TC Renegade 54 Cal Maxi Ball Load Question

[Grillgod]

I have a TC Renegade that I have had for 20 years and have been trying to sight in for the last 4 years. I have tried everything that you can imagine. I went to the range last Sunday and shot 8 rounds and hit the target once. I have just about had it with this gun. I'm about ready to through it in the river. It has never shot right from the day I bought it.

The best I have ever had it shooting was with Maxiballs. I'm going to give it one more chance before I totally give up.

Here's what I am wanting to know.

Should I use 2F o 3F ? How many grains would you recommend ? The Maxiballs are 430 gr

I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks !

 

[catman]

How much do you want for that T/C Renegade .54 that doesn't shoot?

 

[Grillgod]

I really don't want to sell it. If I can't get it shooting. I may just box it up and send it back to TC to check it out or I'll just hang it on my wall. It looks good !

 

[R.M.]

Does that barrel by chance have the counterbored muzzle? I've heard they can be very finicky. If it does, TC might replace it with a normal one.
How does the crown look? It sounds like that barrel has some sort of issue that way.

 

[Grillgod]

I'm not sure about the counterbored barrel. I do think that the barrel has some kind of issues. It has never shot right from day one. I realy like the gun, but it has been a real disappointment. I bought a TC due to their reputation for quality. In this case I was really mistaken.

 

[R.M.]

Well, like I said, don't forget about the warranty.

 

[smokehouseman]

I'm kind of curious as to how it shoots round balls? I have a TC Big Boar .58 and there definitely is a difference between the round balls and maxiballs. I find rb's are much more consistant but it sounds like you may have an issue going on with that barrel. Just for your info I use 80 grains Triple 7, 3f and shoot a .475 ball with pillow ticking, and my maxiballs I use 100 grains.

 

[longcruise]

I bought a TC due to their reputation for quality. In this case I was really mistaken.

Well, answer these questions and we will be able to help you better.

1. Did you buy new or used?

2. Have you ever tried round balls?

3. What is the exact length of the Maxi you are trying to shoot?

4. What is your loading regimen and between shot procedures?

5. What is your after-shooting cleaning regimen?

6. If used, what was the after-shooting cleaning regimen of the previous owner? :shocked2:

7. Have you checked for loose screws on your sights?

8. What type of sights are you using?

 

[cowpoke1955]

Hang in there. I have a .54 T/C Hawkens that shoots great with a 400 grain T/C Maxi Ball that I cast. I have been using 80 grains of Pyrodex RS and an Ox-Yoke Wonder Wad under the maxi. It gives me 1" groups at 50 yards. I finally got some Goex in and it should do the same with FFg Goex. As for shooting round balls, my bore seems too tight for .530 balls and .018 patches. Roundball, on the forum here, suggested using .520 balls from Track of the Wolf. I haven't tried them yet, but it sounds like it will work. Something else I shoot out of the T/C well are the 380 grains Lee REAL bullets. Just something to think about :thumbsup:

 

[jan buck]

i have two renegades and one on the way. :grin:

my .54 is a little picky also. shooting .530 hornady ball with .15 patch and lard for lube i can put them into 3" at 80 yards from a bench. but....it shoots about 3" high and thats with the rear sight bottomed out. i just got some maxi balls for it, 430 grains from val forgett. ows.

they were unlubed so i lubed them with lee liquid alox. bet they kick like a missouri mule.
weigh them round balls out to .5 grains of each other for consistency. i know this sounds like alot of work, but its worth it.

one more variable out of the way.

the other option would be to get a gm drop in. i did and it will shoot one holers at 50 yards. why did i sell that barrel?

 

[Grillgod]

I bought a TC due to their reputation for quality. In this case I was really mistaken.

Well, answer these questions and we will be able to help you better.

1. Did you buy new or used?
I bought this new 20+ years ago

2. Have you ever tried round balls?
Yes, I was using 70 gr FFF Goex, .520 Hornady, Pillow Tickling Patches, and Oxy Wonder Wad and sooting all over the place.

3. What is the exact length of the Maxi you are trying to shoot?
I''m going to try TC 400 gr Maxi Balls

4. What is your loading regimen and between shot procedures?
I clean the bore with Blue Thunder after each shot

5. What is your after-shooting cleaning regimen?
I break the gun down and clean the barrel in hot soapy water and rinse in clean water. Dry the gun and swab out the barrel and lube the gun with TC Bore Butter
6. If used, what was the after-shooting cleaning regimen of the previous owner? :shocked2:

7. Have you checked for loose screws on your sights?
Yes

8. What type of sights are you using?

Bushnell Dusk To Dawn 1.5 - 3

 

[BrownBear]

Hate to be the only one to ask, but have you had other experienced shooters try it? Bench technique or flinching can have more to do with accuracy than barrels. Not accusing you, rather I'm trying to eliminate variables. If it's shooting the same way for others, ship it to TC. It's not right.

 

[jbtusa]

Grill: I too bought a new .54 Renegade long ago and could not get it to shoot accurately. I finally gave up and sold it. What a mistake! I would suggest buying a round ball barrel for it instead of selling it. The old Renegades (dbbl triggers) are becoming more valuable because they're getting hard to find and they are quality guns. The .54 round ball is plenty for any N. American big game. I like the Renegade because it is small and light and a pleasure to carry.

 

[longcruise]

Bushnell Dusk To Dawn 1.5 - 3

That could be it! Try removing the scope and shooting with the iron sights. Nothing is more frustrating than a defective scope.

The rest of your process seems to be pretty much on the money. The only thing I would question is your between shot wiping. I'm not familiar with "Blue Thunder", but you might try some plain water with dish soap at a 1 part soap to 10 or 15 parts water.

You need to be extra careful wiping the breech area when shooting maxi or any other flat base conical. Very quickly a crud ring builds where the base of the bullet sits and for some reason if that crud ring is not removed after every shot accuracy starts to degrade. I had this problem with my .50 TC shooting maxi balls way back when. Once I started getting that crud ring out after every shot the groups tightened up.

So, not sure what Blue Thunder is but there are plenty of BP solvents on the shelves that do not disolve bp fouling worth a dang.

The only other thing that comes to mind is bullet fit. Are the bullets tight or loose or ? A very loose slug will not be as accurate as a tighter one.

Yes, I was using 70 gr FFF Goex, .520 Hornady, Pillow Tickling Patches, and Oxy Wonder Wad and sooting all over the place.

That is symptomatic of a load that is too loose. Try .530 and .535 balls each with a variety of patch materials lubed with crisco or wonder lube or some other suitable non petroleum based grease type lube and wipe after every shot.

Good luck with this.

 

[BriR]

"I break the gun down and clean the barrel in hot soapy water and rinse in clean water. Dry the gun and swab out the barrel and lube the gun with TC Bore Butter"

That may be your problem. Bore Butter as a rust preventative is absolute manure. I rusted out a T/C Hawken barrel buying into this "seasoning" baloney T/C puts out in their manuals. T/C actually replaced the barrel after I called them and told them my story. In fact, the technician I talked to confirmed that yes, it is manure, they know that, but because they'd been recommending using it for so many years, it was just cheaper to replace the barrels of the few people that dropped a bore light into them and found them rusty, rather than change the manual and sell less Bore Butter.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

:shake: :shocked2: :youcrazy:

That's what "bottom-line" thinking does to a good company :barf:

Dave

 

[Dphar]

I have a TC Renegade that I have had for 20 years and have been trying to sight in for the last 4 years. I have tried everything that you can imagine. I went to the range last Sunday and shot 8 rounds and hit the target once. I have just about had it with this gun. I'm about ready to through it in the river. It has never shot right from the day I bought it.

The best I have ever had it shooting was with Maxiballs. I'm going to give it one more chance before I totally give up.

Here's what I am wanting to know.

Should I use 2F o 3F ? How many grains would you recommend ? The Maxiballs are 430 gr

I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks !

Have the barrel changed to a Green Mountain round ball barrel.

Dan

 

[nw_hunter]

I have a TC Renegade that I have had for 20 years and have been trying to sight in for the last 4 years. I have tried everything that you can imagine. I went to the range last Sunday and shot 8 rounds and hit the target once. I have just about had it with this gun. I'm about ready to through it in the river. It has never shot right from the day I bought it.

The best I have ever had it shooting was with Maxiballs. I'm going to give it one more chance before I totally give up.

Here's what I am wanting to know.

Should I use 2F o 3F ? How many grains would you recommend ? The Maxiballs are 430 gr

I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks !

I would start with 50 grs. of 2f and work up the load at 5 gr increments.What distance are you shooting? I would start at 25 yds to work up a group.I had a renegade that didn't like Maxi balls, but loved the Maxi hunter and Great Plains bullets.Might try a different conical! Have you considered shooting roundball? Buy you some 535 balls and some pillow ticking and give it a whirl.

Don't give up! This is the fun part of the sport for most of us....Trying to find the sweet spot for each rifle. Gives you a good excuse to get out of the house and into the woods or range. :grin:

 

[cowpoke1955]

It sounds like you got a lot of good advise here. Try different ball sizes....520, .530 and .535. Try different conicals...T/C Maxi Balls, T/C Maxi Hunters, Lyman Great Plains Bullets, Lee REAL Bullets. Try both FFg and FFFg. Each rifle is different and your's may perfer one over the other. Try it without that scope. You'll be amazed how accurate those iron sights are. Try grouping at 25 yards, then move to 50. Save your Bore Butter for lubing your conicals or patches. It will not protect your barrel. You still have a lot of work ahead of you, but you'll have a lot of fun doing it. Good luck :thumbsup:

 

[Rat Trapper]

Take the scope off and try the iron sights. When using the iron sights use a 6 o'clock hold and start at 25 yards and then move back to 50 yards. When using conical bullet be sure to put a felt wad under the bullet.
Note, it is not uncommon for a scope to go bad, and that is the reason for trying the iron sights. The 6 o'clock hold will allow you to hold closer. I sight my rifles to shoot where I hold and then they are dead on for hunting with a center hold on a animal.