Stock photo:


I had been looking for a nice lever gun in .45-70 for some time, and passed on a NIB Remlin 1895 GBL a few months ago, but I saw a NIB 2020 production Pedersoli 1886 come in at my local shop. I had been searching for an 1886 type so I snatched it up. I like that does not have the rebounding hammer, and no safety as far as I could tell. It seems like a pretty faithful copy of the original 1886. It is the Sporter model with the shotgun stock. I'm on the 10-day wait so I have some time to load up some ammo. I have dies and components and I am curious as to what type of loads modern repro 1886s can handle. My Lyman and Speer manuals put the 1886 in the mid-range loads with the Marlin, but Hornady has the 1886 in the Trapdoor section. I'm looking at loading slightly warmer than Trapdoor range, possibly mid-range Marlin 1895 loads so I assume this action can handle that. I've had a JM Marlin 444XLR for years so anything in that area of power/recoil is well within my recoil tolerance, and this rifle is significantly heavier than my Marlin.

I have 300 & 405gr cast lead projectiles(non-gas checked) and my powder I have on hand right now for rifle is IMR4064, Norma 200, 201, 202 and 203B. I plan to get more IMR4895, 4198 and 3031 again, but I'm all out of those at the moment. The Norma 202 and 203B are all in the 4895/4064/Reloader 15/Varget burn speed range. The N200 and N201 are in the  4198/Reloader 7/3031/H322 burn speed range.

I have read that pistol powder is popular for cowboy trapdoor loads. My pistol powders include Trail Boss, W231, BE86, Promo/Red Dot, Clays, N320, HS6, 700x and American Select. I have FFg Triple 7, so I could try out a few substitute loads as well. No BP at this time, but I will certainly try some once I get some real black.

The rifle can handle anything your shoulder can.

Nice rifle.

My Miroku:



I will look at my data and let you know what load I picked.  I worked up to the max, luckily only loaded a small sample, and then backed off to a mid range load.  Mid range loads are more stout than the leverrevolution loads.

By the fifth full house load, I was not interested in a sixth.

A Miroku/Winchester was one I was keeping on my radar as well as the Chiappa 1886. How does that crescent buttplate feel with the various power level loads? A lot of what I am reading about the Pedersoli have people preferring the version with a shotgun stock over the crescent buttstock.

Can't comment on it for a .45-70, but I know that I developed a distaste for the crescent buttplate when shooting a buddy's 24" .44 mag.  It felt like shooting a tuning fork.  

That being said, I've since read that I might've just been shooting it wrong, and that wisdom of the day may have meant anchoring the buttplate farther out than I was used to shooting at the time.

Beautiful rifle. In for more pics when it's in hand



You definitely have to move it out your arm more than usual. I've never fired anything hard hitting with a crescent stock but even softer shooting rifles can really poke the chest meat.

But they sure do look nice

I got it home today and it sure is nice! 26" full octagon barrel with pistol grip shotgun stock, non-checkered buttplate. As I suspected, there are no modern safeties added, nor does it have a rebounding hammer. I have to give props to Pedersoli for sticking to the original design.

I will be working up some trapdoor level IMR4198 loads in 300, 360 and 405gr as well as some Triple 7 and also some real black powder loads as I managed to get some Olde Eynsford in FFg and FFFg. I have some big 480gr cast bullets as well, but they will have to be relegated to single feeding into the chamber as they are too long to cycle in the action.

the only thing I can add is that your rifle is damn sexy and I want it

I looked at 3 of these a local dealer has, every rifle had scratches and blue imperfections on them. They are nice guns though, love the shotgun butt. Too many numbers stamped on them for me also. Let us know how it shoots.

What’s the barrel length? With a longer barrel, you can load mid range loads and the longer barrel will give similar performance to short barreled hot loads, at cheaper charge and less beating up of your brass.

That looks fantastic. I need to educate myself on the Italian guns.

Its a 26". I spent some time today setting up my .45-70 dies in my turret press and made up some dummy rounds to test out feeding.

From L to R: 305gr, 360gr, 405gr and a 480gr. The 480gr is for single loading only.

Thats probably from doofuses handling them, mine is spotless. Its a 2020 date code, lots of the typical Italian proof marks on the barrel and receiver, which look the same as my Pedersoli 2-band Enfield and Hawken. It seems to be a Euro/Italian thing, as they do love their proof marks over there.

NOE sells a mold to make 500 and 600 grain bullets that will cycle in a lever gun.  The trouble is the bullets are so big you lose powder capacity.  

Attached File

Hmm, interesting. I wonder how much powder can still fit in there with those big pills?

Beautiful gun.

Nice rifle

I used hodgdon data for max load of imr4895 and a 480 cast bullet, it was moderately strong but only in the "normal" safe for everything pressure category.  Leverevolution and the high pressure Remington ammo were much more recoil.  
I got it for subsonic through a silencer so never cared much about max power.  The mid-weight bullets with velocity are much more useful for hunting since they are less sensitive to range/elevation error.

Beautiful, beautiful rifle.

Very handsome, it'll be a fun & useful gun.

Middle road 405's do a lot of terminal work.

I have the 86/71.  I love it!!!!  LOVE IT!!!!

very nice, almost too nice to take outside

Beautiful!

I'm not ashamed to say I prefer that one because it has a recoil pad.
Not quite as 'classic' looking as OP's, but my shoulder appreciates a little help.
My Marlin 1895 SBL has a pad that really tames the recoil.

It's not nearly as cool as either of the Pedersolis.

I can't warm up to those half length mag tubes . My Marlin 444XLR has one and it is my only gripe with it, making me consider getting it turned into a "guide gun" so there isn't so much barrel sticking out.

Actually, though the pad is nice, .45-70 is fine off of a shotgun style butt plate.  I have an 1877 Sharps with no pad.  It weighs just a bit more than my 86/71 but the recoil is not bothersome in the slightest.

Unless you go to Grizzly +P loads.  Dear Jesus....if you guys have never listened to me before...listen to me now: DO NOT SHOOT THOSE THINGS IN LIGHT GUNS.  Not even medium weight guns.  It's the only rifle load I have ever put down after a single shot.  Not even .416 Rigby is that bad.

I love it, OP. I want one so bad. Just hard to justify the cost. But it is beautiful.

Yea it was a bit pricey, but I had it on my short list of .45-70 lever gun options and I didn't know when I would get another opportunity to find one. I had planned to wait and see what Ruger does with the Marlin re-launch and possibly grab a 1895 Cowboy in .45-70 if they turn out well. My other choices on my want list were a JM Marlin 1895 Cowboy, a Chiappa 1886, Miroku/Winchester 1886 or one of the new side-gate Henry .45-70 models. I have a couple Pedersoli muzzle loaders that I am pleased with so I gladly went with their 1886.

I can dig that.
There is something more classic about a full-length tube.

Maybe I'm a wimp.  Buffalo Bore 405's are no fun without a recoil pad.  Even with one on my SBL it gets old.

I can shoot them.  I just don't like shooting them a bunch.  Kinda like my FN-barreled .30-06 Chilean Mauser.  A few shots downrange, no problem.  A box of 20.  I'm done.

Nice!  I've like the 1886 for a long time and finally found a great deal on a Miroku Winchester in November.

Full octagon 26" barrel, pistol grip stock, crescent butt plate, full-length magazine tube.

(seller's pics)






Still haven't been to the range with it.

Rob

I've owned and fired many original 1886 Winchester rifles with crescent buttplates. These were designed for offhand/standing shooting and fired that way they are fairly comfortable. If you attempt to shoot such a rifle from the bench...the top "point" of the buttplate will slam into your shoulder like a drill. I usually carried an 1886 SRC as my saddle gun in MT and that one was a bit more comfortable all around. My rifles were a 28" barrel octagon 45-70, a 26" octagon barrel 45-90 and a 26 inch Octagon .50-110. I still have the SRC.

Have a Browning 1886 SRC .45-70 Govt. made around 1992-1993.  My experience is similar to Stefan-DSO.  Off hand, standing like a man, the rifle shoulders and comes on target fast.  The recoil, even with stout loads, is not punishing nor painful, it BOOMS and rolls back, no sharp jab.  My Rossi 92 .44 Magnum "kicks" more with heavy loads than my .45-70.

I was hesitate to shoot it when I first bought it, seeing as it has a curved steel butt plate.  I contacted a stock company about switching out the SRC for a shotgun style that was mentioned earlier to lessen the sure to be painful kick.  

Put the rifle into the shoulder pocket.  Place the off hand "In the forward position", as Herb Parson's says, around the barrel/stock band, and PULL IT TIGHT TO THE REAR INTO THE SHOULDER.  I assume that you are familiar with natural point of aim, foot position, weight forward of hips, etc. techniques.  It is a rolling, pushing recoil that is spread out, surprising, since it is, at first, unexpected due to the lace underwear squad harping on the jarring, rotator cuff damage inducing kick.

The newly manufactured 1886 actions are stronger due to better materials.  I use Elmer Keith's load, 53-54 grains of IMR-3031 with a 405gr bullet.  He used jacketed, but I have used this with lead.

Lots of nice rifles posts, thanks.

I shoot mine with 55 to 70 grain charges of 3f and I have a pretty zippy duplex load. The duplex one kicks pretty good , don’t shoot it on the  shoulder , shoot it with the stock more of on the meaty part of your arm where it meets the shoulder, I know that’s not a great explanation but it does work.

SHARP lever gun! Love the color case hardening, that's just takes it over the top. I'd love to own one identical to it someday.

Yeah I don't know if I could bring myself to hunt with one I would be to worried about the gun to enjoy it.

I was thinking the same thing. What a gorgeous rifle. I'd feel bad taking it out to the woods or even to an outdoor range.

That rifle is nice....

I just sent a new Winchester 92 short rifle to Doug Turnbull. I can't wait to get it back