.54 renegade

[daveyc]

have .54 tc renegade---hang fires, misfires, not good accuracy--- recommend best nipple,cap, powder, bullets(maxiball), cleaning procedure,etc ? --thanks

 

[SDSmlf]

Welcome to the forum from Western North Carolina.

Pretty wide open question about your Renegade. Probably best to let us know what you are using today. Renegades almost always shoot roundballs very well and can usually be made to shoot maxballs well.

 

[Griz44Mag]

From the symptoms, I think (IMHO) you are not cleaning out the patent breech properly.
Dismount the barrel, remove the nipple.
Half fill a container of hot water with a dash of dish soap in it.
Use a fairly tight jag patch (wet the patch with the soapy water.
Put the breech end of the barrel in the water and with the barrel vertical, run the patch down the barrel.
Pump it - until the barrel and breech have been completely cleaned of all the built up crud in the breech and barrel.
Then rinse and refill the container with clean water only - repeat the process flushing anything left out of the barrel and rinsing all the soap out.
Dry inside and out with clean patches. If you have air available (canned computer air will work) blast all the water out of the breech and nipple threads. Lube with a decent anti-rust oil. put a few drops in the nipple hole and use the air to send that into the patent breech.
Make sure you clean the nipple until it is free from any residue - I like to soak in MAP to boil it super clean. Use a pick and get everything out of the nipple cap cavity and make sure the fire pathway is clean and open. I like to wipe everything down with my home made mix (Miracle oil, Colemans camp fuel and minerals spirits) to protect the steel and stock. Been using that for decades, cheap and works great.
After cleaning, store the gun muzzle down for a few days to assure the lube you used does not run down into the breech. Put a paper towel under the muzzle - you will be surprised at how the lube will migrate down the barrel, You don't want that in your breech.
The TC cap guns need a little extra care when cleaning, but once they are "right" are very reliable.
Before shooting again, use compressed air and even better - a shot of brake cleaner down the nipple to remove any oil or lube in the breech and channel.

 

[leadhoarder]

I am not very experienced but a renegade is my first traditional muzzleloader and I very much enjoy shooting it.

My routine rightly or wrongly is to use a quick blast of brake cleaner into the nipple a few minutes before loading it. This should clear the nipple and the path into the barrel.

Real gunpowder should ignite easier than the substitutes and that is all I have used. The only misfires I have had is due to the previous spent cap getting stuck in the hammer recess coupled with me failing to see it and clear it causing it to act as a cushion.

I want to shoot balls in mine so that is what I use. I started at 70gr of FFF and I never tried anything else because my results were better than I had hoped for. basically one ragged hole groups at 50 yards.

 

[FishnRod]

Welcome from the S Oregon Coast daveyc.
I used to have a 54 Renegade, wish I still did. Start by pulling the nipple and running a pipe cleaner thru the flash channel to clear any debris. Also check the nipple for any small pieces that could be hindering the spark.
With the gun unloaded, fire just a cap at a leaf or blade of grass a couple inches from the end of the barrel, you should see it move if there are no obstructions.
Each gun is an individual, part of the fun is trying to figure out its preferences.
You're in a great spot to ask questions.

 

[10acres]

Good advice on cleaning. I have a 54cal T/C Renegade and I shoot a .530 Hornady swaged round ball and .015 lubed patch over 90g of 2F. This was the load that the guy I bought it from used and recommended. I tried it and it shot great so I went with it. What you use all depends on your rifle likes. Most of the time it is a trial and error process. Good luck.

 

[renegadehunter]

We need to know a bit more to try to identify the cause.
What powder, what (full cleaning) method you use at the end of shooting, what you use for bore protection between shooting, and whether you are cleaning between shots (if so what is the exact method).

 

[Notchy Bob]

In addition to all of the great advice given above, you'll want to make sure your caps and nipples are compatible. If the cap doesn't seat fully on the nipple, it may not pop when the hammer strikes it. If the nipple is too big for the caps, it's diameter can be reduced by careful filing or stoning.

There are lots of variables at play here.

Notchy Bob

 

[Don H]

I bought a new, still in the box TC Hawken. First thing I did was pull the nipple, inspect and clean the rifle. In the nipple drum I found a significant amount of thread cuttings, enough to pack the drum. That rifle would have never fired as blocked as it was.

I suggest cleaning and inspecting the breech area, nipple and drum to make sure there's a clear path.

 

[FishDFly]

If you follow Grizz44Mag, you will have no problems.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have found that some TCs don't shoot maxies well, others are tack drivers with them.

Try a .530 patched round ball with a .015 patch first, lube the patch with just about anything from spit to olive oil and just about anything else. Start at 70gr of 2F for powder, go up or down 5 gr at a time until you gun groups.

Your gun not going off and hang firing is a cleanliness issue like has been stated.

 

[Grenadier1758]

...
My routine rightly or wrongly is to use a quick blast of brake cleaner into the nipple a few minutes before loading it. This should clear the nipple and the path into the barrel.
..

I will caution you that the hole in the base of the nipple is very tiny and most of the spray of the brake cleaner will be blown back and do little good. I woul think to remove the nipple before the first shot and give the flash channel and chambered breech that blast of brake cleaner before reinstalling the nipple with a bit of grease on the threads of the nipple. Then wipe the bore with a dry patch and you will be good the shooting session.

 

[flashpoint]

Q. Does brake cleaner come in a liquid or aerosol?
Q. Is its purpose to dissolve black powder residue in the flash channel?
Q. Once you add the brake cleaner, do you have to do anything else before you put the nipple back on and shoot? Thank you.

 

[pilot]

Brake cleaner evaporates almost instantly, taking oils and such with it. I wouldn't have thought to use it on a muzzle loader, but it sure takes cosmolene off an old milsurp. It comes in an aerosol can.

 

[flashpoint]

Brake cleaner evaporates almost instantly, taking oils and such with it. I wouldn't have thought to use it on a muzzle loader, but it sure takes cosmolene off an old milsurp. It comes in an aerosol can.

Thanks Pilot, I appreciate the info.

 

[Boomerang]

There is brake cleaner and carburetor cleaner. Either one will work. They evaporate very quickly.

 

[pchwcf50110]

Clean rifle as Griz44mag outlined. I use brake cleaner also to remove the storage oil. Push a cleaning patch down the bore with a range rod and leave it there. Remove nipple, spray brake cleaner in nipple hole using the red plastic tube, while covering opening with shop towel to keep brake cleaner from splashing on stock. Remove range rod with patch wet from brake cleaner. It will evaporate in a minute and leave bare steel ready to load for the range or woods.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I will caution you that the hole in the base of the nipple is very tiny and most of the spray of the brake cleaner will be blown back and do little good. I woul think to remove the nipple before the first shot and give the flash channel and chambered breech that blast of brake cleaner before reinstalling the nipple with a bit of grease on the threads of the nipple. Then wipe the bore with a dry patch and you will be good the shooting session.

Don't agree with that.
A 1 second burst of brake cleaner through the red tube inserted into the nipple will run out the end of the barrel. Try it. Keep the barrel pointed at a downward slope and it won't come back out of the nipple. (Gravity works).
I generally chase the brake cleaner with a little compressed air - just to dry it out good.

 

[Griz44Mag]

Clean rifle as Griz44mag outlined. I use brake cleaner also to remove the storage oil. Push a cleaning patch down the bore with a range rod and leave it there. Remove nipple, spray brake cleaner in nipple hole using the red plastic tube, while covering opening with shop towel to keep brake cleaner from splashing on stock. Remove range rod with patch wet from brake cleaner. It will evaporate in a minute and leave bare steel ready to load for the range or woods.

If you leave the nipple in and use the red tube that comes with the brake cleaner you can launch your rod from the barrel!!!!!!!
Try it! Have some sheetrock repair supplies and some touch up paint handy though......
(Don't ask, yes I did)

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Depending on what was used to finish your stock, brake cleaner, carb cleaner & other aerosol cleaners can damage the finish. Best to take the barrel out of the stock first or provide some kind of protection for the wood.