t/c renagade .54 and minies

[charlie45]

I've been shooting a t/c renagade 54 ca. 1 in 48 with prb's and the best I seem to do is 2" @ 50 yards.
I've tried about all the combos possiable and 2" seem to be my best.
So I have been thinking of trying a minine style bullet.
Is this twist rate compatable? Have any of you had success with this combo? And whats your pet slug. I also enjoy casting so another mold for my collection would help to keep my wifes blood presure up.

 

[Swampman]

That's remarkable accuracy for a T/C. I doubt it will do any better with Minnies.

 

[playfarmers]

Try this. http://members.shaw.ca/bobschewe/
I gave this a go in my Lyman Deerstalker with the 1 in 48" twist, and got the smallest groups ever with this rifle. The recoil was stiffer than I wanted though so I have gone back to the round ball.

 

[roundball]

I've been shooting a t/c renagade 54 ca. 1 in 48 with prb's and the best I seem to do is 2" @ 50 yards.
I've tried about all the combos possiable and 2" seem to be my best.
So I have been thinking of trying a minine style bullet.
Is this twist rate compatable? Have any of you had success with this combo? And whats your pet slug. I also enjoy casting so another mold for my collection would help to keep my wifes blood presure up.

You didn't mention your actual loads...but FWIW, my TC 1:48" shoots good groups with near max loads...ie: 1+7/8", 2+3/4", 2+1/4", etc, at 100yds with 90grns Goex 3F, an Oxyoke wad, TC .018" pillow ticking, Hornady .530 ball...and that's a Flint barrel...the caplock might even be a whisker better

 

[cayugad]

I've been shooting a t/c renagade 54 ca. 1 in 48 with prb's and the best I seem to do is 2" @ 50 yards.
I've tried about all the combos possiable and 2" seem to be my best.
So I have been thinking of trying a minine style bullet.
Is this twist rate compatable? Have any of you had success with this combo? And whats your pet slug. I also enjoy casting so another mold for my collection would help to keep my wifes blood presure up.

Actually 2" at 50 yards with the open sights is not all that terrible. There are days you will shoot better and days maybe worse.

I shoot a couple of the .54 caliber Renegades and my loads are 90 grains with a moosemilk patched roundball. If I average about an inch and a half at 50 yards, sometimes worse, sometimes a little better I am more then satisfied. That still means at 100 yards I should be under a 4" group.

I really improved the way the Renegade shoots with the addition of a peep sight on the one rifle. It made a big difference in the groups. Some of the old flat sights are not the best IMO but I make do with them.

 

[Big John]

Charlie, Save up and get a GMT. barrel and peep sights and you'll be very happy.I promise.

 

[Pittsburghunter]

My old Renegade shot very well at distances beyond 50 yards. It was a .50 though so I can't comment directly on your rifle but the .50 liked maxiballs and I mean maxiballs not the maxihunters. I find a big difference between the two bullets. Some of these rifles also like the REAL bullet made from a Lee mould.

 

[cayugad]

I've been shooting a t/c renagade 54 ca. 1 in 48 with prb's and the best I seem to do is 2" @ 50 yards.
I've tried about all the combos possiable and 2" seem to be my best.
So I have been thinking of trying a minine style bullet.
Is this twist rate compatable? Have any of you had success with this combo? And whats your pet slug. I also enjoy casting so another mold for my collection would help to keep my wifes blood presure up.

Charlie45 I just read you are thinking of trying a minnie out of the rifle. I have four .54 caliber Renegades and I cast my own Minnies from a LEE mold. Not one of those rifles will shoot a minnie with what I call hunting accuracy. They spray them all over the paper.

I have tried cutting the charge down to as low as 60 grains so I would not blow the skirt out. I have went the other way and tried to really push them out fast. Still no luck. I finally started to paper patch them and got a little better results, but I would never shoot at a critter at over 50 yards with them. One might hit dead center bull and the next might hit seven inches to the side...

 

[Tracy]

I get very good accuracy out of my .54 renegade with 430 grain Maxi Balls,a wonder wad and 100 grains Triple 7.The only problem is the recoil.It feels like getting kicked in the cheekbone by an angry mule.A 365 grain Maxi Ball with 90 grains Triple 7 is also pretty good with less recoil.I wouldnt hunt anything larger than a Budweiser Clydsdale with either load.

 

[cayugad]

I get very good accuracy out of my .54 renegade with 430 grain Maxi Balls,a wonder wad and 100 grains Triple 7.The only problem is the recoil.It feels like getting kicked in the cheekbone by an angry mule.A 365 grain Maxi Ball with 90 grains Triple 7 is also pretty good with less recoil.I wouldnt hunt anything larger than a Budweiser Clydsdale with either load.

I was shooting my Renegade yesterday with a .452 450 grain pure lead bullet in a sabot on top of 100 grains of Swiss 2f. Let me tell you it took only one of them out of that Renegade to make me cut it back to 80 grains of 2f.

I was shooting a lot of different projectiles with the Renegade and a 1-28 barrel and decided to cut a little wood. That 3" limb took four hits to cut in two. The bullet went through that and a 10" on the stump tree. So there was plenty of power and the accuracy was excellent.

In my early days with the rifle, I hunted with the .54 caliber Renegade using a 426 grain Buffalo Bullet Conical and 110 grains of Pyrodex RS. Again, the deer never knew what hit it, but I sure did not want to shoot a second one. After that I went to hunting with roundball for many years after that. 90 grains and a patched roundball is an excellent deer killing load.

 

[Landngroove]

I also would try the 430 grain T/C Maxi Ball, with a Bore Button/Wonder Wad, over the powder. I have not had good luck in the past with "Minnie" style bullets. With hunting loads, I find that the skirts blow, and accuracy goes out the door.

 

[charlie45]

:hmm: Thanks all. I've been thinking of a Green Mountain barrel in 45 or 50 cal. and take easy on my bones. I generaly use 75 gr. of Goex 3f for 50 yard range work. I tried up to 90 but 75 with a 530 ball and .018 spit lubed patch seems to work the best. Anyhow thanks again!

 

[cayugad]

After reading your post, I took a newer T/C .54 caliber Renegade today to the range. I found some 430 grain Thompson Center Maxi Ball, some 405 grain PowerBelt hollow points, some 533 grain Minnie Ball, and some hand cast 411 grain .548 diameter Maxi Ball. I used Stumpkiller's Moose Snot as a lube.

The target on the right shows the Minnie Ball with red arrows and in the green circle are the 430 grain Maxi Ball. I shot 60 grain in the Minnie Ball loads and 80 grains without wads of Goex 2f on the Maxi ball. I was pleased with the Maxi Ball.

On the target to the left the Black arrows show the powerbelts. They didn't do too well. I was shooting 90 grains of Goex 2f under them. I then shot some of the hand cast with the Moose Snot lube and a wad under them. I was pleased with their accuracy.

Like my other Renegades, this new one will not shoot minnies also. All this shooting was done at 30 yards off a bench rest. This is a new Renegade but an old model It has the double triggers but the old square block standard sights...

 

[flaming canvas]

My Renegade .54 gave the best accuracy with Hornady Great Plains bullets. 110 gr 2f would give 10 inch groups at 200 yards. Vernier peep sight on the tang and the front sight is a bead on top of the post. You might want to find a hollow base mold, since these bullets cost almost 50 cents each. The tc maxis would have a 5 foot vertical string at this range. I didn't try using a wad over the powder, but that might have helped the velocity be consistent.

 

[rabbit03]

Hi Cayugad I can relate to your story about a punishment on the recoil end. I started out my black powder days back in the early 70's with a .54 Renegade. I remember shooting it once after a long period of not shooting that it was kicking the hell out of me. And after about the third shot I found the problem. I had been double loading from my fixed powder measure which was a 90 grn. meassure. I had been placing a 535grn mini on top of 180grns of 3FFF. I think I was quite literly proof testing the barrel with that load or at least my face thought so. I had a mouse under my cheek bone for a week. :shocked2:

I would say if you want to stick with roundballs do like one of the post suggests and get a drop in barrel from Green Mountain for sure.

rabbit03

 

[cayugad]

rabbit..

I have a couple of the GMB and other makes of slow twist rifles and they do a great job with roundball. I really have no complaint with the Renegades and their roundball ability. I just like shooting lots of different projectiles.

That load you described must have hurt. I'm glad all you suffered was a mouse on the cheek. It could have been much worse..

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

man, you are one tough dude! I think I would have quit after the first shot! Seriously, glad you weren't hurt. Those T/C's are hell for stout, aren't they?