pedersoli Jaeger rifle

[Jake Jones]

Considering a Jaeger Pedersoli rifle. Book says .530 round ball with .15 patch over 95 grains of FF.
The twist is listed as 1 in 24. Barrel length is 27 5/8"

Will the rifle shoot to point of aim with fast twist patched round ball or would I be better served with a slower 1/60
All the info I can find says balls need slower twists and conical needs the faster
Help

:surrender:

 

[Drago]

I think a slower twist will be better for round ball, but I have read where some get good results with light charges and fast twist.

 

[Lorne Johnson]

There are mitakes in that catalogue. Richard Beauchamp at flintlocksetc.com is the most likely person in the US to know.

 

[FishDFly]

ditto.

 

[Tom Compton]

Most fast twist barrels are button rifled. Rifling depth of .004" is about all that can be buttoned. Combination of fast twist and shallow rifling with heavier balls and heavier charges and the ball strips the patch in the rifling.

Kinda like gunning a pickup on wet pavement no traction no go. Strip the rifling no traction no spin, no spin and you are just like shooting a smooth bore.

If the twist you gave is a small bore it'll shoot RB ok. .54? Not much chance.
TC

 

[nwtradegun]

everyone I have talked to (5) say it shoots rd ball lousy unless you use a low 40-50 gr. load.

 

[Zonie]

The Dixie Gunworks page I'm looking at says the Pedersoli American Jaeger has a 1:24 rate of twist.

What's more important is it says the rifling grooves are broached to .006 deep.

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=3451

The reason the .006 rifling depth is important is because patched roundballs need deep rifling like that (and deeper) to shoot well with heavy powder loads.

Most of the muzzleloaders with fast twists have rifling grooves that are .003 or less deep.
These shallow grooves don't work well with patched balls unless a very light powder load is used.

The .006 deep grooves should allow a respectable powder load to be used which explains why Dixie Gunworks recommended a 95 grain 2Fg powder load under the .530 diameter roundball patched with a .015 thick patch for this Jaeger.

Actually, for a .54 I think 95 grains is a bit on the high side. My .54's really like a 80 grain powder load.

 

[biliff]

There's also a target version, listed with a 1/65 twist. Might be a better choice for a pure RB shooter.

 

[sbhg]

I have one of those Ped. Jaegers.
What do you guys consider good shooting?

BTW I use 80+/- grs. of FFF w/ a prb.

 

[sbhg]

Well since i couldn't edit my post, i'll just reply to it.
I found a target.

This is shooting off a bench, holding the gun and just resting the forend (above/in my hand)on a rest. Ofcourse I have to do my part and load each shot consistently.
If you like the style, I think these are great guns. I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

[Billnpatti]

All of Pedersoli's guns are quality guns. So the choice of a Pedersoli rifle is a good one. If you want to shoot patched round balls, the best choice of Pedersoli Jaeger rifle is the target model with the 1:65 twist. As for the powder charge that will give you the best accuracy, that is something that you will have to determine for your specific rifle. Two rifles of the same exact design made by the same manufacturer will likely not shoot the same powder charge accurately. If you need any help in determining the most accurate load for your rifle, let me refer you to www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com.

 

[Jaegermeister]

Mine seemed to shoot RBs well enough. It sparked well and had fast ignition. I only sold it to get a TOTW Jaeger kit. In a way I wish I still had the Pedersoli. I never saw the slow twist barrel version for sale.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Look at Zonie's comments again. If the gun has deeper cut rifling, the chances a re much greater that it will do well with PRB. One of the problems faster rifling had was when military guns were used or copied and the new replicas were made with original shallow rifling ....003" in the case of Zouaves and other "Civil War era muskets. Took us a long time to finally realize wide grooved/shallow rifled barrels were going to need some real detective work...the original Zouave copies from Zoli back in the 60's created the myth 1-48" twist was no good for PRB, a myth still believed by many. Turns out a tight ball/patch combo and sensible loads solved the problem, once we understood what the problem really was. An even tighter rifling twist may indeed require less powder in the charge, but deeper rifling to adequately grab teh patch may lessen this phenomenon. Good luck.

 

[Alden]

Short barrel, fast twist. It's deep, seven, grooves get purchase on the patch. 80 grains of FFg sounds better though...

 

[thecapgunkid]

Thanks, Jake...and to all you ballistics heads out there. I bought a Hunter ( the runt-i-fied version of the Jager) and did a post after I stripped it and customized it.

I am very surprised at how well this piece comes up and sights, how it balances well for the carry, and how smoothly all the parts go together and come apart.

It's on Gunbroker as of today because I can't decide what to do with it; keep it as is, flip it and head down to Dixons with the money or ship it to Bobby Hoyt and have him convert it to a .58.

When I started out years ago during the Carter Years I bought the rifle they now sell with the cast patchbox and Roman Nose. Thought it was a beauty, but, sure enough, it tore up the patches. So I down sized the ball and used a denim patch. I don't think I have ever shot anything with more than 45-50 grains of either 2 or 3f. It grouped real tight and could hit a nickel and give you four cents change. Traded it away when I bought my first custom made.

So, here's my questions...

Do you think the thicker patch will make a diff?

Anybody take one of these up to .58 cal?

It's eight pounds now with half of US Steel's inventory invested in the barrel. The gun really tickles me so I'd like to hear what all you coyotes say about it. Nice thread.

 

[Alden]

Man Law: Buy gun. Don't sell gun.

 

[thecapgunkid]

Yeah, yeah, I know...You're right, but the way I get to buy new stuff is one comes in one goes out.

The OTHER man law is a happy wife is a long leash...

 

[Alden]

Man Law: Don't abuse it but don't be completely open with wife where "buy gun/don't sell gun" is concerned, then hope they all look alike to her.

 

[thecapgunkid]

I'm luckier than most of you because my wife's favorite color is gold. I can actually point to pieces of jewelry and say stuff like...

"Yup. That garnet ring was the time I told you I'd be in the woods overnight and took four days..."

or

" Ah, yes, dear. Hope you're enjoying that pendant as much as I enjoyed shooting that Bess"

or the best of all...

" What a lovely first anniversary gift...a Charleville with a three digit serial number. Did you like the earrings with the diamonds in them?"

So many flintlocks and so little time...

 

[azmntman]

< this man knows... :thumbsup: