Just got my Pedersoli Howdah pistol! I'll take some pics soon. For now, I'm getting familiar with it. And also looking for a nipple pick. I stupidly decided to try dry firing by putting several layers of cloth over the nipples. Cut right through and now they're packed with cloth! I tend to make the dumbest mistakes with muzzleloaders. If I had a nickel for every stuck ball I've had...
Anyway, one of the first things I've noticed is that the left barrel is actually a 17 gauge! My caliper says it's 0.6495", which is just about exactly 17 bore. The right barrel, however, is .633", or 18.4 bore. You can actually see the difference with the naked eye. Using some .630" copper tubing as a feeler, it seems that there's no choke on the tighter bore. I guess that will result in the same effect, though? Not really sure if it's intentional. Maybe I should e-mail Pedersoli and ask.
Edit: I e-mailed 'em. We'll see what they say. I also learned that putting a muzzleloader nipple in your mouth and blowing is a bad idea, and won't get stuff out of them. Thppppbt! Whatever oil they used on these tastes a little bit like bergamot oil, the stuff that's in Earl Grey tea.
And here is a link to what the barrels look like. Hopefully I won't get yelled at for taking a photo looking down the barrels.
The difference in thickness isn't too hard to see. If it were the right barrel that was looser, I would assume it's intentional, since that's the more normal arrangement.
Anyway, one of the first things I've noticed is that the left barrel is actually a 17 gauge! My caliper says it's 0.6495", which is just about exactly 17 bore. The right barrel, however, is .633", or 18.4 bore. You can actually see the difference with the naked eye. Using some .630" copper tubing as a feeler, it seems that there's no choke on the tighter bore. I guess that will result in the same effect, though? Not really sure if it's intentional. Maybe I should e-mail Pedersoli and ask.
Edit: I e-mailed 'em. We'll see what they say. I also learned that putting a muzzleloader nipple in your mouth and blowing is a bad idea, and won't get stuff out of them. Thppppbt! Whatever oil they used on these tastes a little bit like bergamot oil, the stuff that's in Earl Grey tea.
And here is a link to what the barrels look like. Hopefully I won't get yelled at for taking a photo looking down the barrels.
The difference in thickness isn't too hard to see. If it were the right barrel that was looser, I would assume it's intentional, since that's the more normal arrangement.
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