A friend has a Renegade .56 smoothbore that he wants to sell, are these guns of any value as a turkey gun? .56 should be close to a 20ga.
-
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
.56 smoothbore ?
- Thread starter rusticbob
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
20ga. is .62. the 56 smoothbore are a lot of fun and shoot better than they should. I used mine on my turkey last spring. 1oz. of #6 80gr of fffg. and it was DRT. .535 patched rb at 50yds shoot very well. haven't tried them farther. Price depends on overall condition, but the bore isn't quit as important. Rifled barrels are easy to come by if you watch, and will make it a longer range gun.
The 56 smoothbore is close to a 28 gauge and can be loaded up to be an effective turkey caliber.
Check your local game laws for gauge minimums.
Check your local game laws for gauge minimums.
I don’t have a renegade 56 cal smooth bore but I do have a 58 cal trade gun. 56 & 58 are really close. 58 cal = a 24 ga. The 56 should be good. You’ll need to play around with different loads to get a good pattern that your gun likes. Mine likes 60 gr ff with over powder card, cushion wad, 90 gr volume of 5&6 mix shot. (Don’t know weight). Thin over shot card. 20 yrds is my max range.
Mousegunguy
40 Cal
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2021
- Messages
- 308
- Reaction score
- 316
My favorite BP long gun.
Very versatile.
I have sold a few over the years and I still have three.
I haven’t hunted turkeys with one but they are excellent on squirrels, rabbits and deer so…
Very versatile.
I have sold a few over the years and I still have three.
I haven’t hunted turkeys with one but they are excellent on squirrels, rabbits and deer so…
I have one and it has replaced my TC Hawken as my favorite gun.
Good deer gun, good bird gun.
Good deer gun, good bird gun.
I have not tried shot out of my .56 Renegade yet but it is surprisingly accurate with patched balls. I have used .535 but also have .550 (from TOW) and they shoot even better. The smooth Renegade is my favorite BP “long gun” to take out for a relaxed range session. The smooth barrel is a dream to clean! It is between it and my flint Penn Hunter to be shot at the next woods walk. Sometimes I envy the guys that show up with the same gun every shoot (nah).
Thanks all, I will look at it Saturday and if it is clean, (should be), I will buy it.
If you can get down there sooner might be a good idea
Someone who knows those .56 Renegade barrels are uncommon may buy it just for the barrel if they spot it.
Took me a few months to track down one with a great bore. Have been offered 2x its value and turned the offer down.
You won't see another one for sale for some time.
Mousegunguy
40 Cal
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2021
- Messages
- 308
- Reaction score
- 316
All depends where the OP lives. Here in Massachusetts they’re pretty common, & inexpensive. Most folks seem to prefer inlines.
well here in Washington State finding one is not going to be an easy task
Yep they were a TC answer to a hunting regulation in a few New England states, RI and MA (iirc). Then those states changed to allow rifles, and voila, no more .56 smoothbore production from TC.
TC didn't market them in Europe, I'm told, where a plains style muzzle loading smoothie might have been a big seller, as several places over there are much friendlier to black powder so long as it's not rifled, but apparently the story goes TC didn't want to fret with having to get the barrels proofed.
TC didn't keep them and market them as "all around guns" in The States, which was a pity, as they would've made dandy deer/turkey/small game guns, for the person who wanted versatility..., perhaps the reluctant buyer who might've taken a chance if the gun could hunt lots of different game.
<heavy sigh>
LD
Rock Home Isle
54 Cal.
I would say closer to a 24 gauge, or a bit bigger than a 28 gauge.
My dad bought one of these, quite a while ago. I shoot my Brown Bess, and Fusil a lot…this little .56 smoothbore really rocks as a shotgun…real tight hard hitting groups on rabbits out to 35 & 40 yards. Recoil is noticeably more than with my other smoothbores….
I would say that, with some range time, you could develop some solid turkey loads for this little gun.
