Pedersoli Guidemaster-X .45-70 lever action rifle
A modern take on the great classic 1886 lever-action rifle, the Pedersoli Guidemaster-X 1886 is not only a powerful hunting rifle, but is also surprisingly accurate, placing it in a category all of its own within the world of lever action rifles.
Pedersoli Guidemaster-X a leva calibro .45-70
Photos by: Bruno Circi and Marco Dell'Acqua
Alongside the classic Model 1886s produced by Pedersoli, the Guidemaster-X isn't the brand's first modern reinterpretation of the Winchester 1886: the famous Boarbuster has been on the market for several years. However, the Guidemaster-X goes a step further, addressing and resolving some of the historical limitations of Winchester lever-action rifles through a series of clever and well-integrated design solutions.
Before going into detail, it's important to clarify that this is not an impartial review. I grew up on Westerns, have always loved lever-action rifles—especially the large-caliber ones—and for decades, I've considered the .45-70 Government one of the most fascinating cartridges ever conceived. So, be warned: this is an enthusiast's review. After all, those who truly love something are often the harshest of judges, because expectations are high and disappointment is always around the corner.
When the opportunity rose to test the Pedersoli Guidemaster-X 1886, my reaction was anything but composed: I practically found myself jumping in front of my director, shouting, “Me! Me! I’ll do it!” A scene that, I must shamelessly admit, repeats every time a .45-70 or something black-powder is involved. Since he knows me well, the director, in his infinite wisdom, made sure the rifle ended up in my hands.
There’s a small problem, though: the years pass, and my eyes aren’t what they used to be. Iron sights, as fascinating as they are, have become tiring to use even after just a few shots. Today, I shoot almost exclusively with scope equipped rifles. Which is a shame because, as everyone knows, you “can’t” mount a scope on an 1886. Or maybe you can?
Winchester lever-action rifles enjoyed enormous popularity in the United States thanks to their reliability, light weight, rapid fire, and—last but not least—the ability to use the same cartridge as the owner's pistol. They were, in fact, the first pistol-caliber carbines.
Until 1876, however, this strength was also their main limitation. The famous Winchester toggle-action mechanism, fluid and ingenious as it was, did not allow for enough bolt travel to chamber long and powerful rifle cartridges such as the .45-70 Government, then standard issue for the U.S. Army and beloved choice of buffalo hunters.
Winchester initially attempted to circumvent the problem with proprietary bottleneck cartridges, which allowed the large black powder charge to be contained in a shorter case, such as the .45-75 Winchester Center Fire, chambered in the Model 1876. These were technically interesting solutions, but they did not achieve the desired success. Thus, in 1886, six years after Oliver Winchester's death, the company made a turning-point decision: to entrust John Moses Browning, creator of the famous 1885 High Wall rifle, with the task of designing a lever-action rifle capable of handling the long rifle cartridges prized by hunters.
Thus, the Model 1886 was born. The toggle was abandoned in favor of a robust falling-lug system, inspired by the Sharps block, combined with a horizontally sliding bolt. The result was an exceptionally solid action, so much so that with the advent of smokeless gunpowder, it was sufficient to adopt better barrel steels to continue using the same design.
The lever was also redesigned: no longer just pivoting on a fixed pin, but rotating and shifting with a forward and downward movement, allowing the long bolt travel required for longer cartridges while maintaining a smooth operation.
The Model 1886 was chambered for all the major large-caliber hunting cartridges of the era and enjoyed enormous success, which continues to this day. Pedersoli has been producing it for years in classic, high-quality versions and the Boarbuster version, a modern reinterpretation designed specifically for wild boar hunting, yet perfectly capable of tackling any large game. The .45-70, despite having seemingly "intermediate" ballistic values on paper (around the energy of a .30-06), thanks to its enormous bullet, has been successfully used on all types of game, including the Big Five.
Made with modern materials and workmanship, Pedersoli's 1886 clones can easily handle contemporary .45-70 loads, and the .45-70 is more than just sheer punch: it is an accurate cartridge, capable of maintaining energy at considerable ranges.
An excellent gun in many respects, one limitation of the Winchester 1886 is the vertical ejection of spent cases, which prevents mounting a scope directly above the action.
Some, however, have decided to overcome this limitation. For example, the Pedersoli Guidemaster-X features a robust and perfectly integrated Contessa side rail, paired with a synthetic stock featuring a clever cheekpiece that's adjustable not only for height but also for lateral adjustment, to compensate for the 0side-mounted scope.
The whole thing is complemented by a "special anti-corrosion finish," visually similar to chrome plating.
The use of side-mounted optics isn't really new—just think of the Mosin Nagant 91/30 and Garand—but the offset cheekpiece is a particularly effective solution, allowing for a natural and repeatable shooting position behind glass.
Under all other aspects, the Guidemaster-X shares the characteristics of the Boarbuster: solidity, accuracy, and build quality. The threaded muzzle is protected by a knurled ring, ready for muzzle brakes or suppressors. The fiber-optic express sights are perfect for fast target acquisition in dense woods and, while offering a nice sight picture and able to do much better than one could think at first glance for such short sight-radius sights, they are certainly not designed for long-range shooting. Limiting yourself to these—or installing a red dot—would limit the rifle's potential: a bit like putting cheap all-season tires on a Ferrari.
The Guidemaster-X is designed to work with an LPVO or MPVO scope. In my case, I chose a Sightmark Presidio 1-6x24 CR1 SFP scope. At 1x it's almost as fast as a red dot, and at 10x it allows for long-range shots, although you have to deal with the fact that the ballistics of the .45-70 aren't those of a rifle, but of a trebuchet.
The tubular magazine holds five rounds. Aesthetically, I would have preferred one more round, with a magazine the length of the barrel, but in practice, if you need more than five .45-70 rounds, the gun is probably not the problem.
The action is smooth and free of play. The oversized lever gives a feeling of solid mechanical precision. Pedersoli chose the most difficult path: meticulous machining, tight tolerances, and meticulously crafted surfaces. The result is an action that runs like a '73 but with surprising accuracy.
The trigger pull is 2.1 kg, crisp, with slight overtravel: excellent for a large-caliber hunting rifle. The polymer recoil pad doesn't "tame" the recoil, but it does make it manageable.
100 m group with Sellier & Bellot 405 grains SJSP ammunition - the typical group you can get with this comparatively affordable load
When I asked Stefano Pedersoli what accuracy to expect, the answer was simple: "One MOA." said with disarming, matter-of-fact calm, like he was telling me the time.
Well, at the range, the rifle lived up to its promise. With 405-grain Sellier & Bellot ammunition (very affordable, not competition-grade ammunition), I achieved groups around 1 MOA, with the worst at 1.43 MOA. A more powerful, but less consistent, load (to replicate hunting ammunition) yielded results between 1.36 and 1.57 MOA. All under 2 MOA.
Lever-action rifles typically deliver 3-4 MOA accuracy, with 2 MOA for particularly accurate rifles: these groupings are simply extraordinary.
Thanks to the power of the cartridge and the possibility of mounting an optic in a useable way, the Pedersoli Guidemaster-X is not only a great hunting rifle, but also a surprisingly accurate gun, capable of making gongs ring from a distance with a smile on your face.
The worst group of the day, at 100 m, again with Sellier & Bellot 405 grains. Still under 1,5 MOA!
Another group at 100 m with Sellier & Bellot 405 grains: 1,14 MOA, a bit larger than the 1,03 MOA of the opening photo
Best group at 100 m with Sellier & Bellot 405 grains, just 1,03 MOA
100 m group with a handload with 305 grains electroplated bullet and VV N120 powder - 1.57 MOA