Help Sighting In Renegade .54

[ekyle]

I purchased a used Renegade .54 and have been having a devil of a time getting it sighted in. My goal is to shoot a PBR and kill a deer at 50 yards early in the season before all the crazies hit the woods.

The trouble is no matter what load I work up the gun ALWAYS shoots to the right. The gun came with Thompson fiber optic sights. I guess I have two questions.

1. Is it possible the barrel is bent and if so, how do you check that.

2. Would replacing the sights fix my shooting to the right problem. And if so, which sights would you recommend. Please keep in mind this gun is for hunting.

Thanks,

 

[Mountainman56]

You don't say whether you have tried to adjust the sights. How far to the right is it shooting? You may need to move the rear sight to the left or the front sight to the right, or both. Check first and see if both sights are centered on the barrel or if they are to one side or the other. I'm not a fan of fibre optic sights but I can't see that being your problem.

 

[Little Wattsy]

You don't say whether you have tried to adjust the sights. How far to the right is it shooting? You may need to move the rear sight to the left or the front sight to the right, or both. Check first and see if both sights are centered on the barrel or if they are to one side or the other. I'm not a fan of fibre optic sights but I can't see that being your problem.

Ditto!
NOTE: T/C has a lifetime warranty no matter what..I had a barrel issue worse than you describe on a gun I had bought used; sent it in to T/C and it came back shooting 3" grps at 100 yards.
So a point to ponder...It "hits to the right" is it GROUPING well? If so adjust the sights. If its NOT ... THEN you might have barrel issues.

 

[Buccaneer]

Ekyle:
I shoot a T/C Renegade .54 with the same T/C fiber optic sights. I went to those sights about 5 years ago and discovered that front sight centering on the barrel is critical. You may need a machinist rule to verify it, but you may have to drift that sight in the dovetail. Hopefully it is in there good and snug now, a drop of penetrating oil and a brass punch should work fine.
100 grain loose Pyrodex and with PRB's or T/C Maxi Hunters over a bore button and my Renegade is dead nuts and sighted at 50 yards. Have not had to change it since the first effort to sight in with the fiber optics.

 

[ekyle]

I have adjusted the rear sights all the way to the right and moved the front site to the left to where it isn't centered in the dovetail anymore. In other words, I am pretty sure I have no more room for adjustment. It does group fairly well, but I am still about three inches right of the bullseye even after adjusting my sights as far as I dare to take them.

 

[Little Wattsy]

I have adjusted the rear sights all the way to the right and moved the front site to the left to where it isn't centered in the dovetail anymore. In other words, I am pretty sure I have no more room for adjustment. It does group fairly well, but I am still about three inches right of the bullseye even after adjusting my sights as far as I dare to take them.

:hmm: :hmm: :hmm: Id send it back to T/C with a letter of explanation and ask them to "fix it"...You will need to send the stock along with the barrel.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I have adjusted the rear sights all the way to the right and moved the front site to the left to where it isn't centered in the dovetail anymore. In other words, I am pretty sure I have no more room for adjustment. It does group fairly well, but I am still about three inches right of the bullseye even after adjusting my sights as far as I dare to take them.

If you moved the rear sight to the right then of course it would shoot to the right. I have had two T/C barrels which shot so far left that it was not possible to get them zeroed. T/C did replace them but I hated the bother and shipping costs. I don't know how they got such a crooked bore into a straight barrel and still be centered at the muzzle.

 

[longcruise]

I have adjusted the rear sights all the way to the right and moved the front site to the left to where it isn't centered in the dovetail anymore.

If that statement is correct, then you are moving both sights in the wrong direction. Try centering the front and rear sights and start over. Move the front sight to the right if you are hitting too far right and move the rear sight to the left if you are hitting too far right. Reverse if hitting left, etc.

Move rear sight up to raise point of impact and move it down to lower point of impact.

You are never adjusting the barrel of the rifle, you are merely moving the sights to cover the barrels natural point of impact. If you move the sights as I described and still cannot bring the sights to bear on the point of impact (run out of adjustment space), then you have a barrel problem or possibly a barrel/stock tension problem.

 

[6pounder]

Hi this is 6pounder repling to your sighting problem. You need to read Mountianman56 reply carefully. That is: if your gun shoots right you need to move the rear sight to the left and your front sight to the right! This means that your front sight needs to be where your ball is hitting and your rear sight at your target. After reading all the replies and your commets on what you have done to correct sighting, it sounds(to me)like you need to set the sights back to centre of barrel and start again. One thing to remember is that your rear sight moves opposite to wear the ball is going to get it back on target. Best of luck and don't pull your hair out over it, just take your time getting it right.

 

[ekyle]

Sorry guys. I was backwards in my explanation before.
I started out with both sights centered. I moved my rear sight all the way to the left and my front sight all the way to the right and was still hitting about three inches to the right of the bullseye. Sounds like I need to send it back to TC. Thanks.

 

[Tom Compton]

[I don't know how they got such a crooked bore into a straight barrel and still be centered at the muzzle.[/quote]

Most barrels have "run out" when made as it is hard to drill that long a hole completely straight. Noteable difference is barrels that are drilled and then the flats are machined parallel to the bore.

When breeching a raw barrel, it is customary to index the flat with the makers name down so the run out is verticle and once the sights are adjsuted there is little problem. A barrel shooting 3" to one side @ 50 yds as as you describe will be about 6" off @ 100.

As the sights have already been moved and the results are as stated, send the whole rifle to TC for barrel replacement and indicate in the packing info what problems you experienced. Ask them to test fire while it is there and insure the stock is not creating a pressure point.

TC