Hi, I am shooting a modified Kodiak since 1987 and have killed 2 Black Bears, many hogs and some roe deer with it. The Standard Kodiak Express comes in the following calibers: .50; .54; .58. No matter what caliber you choose, the outside dimensions of the barrels will be the same as Pedersoli usese the same stock for all rhee calibers. This means that the .58 cal. has less weight than the .50. Actually it should be the other way round. When I bought this double rifle I decided to take the .54 which is my favourite caliber. At that time Pedersoli produced all three versions with a twist of 1:48. In my rifle I´m shooting the 460 grain Buffalo Bullet Conical with 100gr. Swiss ffg. Accuracy up to 75 yards is top and the muzzle velocity is 1558fps. This is enough for big game like moose, bears and most of the African antelops if I limit my shooting distance to 75 yards,maximum. Today the .50 and .54 cal. barrels of the Kodiak Express come with a 1:24 twist. This is much better for longer conicals and I would now recommend the .50 cal. as there is a huge assortment as far as bullets are concerned. And the .50 cal. weighs a little more which is good for to reduce the recoil. I would only recommend pure lead conicals such as those from Parker. The .58 caliber still has the 1:48 twist which is to fast for round balls and to slow for conicals. Pedersoli should give the .58 barrels a twist of 90-100" which would be ideal for round balls. The Kodik Africa Express in cal. .72 (12 Bore)is a faulty design, too. The twist is 1:72". This is by far to slow for the lead sphere. 104" or even slower would be ideal to be able to shoot heavy loads and to reach high muzzle velocities to make the round ball a potent game killer. As for the replacement sight, this is one from Truglo. I tested it in the field during driven hunts. For short distance or quick shots or hunting when it is almost dark this sight is OK. However, the front sight is very sensitive and my fibre broke on the first day when I was hunting. I prefer my express sight which is tough, allows precise shooting and has survived 4 wilderness hunts in the boreal forests of Canada.
