Pedersoli Springfield M1861 – first impressions

[dimitar]

Nicely made, but heavy.

It is 9.4 lbs. vs. 8.0 lbs for my original Springfield M1863. Most of the difference is in the weight of the barrel.

Barrel weight:

Pedersoli: 5lbs.
Springfield 1863 : 4lbs.

The Pedersoli barrel is thicker in the midlength ”“its external profile is not exactly like the original barrel.

As a result the original rifle feels more balanced. The Pedersoli feels front heavy. This will not be a problem since I will shoot the Pedersoli mostly benchrest. Will take it to the range tomorrow.

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[George T.]

Lets see better steel and trhicker as well! It is a corporate CYA is my guess!. Just curious what did they recommend as a Max powder charge? Geo. T.

 

[dimitar]

Shoots well. High at 25 yards (naturally). At center to a hint to the right (will see how it does at 50 & 100 yards). Many holes overlapped.

With 60 gs. ffG -- first shot clocked at 913.2 fps. Then the speeds increased. Average over the first 10 shots was around 930 fps. Average over the next 10 shots was 960 fps. I assume the barrel needed to be settled. Will conduct more tests. Will increase the charge to 65 gr. The rifle is built so strong that it can easily handle 100gr., IMO, but I will stay within the design parameters or milder in search of accuracy.

Interestingly, the bullet velocity always increased as the barrel fouling increased... Thus, the harder to push the minie down, the higher velocities - it appears that the resistance is less of a factor than the higher pressure developed. After cleaning, the speed fell down again and increased with every next shot. One of the last shots clocked as high as 1052 fps.

To be continued...

 

[dcriner]

Which is better or more fun to shoot, the Pedersoli or your original?

 

[dimitar]

I have not had the chance to shoot my original Springfield 1863”“ while it looks good on the outside, it has a very ruined barrel ”“ to the extent that it forms a tightening below .565 -- I got a bore scope to look in it and it is not just rust anymore, but the metal has somehow been pitted to be deformed to form highs and lows. Being a bit aggressive, I pressed my luck and tried to test its tightness using a .58 brass fouling scraper, which ended in a bigger mess ”“ the carbon (God invented steel for a reason!) cleaning rod broke and the whole thing is stuck inside ”“ a bit dumb and dumber story”¦ I tried to shoot it out by pushing 10gr of fffG via the cap screw (which wasn’t easy to open), but that small amount does not seem to ignite (unless I point the rifle in the sky, I guess) ”“ I am afraid to do this at the range, so this is another project”¦

That’s why I bought the Pedersoli. I really want to play with it and various load combinations to see how accurate I can get it to shoot.

After years of playing with many bolt action rifles and semi-autos, the black powder interest is somewhat new ”“ the guys at the range look at me funny now -- it all started by buying an Altit snaphance while on a trip to Morocco. Since then I’ve fallen in love with old stuff. Separately I will post about the experience with the Pedersoli 1795 Springfield Musket.

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[Tumblernotch]

Nicely made, but heavy.

It is 9.4 lbs. vs. 8.0 lbs for my original Springfield M1863. Most of the difference is in the weight of the barrel.

Barrel weight:

Pedersoli: 5lbs.
Springfield 1863 : 4lbs.

The Pedersoli barrel is thicker in the midlength ”“its external profile is not exactly like the original barrel.

As a result the original rifle feels more balanced. The Pedersoli feels front heavy. This will not be a problem since I will shoot the Pedersoli mostly benchrest. Will take it to the range tomorrow.

Dimitar

Your original Springfield is just over a pound lighter than it should be. It should weigh 9.18 lbs. without the bayonet attached. Some of this could be explained by a smaller amount of moisture in the wood after 150 years. I've seen many originals that were lighter than spec. I wouldn't think that there would be a whole pound of difference though. But you're closer as far as the barrel weight. It should weigh 4.28 without the breech plug. The barrel is made of wrought iron which may be just a tad lighter than a modern steel barrel of the same size, but very little if it is. I don't have a comparison chart to refer to. The modern reproductions that I've seen all have thicker barrels and that would explain the difference. I've also noticed that most repros have larger stocks and of course will contain a higher moisture content than an old gun.

Just read your last post. If you can remove the breechplug you may be able to drive your tools out from the back. Contact Bob Hoyt or Dan Whitacre and see about getting the barrel bored and re-lined or just order a new barrel. Make sure you let them know it's for an original stock so they can make the correct barrel.

 

[dimitar]

Thank you -- it is likely that my postal meter did not measure them right -- I also see that the Pedersoli is listed as 10 or 10.25 lbs. vs. the 9 lbs I measured...

I made an attempt to unscrew the breech plug using a vise, but that was hopeless and based on many readings, not recommended to be done at home or just by anyone.

Thank you for the advise -- I will try to contact these gentlemen and pass the project on to them. That's the best option at this point.

 

[Tumblernotch]

You're welcome. Due to the shape of the breechplug lug you need a special shaped wrench to remove it. Besides, if the bore is in that bad a shape, it's probably welded to the barrel by rust anyway. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Enfield1]

It has been very interesting to read your post. Unless I missed it, what size minnie have you been shooting, .575 or .577?

 

[Col. Batguano]

Try soaking it in a 1:1 mix of automatic transmission fluid and mineral spirits. That'll unstick almost anything.