Got me a new shootin' iron yesterday

[dhaverstick]

I've been wanting a flintlock SxS smoothbore for probably as long as I've been shooting black powder. Having one custom made will be out of the question until my father dies and wills me the Haverstick Fortune. So I finally saved up my pennies and bought a Pedersoli from Dixie Gun Works. She was delivered yesterday and I scampered off to the woods as soon as I was able so I could break her in.

The gun is a 20 gauge with the left barrel having a modified choke and the right barrel being a cylinder bore. She is 44 1/4" long and weighs around 7 3/4 pounds. The barrels are browned and the furniture is polished steel. I bought the fancy model because, you know, I'm a gentleman. I think I'm gonna call her "Little Debbie" because she's short and sweet.

The ignition is great but she definitely needs some trigger work. The first time I had a bead on a squirrel, I thought I was going to have to use both hands to pull the trigger! Needless to say, that shot got pulled. The next squirrel, though, was not so lucky. If anyone knows how to adjust the triggers on one of these, I am all ears.

I hope to be able to take her to Mexico next year to shoot a Gould's in the head.

Darren

 

[MallardSX2]

Very cool!

 

[87TT]

Nice. Have a smith lighten the triggers.

 

[kdsulliv]

I've been tossing one of those around in my mind for a while now - have you tried different loads? Can you load a slug in that puppy?
My secret desire is to take one of those to the skeet range and jump in the rotation with a few folks and obnoxiously reload between rounds and hold everyone up, pretending to be oblivious and not understand what the rush was.

 

[dhaverstick]

I've been tossing one of those around in my mind for a while now - have you tried different loads? Can you load a slug in that puppy?
My secret desire is to take one of those to the skeet range and jump in the rotation with a few folks and obnoxiously reload between rounds and hold everyone up, pretending to be oblivious and not understand what the rush was.

I think Pedersoli says this is a "shot only" gun. I'm certainly not shooting any round ball out of it.

I have been messing around with different load configurations mainly because the barrels are not true 20 gauge barrels. All my 20 gauge wads and cards, that I use in all my other 20 gauge barrels, fit too loose in these barrels. Even the one with the choke in it. I took a set of calipers and measured the barrel openings and they are closer to a 19 gauge. I ordered some 18 gauge wads and cards to make sure I was sealed up but they haven't arrived yet.

The triggers have gotten substantially better with use.

Darren