I think that you will do very well with a Pedersoli or any other Italian m/l shotgun as long as you are willing to live within their limitations.
No, they do not have the f&f of the finest originals. In terms or market placement they come closer to the old Belgian "trade" shotguns. In other words, they are safe enough but they will win no beauty contests. In fact, the best of the modern Italian guns have better finish than many of the cheaper originals.
Things to look for:
1. Locks. In the past, many Italian guns had locks that were indifferently assembled and/or had poorly-finished and hardened lock parts. IMHO a "lock tuning" should be considered a part of the cost of a gun.
2. Barrel regulation. Some of these guns may not "shoot together" or "where they look". The same remedies apply to these guns as to "britch loaders", including sending the things back, if one can.
3. Stock fit, both to the shooter and in terms of lock and barrel bedding.
4. Ramrods. "Stock" ramrods are largely flimsy and useless. Consider a replacement rod to be a part of the cost of the gun. (Dixie Gun Works sells good ones. Other purveyors might, too.) Or, one could make one's own without a lot of trouble.
Note: If Cabela's choke tubed guns do not suit Dixie Gun Works offers very similar guns that have "fixed chokes". It may be possible to have these guns "jug choked" a' la V. M. Starr with a bit of trouble in getting through the guns' chrome-lined bores.
There is a lot of loading data out there and most of it is quite good. With conventionally choked guns "card and fiber" wad columns can be troublesome in terms of loading and performance. For these guns, Circle Fly's felt wads may be the best way to go. "Jug choked" and cylinder bored guns usually do well with conventional wad columns.
If it were me, I would get one of Dixie's guns if I could find a gunsmith that could "jug choke" the barrels, though this is not always easy to do, anymore. Either that or have both barrels choked cylinder bore either by means of reaming or c/b choke tubes. This "choke" is how most of the original guns were choked and it is amazing how well it can work if the gun is loaded correctly and ranges are not ridiculously long.
One thing I would look up is V. M. Starr's book "The Muzzle Loading Shotgun, It's [sic] Care And Use". This "little book" is a fun read and I believe that it is still the best source on the subject. It was written by a man who had truly "been there and done that". It is a fun read, too, whether one agrees with the old man, or not. The book has been out of print for some years but it is reprinted in several web sites.
If one were really serious about m/l shotguns I would recommend ordering out a "bespoke" custom gun from a good maker. The gun will cost about as much as a modern high quality shotgun but "a good gun costs what a good gun costs". That way. one will learn what all the fuss is about with the finest originals without endangering fine old guns that cannot be replaced.
