Anyone have experience with pendersoli brownbess

[ord sgt]

I have a Pedersoli Charleville smoothbore. It too is a copy of a military firearm. I did have one problem when I first aquired it. The touch hole was drilled in the barrel and was too low in relation to the pan. Main barrel ignition was inconsistent. I took it to a machine shop and had them drill for a 1/4x28 liner. This raised the touch hole and main powder charge ignition was greatly improved.
The vent liner gave me another option. Since it was threaded, I could remove it. I bought a Pedersoli 1816 Harpers Ferry percussion lock and got a drum and nipple. The new lock is the exact size as the flint lock. Now, I can swap locks and use the Charleville with either ignition system.

 

[Artificer]

I had the Pedersoli Brown Bess "Carbine" with the 30 1/2 inch barrel in the mid 1970's and I shot it a lot for competition. (Though it was not a correct copy of a "Serjeant's Carbine," it was as close as I could afford.) It was a great gun for round ball, but not so hot with small shot on trap/skeet or flying game.

Chances are while you are saving for the Pedersoli, you may be able to find a used fowler for the same or less money.

Gus

 

[Slip6]

I purchased one 6 months ago and love it. Best accuracy for me with out load development is with 85 grains of 2F Swiss and a patched .735 using pillow ticking. Even more fun with paper cartridges.62 round ball and 3 .310 shot buck and ball 100 grains of 1.5 F Swiss still on the paper at 50 yards. Trigger is very heavy significantly over Charleville. I’m going to send the lock out to have it lightened a tad just a tad. Only thing it needs is a little roughening up. And the lock sparks like crazy I’m just a whimp that would like trigger a wee bit lighter. I did not buy it for accuracy but I can see it’s there just need to shoot it more.

Where are you planning on sending it?

 

[Slip6]

I had the Pedersoli Brown Bess "Carbine" with the 30 1/2 inch barrel in the mid 1970's and I shot it a lot for competition. (Though it was not a correct copy of a "Serjeant's Carbine," it was as close as I could afford.) It was a great gun for round ball, but not so hot with small shot on trap/skeet or flying game.

Chances are while you are saving for the Pedersoli, you may be able to find a used fowler for the same or less money.

Gus

why do figure it was not so good with the bird shot? Or was it because of the weight?

 

[dave_person]

Didn't work so well in 1776

Hi,
No, the Bess in the hands of the British worked great in 1776. They kicked our butts out of NY and all the way across NJ and humiliated our army and General Washington. They pushed our army out of Canada and we were saved only by the inspired leadership and seamanship of Benedict Arnold at Valcour Island and the onset of winter. The only loss for the British forces that year was at Trenton but there it was Hessian muskets not Besses used by the losing side. Yep, except for the Declaration of Independence, 1776 was a bad year for the American army but a good one for the Bess.

dave

 

[Musketeer]

That's a Pedersoli Bess in my avatar. Made in 2016. I've had zero problems with the lock, but as noted above, a fowler it is not. It would be fine for just about any non-flying critter, but it's balanced all wrong for swinging on birds.

 

[Artificer]

why do figure it was not so good with the bird shot? Or was it because of the weight?

Primarily the weight and balance of even the Carbine length Bess, though the large military lock is also slower than even trade gun locks, let alone fowlers and that makes it more difficult on flying objects/game and fast moving rabbits.

Don't get me wrong, I loved that Carbine, but one has to be objective about what it can and can't do, or at least not as well as another smoothbore.

Gus

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have three decades experience with the Bess.
This is a military musket, though, not a fowler. IF you are looking to swing on flying birds, you may find the Bess cumbersome. It was designed, after all, to repel and defeat His Royal Britannic Majesty's enemies, not for hunting. You may find that the Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket in kit form is less expensive and more toward what you seek.

GOD SAVE THE KING!

LD

I have successfully used mine for quail hunting. Long sighting plane helps a lot.

 

[Rifleman1776]

My Pedersoli BB was built from a Navy Arms kit in 1976. Used it many times until health issue made me shelve it. One of the mostest funnest guns to shoot I have ever used.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
Something to consider is the Pedersoli Bess stock is fairly straight with only 1.75" or so drop at the heel of the butt plate. This makes getting your cheek down on the stock to aim awkward unless you have a short neck. For hunting, a fowling gun or perhaps a well designed trade gun would be a lot better. This thread will introduce you to the features and foibles of Pedersoli Besses.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-reworking-a-pedersoli-brown-bess.107405/
dave

 

[Joemolf]

Where are you planning on sending it?

I was referred by Track of the Wolf to Kevin Emig and Jack Brooks. I know Jack is good so I’m probably going to ask him. Jim Kimbler recommended another gent for engraving a lock for rifle I’m building. Right now the engraving I want done first. Any recommendations would be welcome
Joe

 

[smoothshooter]

Actually it did very very well.

In the vast majority of battles in the AWI, it was victorious. It was continued to be used, and thus was used to create a world wide empire, so vast that it was said.... "The sun never sets upon the British Empire".

The Colonials didn't win by force of arms. They simply held out in a war of attrition, until the costs of continued fighting were too great for Britain to continue.

Here endeth the lesson

LD

The colonials used a bunch of them too. And manufactured close copies to be issued to the American army.

 

[smoothshooter]

Hi,
Something to consider is the Pedersoli Bess stock is fairly straight with only 1.75" or so drop at the heel of the butt plate. This makes getting your cheek down on the stock to aim awkward unless you have a short neck. For hunting, a fowling gun or perhaps a well designed trade gun would be a lot better. This thread will introduce you to the features and foibles of Pedersoli Besses.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-reworking-a-pedersoli-brown-bess.107405/
dave

I shot and hunted with one for years, and the high comb was something I never really got used to.
I wanted to take a rasp to the comb, but to make it look better I would have had to lower the butt-plate, and it would have still looked wrong because the butt-plate is too short anyway, so I sold it.

 

[FlinterNick]

I shot and hunted with one for years, and the high comb was something I never really got used to.
I wanted to take a rasp to the comb, but to make it look better I would have had to lower the butt-plate, and it would have still looked wrong because the butt-plate is too short anyway, so I sold it.

I have a friend that hunts turkey with an original 1816 Musket by Whickham. The later military muskets and some later contract Brown Bess muskets had their combe’s significantly reduced and were around 9lbs in weight. Still not a Fowler but much more comfortable for shooting.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Hi,
Something to consider is the Pedersoli Bess stock is fairly straight with only 1.75" or so drop at the heel of the butt plate. This makes getting your cheek down on the stock to aim awkward unless you have a short neck. For hunting, a fowling gun or perhaps a well designed trade gun would be a lot better. This thread will introduce you to the features and foibles of Pedersoli Besses.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-reworking-a-pedersoli-brown-bess.107405/
dave

Agree. But who here does what they are supposed to do? ;-) I had a fowler but sold it. The BB is fun to shoot and that is what I used. We are all rebels here.

 

[Timber Rattler]

Yorktown was more of a French victory than an American one. And the Brown Bess was used by both sides during the war.

 

[Blue_Duck_97]

I’m a novice black powder shooter. I picked up a Pedersoli Brown Bess earlier this year. I enjoy shooting it as well as hunting with it. I can’t compare it to a fowler (never shot one). I think I’ve shot nearly two pounds of powder out of mine since I bought it back in the spring. It is a joy to shoot.