Home Forums Hunting & Shooting BPCR Looking at a Sharps repro

I know I should save my money and get a Shiloh (I have owned 2 but the need for money was greater and regrettably they were sold) but it is not in the cards at the moment. I am looking at a Pedretti action (not the one with a humongous hammer!) that has a Green Mountain barrel in .40-65 with nice looking wood and a Vernier sight, strait grip and military butt or for the same price a Pedersoli .40-65 with plain wood, pistol grip, dies, bullet mold, brass, Vernier sight and a few more doo-dads. The Pedersoli is new. Are the Pedrettis any better now then they used to be?

I've owned several of the non-USA repros. The "big hammered" guns made by whomever, are not something I'd want to try out. The Italian guns that I've owned which weren't of that sort were both Pedersoli's. The Pedersoli's are worth owning if you can get them cheap enough. IMO, a rule-of-thumb on Shilohs or C. Sharps around here is $2000 for a bottom-line used price. I don't think this is far off from what you can get a new base unit for from Shiloh. If you get a used gun with more options than base, then there is that. The problem with the Pedersoli's is that they have went up in price pretty significantly. The two I owned were like $600 apiece. At the time, you couldn't have gotten a Shiloh for double that barring some great deal. Most of even the used Pedersoli's around here are at least a grand. That's still half a Shiloh price. Probably worth it if you can't dig up the money.

FWIW the big hammered guns, as you call them, look more like some of the real old conversion guns. The newer type Italians all, unless I'm mistaken, seem to be closer replicas of the so-called model 1874. I wouldn't own a big hammered gun. I can say the Pedersoli's are worth owning if they are gotten with a wide enough spread between them and a USA gun. I don't know about the Pedretti and so can't speak to it.

They are both under $1000 so the price is right. The prices on some of the Pedersolis are getting very close to used Shiloh prices. I bought one Shiloh used and the other was ordered through Bill Goodman and I ordered it the way I wanted it which is the way to if you have the funds. The Pedersoli has their brand Vernier sight that comes in the wooden box with all the inserts for the globe also. The Pedretti has great looking wood and a custom barrel. The Pedersoli may be the best deal I think but the Pedretti looks better.

I haven't seen a non-Pedersoli Italian that I would pay the same amount for as a Pedersoli. I understand what you're saying, but that's just me.

Under a thou nowadays is indeed probably "right". That probably comes in about halfway to what a USA gun would cost. How much of a differential you will allow between USA and Italian only you yourself know.

After talking to the seller I went ahead and bought the Pedersoli. The bad part is that I have already checked into having the barrel machined into a 1/2 octagon and am wondering if a .40-90 would cleanup the chamber. Dang I have it bad

Congrats on your purchase.

Thanks. It aint a Shiloh but it should shoot!

Not a Shiloh, but a nice Sharps, nevertheless.

Pedersoli, IMHO, is the best of the imported Sharps. Their barrels are very good, look like match barrels thru a Hawkeye borescope and shoot about like they look.

This one has Lee Shaver sights.
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/hstrial-LeeShaverGuns/StoreFront.bok

DF

Nice looking gun. Is it yours?

If you really want it; get it then keep the wooden sight box and throw the rest away!

It's mine. I've had it for several years.

DF

Spectacular wood on that one. One gun I regret selling the most was a Shiloh Hartford Model with extra fancy wood. The wood was the main reason I was having trouble deciding between these 2 guns, the one I chose has rather plain wood.

Very nice.

Aww c'mon Kurt, a Pedersoli is about the only ways a lotta guys have to scratch the "ITCH". Us'ns a a mite spoiled!!

Since I am going with the Pedersoli, here is what the Pedretti looks like:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/498/1/AAL-421

Pace, my observation and opinion. The barrel is a bit heavy for the relatively light caliber(in the Sharps pantheon). Heavies are great for heat dissapation and recoil dampening that goes with the heavier cartridges unless you are looking to shoot long strings. Nice lookin' rifle but my opinion is too heavy for the round.

When I do order another Shiloh I think I will build a Buffalo gun starting with a Hartford Model with extra fancy wood, AAA finish and a 32 inch heavy 1/2 octagon barrel in .50-90

Shixt! I wish you hadn't went and invoked the 50-90 round.

Another take on the Pedretti...I hadn't even thought about it for awhile but there are a lot of gunsmiths around here who will get those parts and build their own. While some of them are talented, you are still working with a what might be termed, "substandard" action. That and you are seldom going to get the Craftsmanship that the Montana outfits turn out on a daily basis, whether you call them "custom" or "semi-custom" notwithstanding. A lot of these guns I've seen are very rough. They can look good from a distance, but when you actually handle them it's a different story.

I think you done good with the Pedersoli. They are a decent gun and a good way to shoot a Sharps facsimile for those who have less money or simply don't want to lay out the necessary dinero for a Montana gun.

Nothing like looking over a white or nickle plated receiver on a bright sunny day to enhance ones sight picture. I'd pass on that one. Might look good on the wall though.

The receiver is color case hardened

I guess the subtilies of that in Dirtfarmer's images escaped my weak eyes. I'll look more closely next time. Sorry.

Oops. Sorry I thought you were talking about the link I posted. Dirtfarmers is French Gray

Actually it's not that bright and isn't a hindrance to shoot.

Now, would I trade it for a Shiloh with some nice case colors. You betcha...

DF

Yeh, I know ET They shoot OK. I had two of them for my first repo a 63 and a Q when they first came on the market but replacing the parts got to be a pain and those flip flop sights I could hit better just looking over the top of the barrel so I tore the sight off and threw it in the weeds.

Maybe they are building them better now; dont know haven't had one in my hands for a long time.

Good Morning.

I've repaired and patched up a LOT of Pedrettis over the years. Soft parts, Brittle parts, wonky chambers, crappy triggers ( prone to AD)

YOU LUCKED out, and went for the better quality rifle (The Pedersoli)

They slick up nicely, and are WAY more reliable.

I'd avoid Pedretti, myself.

GTC

It does have nice wood. I'm posting a couple of photos.

The Pedersoli may be the best, IMHO, of the Italian guns, I'd still like to have a Shiloh. I don't know about the more exotic rounds, though. I understand it's harder to get them shooting tight groups. I would appreciate some more info on that.

DF

The Pedesolis also have very good barrels and seem less finicky than Shilohs in terms of accuracy. I think it's not the inherent quality of the barrels, but really more of the rifling pattern.

Anyone use a .40 for hunting? Suggestion for a good deer and pig bullet?

Anything from 300g on up with a wide flat nose will be an excellent hunting bullet in a .40 .

pacecars--What is the bullet mold that came with your rifle? I have a couple of rifles in 40-65, one of them a Pedersoli that is identical to yours. Loaded correctly, your rifle can be a stone cold killer, especially on deer and hogs.

On the side of the mold it has:
40-420-BPCR over RCBS

That is essentially a long range target bullet, and not a very good choice for hunting.

There are two bullets you need to get, and both are from Lyman. One is the 410655 which is a flat nosed bore riding bullet that weighs 415 grains. Loaded over 58 grains of KIK 2f, it gives 1178 fps and shoots all the way through deer and hogs--and just about anything else. I would not hesitate to use it on elk and buffalo.

The other bullet is a real sleeper. It is the 403169 which weighs 250 grains. Loaded over the same 58 grains of KIK 2f powder charge, it gives 1487 fps and will shoot through and through a 5 inch diameter sweetgum tree. Needless to say, you won't recover one of these from a deer or a hog either. This one has about as much recoil as a Benjamin pump air rifle.

This is a greatly over looked hunting caliber with light recoil and a great killer of game if you load it correctly. Good luck, and keep us posted.

Interesting.

Could you please expand a bit on that?

DF

Thanks! I had some paper patches and bullets someone gave me back when I had my Shiloh .40-70BN. They too are target bullets but I still want to try them and see how they shoot

Got the rifle in today and it looks pretty good.

Nice. Congrats.

Very nice! I'm envious!

Ed