FR3170 Pedersoli Indian Trade Musket

After putting my Indian Trade Musket through three and a half years of heavy use I can gladly give it an excellent rating. I appreciate it's looks and feel it hangs and points well for me and it functions quite well. It wasn't designed to look like an expensive period piece because the trade muskets weren't. I have had to replace the frizzen frizzen spring and main spring over time but when you consider the weapon has been fired over a thousand times that's not bad at all.

Got a good load and at 50 yds it is very worthy of being taken to the woods for hunting.

I bought a Pedersoli Trade musket & had hang fire issues immediately the frizzen spring was pretty strong & ate flints. You couldn't put a 1/16\" drill bit in the flash hole so I drilled it out first to 5/64\"" later to 3/32\"" and ignition is excellent. I measured the force required to pull over the frizzen - it registered higher than my trigger gauge read. So I filed the side & flat of the frizzen spring with a fine Swedish file I use to sharpen broadheads until I achieved about 3# plus to flip the frizzen and a little work on an oil stone refined any file marks to a glassy surface. All is good in the flint department now. I'd rate the musket a 5 out 5 as something always needs tinkering it doesn't detract from the workmanship & quality that rival anything out there. Unless you're completely biased to something else you really have to appreciate how well Pedersoli made this piece."

Just an update have had good results with .015\" lubed patches & excellent with .018\"" ticking patches that I lube or use as spit patch with both 2 and 3 fg Goex & Swiss powders. The fffg powders make more of a distinctive crack sound. For some reason groups are better with one patch run down on the powder and then the patched ball pushed down on top. Tested .600 and .592 RB's from my moulds just starting to work with the .592's. Tried out something a friend from Michigan did I trimmed down the wings on a Winchester 20 gauge AA wad stuffed in a .570 Hornady swaged RB - it did good at 25. Haven't tested farther yet. PS - best flints for fit are Large Silers. Found some excellent reading on line about bird shot loading so more fun coming. Want to go for ruffed & spruce grouse up here and try for fall bear. This trade musket has worked flawlessly and is more fun that a person deserves."

This is a real nice musket. I had no problems at the range. I used only 30 grains ffg and .595 round ball with a .10 patch. Great spark from 1 inch English flint. I was surprised at how accurate it was at 25 yards. I'm happy with this purchase. Thank you Dixie Gun Works.