along with layout work to position drilled holes and drilling them, drilling and threading screw holes, etc. etc.

Using these kits, it can easily take well over 150 hours of work to get everything together and finished.

A big problem with the Pedrsoli gun is its authenticity. The iconic dragon sideplate that was so common to most all trade guns is some sort of weird invention of theirs that does not have the shape on any known sideplate. Additionally the lock plate is a little different also. If you are just looking for a smoothbore to shoot it might be OK, but if you want a replica of a real trade gun it is not.

The pedi is close but no cigar.the pedi difference is all and all very minor.
The track kit is not a compleatly build. Most of the lock mortise is cut out and you just have to do final fit. The stock is well shaped up in o the forensics and the barrel is almost a drop in. You just have to fit the breach area.
You do have to inlet the side plate trigger and ram rod pipes. The butt plate has to be fit but it’s flat and easy to fit. You can get the tendons fit and soldered on. It took me about 100 hours to build mine. I did not add the stamps

If you are just looking for a smoothbore to shoot it might be OK, but if you want a replica of a real trade gun it is not.

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I have one and it shoots well, but the quality of the assembled portion was poor, and the parts are not correct. It's a quasi NW Trade Gun. I have swapped out the bogus steel trigger guard for a brass one, and the side plate was exchanged for a brass one..., so it's closer to a fusil than a trade gun.

LD

hotoSmile:

Pete G said:

A big problem with the Pedrsoli gun is its authenticity. The iconic dragon sideplate that was so common to most all trade guns is some sort of weird invention of theirs that does not have the shape on any known sideplate. Additionally the lock plate is a little different also. If you are just looking for a smoothbore to shoot it might be OK, but if you want a replica of a real trade gun it is not.

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I would think that Pedersoli does not want one of their guns to be passed off as an original. By having such significant differences between original, that makes the fakery needed to pass off a Pedersoli as an original gun less likely. The heavier barrel is less likely to set off warnings of fakery.

It is rumored that Curley Gostomsky who made very accurate replicas of Northwest Trade Guns bought some of his own manufactured guns, thinking they were original. Well, it was from an Indian and on the reservation.

Pete G said:

A big problem with the Pedrsoli gun is its authenticity. The iconic dragon sideplate that was so common to most all trade guns is some sort of weird invention of theirs that does not have the shape on any known sideplate. Additionally the lock plate is a little different also. If you are just looking for a smoothbore to shoot it might be OK, but if you want a replica of a real trade gun it is not.

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This point comes up all the time. Since this is a build, the simple solution if you go with Pedersoli and you don't like the sideplate is to either modify it or make a replacement. I cut out the "waves" in mine that were inside the serpant's looped body. I decided I liked it enough to leave it at that. I have seen some others with the same kit who reworked the sideplate to such an extent that it resembled an oversized original. You can still find pictures of that thread on the Internet if you search hard enough. You will not be able to order a serpant plate from TOW or elsewhere and use the same screw hole locations dictated by the Pedersoli Lott lock. You could Manufacture your own flat serpent sideplate that conforms to the Lott screw holes and engrave the dragon image as it was done on early trade guns.This is one of the simplist solutions if modifying the original sideplate does not do it for you. You could also get a different lock and use the sideplate you want and tap the holes accordingly. Same answers apply to the Not necessarily correct butt plate and screws. You can certainly make your own and nail it on if you want to.

This is of interest to me as I'd like a trade gun with a 30" barrel which apparantly was historically correct according to some historical documentation.

Unfortunately, the Internet discussion on modifying the Pedersoli sideplate was victimized by the Photobucket extortion scam, so no images are available. Check out Clay Smith's Trade Guns and parts to see how he engraves his. He sells parts kits for the brass components and buttplate nails if you can't find or make your own.

The Sitting Fox Early English "yengeese" Trade Gun has a nice example of the detail that is possible in a sideplate made from sheet brass.
http://sittingfoxmuzzleloaders.com/f-273/

I can really care less about the side plate... It looks fine to me. What I care about is that when I pull the trigger it shoots.. If I go with the pedersoli it will be the only gun I hunt with this year.. it will be my one trick pony... small game, pigs, fowl, deer are on the menu!!!!!!!!!!!