has anyone purchased this kit and built it and hunted squirrels with it?

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I dont know about that particular rifle, but the .32 is popular with some of the guys at our bp club. I have a cva caplock .32. It is a fun shooter, and i have taken many squirrels with it.
You will be happy hunter with a .32.
Fwiw, i would encourage you to widen your search to include .36 and .40 caliber. I believe .40s shoot cleaner than .32s. .40s are very popular as target guns.
The .32 , .36 and .40 are cannonballs vs squirrel and rabbit.
 
The kit may need you to drill some holes. They say this is a "beginners kit", but drilling holes and "fitting wood to metal", not sure how that applies for a "beginner". The barrel comes "blued" which you will need to strip off (it's easy) to then apply the rust-brown that is intended with the kit. You're probably going to want to swap out the steel front sight post for a thin, silver post, https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/874/6/FS-TC-TTB so that you can get as much accuracy out of the barrel. Pedersoli tends to have good barrels, but the sights (especially the front) tend to give the shooter (imho) less precision than the barrel actually will give. If you're going for squirrel, you will want that finer sight picture. ;) You might swap out the rear sight too, to something more simple. Pedersoli long rifle barrels also often use a "patent breech", meaning there is a smaller chamber within the face of the breech plug, instead of the old style where the builder would simply drill the touch hole just in front of the face of the breech plug. So you may need in a .32..., a .22 caliber, pistol brush, to get into that chamber and get the crud out.

LD
 
Not a pedersoli and not flint but I just finished a Traditions Crockett 32 cal. Squirrel gun and enjoy shooting it. I had to chisel under the lock slightly for it to seat flush with the stock and clear away a little wood for the trigger movement. I had to shim under the barrel tang about .030 and clear a little wood for barrel lug to seat correctly and line up with the wedge but I think that's all normal stuff, I did have to plug and relocate the screw holes for the trigger guard slightly but no big deal. I would have been disappointed if I didn't have to do any work at all. The one thing I didn't like was the 2 brass washers rather than a side plate so I made a side plate copying the one on an original 1795 Springfield musket that I have so I am now practicing inleting on scrap wood before attempting to do it on the stock, so for now it sits proud on the stock the way the washers did. Enjoy the time building your rifle.
 
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...Pedersoli+Pennsylvania+Rifle+-+.32+Cal.+Flint so guys been looking at this kit at dixie gun works to build and hunt squirrels with so has anyone built this kit and do you have to drill holes and such on this kit? and does it perform well when hunting?

Have you seen the spec.'s for this rifle?
The barrel is 41 5/8 inches long and the gun weighs 8.37 pounds.
Unless a person really has a hankering for a long rifle, that barrel is quite a monster for only shooting a little .32 ball:--->>> https://www.davide-pedersoli.com/sc...-rifles-pennsylvania-flintlock-model-kit.html

And the photos that I've seen of squirrels shot with a .32 had large holes clear through the animal.
The holes looked large enough to easily put one or two fingers through them (if not more).
And that's not even considering dealing with the potential for powder to foul the barrel or overcoming any flinch from the lock ignition.
 
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If I were to go for a 32 I would buy this one. And for just a bit more than the kit you can get the finished rifle. I just one of these used off GB in 50 caliber and percussion and it is so nice to pick up a BP rifle that doesn't weigh eight and half pounds or more. My rifle weighs 5 pounds a 11 ounces. Thats NICE.

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/page/product/product_id/2043

It says the weight is about 6 pounds. I also have a Pedersoli 45 caliber rifle with a 42" barrel and it weighs a couple of pounds more than the carbine. Just a thought.

And the guy who suggested a 36 is spot on. And just a couple of weeks back there was a guy here who wanted to sell his Dixie Cub in .40 percussion. Maybe give that one a look.
 
The 32 needs to be wiped between shots, not much room in there for excess fouling. Just an aside, does it have to be a rifle? Have you explored smoothbores that can shoot (bird)shot?
 
The 32 needs to be wiped between shots, not much room in there for excess fouling. Just an aside, does it have to be a rifle? Have you explored smoothbores that can shoot (bird)shot?
well since you mentioned it I really want the indian trade musket there at dixie gun works here it is! https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...uct_name/FR3170+Pedersoli+Indian+Trade+Musket plus afterwards I would like a 32 or 36 caliber rifle to add in flintlock only as I love the rocklocks lol! but yeah this 20 gauge smoothbore is what I been drooling over and with a roundball for deer or hogs and or shot for squirrels, rabbits, and quail etc, this should make a fine hunting gun!
 
My experience with the Pedersoli Kits is that all the steel holes are predrilled, the woodwork is where most of the work is involved other than sanding or filing. I have built three Pedersoli rifle kits, two flint and one percussion and have no complaints. To me, the reason for building a kit rather than buying a finished piece is that the kit has a piece of you in it.
 
I would suggest an alternate approach. If you can find one second hand, take it apart and refinish it. There is a lot of extra wood on the stock (for instance, the forestock doesn't blend into the barrel, but has flats that run all the way down, and the lock panel can be sharper). Remove the blue or brown, and age the barrel using blueing that you wipe on and wipe off, just graying the barrel (browning was less common than blued or bright barrels in the early 19th century - much of the browning we see on antiques is actually patina, or age). You might be able to save a buck over the new kit price, and can put a good deal of "you" into it as you refine the wood and finish the wood and metal. Just a suggestion....I have one in .45 that was given to me, and my plan for a winter project is to work the wood down a bit, refinish, etc. for my son. I might have to shoot it some, too....
 
Good suggestion. I have done a couple myself back when you could find them cheap in pawn shops. I have bought a couple that had some pretty rusty bores and they cleaned right up with no pitting or other damage. But I don't see them in pawn shops anymore. I have been told some pawn shops won't even buy them anymore because they don't sell well.
 
the bad thing I find is most of the time when I look at used they want either nearly new price or higher than new for used one's and so i'm like dang! but yeah if I could get a great deal on a used trade gun in flintlock around 20 gauge and no bigger than a 10 gauge would be great!
 
I responded to this post in Nov. about my Traditions Crockett 32 cal. but since then I purchased and have started the pedersoli Kentucky flintlock Kit and am thrilled with it, the stock wood is a beautiful piece of Walnut far superior to the traditions Beachwood stock. Like David 58 said the stock needs a lot of shaping and sanding I only wished I had read his reply before I finished my stock. I removed a lot of wood from the fore stock but I didn't take it all the way to meet the barrel but I didn't leave much compared to what was there it is somewhat rounded to the barrel but no flat spot. I have an Original Brown Bess and the forestock on it comes right to an edge at the barrel so maybe that is what I should have done but that said you can see a few places on the Bess where that thin area has been broken away over the yrs. BTW I have some interesting history on that Brown Bess for a new thread. The kentucky kit brass took a lot of work starting with a file and I do mean a lot of filing then multiple grits of sandpaper and finally a buffing wheel and compound, I probably have 10 or more hours in the brass alone and another 10 removing tool marks on the barrel and every time I think I am done I look from another angle and see more marks. I am ready to finish the barrel and then final assembly, I may get flamed for this but I am going with blue, I like blue and had good luck with Brownells Dicropan on the Crockett. As far as the stock inletting to the brass, the lock and the barrel the fit was absolutely perfect, the wood was proud and had to be sanded to be flush and that was done during the work on the brass. I am anxious to finish it and try shooting. So I believe the Pennsylvania rifle that the original post referred to would be just as good and fun to build it looks similar just a few inches longer.
 
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