Opinions comments on Dixie Jaeger flintlock rifle

[Rick Boylan]

I see that Dixie gun works has brought down the price on their Jaeger flintlock rifle. Does anyone have any experience with this gun and if so what are your opinions of this model and maker?

I'm really interested in this model of gun and I like the quality of Pedersoli guns.
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=3451

 

[Zonie]

You may want to check the posts in this link:
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...tid/298694/post/1543050/fromsearch/1/#1543050

 

[Silky921]

Always liked my Pedersoli and the looks of that jaeger too. My hunch is you won't be disappointed.

 

[Rick Boylan]

Thanks Zonie. Funny to see a post of my own in that thread. I know I got interest in this style of rifle from some of the posts on this forum. I've liked the Pedersoli version and was looking around for one. I see that Dixie also has a Jaeger kit, but it's a bit intimidating for me to think of building a kit when I know I'm not very good at such things. I just like the look of this rifle.

 

[nwtradegun]

I would stay away from the 1 in 24 twist. will only shoot bullets or very low rd ball loads. eire regardless of what they say. bullets did not com out the minie ball was developed

 

[Zonie]

What you said about fast twist barrels shooting only bullets is partially true.

Most of the current fast twist barrels have very shallow rifling grooves and these usually do poorly shooting patched roundballs.

Jaeger rifles on the other hand have had fast twist barrels for over 130 years before the invention of the minie' bullet or the other elongated slugs used in the mid-1850's.
These fast twist barrels date to before the French & Indian war at least back to 1730 and earlier.

It was not uncommon for a Jaeger to have a 24" long barrel with one full twist in the rifling grooves between the breech and the muzzle.

The catch here is, these Jaeger's rifling grooves were deeper than the grooves used for shooting slugs.

The Pedersoli Jaeger has followed this line of thinking and its rifling grooves are .006 deep.
That's twice as deep (or more) as the rifling grooves in a slug shooting barrel which often range from .0015 to .003 deep.

The bottom line is, the Pedersoli Jaeger can shoot patched roundballs accurately, even with large powder loads.

 

[Artificer]

Good Info, Jim. Thank you for taking the time/effort to explain it.

Gus

 

[Jaegermeister]

Great rifle and an easy kit to build. Mine shot better than me and I wish I hadn't sold it. Very easy to "personalize" in it's kit form like inlays or carving. You won't be disappointed.

 

[54ball]

That's a neat rifle but in my opinion it's pricey for what you get. The Frontier/Blue Ridge and Brown Bess kits are much better products with a better price IMHO.

Read the reviews. It seems these do have a problem with frizzen hardness and possibly lock quality.

 

[Rick Boylan]

Good things to know about and be aware of.

I currently have a Pedersoli Kentucky and it shoots great. The lock works great and the frizzen throws a lot of spark. It goes boom every time I need it to.

The kit on DGW for the Jaeger is more expensive than the built gun for some reason. :youcrazy:

 

[Grenadier1758]

Generally I like the Pedersoli Jaeger Rifle. Zonie is right on with respect to the rifling. That rifle has relatively deep rifling that will work with a patched round ball and may actually be too deep for a slug.

The one thing I don't like about the rifle is the mystery composite nose cap. They want to replicate an ebony nose cap but without the expense. You can replace the nose cap, but that won't improve the shooting capabilities.

 

[Artificer]

One thing I do not understand about the Pedersoli Jaeger is what kind of a Jaeger were they trying to copy? The curve of the buttplate seems to be far greater than either a civilian or a military Jaeger.

Gus

 

[54ball]

Gus I guess the closest is 19th Century. Most of the ones I have seen from that time period have wooden guards and are somewhat plain compared to the 18th Century rifles.

 

[valen]

I have a pedersoli jager with iron furniture and the fast twist barrel. I shot patched round ball in front of 65 grains of FFFg with enough accuracy for my purposes. I like the gun a lot and it is my go to rifle. I carry it for reenacting and I'm planning on taking it to deer season this fall. No issues with the lock here. I bought it used about a year ago for around the same price as that new one. I suggest jumping on it.

 

[Rick Boylan]

The nose cap is of little concern for me. It's just for show and I doubt it will make me a better or worse shooter. :haha:

 

[Cowboy]

I know of someone that has a Pedersoli Jaeger in percusion with an L&R Flintlock that can be switched back and forth. Guns in great condition.

He is wanting to sell it! It would be below Dixie's sale price.

It also comes with a hard case and loading accessories too!

You can PM me and I will get you in contact with him.

Respectfully, Cowboy :hatsoff:

 

[Rick Boylan]

He's already contacted me via PM. I'm waiting for his reply.

Thank you.
Rick.

 

[Artificer]

Gus I guess the closest is 19th Century. Most of the ones I have seen from that time period have wooden guards and are somewhat plain compared to the 18th Century rifles.

Never thought about that and you may well be right, though even the 19th century original guns I've seen did not have that much curvature in the butt plate.

Gus

 

[54ball]

That's true most of the later one I have seen have almost a flat butt. Some have no buttplate and are carved like they do, kind of like some of the fine late 19th Century doubles.

 

[Artificer]

IMO, the NICE thing about the rather flat buttplates on the original Jaegers was/is they are easier on the shoulder for recoil and more like modern shooters prefer overall.

For some time now, Pedersoli has paid attention to whether at least some of their products would pass scrutiny/inspection for International Muzzleloading Association sanctioned matches. When their guns pass those rules, they can sell more guns. To pass that criteria, the gun must be a pretty faithful copy of at least one original gun and better still when it follows a general style of original firearms. I would sure like to know what original Jaeger, if any, Pedersoli used to copy that buttplate.

Gus