Pedersoli Dualing Pistol

[thunder173]

Ok folks,..I am out of my comfort zone here. I have a never been fired 150th Anniversary Edition Texas Commemorative Pedersoli percussion 44 caliber,...yes,..44 caliber Dualing Pistol set,..including the powder flask,..and a Bowie Knife in the original presentation case.

I am from Michigan,..bought this on a lark in 1986 for some forgotten reason. It has no collector or sentimental value to me,..so I am considering taking it out and poking holes with it.

So my question: Should I? Or should I instead put it up the board here in THR for sale??

If I were to want to shoot it,..with round balls,..what powder and charge would you recommend? I have some 30 grain Pyrodex pellets I would like to use with a patched round ball. Would they get it done?

What would be a good lube? And if I were to get really stupid here and decide to use it in the upcoming black powder deer season,..would it stand a 50 or 60 grain load of pellets,....and maybe be capable of taking a deer close in?

Inquiring minds need to know fella's. Let the comments begin.

 

[mykeal]

I am considering taking it out and poking holes with it. So my question: Should I? Or should I instead put it up the board here in THR for sale??

If you intend using it regularly, then by all means, shoot it. I don't believe it has any really significant collector value, so firing it won't hurt it's value much. Pedersoli is a premium brand so it should be holding it's value well, fired or unfired. That said, it is worth more unfired, so if you're considering shooting it as a lark and then perhaps selling it, shooting it wouldn't be a good idea. In short, if it were mine, I'd shoot it.

what powder and charge would you recommend?

40 grains/volume fffg Goex, a .430 round ball and a 0.015 lubed patch. Are you sure it's a .44 and not a .45 - have you miked the bore? Lose the Pyrodex pellets. Better yet, crush them up and spread them in the flower garden this fall. If you can't get Goex, 40 grains/volume of loose Pyrodex P or 35 grains/volume of loose 777 fffg.

What would be a good lube?

Saliva still works (has for a few hundred years), but you could also use olive oil, Bore Butter, Ballistol or moose milk (see the sticky at the top of this forum).

would it stand a 60 grain load and maybe take a deer close in?

Sure. Accuracy will be crap so your effective range will be about 40 yards max, and I'd want to have run a couple hundred practice rounds through it first to be sure I could hit where I'm aiming (I'll suggest the best you're going to be able to do with 60 gr/vol is a 12" circle at 50 yards - not good enough for me). A round ball propelled by 60 grains of real black powder will kill a deer up 70 or 80 yards, but I doubt that gun would be accurate enough with that load.

 

[thunder173]

Thanx for the reply mykeal....Factory engraving on the barrel says it's a .44....I had questioned that too, and contacted Pedersoli direct,..and they checked it by serial number as well. Has not been miked though. Can have a friend of mine check it to make certain.

Appreciate the suggested powders. Will see what I can find around here,...not too many options on black powder locally. I have used both Pyrodex and Triple Seven pellets in the past with an in line .50 caliber NEF with decent results,..(that being 5 shots in under 4 inches at a measured 75 yards,...) I suspect it would be more capable than that,..but I don't shoot it all that often. Most shots around here that I would take with BP anything are going to be fairly close in. Was hoping to be able to use some of the pellets with this as well,..just for the convenience of them.

In any case,..again,..appreciate your response and the tips. Let ya know how it works out.

 

[mykeal]

Northeast Michigan: Duncan's Outdoor Shop in Bay City carries Goex and always has a stock. Skip's in Grayling does also, although sometimes they're out of it so give them a call first.

 

[thunder173]

Ok,..thanx,..will pop into Skips my next trip over that way.

 

[BCRider]

First off "dual" means two and "duel" means a fight so they are correctly "dueling pistols". So much for the spelling lesson. What I want to see is the pictures of the set! ! ! ! !

I'm wondering if the 44 caliber is based on an actual bore of .45 and it takes .440 balls with a .010 patch. Generally muzzle loaders of any length use a patch to provide the seal and friction to the rifling, if any. And from what I've seen a .440 ball and patch becomes the right fit for a .450 bore.

 

[Busyhands94]

well if you don't want them I'd take them off your hands for you!

for deer i would load 30 or 40 grains and go for a head shot, or a heart shot. i have considered buying a black powder single shot handgun for squirrel, you could load it light and use it for that if that's your thing.

 

[thunder173]

Thanx gentlmen.

BCRider: My brain knows how to spell it,..my phat fingers don't,...cut me some slack. It says it is a .44,..and as I mentioned,..I had contacted Pedersoli and they checked by serial number,..and yes,..it is serial numbered. They confirmed it IS a .44 caliber. I will however have it miked just for S&G's and to be certain. If I were bright enuff to post pics'...I already would have!

Busyhands94: Nah,..I think I'll keep it and shoot it,...though not sure why. Black Powder is not really my thing,..but it adds a few days of available deer hunting for me. Other than that,..I rarely ever shoot my NEF Huntsman,...except maybe to make sure it can still hit anything.

 

[GCBurner]

Keep it handy, you never know when an Affair Of Honor might arise.

 

[Jim Watson]

The Pedersoli catalog lists .435" balls for their nominal .44 caliber muzzleloading pistols. No mention of patch thickness.

Kind of light for deer hunting, if you ask me.

 

[BE Wild Willy]

I will be curious on how accurately they shoot. Do they have dual set triggers, or a single one? What kind of sighting aparatus do they possess? Go shoot the darn things...

 

[gifford]

I'd like to see a picture of that set as well. Sounds like a nice set.

 

[thunder173]

it is a single pistol, silver flask,....and a really ugly Bowie...single trigger but a very crisp trigger pull. Dove tailed rear, dovetailed front.

I plan on keeping it for a shooter.