Bob Hoyt, miracle worker

[TennesseeJed]

Last year I bought a single trigger T/C Renegade .50 caliber for $75. The lock and stock were in good shape but the barrel was rusty and rough, mostly likely a combination of Pyrodex and not being cleaned right. It shot pretty good at 20-33 yards, but at 60 it was awful. I tried several different powder, patch, and ball combinations but nothing worked. Eventually I decided it wasn't worth fooling with at anything other than point-blank range. The aggravation and waste of powder and caps was too much to fool with anymore and stuck it back in the gunrack.

I took the barrel with me to the York shoot a couple of weeks ago and gave it to Bob Hoyt to rebore to .54. It came in on Thursday and the weather was nice enough today to take it out and shoot. What was a pitted piece of junk two weeks ago is now probably the 2nd best shooting barrel I own. He did an excellent job of bringing this thing back to what a rifle barrel should be.

I would highly recommend his services.

 

[bobthemotorcycle]

Nice, how would I get ahold of him?

 

[bpd303]

Robert Hoyt at the Freischutz Shop, 700 Fairfield Station Rd., Fairfield, Pa. 17320. His phone # 717-642-6696 He doesn't have a website or email - you have to use the phone. Be prepared to wait for him to shut down a machine and walk to the phone - let it ring. . .

 

[bobthemotorcycle]

I hate it when others bother me when I am working. I am sure he is thankful for customers though.

He could get a answering machine and return calls every two hours. Not that it is any of my business I just remember when I had to answer the phone at work and I could get nothing done. You dont answer it because by the time you shut everything down and get to the phone they hang up. If you dont shut everything down and answer it they let it ring forever.

 

[nkbj]

Mr. Hoyt is a national treasure.
What's between his ears is to our benefit.

 

[diana]

How in the world were you able to get a two week turn around time?

 

[George T.]

You took the words right of my mouth. A man that knows what he is doing and stays at it for quick turn around truly is a national treasure. Geo. T.

 

[TennesseeJed]

When I walked over to ask him about it, another guy was asking the same thing. He may have had two or three or more to do at the same time. It would make sense to do as many as you have to save on machine setup time.

I wasn't in any hurry for it or anything and wouldn't have expected to have it back anytime soon. He said it would only take a couple of weeks though and sure enough I already have it back.

 

[Rat Trapper]

I have a friend who has a 15/16 barrel that is bad, can that be bored to 54? What does Mr Hoyt charge for this work?

 

[redneck]

bob charges 85 to rebore and rifle. yes it can o to 54 or 58 smoothbore,

 

[Rat Trapper]

Can a 15/16 barrel go to a 54 rifled? I don't think my friend has a need for any smoothbores.

 

[ryoung14]

Rat trapper, I read rj's response to be '54 rifled or 58 smoothbore'.

I have a rusted 15/16" TC barrel that needs bored out to 54 rifled as well. Was wondering if slow-twist, deep groove round-ball rifling could be specified.

Tennessee Jed, what twist/type of rifling did Bob use in your barrel?

 

[Leatherbark]

It is according to how deep Thompson Center drilled the rear sight holes and the rib holes in the barrel. 15/16ths mighty thin where the holes are if bored and rifled to .54 but shouldnt be no problem. But Mr. Hoyt will have to answer.

I have a rusted Pennsylvania hunter the needs bored to a larger caliber. It has a 15/16ths octogon that turns into a 7/8ths inch round. I doubt he can take it to .54 but T.C made New Englanders in .54 and the barrel looks the same

Good luck

Bob

 

[fleener]

I sent him a barrel to have rifled and he told me six months and I was number fifty. That was a few weeks ago

Fleener

 

[TennesseeJed]

I've got a Cabela's Hawken .54 and it is a 15/16ths barrel.

I had him do a 1-66" twist. I didn't ask about groove depth but it looks to be about the same depth that T/C uses.

 

[brubincam]

if every one cleaned their rifles he wouldn't have any work

 

[necchi]

I'll add my two bits,
A phone conversation with Mr. Hoyt in mid January, and he said he could indeed turn a rusty bore
1"-TC 54 into a smoothy 62 if the drilled holes weren't too deep, quoted price $60.
(15/16 is not viable for a 62 cal)

He did say the holes could be no more than .125 deep and the most common holes that are too deep where at the rear sight.
I did strip all the extra stuff off before I shipped, sights and rail, figured I'd save him time.

Finally mailed it off USPS with nothing but a money order and a request for what I wanted.

Date mailed 3/29--
Just got it back today, Brown Truck.
Turn over time 19 days.
:thumbsup: :grin:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

20 years ago, I had him rebore and rifle an original Austrian Schuetzen muzzle loader from 40 to 45. A positively great job and it only took 6 weeks back then.

 

[Hawgeye]

I sent my pitted TC hawken 50 cal barrel to Bob two weeks ago for reboring and rifling to 54 cal. He said he'd put an invoice in the return package. Businesses run like this are unheard of in this day and age. He'll get all of my work from now on. :hatsoff:

 

[redneck]

did 2 barels for me. sent bill no prepay