Scope Mounting on T/C Renegade

[NoJacketRequired]

Hi Folks,

I'm a newbie here but have been lurking around reading for a while. I'm also relatively new to black powder shooting, but have been shooting just about everything else for many years.

I've got a T/C Renegade in .50 cal and have been considering mounting an optical sight of some sort on it as the deer only come out to play when they know I can no longer see the sights! I'd welcome any helpful suggestions folks might have as to what kind of glass to mount on a rifle of this type, and how best to go about doing it.

Just for grins I taped my trusty 4x Redfield to the rifle today to get an idea of where it would need to go and I think it would have to be mounted to far back (ie turrets right beside the nipple) to be practical. Is the only other option a red-dot or long eye relief scope mounted like a scout rifle?

Thanks for your helpful feedback.

 

[Zonie]

First off, I will say I've never tried what I'm about to describe. It also doesn't solve your scope selection problem but the 2003 DIXIE Catalog it talks about:
QUIC-KEE SCOPE MOUNTS: Innovative; no drilling and tapping necessary; magnet held w/two set screws to snug up securely to base. A strap is then wrapped around the scope, base and stock for added protection. Scope can be removed and reinstalled without realignment. Offset so that bending the hammer to clear the scope is not necessary.
Will accept Weaver style rings. Tested on two rifles with loads of 65 to 90 grains. The scope never moved! We then removed the assembly and reinstalled it without resighting; we were shooting the same groups as before. Scope your rifle without voiding the gun manufactureer's warranty by drilling and tapping the barrel. Two sizes, octagon barrels only. EP0424 for 15/16" barrels EP0426 for 1" barrels
Last years price was about $40.
The Picture shows a scope mounted in Weaver rings which are attached to about a 3 1/2" long metal block along with what appears to be a strap with velcro on it and a little hex Allen style wrench.

 

O.K. I've mounted scopes on several Renegades and Hawkens made by T/C. Some were real abortions too!
You WILL burn the bottom of the scope with hot gases escaping the nipple hole. No way around it.
If you mount a scope with normal eye relief, cover the bottom of the scope with black electrical tape to protect the tube.
The BEST thing to do is buy the scope base and rings that T/C makes special for thier guns. This is pricy however, but the system works and is solid and offset slightly to the left to clear your hammer. It's the BEST way to go.
I'm intrigued by the magnet base, have read about them, but never owned one.
T/C used to market a long eye relief scope that used the rear sight holes to mount the special base. This idea was way ahead of it's time and I doubt T/C makes the rear sight base any longer. If you can find one get it and buy a fixed 2.5 to fixed 4X long eye relief scope, Burris might be your only choice here.

 

You didn't mention having a current or older model Renegade. If it's current.. here's the mount... otherwise you'll need to see a gunsmith to have it drilled & tapped. High rings generally allow enough scope clearance for the hammer... test it b/4 mounting. Another option is to buy a pistol scope & have it drilled & tapped directly in front/right against the rear sight. I have one (Simmons Pro Hunter 4X32) on my Traditions Deerhunter. I get compliments all the time on the setup. Low rings are acceptable.... detachable Maximas are the best.

Click Here To View/Buy T/C Mount

 

[musketman]

O.K. I've mounted scopes on several Renegades and Hawkens made by T/C.

Why would you want to mount a bottle of mouth wash on a Renegade?

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaw Hawwwwwwwwwwwww haaaaaaaaaaaa, I really, really crack me up...

(sorry, been hanging around maxiball's answers too much)

 

[Mtn-Man2u]

NoJacketRequired First off, Wecome to the camp !!!
You didn't say where you are from. In Oregon you can't have a scope on for Muzzleloading season. If you want to shoot in the regular modern hunt you could use a scope on it. My eyes aren't the best, I have no desirer to add a scope to my muzzleloaders. I have a T/C 50cal flint and a T/C 54cal perc, both Hawkens style. To me it would take away the beauty and I'm not going to shoot my rifle over 60 yards anyway. Muzzleloading hunting is to see how close you can get to your game, like bow hunting. If I couldn't see that well, I do have scoped rifles, that I can shoot. I just want to say I'm not against scopes, I just don't like them on muzzleloaders. Take care, Mtn-Man2u

 

[JesseJames]

How far are you going to be shooting? I mounted Red Dots on two of my t.c.. Have taking alot of deer with them. You don't need eye releave. And no matter where that dot is in the tube you are dead on. As for the mag mount my buddy took his off bounce around to much. The biggest thing with the red dot is to remember to turn them off.

 

O.K. I've mounted scopes on several Renegades and Hawkens made by T/C.

Why would you want to mount a bottle of mouth wash on a Renegade?

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaw Hawwwwwwwwwwwww haaaaaaaaaaaa, I really, really crack me up...

(sorry, been hanging around maxiball's answers too much) [/quote
:haha: :haha: :haha:
Bawwwwwwww-hawwwwwwwwwwwwww, snickers, snick, hawwwwwwww
:haha: :haha:
R O T F L M A O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are TOO much!!!! :haha: :haha:

 

Mooketperson:
I mounted a scope once, but kept sliding off!
Shoulda hada saddle.
Whoooooo-boy, I'm gettin' simple!

 

[cayugad]

I have a Renegade in .54 caliber. Here in Wisconsin scopes during our muzzleloader season are illegal. I mounted a T/C Peep sight. It works really good and it is all you need out to 100 yards. The only thing I might change on my setup is I should have mounted a fiber optic front sight. I instead had the front sight drilled and the hole filled with white paint. Sometimes it is hard to pick the sights up in low light condition.

On the CVA Mountain Stalker I mounted a cheap pair of fiber optic sights, and I was impressed shooting the other day at 100 yards with it. I held a good group and the sights were real easy to see. This might be an option is fiber optics.

 

Brownells sells an Express sight and "base"("not needed") with one standing and three folding leaves. I dovetailed this sight onto the barrel of my .69 English Rifle and with it's shallow "V's", it's perfectly sighted for 100, 150 and 200yds for hunting. The front sight is a small bead, 3/8" long, tapered, sitting 1/8" above the top flat. I sighted the third leaf for 328yds(300meters) for the 2' steel plate, shot at rendevous from offhand position. This rifle is undefeated at that range and has never missed striking the plate no matter who was firing it. We can only attribute it's success to great sights, accurate load and good shooting all 'round. The Englsih stock design is perhaps the best there is for most types of shooting.(opinion again)
: The express sights are the most acccurate, most easily mastered and best long range OPEN sight you can get. Don't listen to typewriter experts who say theya re nly close range sights. They worka t extreme ranges, & that's why the English riflesmiths put them on rifles & sighted them to 500yds in come calibres. Scopes aren't needed on an ML.IMHO
Daryl

 

[45Hawken]

I have used T/Cs scope mounts. They worked very well. I had the magnetic mount sold by Cabelas once. I had a small problem with it. As designed, it does what it is supposed to. The mount is made to fit down over the octogon barrel. My problem was the sides of the mount came in contact with the wood on my stock just before the top of the mount fully contacted the top flat of the barrel. I'm talking about a gap that you could barely see. Problem was it broke the magnetic hold just enough to let the mount move now and then. If I had sanded the wood down it probably would have cured the problem. I went with the T/C mount instead. If you can find them, T/C used to make a quick release mount that I really like. It was very pricey, but worked well.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Thanks to all for your helpful posts. Even the ones with the bottle of "Scope" mounted on the barrel. Heck, what fun would this game be if it weren't for a bit of humour thrown in once in a while?!?!?

My Renegade is one of the newer models - not more than 5 years old, so it has the screw for the breach plug. The Fox Ridge mount might just be the ticket...

As for legalities... I'm in Ontario, Canada, where we don't get too picky about equipment in our regulations. Essentially, if you have to ram the load down the barrel from the front end, it's a legal muzzleloader. That means no restrictions on rifle, sights, projectile... We've only recently started to have "muzzleloader only" seasons for whitetails and I'm likely to have one of those special seasons in my back yard this fall. It's too bad that our federal gun control laws mean that I have to register my percussion guns and be licensed to own them. But in their ultimate wisdom the dodo's in our gov't deemed flintlocks to be "non-firearms". You gotta love that. And I gotta get me a flintlock!

Several folks have commented on taking a perfectly-simple rilfe and making it ugly by mounting a scope on it. I agree and am not too keen on the idea of mounting glass on the Renegade because it'll ruin the esthetics of a very pretty rifle. But, on the other hand, our fall weather is almost always grey, cold and rainy. Having a scope mounted on your gun buys you at least an extra 30 minutes of hunting time every day - and that's just the time when the deer are starting to move. I lost three beautiful opportunities last fall because I couldn't see the sights on the Renegade. I think you can understand why I'm now giving consideration to mounting a scope. :winking:

Also... Took my first M/L buck last fall with my Traditions Hawken (you guessed it - I took the Traditions into the field that day because the weather was manure and I can see it's factory sights better than those on the T/C). Shot a Hornady PRB over 70 grains Triple7. I know I was stretching the range of the PRB (in terms of retained energy) at 50 yards but was surprised by a complete pass-through. It's quite a rush to touch off a load of powder and then have to wait for the smoke to clear to know whether or not you hit anything!

One other point... I don't want to come across here as being sanctimonious, but I have a great deal of respect for the animals I hunt and therefore will take advantage of any equipment that allows me to harvest game in a more humane manner. A scope takes some of the guesswork out of sighting and thus I consider it to be one of those tools which will help me make a more humane kill. You can bet the scope will come off for the backyard plinking sessions. And since my kids and I love the historical aspect of shooting M/L I suspect it'll be awhile before one of them fancy in-lines shows up in my gun rack. By the way, you ought to hear those kids hoot and holler when we're shootin'. My youngest lad (eight years old), just loves to yell "Fire in the hole" as we touch off a shot!

Thanks again for all your helpful suggestions and comments!

 

Also... Took my first M/L buck last fall with my Traditions Hawken (you guessed it - I took the Traditions into the field that day because the weather was manure and I can see it's factory sights better than those on the T/C). Shot a Hornady PRB over 70 grains Triple7. I know I was stretching the range of the PRB (in terms of retained energy) at 50 yards but was surprised by a complete pass-through.

You diffinitly warn't "strech'n the range" of the roundball at 50 yards (as you found out),..... and, cain't you believe yore own eyes??

Ya gotta git thet, "retained energy at 50 yards manure",.... out'a yore head, 'fore it does some "perminute damage" to yore noggin!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif ::

 

RB is right on this one( ain't that normal?). Shooting bp is like working with the bumble bee, it can do a lot of things that math says are impossible. Wih a good .50 cal "pushing your range" means you can't clearly line up the sights any longer. Our shots are limited more by our own physical capibilities then by the capabilities of the weapons(check out the ranges and scores at Creedmore for the past 150 years). Buffalo are big animals and most of them were killed, at long range, with charges you can duplicate in your own smokepole.
As far as tradition and historic accuracy goes, the guns you are using are traditional in general form only. Mount a scope, aimpoint, peepsights or whatever you need to use to hit the target. The only real sin is modifying an origional artifact and your guns don't qualify.
You discovered the real key to sucess with front stuffers when you let those kids smell the smoke and yell over their shots. I don't worry about those "sheared grains" of 4350 any more, or how much the oil on my fingers is affecting the preformance of my boat-tailed bullets at 1000 yards. I throw my charges with a cane powder measure and just hope there are not too many voids in the big .58 balls and shoot the small bores as much as possible so I can hear the grandkids yell more times per pound of lead.

 

[Mtn-Man2u]

NoJacketRequired In reading your reasons why you have to do things you do, in your country. I forget that we are living in a country that allows us to owns rifles of our choosing. I'm sorry you can't own muzzleloading rifle, without being put under the thumb in owning a Percussion rifle or a Flintlock rifle. And since you have no
restrictions on hunting with a Modern or Black Powder rifle, the way we have to here in the States. Then enjoy your hunt, and put the scope on it. And who are we to tell you, that hunting with a scope or not, with out really knowing the whole picture.
Take care, Steve

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Well, I thought I'd post back here with some results... I ordered the T/C scope mount from Fox Ridge Outfitters. They were good to deal with and it took a grand total of a week for the part to arrive by mail. It took me only a few minutes to mount it on the rifle - it's definitely a slick riggin'. The only downfall of this mount is that it's got a few sharp corners on it that would be better off rounded by the factory. Now that I've got the mount installed I know how high my scope rings need to be and have ordered a set. In the meanwhile I've stuck a cheapo red-dot scope on so I can go ahead with load development.

Thanks to all contributors here for your helpful suggestions.