The difference in quality of the Hege Manton and Pedersoli Le Page is substantial and is reflected in their costs. I think one of the reasons Hege ceased production was that the cost of production was too high and the prospective market too small. Andreas Baumkircher (http://baumkircher.at/Products.aspx?...s.aspx&lang=en) now makes an 'Egg' repro but it's priced at €6,500...
I've had both Hege and Pedersoli and sold the Hege and apart from the loss of pleasure of owning something as beautifully made as the Manton, I don't regret it. The Pedersoli shoots into the 90s and groups extremely well. My best was a 96 earlier this year with all 10 scoring shots inside or touching the 10 ring. It's setting up the trigger and being able to control a very light set that seems to make the most difference. That and fast ignition! As someone once advised me, if a flint fails to spark, change it immediately as it will cause poor ignition. I was once shooting in Bordeaux at the Pedersoli Challenge and was using a borrowed original flint pistol. It was only the second time I'd tried it and I wasn't sure what to expect. What I didn't count on was having to change the flint about 8 times during the detail! Much to my (and everyone else who was watching) I shot a 93 having got all 13 shots off. I won the match and in concert with another couple of respectable scores in other matches, won the Pistol Challenge and came home with a new Pedersoli Charles Moore.
Have fun with whichever one you go with, just remember that sometimes you drive them, sometimes they drive you...
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Originally Posted by NickHarvey
