I Love Muzzleloading first received images of the Pedersoli Lizard during SHOT Show 2023, but at the time information was limited about the new folding carbine from Pedersoli.

Fast forward to May 2023, the Pedersoli Lizard is being advertised in a variety of magazines, first noticed by Andrew K in “American Frontiersman”, where he spotted this ad for the Pedersoli Lizard.

Lightweight with a 19-inch. 1-48-twist steel barrel with top-mounted, brass-tipped steel ramrod, open sights and a minimalist polymer pistol grip stock, this handy carbine can fold into a "V" for easy backpack storage.

A molded-in Picatinny rail on the lower forend is the ideal place for a tactical light or light bipod. The steel receiver opens for priming by pulling back the lever in front of the triggerguard, allowing the insertion of a standard 209 shotgun primer. Once primed, the hammer is manually cocked to fire, and it shoots a patched 315 roundball. Because of its small size, it is well suited to women and youth shooters of small stature. (davide-pedersoli.com)

What is the Pedersoli Lizard?

The Pedersoli Lizard is the latest muzzleloader from Davide Pedersoli. While this release may turn off fans of traditional muzzleloaders, the Pedersoli Lizard fills an interesting niche between modern survival rifles and muzzleloaders by incorporating the best of both worlds.

The Pedersoli Lizard is a “modern” muzzleloader all around. It has a polymer stock and the steel inline external hammer ignition fires the standard 209 shotshell primer, making it familiar to modern muzzleloading enthusiasts. We’ve seen simple, ‘bare bones’ platforms like this in the past, but the Pedersoli Lizard brings some new features to the table. For one, the folding stock is a call back to many military ‘survival’ arms. The Lizard can be stowed in a backpack, duffle, or car for easy transport and access, much like the ever-popular “M6 Scout”. The folding stock isn’t the only neat thing about the stock set up on the Lizard. The polymer forestock slides forward to facilitate folding and includes a molded Picatinny rail on the underside for a bipod or flashlight.

The lightweight 19” barrel is described as a .32 caliber, Pedersoli recommends a .315 roundball as the projectile. The barrel has a set of fixed iron sights and there doesn’t appear to be a way to mount a scope or red dot at this time.

Pedersoli says this lightweight platform is perfect for smaller-statured shooters, a market muzzleloading manufacturers continue to reach for to increase sales. Last year we say CVA launch the Wolf V2 with similar goals of reaching smaller statured shooters.

How much is the Pedersoli Lizard?

At the time of reporting, I’m unable to find a price for the Lizard. The Pedersoli website is absent any information about the rifle at this time, but we can expect to get some more news soon about this new rifle.

Why buy a Pedersoli Lizard?

The Pedersoli Lizard is certainly an interesting addition to the muzzleloading market. It’s not the first foray for Pedersoli into the ‘modern’ side of muzzleloading either. They offer several modern muzzleloading alternatives, though they are more popular in Europe than in the US.

The Pedersoli Lizard would make a great “first rifle” for anyone out there concerned about recoil and weight. Typically we see something like the Ruger 10/22 used as a first rifle, but the Lizard could make a great alternative for someone wanting to get themselves or a loved one started with a muzzleloading rifle.

Alternatively, the Pedersoli Lizard looks to fill a hole in the survival community by offering a light, takedown-style muzzleloader with function over bells and whistles. The Lizard looks like a tough, nuts and bolts tool to be used and abused where someone might not want to take a more traditional muzzleloader. Whether you are hiking the backcountry, flying a bush plane, or surviving the lasted zombie outbreak, the Pedersoli Lizard may be a good option for you.