Thompson Center Renegade.

[Old Sparky]

So I've been thinking about piecing together a hunting muzzleloader. I see a ton of Thompson Center Renegade stocks on eBay all of the time. It seems like this is a popular model to Interchange barrels on. Can you fit any Renegade Barrel on any Renegade stock and switch back and forth between Flintlock and percussion? I would like to have a 54 or 58 caliber rifled barrel to start out with. Then try to keep my eye out for a Smooth Bore or shotgun barrel that I heard exists as a drop in? I would also like to be able to switch back and forth between percussion and Flintlock because of Pennsylvania's late Flintlock only season. Essentially what I'm asking is is this a model that has interchangeable barrels and a lot to choose from out there? Right now I have a Flintlock that is a Traditions Deer Hunter and I hate it. Ultimately I plan on getting a Flintlock Kentucky rifle but I don't have the money for that sort of thing right now. I am hoping the Renegade might be the answer to my problems I want something versatile. Does anyone think it's a bad idea?

 

[waarp8nt]

I've done exactly what your talking about. A flint barrel and flintlock with a percussion barrel and caplock. Renegade stocks are all 1 inch barrels, a .54 Hawken barrel is 1 inch so it will fit too.

You may have to inlet one area slightly if you use a caplock stock and a flintlock lock, but it's very minor and the most basic of tools will get it working.

 

[Old Sparky]

I've done exactly what your talking about. A flint barrel and flintlock with a percussion barrel and caplock. Renegade stocks are all 1 inch barrels, a .54 Hawken barrel is 1 inch so it will fit too.

You may have to inlet one area slightly if you use a caplock stock and a flintlock lock, but it's very minor and the most basic of tools will get it working.

Thanks. I really wish I could find one in 58 but I'm guessing that's a tall order.

 

[waarp8nt]

Thanks. I really wish I could find one in 58 but I'm guessing that's a tall order.

Certainly not as plentiful as 50 or 54, but there are some 58s out there. They were called the "Big Boar". I've owned a couple, however they have always carried a premium so I sold them before I shot them.

I was lucky enough to stop in Dixie Gunworks and picked up a 58 Green Mountain barrel in the scratch and dent isle. It was missing the sights, but the price was very agreeable when compared to buying custom.

The 54 barrel is my go to for hunting. I converted it to flint and intend to convert the 58.

 

[chorizo]

Yes, yes you can. All 4 barrels are a variety of 50 cal Renegade barrels from various periods, factory and kit guns bored to spec by Mr. Bobby Hoyt.


Top to bottom: 58 cal 22" 1:32 Big Boar stock; 54 cal 24" 1:38 Renegade stock; 54 cal 22" 1:32 White Mountain Carbine stock; 54 cal 21" 1:38 White Mountain Carbine stock

 

[Drain_Bamage]

I'll warn that it can be a poop-shoot, as I recently bought a T/C Renegade from an auction site and its turned into a bit of a boondoggle:

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...-breech-plug-fixable-advice-requested.160981/
A kind member here on the forum has reached out with a good, used T/C breech plug that they should be sending me soon, so I hope to save this barrel yet.
There is a surprising amount of T/C Renegade and Hawken parts out there and they can sometimes be acquired for very reasonable money as people upgrade or part-out these rifles. I think its reasonable anyway. As @waarp8nt pointed out, the barrels for the .54 Hawken and ALL Renegades are 1" across the flats, the smaller T/C .50 and .45 Hawkens are 15/16" so ask lots of questions before you buy. I don't think they made a factory .58 barrel in 15/16" but someone will be along shortly to shed some light on that, I'm sure. The factory T/C locks for the Hawken, Renegade and I think White Mountain and New Englander should also interchange from what I've read, but do your own research on that one. I'm sure @chorizo can verify after looking at his pics above

Now that I have my unshootable Renegade in hand, I pulled it apart and test fit both the factory T/C Renegade double trigger group and percussion lock into the old Armsport .45 Hawken that I built from a kit when I was about 15. That rifle is missing the set trigger, and the lock is so worn out its unsafe and unshootable. The parts I bought from TotW won't fit the lock, BUT with very little woodworking I should be able to replace both those assemblies with factory T/C parts. I picked up a T/C double trigger group for $40 and a percussion lock for around $80. I'll probably add a T/C tumbler and a couple springs to my parts bin as well for future shenanigans.

The T/Cs aren't the best guns in the world, but parts are (currently) plentiful and standardized enough that swapping things around adds some interesting options. Good luck in your search!

 

[chorizo]

Mine have all been single trigger. I did get one with a burned out nipple and but all the others (6 other barrels in total) have been sound other than sewer bores.

Locks will all interchange (New Englander, WMC, Hawken, Renegade). Tangs come in a variety, some with through bolts in the front, others not, but as I am using single triggers and reinforce them with through bolts front and back it makes no difference to me.

WMC (54 cal), Renegade and Big Boar stocks all work for a renegade barrel (I can only vouch for single triggers)

 

[chorizo]

Thanks. I really wish I could find one in 58 but I'm guessing that's a tall order.

Get a Renegade stock and a sewer barrel, send it to Bobby Hoyt with $200 and you will get one to your spec.
Complete stocks with lock, stock and triggers can be had for 175 to 220 if you watch for the, barrels for 100-150 with all hardware and another 200 for Mr. Hoyt to bore and cut to your spec. Or just buy a complete gun and send the barrel off.

So for $500 plus or minus $50 you can have one. But beware, they are like the proverbial Lay's potato chip.

 

[Drain_Bamage]

While I was shopping for .54 barrels, I stumbled across a Green Mountain .54 barrel that I was trying to identify, so I reached out to them to see if they could help. The gal who assisted me over the phone was kind enough to print, scan and email me a PDF out of one of their old catalogs:

I believe she made the hand written notation at the bottom.

I don't think any of these GM barrels are really available anymore, but using this as a "rosetta stone" of sorts you can get a good idea of factory barrel interchanges.

Interesting that the White Mountain stands on its own, I couldn't say why that is.

 

[Drain_Bamage]

Here's the other part of the chart that includes some barrel length and flat dimensional info that may also help:

Remember, these are GM barrel specs not T/C barrel specs.

 

[chorizo]

WMC is standalone in the chart because of the octagon to round and has a different underrib length...but if you modify the underrib it fits a Renegade stock. @Bad Karma has a 54 WMC barrel in a Renegade stock and it looks quite sporty!

 

[Drain_Bamage]

WMC, is because of the octagon to round and has a different underrib length...but if you modify the underrib it fits a Renegade stock. @Bad Karma has a 54 WMC barrel in a Renegade stock and it looks quite sporty!

Ahh, great info, thanks @chorizo ! I'll have to keep my eyes out for a WMC barrel, that is if I can get to one before you buy them all up first

Speaking of round barrels, the T/C New Englander is round from the muzzle to the breech so you for sure don't want a barrel or a stock from one of those, but some of the ancillaries may be useful.

 

[chorizo]

Ahh, great info, thanks @chorizo ! I'll have to keep my eyes out for a WMC barrel, that is if I can get to one before you buy them all up first

Speaking of round barrels, the T/C New Englander is round from the muzzle to the breech so you for sure don't want a barrel or a stock from one of those, but some of the ancillaries may be useful.

Done buying them up. I have two spare barrels and one spare WMC 54cal stock that I have reinforced. You can have WMC 50 cal (15/16" ATF) bored out to 54 cal also to your specs. That would be a viable option for a 54 carbine...1:32 or 1:38 twist

I am not a fan of the 1:48 in a carbine......I don't shoot PRB so I like the fast twist and higher velocities. I am also not a "candy butt" when it comes to recoil, as many seem to be based upon the "you'll shoot your shoulder into a taco" posts I get when talking about the heavy bullets/fast velocities I am shooting them at.

 

[Bad Karma]

Ahh, great info, thanks @chorizo ! I'll have to keep my eyes out for a WMC barrel, that is if I can get to one before you buy them all up first

Speaking of round barrels, the T/C New Englander is round from the muzzle to the breech so you for sure don't want a barrel or a stock from one of those, but some of the ancillaries may be useful.

This is what the WMC barrel looks like in a Renegade stock… I like it! As @chorizo says… “Sporty.”

 

[chorizo]

@Bad Karma That is a handsome carbine, and a shooter too!

 

[Thingamajiggy]

I see in the forsale section that it appears that splitear's TC hawken percussion, .54 rifled and .56 smoothbore barrel is still for sale, I'd say for a very reasonable price. Would just need to by lock (can buy flint L&R lock from track of the wolf) and Flintlock barrel and would have your set.

 

[Rawhide67]

Might be cheaper to just start with a complete 54 Renegade with a decent barrel. You can look for other barrels as you go.

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

Might be cheaper to just start with a complete 54 Renegade with a decent barrel. You can look for other barrels as you go.

Agree with this and have done it with more than one thing over the years. Get your foot in the door so to speak then start sourcing the items you want to go with it. Even with TC things were changed over the years. Without a set starting point your just collecting parts that may not end up fitting together.

 

[chorizo]

Agree with this and have done it with more than one thing over the years. Get your foot in the door so to speak then start sourcing the items you want to go with it. Even with TC things were changed over the years. Without a set starting point your just collecting parts that may not end up fitting together.

I have had no issue with things fitting together. Look at the picture.....barrels from 4 digits serial numbers, kit guns, factory guns, three different stock types, three of the locks have had hammers changed out, one is a complete build up from scratch with each component sourced over time and from different places.

I believe you are stating with out having tried it in these T/C guns. Yes, some things have changed over the years, but all of the parts fit, work with each other and line up just fine.

Yes, a complete gun, if it has a trashed bore and can be bought cheaply is likely the best option, but certainly not the only option and certainly not the cheapest. The cheapest one of my stable: WMC stock for $70 and $55 for tang and trigger assembly. $55 for the lock without hammer, $10 for a hammer and $35 for a barrel with a stuck screw in the flash channel. $200 for rebore/barrel chop (that is a constant as I do not want the standard 1:48 and want a carbine) So for $435 I have a "custom" carbine to my specs. I have picked up from the forum a Renegade for $325 plus shipping ($50) so the cheapest for a full gun was $575.

S/F
USMC 1980-2001

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

I have had no issue with things fitting together. Look at the picture.....barrels from 4 digits serial numbers, kit guns, factory guns, three different stock types, three of the locks have had hammers changed out, one is a complete build up from scratch with each component sourced over time and from different places.

I believe you are stating with out having tried it in these T/C guns. Yes, some things have changed over the years, but all of the parts fit, work with each other and line up just fine.

Yes, a complete gun, if it has a trashed bore and can be bought cheaply is likely the best option, but certainly not the only option and certainly not the cheapest. The cheapest one of my stable: WMC stock for $70 and $55 for tang and trigger assembly. $55 for the lock without hammer, $10 for a hammer and $35 for a barrel with a stuck screw in the flash channel. $200 for rebore/barrel chop (that is a constant as I do not want the standard 1:48 and want a carbine) So for $435 I have a "custom" carbine to my specs. I have picked up from the forum a Renegade for $325 plus shipping ($50) so the cheapest for a full gun was $575.

S/F
USMC 1980-2001

There was a change in the lock profile from the earliest production runs. You are correct that 99%+ are fully interchangeable but there are still some floating around that won't. As for the rest it's personal opine and preference. FYI, I own over a dozen TC front stuffers so the assumption I've never touched one is a fallacy on your part. Thanks for you opinion though.