There is something eternal about the lever action rifle. Since the early 1800s, lever guns have been a part of the firearms world. It is simply the epitome of cool. For the most part, these lever guns have been American as apple pie, but to think we have a corner on the market would be a mistake.  In the Italian town of Gardone Val Trompia, the Davide Pedersoli & C. company is hard at work making their own mark on the lever gun world. While they are mostly known for their modern replicas of muzzle-loading and metallic cartridge firearms, they have a modern angle on our old West rifle. With a desire to offer a more modern layout to suit the needs, tastes, and demands of the younger generations of hunters and shooters, Pedersoli offers us the Pedersoli Mark II. The Boarbuster.

Classic Lever Action Rifle With a Modern Take -Pedersoli Mark II

The rifle’s design is based on the Browning-Winchester Model 1886/71 rifle. That rifle is world-renowned as a universal big-game rifle and has taken big game around the world. The Pedersoli Mark II is a modernized version of that classic rifle. The receiver is machined from a solid billet shape and cut to hold all the internals and moving components. The barrel on the Boarbuster Mark II is a Pederosoli-built premium 19-inch match-grade barrel. It features a broached rifling for excellent accuracy.

Once again, with an eye towards modern times, they have threaded the barrel in the event you wish to add a suppressor or other muzzle device. The barrel is also equipped with a Picatinny/Weaver scope base, integrated rear sight, and ramp front sight. These sights are a set of adjustable front and rear sights that do without the classic fiber-optic inserts, replacing them with Super luminova inserts – a strontium aluminate-based, non-radioactive material that absorbs even the faintest environmental light to illuminate itself. It offers quick alignment and a brightness level like that of tritium.

Scope ready

The adjustable rear sight is installed on a double-ramp Weaver-Picatinny rail. This rail allows us to mount a forward low-power optic or run it old school.  Knowing that some may wish to mount a higher power scope in a more traditional position, they have drilled and tapped on the left side to fit the specific Picatinny scope base. A few prominent design holdovers from the Winchester are a side-mount loading port and top-side ejection. The rifle is chambered in 45-70 and has a capacity of five rounds in the magazine tube.

What makes the Pedersoli Boarbuster Mark II immediately stand apart from the rest of the lever gun world is a tan Cerakote finish applied to all metal surfaces. The nano-ceramic-based finish offers solid resistance against corrosion, scratches, and natural elements. The stock and forend of the Boarbuster Mark II rifle feature a black Soft Touch finish and slip-proof checkering on all contact surfaces, including a very ergonomic pistol grip. The buttstock also features an adjustable cheek riser and a Microcell technology butt pad that will absorb most of the felt recoil generated by the powerful 45-70 round.

21st Century Features

An interesting point about this gun that brings it into the 21st century is an adjustable cheek riser on the stock. While very common in the precision rifle world, this was the first time I had seen one on a lever gun. One other modern feature of the MKII is an interchangeable lever handle. The gun comes with a standard handle, but with the removal of a few screws on the side of the lever, you can mount the larger version. This is a bonus for those hunting in the winter with thick gloves. The trigger of the Pedersoli Boarbuster Mark II lever action rifle is a single action only, with an external hammer. A sliding safety switch is located right behind the hammer, at thumb’s reach, and is easy and quick for left-hand and right-hand shooters to operate.

After visiting with a friend about the rifle, he quickly arranged a sample for me through The Italian Firearms Group. I suggested to my editors that a trip to Italy to test the rifle would bring a deeper and more interesting angle to this article. Alas, they decided my Italian adventure would cost the quarterly budget of the magazine, so the answer was a laughing no. The substitute for a week in an Italian villa shooting guns was a few trips to my beautiful desert range here in Arizona. Once there, the rifle seemed to be at home in the old west. Arizona is the land of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, and Batt Masterson. Where better to test a modern-day lever gun?

Pedersoli Mark II On The Range

The rifle I received was honestly beautiful. It was everything you expect from a high-end Italian gun company. The fit and finish, with its burnt bronze color, was exceptional. Once on the range, I decided to run the Hornady 325gr FTX for testing. Yes, 325gr. As the name suggests, this is a gun primarily built to hunt wild boar. The beefy 45-70 offers higher first-shot kill probability against wild hogs and other large-sized game. I have been fortunate to have extensive trigger time on lever guns and looked forward to putting this gun through its paces. Once loaded, I fired a test shot at steel out at 75 yards. As you can imagine, it rang and swung like an elephant had hit it.

This round has over 2800 pounds of energy, which is why it is such a popular big game round. The action on the MKII was one of the smoothest I have experienced in a stock rifle. I used the standard lever, which worked well for this application. The safety is at the hammer, which makes it easy to manipulate. Trigger-wise, it was a short, clean break with almost no wiggle or slop.  While I was running iron sights, I did take the time to raise the cheek pad just slightly to give me a perfect view of the sights.

Solid Hunting Accuracy

The silicone surface of the stock and foregrip took some getting used to, but I soon appreciated what it provided. While the texture and checkering allowed me to get a good grip, the almost tacky silicone nailed it in. My hands did not move, even while firing the gun. Extraction of the rounds was good, and they flew up and out as quickly as I could run the rifle. While the 45-70 is far from a precision round, I found it to be accurate in this gun. Remember, we are shooting animals, not target dots. Offhand, slow fire, I got a 1 ½ inch group at 50 yards. Even with the Microcell technology butt pad, the rifle took its toll after several shooting revolutions, so breaks were mixed in with shooting.

While some may want to regale me with stories of super long hunting shots, my belief is that this is a fantastic gun and round in the 150-yard range. At 200 yards, we see about a 10-inch drop, which turns into a 37+ inch drop at 300 yards. I experienced this when I started running the gun at further distances. Once again, I was running iron sights, so I was liberal in using Kentucky windage after seeing the impacts. By the time I was 400 yards, it had become mortar lobbing rounds. Those rounds still had over 800 pounds of energy, but accuracy suffered.

Pedersoli Mark II

My takeaway from two different range sessions with this gun is all positive. Pedersoli has taken what has been a classic rifle and brought it into the 21st century with some nice features. While range time is enjoyable with this gun, it belongs in the backcountry searching for a game. I would take this rifle to hunt anything in North America. Doing that hunt with a Pedersoli Boarbuster Mark II would be a pleasure. The rifle runs smoothly, is reliable, and brings modern-day features to the lever gun world. If you are getting ready to look at your next hunt, I would take a long look at this rifle. Plus, you would have the nicest rifle as you sat around the campfire telling stories.

For more information, please visit:https://www.davidepedersoli.com/en/product/lever-action-boarbuster-mark-ii-2

Pedersoli Boarbuster Mark II Specs