Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers Range report testing "new" lever gun.

[b][/b]Warning if you don't like repro don't read the following.[b]

Three days ago got the Pedersoli 86/71 repro to test fire for a magazine.
The model they send me to test is specialy made for driven hunt guys or dog leaders in beat. They call it Boar Buster and it's chambered in 444Marlin.
Wood, steel, bleuing is first class (i know most of you will not like it). The barrel on that model is very short (19inches); of a profile close to the original 71. Big difference except caliber is a steel rail fixed to the barrel, mounting rear sight and dovetailed for special forward scope mount.
To bad the Pedersoli guys did'nt go to Weaver/Picatinny standard. Too bad they also choose sort of Micro Groove rifling (12) and slow twist of 38inch.

Action is very smooth not far from the Winchester 86 repro with tang safety. On the Boar Buster, italians went to the same thing, dumb idea to my point of view.

Stock and front hand guard are from good turkish walnut with a semi-gloss oil treatment, look strong.
Sling swivel mount are installed ( people who lead dogs often carry rifle on their back or on shoulder)
The magazine hold 5 triple four cartridges. A good fire power when hogs are on the menu.
The two locking bolt are closer to 71 than original 86 but lever stay closed even with very warm handload.
First test were for reliability and fonction, using standard pressure 444 loaded by french custom cartridges manufacturer, we shot 40 rounds, from bench (elbow rest) and from standing position. Target were just empty coke can (i don't like coke) at 50 meters. Once used to the very short sight lenght the red can were in danger.
The sight base is very short (10 inches), rear sight is sort of Williams or LPA with two FO green inserts, front is a classic red FO. A bit too high, need to be changed for a lower one.
After that we came to high power cartridge testing and hunting accuracy control at 100meters (110yards) from the seating on elbows rest.

We had four loadings of 5 cartridges with 250grs Hawk, 265 Hornady, 270 Gold Dot Speer and 300grs Hornady.
We wanted to measure velocity and accuracy, particulary with 300grs bullets.
Will not give you loding datas but the most accurate loaging were 265 with french powder close to 4198 and Speer gold dot with VN 120. With VN 120 and 270 we got 2330fps with only 5fps ES...Bench rest datas. The Hornady 265 was faster with TU2000 Vectan powder at almost 2390fps average (19in barrel)

Using Champion Deer Xray target these ten rounds stood in the lung heart area. Not too bad with sight that cover almost all the target at 100m.
Even pushed to a speed i prefer not to announce, the 300grs opened the group erraticaly, not enough to miss boar at 50 to 70 meters but not accurate for smaller game at longer range.
Temperature was 27�C and a warm wind from North Africa was blowing on our range.
I made the barrel heat to burn, not a single problem of extraction or ejection, not a single trace of metal wear on the two bolt or bolt recess. I know, 60 rounds are nothing to judge but it's the first contact, will push the test farther and try to break the thing. Stay tuned.

PS: I know about these rifles a bit, i own 2x 45-70 mod86, 2 mod 71 and a custom one in 50Ak.

Pedersoli is making other version without tang safety in 45-70, looks like 71 or 86 extra light weight. In France the Boar Buster cost 1250euro.

Not a bad rifle to use boar/hogs hunting.
The rifle and some standard 240grs cartridges

Above the original 71 custom 50Ak, then Pedersoli, down the Winchester tang safety model 86 cal45-70

Boar buster in recoil.

Good review, thanks.

Thank you. really appreciate your observation;

Whittington Center, a place where me and lot of good french friends would like to shoot one day. Dreamin'

Have good sunday

Dom

Dom
How difficult is buying the lead for casting?
How difficult is buying the powder, primers, dies, molds etc.
I'm spoiled, I can pick up the rhone and call the supplier and what ever the shooting/reloading product I want arrives at the business with in a week, excepting firearms.
Put together a group of shooters to visit Whittington, getting the group rate, and do it.
Or come to Virginia my range has 430 acres, a dozen ranges, including a 500 yard, and you'll get the visit the Capital of the Confederacy and where the Brits had to surrender at Yorktown.

Jim

Hi Jim,

At the moment we don't have much problem buying powders, primers, bullets, lead, tin and antimony if you want casting your own. When i need reloading dies we have very good choice. If backordered or too expansive gave a mail to Huntington.

In fact bullets are just considered piece of metal (except armor piercing, incendiary, tracer for sure) and our government ask no document for that.
For some times we used to buy some from Buffalo, Montana Bullet Works, Hawk in the good US of A but your state department now ask for import licence and apply for export...Speak of a crasyness when you read about Fast and Furious and other CIA paid weapons dropping in the third world and out of control...

We have manufacturers which make good (very good) hunting bullets and now mono metal (copper alloy) long range target ones, we use all the big US name in business ( some are backordered) and we have also Australian, Finnish, German, Swedish, Italian, South African brand. Our benchrest guys even make their own. So no problem.
Powders, we are limited theorically to Vitahvuori or french Vectan but we can get other brands through the borders.
BP is french (very good) or Swiss (a tad better for some)

We are waiting for new laws about military calibers, must be freed soon except 5,56x45, 7,62x39, 7,62x51 and .50BMG.

Today we can own even these with special licences. I want to remind you that till 1993 we have right to own full automatic registered firearms, even assault rifles and sub machine guns. Renewal each three years. Now it's over, not politically correct....

Today if i want i can buy, with my hunting licence as many hunting or target rifle as i can pay. But semi auto 22lr and "military caliber" need licences.
Of these, for exemple AR type or AK or M1a, Fal, Dragunov, i can own seven plus 5 22lr semi auto. If i'm competitor can go to 10 and 6 (pistol/revolver the same). Seven center fire and five rimfire normally...

Not too bad in Europe and i can live without 30-06 or 8mm Mauser. I use them in other Euro countries
My 338 Lapua TRG42 is free to buy with hunting licence as his my Steyr SSG04 300Win Mag....
I hunt from 1st of june till 15 of march if i have time and money, so not a big problem too.

A bit long but it give you some idea.

Thank you for your kind invitation. Take note. Next week will in North America, between Quebec and Nova Scotia...Have no problem with Brits, lot of friends over the Channel and in Scotland and Eire too. Beers open minds, we have so much history together or against each other that we can spend nights drinking and talking.

All the best

Dom

Neat looking rifle. What is the MSRP?

Dom
Thank you for the fact filled reply.
The laws in France sound like the laws here in Virginia.
I used to get a 168 grain bthp from South Africa for practice at a real good price. I used this bullet rather then the more expensive Sierra Match Kings for plinking and targets.
The importer ceased bringing them in.
Depending on who I'm chatting with I'm an equal opportunity bigot. I pick on the French, Brits, Northeners, Sounthners with equal furvor. My Heinz 57 variety ancestry, Scotch-Irish and Cherokee leaves a lot of targets of opportunity.

Take care

Jim

Dom,
When you do come over to shoot at Whittington Center, plan to spend a week in one of the founder's cabins and schedule some time to see more than the gun range.
It is less than one day's drive to that part of New Mexico from the Dallas are where I live and I make that trip a couple of times per year going fishing or hunting for pronghorn, elk,bear, prairie dogs,or birds.

Dom, the rifle sure appears to be a performer. Why is the quarter rib placing the sight so far forward? Is it meant to make room for a telescope mounting? If the front sight is too high, a small file is all one needs and it turns the abominable bead to a flat top post which is a very fast acquisition sight. Very nice looking rifles. Good to see the classic leverguns with a loyal following on the other side of the big salt pond.

Hi Jim,

Yes the mount is far forward because of top ejection, people can put reed dot sight(very often used in driven hunt)scout scope, and i will try with some extended eye relief like Swaro made for heavy recoiling rifle.
If rifle was mine i would file down the front sight 3/10 of a millimeter, may be 4/10. The barrel is very fast pushing 270GD to 2320 fps without over pressure.
There is a classic version like an extra light weight Winchester.
Can be seen on Pedersoli web site.

Rifle are all pressure tested to 3550 bars around 51500psi. So for the test they support 25% more pressure than that.
Will keep it for a month or two and try to wear it out. Not original 71 but not to bad a gun...

Dom