Pedersoli shotgun bore

Status
Not open for further replies.
tbob38

tbob38

Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2005
Messages
424
Location
Utah's Dixie
I just got a 12 Ga Pedersoli muzzle loading shotgun and am not sure of the bore size. The muzzle measure .710 fo r the right barrel and .694 for the left. So, is this gun a cyl./mod or a mod/full choke gun?
 
Unfortunately, that choke gauge will only be as accurate as the ID of the actual barrel is typical.
Many muzzleloading shotguns have non-typical barrel ID's.
At least some 12 gauge muzzle loader barrels actually measure out closer to what could be 13 gauge or 14 gauge which will skew the reading on the quick gauge.
My Navy Arms 12 Gauge side by side from the 1970's definitely has a smaller barrel ID than what is typically considered 12 gauge in modern shotguns. I'm not sure about the Pedersoli.
The Cabela's info linked above is likely a better bet. However the older the shotgun, the more likely it was built to different specs.

Regardless, you should pattern it with several loads varying your shot and powder weights. That is what will be most important anyway.
 
Malachi Leviticus Blue said:
Unfortunately, that choke gauge will only be as accurate as the ID of the actual barrel is typical.
Many muzzleloading shotguns have non-typical barrel ID's.
Click to expand...

RIGHT
In fact many modern breech loading shotguns can have skewed chokes since choking is a range of constriction, and not necessarily standardized for all manufacturers. So in black powder arms, even today, it's not standardized.

Case in Point. I have a Savage 311 SxS 16 gauge, and I have a CZ SxS 16 Gauge. They are both supposed to be improved cylinder in the right barrel and modified in the left barrel. The CZ being 1990's manufacture is very similar to other shotgun brands in choking. It is a proper IC/Mod..., but the Savage 311 was more of a "working man's gun", not an "upland sporting gun". So..., the IC barrel is really more open and more like "skeet" choked, and the Mod barrel is a little too tight, so is more like what some makers call a modified/full (half way to a full choke from a modified choke). :confused:

Why would Savage have done that? Well poor quality control might be a reason. A smart reason would be the slightly more open choke in the right barrel would give the farmer more success on quail and dove and a close range, sprinting rabbit..., and the tad tighter than modified would give the same farmer a bit more success on ducks... it might have increased the success rate on a wider range of game. :thumbup: So..., the Savage 311 got a rep for being a good all around gun to put game in the pot!

Now as for the Pedersoli..., the "nominal" bore diameter around the world for modern 12 gauge is .729, and the average choke for modified is a .020 restriction, so .710 sounds right, and the average for full is a .030 restriction so .694 is pretty close. The problem is IF the interior of the bores on the muzzle loader are .720 and not .729..., what folks often call a teeny weeny difference then the .710 barrel is Improved Cylinder and the .694 is modified. o_O It doesn't take much to change the choke you see. ;)

LD
 
Malachi Leviticus Blue said:
Unfortunately, that choke gauge will only be as accurate as the ID of the actual barrel is typical.
Many muzzleloading shotguns have non-typical barrel ID's.
At least some 12 gauge muzzle loader barrels actually measure out closer to what could be 13 gauge or 14 gauge which will skew the reading on the quick gauge.
My Navy Arms 12 Gauge side by side from the 1970's definitely has a smaller barrel ID than what is typically considered 12 gauge in modern shotguns. I'm not sure about the Pedersoli.
The Cabela's info linked above is likely a better bet. However the older the shotgun, the more likely it was built to different specs.

Regardless, you should pattern it with several loads varying your shot and powder weights. That is what will be most important anyway.
Click to expand...

The Choke gauge has a range to it. Nothing is fixed perfectly in this hobby. Not sure that it matters.
 
The barrel flats - underneath at the bottom of an Italian proofed gun should show barrel diameter and choke diameter in, the latter of which should be something like 18.1 and 17.7 (roughly), the former somewhat greater. Subtract the lower number from the higher and that will reveal the extent of choke constriction, at which time, like most manufacturers, you can call it whatever you like.
 
I like my navy arms 10 gauge sxs it has cylinder bore on both barrels! plus my h&r huntsman 12 gauge has cylinder bore as well which I like better as it's easier to start the wads into the bores of these shotguns and I just add a little more shot to make them perform really well!
 
LRDGCO said:
The barrel flats - underneath at the bottom of an Italian proofed gun should show barrel diameter and choke diameter in, the latter of which should be something like 18.1 and 17.7 (roughly), the former somewhat greater. Subtract the lower number from the higher and that will reveal the extent of choke constriction, at which time, like most manufacturers, you can call it whatever you like.
Click to expand...

It's a muzzle loader, no flats. Only thing stamped on the underside is an A on the right barrel and a B on the left.
 
There should still be proofs and barrel dimensions. Strange otherwise.
 
Dave had the measurements right, and unless you have a dial indicator to go down in the barrel past the choke, you won't really know what the choke is. Tight chokes on a muzzleloader make it hard to start the wads. The only way around it is with jug chokes. I did my MLing trap gun to a jug choke. Easy to load, and still have a choke for tight patterns.
 
paul harm said:
I did my MLing trap gun to a jug choke. Easy to load, and still have a choke for tight patterns.
Click to expand...

Paul is right, and really the ticket for all you turkey hunters out there if you get something like a trade gun, and you don't want it exclusive for squirrels and turkeys. What the "jug choke" does is a tool is inserted into a cylinder bore barrel..., it removes a tiny bit from the interior of the barrel, say only .010 from the interior barrel wall around 2" from the muzzle, which gives a total diameter expansion of .020. So when fired, the shot column moves forward and encounters this widened portion and slightly expands..., THEN it compresses back down to the cylinder bore, and voila, you have a "modified" choke where you had none before. Why is this better? As Paul mentioned your shotgun wads load easily, AND you can still shoot ball so you can still go after deer!

LD
 
For those shotguns that are threaded, or can be, extended choke tubes are much easier to remove for loading and are less prone to becoming stuck.
An extended cylinder choke tube can always be installed when a constriction is not needed or desired.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

jmars
  • Locked
Cylinder bore shotgun pattern question.....
Replies
22
Views
1K
jmars
jmars
jmars
  • Locked
How is my Pedersoli double choked.....
Replies
5
Views
731
noelf2
noelf2
T
  • Locked
black powder shotguns
Replies
24
Views
3K
PapaG
P
Malachi Leviticus Blue
  • Locked
Pedersoli Shotgun Fixed Choke Size
Replies
7
Views
3K
Loyalist Dave
Loyalist Dave
M
  • Locked
Need Assistance "Pedersoli .38 Plainsman"
Replies
3
Views
2K
higene
H
Back
Top