Need help with TC Renegade

[buggybuilder]

My dealer could not come up with a wholesaler that had a TC Hawkin, so....I bought a used Renegade that has never been shot. Pretty good deal. It is a .54 cal.
I bought FFG Goex powder and .535 round balls.
What kind of patch material can be found that will make loading somewhat easy? and also,how many gr. load do I use to start shooting? There must be a minimum and maximum as in smokeless powder (or not?)

 

[longcruise]

Google up the TC website and look around for a pdf download of their BP shooting manual. It's a good place to get started

 

[nw_hunter]

Walmart has pillow ticking, and that would be a good start.

If Your going to be hunting with the 54, I would start at 70 grns and go up 5 inc's till you find the sweet spot.

I use 3f in my 54 and it likes 80 grns of it.It also gets good groups with 90 grns of 2f.

 

[WV MZL HUNTER]

I use a 530 rb with a 15th patch 90 gr. fff. Plus I also use maxi ball. Both work well. If you call T/C they will send you a book for the loads. :thumbsup:

 

[lakota]

I tried .535" balls and a variety of patch material and it was rough loading even with a clean bore. Got damn near impossible to load after a few shots. I settled on .530" balls and pillow ticking patches lubed with crisco.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Try this:
http://www.tcarms.com/assets/manuals/current/Shooting_TC_Side_Lock_Black_Powder_Guns.pdf

If this doesn't go through, try just www.tcarms.com, and see where you can go on it to find their manuals on shooting the Renegade.

Measure the bore of that gun. It may prefer the smaller, .530 balls, to the .535. With the .530 ball, most shooters are able to use a .015-.018" patch material. Again, take a caliper or micrometer to the fabric store when buying pillow ticking, or pocket drill, or any other pure cotton, or linen fabric that meets your needs. Don't accept the factory caliber designation as to what the actual bore diameter will be. Sometimes you get surprised. Better to know, and deal with it, than to be frustrated at the range when things don't fit, or shoot right. :thumbsup:

 

[Zonie]

As paul mentioned, use cotton or linen material ONLY.

Any of the materials with any man made polyesters, nylons, or other plastics will burn thru and deposit the plastic in the bore.
It is very difficult to remove and it will ruin your accuracy if you leave it in the bore.

Happy Shooting.

 

[shootemup]

I'm in the 80 grains of 3f crowd for a .54 Renegade. I use a .530 ball however, have tried the .535's but honestly never got significantly better accuracy - and the .530's are much easier to load, even with a thicker (.018 or better) patch. IME.

A recommendation - I have several of these rifles now and have owned probably two dozen Renegades over the last 15 years or so. I do have one .54 that LOVES 100 grains of 2f under a 425-grain Buffalo bullet. No idea why and the rifle shoots a .530 prb just fine, but it loves that Buffalo bullet with that heavy powder load.

It'll stomp a mudhole in ya, but it'd set a deer on its backside too, :grin: although I have never taken a deer with it. Mebbe ah orta. I think it's a fun load.

Have fun -

:hatsoff:

Spot

 

[Little Wattsy]

My dealer could not come up with a wholesaler that had a TC Hawkin, so....I bought a used Renegade that has never been shot. Pretty good deal. It is a .54 cal.
I bought FFG Goex powder and .535 round balls.
What kind of patch material can be found that will make loading somewhat easy? and also,how many gr. load do I use to start shooting? There must be a minimum and maximum as in smokeless powder (or not?)

Mine does its best w/ 80 grains of Pyrodex RS, a OP wad, useing a .530 ball, and store bought T/C prelubed .015 patches (much easier IF a little more expensive :2 )and all fired off with a musket cap; CCI or RWS.

 

[strask]

I have 2 of these guns and both like a 90 grain charge of FFg or 85 FFFg Goex. Both have the same POI and shoot very similar groups. I have noticed that in cold weather the FFFg load seems to do a little better and burns a little cleaner. I shoot 530 PRB with .018 pillow ticking from walmart. Hope this helps.

Scott

 

[tjohnson56]

I've got a Renegade Hunter in .54 and was shooting 3f and doing ok, all of a sudden it took a liking to 2f and i'm getting much better groups now. Not sure why, maybe the barrel just got broke in or something after 300, 400 or 500 rounds. But right now it sure wants 2f and about 90 grs of it.

Don't get set on one load to soon, shoot the load thats been working the best for you when you practice then before you quit for the day try a different combo weather it's the powder charge, patch thickness or lube.

When I go shooting i'll usually punch out 30 to 60 rounds and my hand was getting sore from the short starter after 40 or so.
I started using a rubber mallet from Wally World that I found in their camping section. With .535 balls you might want to try this, it only cost 2 dollars but when I use mine I tap the ball to get it started. If I hit it to hard I think it tears the patches starting the ball.

Have fun with your new gun, trying to find the magic load can almost be addicting and frustrating some times. And take that hammer head with you to shoot, you'll both end up with memories that you'll take to the dirt.

 

[mloader40]

I am a big fan of the rubber mallet, it will not mar anything, save your hand and is good to start the ball so the patch can be cut at the muzzle.
BPWRL