TC New Englander .50 cal

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Spruce

36 Cal.
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I just purchased a TC New Englander .50 cal. Looks new, if not fired a couple times. Was a good price.

Looking to get some cleaning accessories for it.

What size jag is needed for cleaning the breech ?

Is the bottom of the breech rounded or flat ?

Is the nipple the same size 1/4"-28 as TC Hawken/Renegade ?

What load(s) have you the most success with ? Looking to shoot PRB.
 
:v hi Spruce,I have 2,a .50 and .54. both shot great ,plus a 12ga.barrel ..250-28 nipple a.50 cleaning jag. 70gr-50cal/85-54/prbs. has a pantent[sp]breech hope this helps.have fun :thumbsup:
 
ld5054 said:
has a pantent[sp]breech hope this helps.have fun :thumbsup:

Id5054, the patent breech is smaller diameter than the bore. Do you not clean it with a scraper, or is all the the BP residue flushed out when pumping water in/out the barrel ?

Do you use a jag to clean the patent breech from oil before firing, or push a patched .50 cal jag down to the bottom, then fire a few caps, then remove the ram rod ?
 
The New Englander had a round barrel as well; didn't it? What was the dia. of the barrel? Are round barrels made today that would fit the stock?

The stock looks alot like the PA Hunter stock that fits me really well.
 
Walks with fire said:
The New Englander had a round barrel as well; didn't it? What was the dia. of the barrel? Are round barrels made today that would fit the stock?

The stock looks alot like the PA Hunter stock that fits me really well.

Yes, all NE's had round barrels. The diameter at the breech is about 1 1/8", and tapers down to the muzzle slightly under an inch.

Unfortunately no one makes a replacement barrel for NE's. You'll have to find a used one, or bore out a rusted one to a larger caliber. TC stopped making the NE's in the 90's.
 
Not positive about the TC, but the patent breeches on Investarms/ Lyman clean up using a .38 bore brush.

Odd that nobody says much about cleaning patent breeches, but I've on occasion used a .38 pistol brush - nylon is the best, and be sure your brass rod end has been crosspinned, so you don't have to worry about it coming apart whilst that brush is snugged up in the patent breech.

I got a 28 year old Investarms a while back, and was concerned about the condition of that patent breech - sprayed it down with penetrating oil to see if there was any rust or crud built up in it, and after scrubbing it down after with that .38 brush, there wasn't any residue in it to be concerned about.

Apparently a good flush with hot soapy water is enough to keep it clean.

You can mop it out with a patch after cleaning to dry it & oil it, but never use a .38 cal cleaning jag - always use a slotted patch jag, since that .38 jag patched can become stuck - ask me how I know ...

I also have a .308" chamber brush that works for scrubbing out both bore & patent breech, but after a few tries on a couple of rifles, I've decided it really isn't necessary for normal cleaning.
 
Track Of The Wolf replied back via email. They said the TC .50 cal measures .380" at the rear with a round radius at the bottom. A .45 would be a bit smaller.

I have a few .30 cal brushes. An oversize patch wrapped around enough times can make up the difference.
 
Spruce said:
Walks with fire said:
The New Englander had a round barrel as well; didn't it? What was the dia. of the barrel? Are round barrels made today that would fit the stock?

The stock looks alot like the PA Hunter stock that fits me really well.

Yes, all NE's had round barrels. The diameter at the breech is about 1 1/8", and tapers down to the muzzle slightly under an inch.

Unfortunately no one makes a replacement barrel for NE's. You'll have to find a used one, or bore out a rusted one to a larger caliber. TC stopped making the NE's in the 90's.

Because of the thick breech and tapered barrel the New Englanders are great platforms for hunting rifles. This is the one I had relined.

The Lyman 457124 as cast is my favorite bullet.
 
I use one of the wire brush tips that TOW and others sell. It's possible to put a patch on this wire tip and clean concave portions of the breech plug in my rifles.
 
Loads I've used were in the Greyhawk made by T/C which essentially was a New Englander in stainless steel with the same 1 in 48" twist and it shot well with 375 grain maxi ball and 90 rains of pyrodex. I know some gents who've done well with deer and 80 grains and roundball. I would err on the side of smackdown with the maxi ball though.The New engalder is a fine smokepole and I wish T/C would make them again.
 
I've tried using Stumpkiller's Moose Milk for patch lube & always swab between shots. Patches were always cut at the muzzle with a knife. About 16-17 Celsius, warm & overcast sky.

28 shots fired continuously. No breaks other than 5 minute cease fire every 30 minutes for others to change targets.

It seems to like 65 gr 2F Goex. It also shot well with 80 gr's.

Here are some of the targets from 2 weeks ago:





 
I hope to get my hands on a TC New Englander 12ga smoothbore. Anyone fired one with PRB ?
 
I have a New Englander that shoots the Lee REAL 250gr very well with 70 grs of 2f. It does well with the 370gr Maxi's also,but make recoil stiff. I've had good luck with other types of bullets, but I will not speak of them here. On a side note I had to bed the barrel on mine cause it had to much side to side movement for me.
 
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