T/C smoothbore renegade?

[squirrelgourmet]

Hello camp! I am new here and hopefully won't make a fool of myself.
1. How long were these made?
2. What would constitute max range for a deer load
3. Why .56 cal?
4. I don't know if this apporopriate here but,do any of you have one for sale? I get a bonus check in a month and I think this thing looks cool.

Good to meet you all -Dick

 

[roundball]

Hello camp! I am new here and hopefully won't make a fool of myself.
1. How long were these made?
2. What would constitute max range for a deer load
3. Why .56 cal?
4. I don't know if this apporopriate here but,do any of you have one for sale? I get a bonus check in a month and I think this thing looks cool.

Good to meet you all -Dick

I'll give it a try:

The .56cal barrels were made for several years, then discontinued due to low sales;

They were primarily intended as a .28ga smoothbore for small game shot loads, not deer hunting;

They can be used to shoot round balls, but as is typical of most smoothbore, usually with less accuracy than a similar rifled barrel;

They turn up from time to time on various gun auctions, classified ads, etc.

 

[Rebel]

I think there is at least one for sale on auction arms now.

 

[musketman]

Plus, some states had a requirement of smoothbores for their primitive weapons season...

 

[squirrelgourmet]

Since it has a short 27 inch barrel I'd like to use fffg. If I would normaly use 100gr ffg how much less powder would I use? What is formula to figure this?

Thanks in advance, -Dick

 

[bigbore442001]

Ok. Here is what I know about the .56 caliber Renegade. The gun was originally developed for black powder hunters in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for a time.

Basically the people at TC took a .54 and reamed out the rifling, thus you got a .56 caliber smoothbore gun.

Massachusetts established a muzzleloader season back in the early 1970's and it was a whole three days long. Massachusetts has always been a shotgun state for deer due to the human population. The fish and game people at the time, who probably knew little of ballistics, didn't want to raise the ire of people as well as some old dyed in the wool shotgun hunters, mandated the gun be a smoothbore.

So, the regulations at that time were a smoothbore muzzleloader of pre-1865 design with a barrel minimum of 18" and between 44 and 775 caliber. So it could go up to a 10 guage in size. Also, no scopes.

Well,it was in 1983 that rifled flintlocks were allowed to hunt deer but the regulations pretty much remained the same. It was around 1988 or so that the season was extended for one week. This was nice as that it gave you another Saturday to hunt( you cannot hunt Sundays in Massachusetts)

Around this time, people were looking at the new in-lines that were coming out. Someone did a little research and came up with patents on inlines made in the 1820's. So that was used as evidence to allow inlines for the muzzleloader deer season in Massachusetts.

When Brian Wojtek became our deer biologist, he was able to amend the regulations in Massachusetts to the point where scopes, in-lines, 209 primers as well as conicals and sabots were allowed. The only thing not allowed in the muzzleloader season is a break open breech and barrels less than 18" along with a double barrel.

Rhode Island changed earlier. I believe they allowed rifling in muzzleloaders about a year or two after establishing a season.

So the 56 smoothbore is still seen in Massachusetts but for the most part is pretty much defunct.

I have known hunters who have used the .56 and they seem to work well with 80 to 90 grains of FFg. In addition, they are accurate out to 50 yards or so. After than, the rifle takes over. But in Massachusetts, most shots will be under 50 yards.

 

[musketman]

Since it has a short 27 inch barrel I'd like to use fffg. If I would normaly use 100gr ffg how much less powder would I use? What is formula to figure this?

The rule of thumb is roughly 15% reduction from FFg to FFFg...

So your 100 grain load of FFg will be 85 grains of FFFg or thereabouts...

 

[squirrelgourmet]

Wow, Great info guys! This gun has a cool history.
I figured 50 yards or so. I think this gun will work for me. I'll just ambush ole whitetail up close and personal.
Lots of folks who shoot smoothbore want a flinter. Well I want a capper smoothbore, and those 1842 muskets look like a pain to plough through the woods with so I think this sould work fine. Historically speaking I know this gun ain't to PC, But were there any caplock smooth rifles made back in the day? Or at that point would they all be conversions?

 

[musketman]

If you ever do wish to convert it to flint, the breechplug and lock of a .54 Renegade wil fit right on, they use the same barrel for both rifle and smoothbore...

I should state: T/C is a little fickle about people removing the breechplugs, they will replace it for you, be sure to request the old breechplug to be returned so you can always convert it back...

 

[Rebel]

One problem with the .56 is that you can't find .550 rd. balls for it. You will need to get a mold and cast your own.

 

[squirrelgourmet]

No problem, I just got me a Lee production pot IV today and either get a dixie gun works mould or a Jeff Tanner mould. I am really cheap so unless any of you have a bad opinion of the DGW mould i'll probably just get it. My Dad has a .535 ball mould I might try in it too.

 

[roundball]

One problem with the .56 is that you can't find .550 rd. balls for it. You will need to get a mold and cast your own.

Ozone Muzzleloading (formally Warren Muzzleloading) in Ozone Arkansas makes a whole line of balls....the .550 is one of them...I tried them in a used beat up .56cal SB Renegade I used to have and they did very well at 50yds...didn't try any longer distances.
1-800-874-3810
new website name is:
http://www.ozonemountain.com/

 

[smoothbore]

In regards to finding the .550 swaged balls, go to Track of the Wolf (www.trackofthewolf.com). They have everything. You can by 100 balls for $8.00. Just make sure your using a .015 oxyoke patch or you won't get the thing loaded in the field for a second shot if needed. Good Luck

 

[roundball]

In regards to finding the .550 swaged balls, go to Track of the Wolf (www.trackofthewolf.com). They have everything. You can by 100 balls for $8.00. Just make sure your using a .015 oxyoke patch or you won't get the thing loaded in the field for a second shot if needed. Good Luck

I think the .550's are cast balls, about $15/100

 

[adkmountainken]

i also shoot the 550. rb from warren. i'll tell ya my 56. TC is a real tack driver at 40 yards with round ball. the adjustable sights on the TC's really help. after 40 yards the groups really start to open up as this is to be expected with a smooth bore. i would not hesitate to pull the trigger on a whitetail at 40 yards with it.

 

[roundball]

i also shoot the 550. rb from warren. i'll tell ya my 56. TC is a real tack driver at 40 yards with round ball. the adjustable sights on the TC's really help. after 40 yards the groups really start to open up as this is to be expected with a smooth bore. i would not hesitate to pull the trigger on a whitetail at 40 yards with it.

I liked the Warren .550's...only tried tham at 50yds but they did great...Warren calls theirs "spruless balls" because they run them through tumblers to remove any trace of the spru...I have a brand new .56cal barrel on the shelf...was going to sell it...now after all this talk I'm not sure...just wish it was flint

 

[musketman]

just wish it was flint

Contact T/C and tell them you want to have them install a .54 caliber flint breech plug on the .56 barrel, both use the same barrel and wedge pin set-up...

It should only cost you the amount of the new plug and shipping...

They would rather do this than have someone do it themselves, also have them return the old breech plug, just in case you ever need to convert it back...

 

[roundball]

just wish it was flint

Contact T/C and tell them you want to have them install a .54 caliber flint breech plug on the .56 barrel, both use the same barrel and wedge pin set-up...

It should only cost you the amount of the new plug and shipping...

They would rather do this than have someone do it themselves, also have them return the old breech plug, just in case you ever need to convert it back...

I had TC convert one of my .45cal percussion RB barrels to flint a few years ago...tried to get them to do that to this .56cal last year but they refused, said they don't do that any more...their reason was:
"we want percussion serial numbers to remain percussion, and flintlock serial numbers to remain flintlock".

Maybe I'll try again after the holidays...talk to the service manager, etc...can't hurt