doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Double Rifles, Paradox Guns & Gauge Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Double muzzleloader---Update with new bullet

Gerry, do you know when Pedersoli changed the twist from 1-48 to 1-24 on the 50 cal.?

No, I�m afraid not. It must have been 7 to 10 years ago, I suppose. But you could ask Pedersoli. On their website www.davide-pedersoli.com you can get in contact with them. If you would like to find out the twist of your rifle it is not a big thing by using a cleaning rod with a strong fitting patch. Let me know should you have more questions.

Sorry. Should have been more specific.

Mine is actually a Trail Guns Armory" Which were made by Perdersoli. So it is slightly different.

Thank you Gerry. So mine may be 1-24 at 8-10 yrs. old. Thanks also for mentioning calculating your twist. I've done it for myself and friends but admit to being lazy and just not doing it yet. (shame on me!!).

Gerry - My Kodiak .72 is NOT of the newer Africa Express series. It is strictly old school. They don't make it anymore; the left sideplate shows a bear (kodiak?) in a woodland settingand the right sideplate shows a buffalo in its plains environment. Strictly North American ambience evoked, many many miles from Africa.

Accuracy with prb's is very good. I also have a mould for an 835 grain conical made by NEI down a Texico way. Haven't cast any of these yet, but I'm told by another shooter that he got very goodd results with conicals cast from the same mould.

I can't make out whether you're sayinig your sight is the same one marketed by Pedersoli or an entirely different one, but The one I got from Pedersoli, fiber optic green and red, seems to be the cat's meow. I did keep the original gold front sight and didn't bnother replacing it with the red fiber optic (which yours of the same broke).

The "Express sight" you mention as giving you great satisfaction; Are you refering to the original "dual"sight or did you find a replacement sight from another source that is superior?

I wrung out the rifle pretty good yesterday and it's coming along. The barrels are still crossing at 50 yards but I have that down to a little more than an inch. Need a heavier bullet still but I don't know if that's going to work. I measured the twist, finally, and it's 1-48. I was using a Lyman 380 grain Maxi-type from a mold I borrowed from a friend at church. I'm thinking I'm going to need 100 grains heavier.

I had ordered a new mold from Accurate Molds of Salt Lake. A tapered, 450 grain bullet with 3 lube grooves and a 40 cal. meplat. I will be ordering other molds from Accurate as I need them. Tom was great to work with and the mold is top notch. And, it arrived a week earlier than projected. The mold arrived Monday the 14th and I cast up a bunch of bullets, keeping 30 that were within 1 grain. The mold likes the lead HOT. My ancient Lee lead furnace was maxed out before I started getting full, wrinkle free bullets.

The first 8 R/L combos were not very good with the rifle acting like it wanted to shoot one time and not the next. I examined the target and it appeared to me the bullets were tipping ever so slightly. I believed I wasn't driving them fast enough to stabilize so I increased my powder charge from 70 grs. Ffg to 80 grs. Ffg, Scheutzen. Things then started happening in a good way!!!!

Below, encircled, are my last 3 R/L combos, numbered 9, 10 and 11. The light on my range here at my house is terrible in the afternoons with shadows coming and going on the target and on my bench. I would like to blame the last shot, 11R, that opened an otherwise good group on that but it would be a poor excuse for poor shooting. Besides, I have natures best excuse of old eyes....lol! Obviously I need to adjust the sights and I am going to tweak the load a little, hopefully. But as it is I'm pleased and have a load I can hunt and plink with. I just may be in the market for a bigger bore double muzzleloader, this has been a hoot!

I believe there is evidence of some bullets tipping in the shot at 11:00 o'clock on the line between the 5 and 6 ring and in the shot in the 6 ring at about 7:30 o'clock. There is the smear of either lead or lube and the holes are ever so slightly oblong. not visible in the picture but perceptible on the target. 2nd opinions?