Pedersoli Liege Derringer

[mec]

Interesting little Screw Barrel Pistol at $120.00. It is a close copy of several Belgian pistols that came in screw barrel, straigh muzzle loading and occasionally, double barrel variations. The British call them "Screw-Off" pistols and this loading mode has been around since the early 1700s.

Some had indexing points inside the muzzle for the barrel wrench but the Pedersoli has a rifled barrel with actual twist. It has no sights though. This one takes a .451 ball and 9 grains of fffg.

It hits pretty good out to 20 feet but at 30, its hard to keep them on the silhouette.

 

[musketman]

It hits pretty good out to 20 feet but at 30, its hard to keep them on the silhouette.

It's really a personal defence gun, 20 feet would be a long shot for a weapon of this type...

Has some power for it's size though, wouldn't want it aimed at me...

 

[mec]

Twenty feet is stretching it.

 

And the hammer is directly behind the bore. Does that make this one of those designs that did not exist in the "traditional" days? One of those guns we should not own,shoot, too too closely at or rist loss of our short starter privleges?

If I made a rifle like this would I still be "traditional"?

They made them in flint too, back in the 18th century.

 

[mec]

Homey do not think so. That particular action was very common and applied to a number of variations. Here's one with Two Hammers directly behind the bore:

 

[Keith]

Do I understand to load that you pack the powder in a chamber in grip end, place the ball atop and screw the barrel on? If that is so is it difficult to line up the barrel without knocking the ball off? Just looks awkward.

 

[musketman]

Do I understand to load that you pack the powder in a chamber in grip end, place the ball atop and screw the barrel on? If that is so is it difficult to line up the barrel without knocking the ball off?

I'm almost willing to bet the back side of the barrel is recessed (chambered) to allow the ball to fit in without touching the threads of the breech's screw...

 

[mec]

right. you're not swaging the ball down into the breach. the barrel is bored to fit the .451 ball.