54 renegade

[pantannojack]

I have an itch to pick up a .54 renegade, just because of the absense of flacey brass and that they fit me well. I am aware that the twist rate falls somewhere between desireable for either round ball or or conical, not working well for either. I hope the challange of finding a usable length bullet will be successful, I can cast my own from pure lead. Looking for opinions from any of you as to that topic or about advantages of 50 cal over 54. Thanks in advance. you can take that to the bank. j

 

[arcticap]

The .54 is a more effective caliber for hunting with patched round balls, especially for the larger bodied deer and game animals.
Even the shorter length .54 conicals should still be plenty heavy enough to give good terminal performance and to provide an extra margin for error since the .49 caliber balls don't always pass through deer.
And the .54 barrel is also a little bit lighter and more balanced for carrying afield vs. the .50 which can feel somewhat front heavy.

I would try this short and lighter weight 338 grain Buffalo Ball-ET conical:

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/produc...=3676&osCsid=fda92bd6a15669899b5b1cb571513fec

Here's a 425 grain Hornady Great Plains bullet:

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/produc...=1382&osCsid=fda92bd6a15669899b5b1cb571513fec

Plus any .50 and .45 caliber conicals can be fired using .54 sabots so there would be plenty of bullet lengths and weights to choose from including cast.

 

[pantannojack]

Thanks for the reply and info advice. In Idaho I gotta go with full diameter slugs, OK with that. I figure any of them should be effective with a well placed shot on Elk or deer. Just concered about sectional density to go with the slower twist of the Thompson bbl.

 

[AJumbo]

My Dad and brother both have .54 Renegades that will shoot round balls into a 3" group at 100 yards, with the factory 1:48 barrels. I have never figured out why T-C barrels get such a bad rap; sure, you can get better accuracy from many aftermarket barrels, but how much tighter do your groups really have to be at 100 yards? Insofar as balls vs. slugs, I have killed five elk with my .54, all with round balls and never with a second shot required.

I shoot an old kit-built T-C Hawken, and I love it, but I really think the Renegade is a far better choice for most folks. The shorter length of pull and the shotgun buttplate are better suited for shooting while wearing a heavy jacket, and the lighter weight is a real plus.

 

[mustanger]

Have you checked out the Lyman Deerstalker? No brass, no flash. Sort of a dull black metal, and the wood doesn't have a shinny finish either. Around here everything is going .50 cal. inline. .54 anything is hard to find. Glad I stocked up.

 

[MutinousDoug]

Some years ago I shot a nice 6 pt bull at about 60 yds with my .54 Renegade. Through both lungs at the top of the heart that dropped him in one step. I recovered the Lyman 407 gr maxi inside the hide on the far side. I would have preferred a through shot if I'd had to track him but 120 gr of ff black powder is all that Thompson Center recommended for a load.
Mine would never shoot better than about 6" at 100 yds no matter what I shot in it so I hunt with a .50 caliber round ball gun and keep my shots within 50 yds to put meat on the table now.

 

[J-Bar]

I have owned both T/C Renegade and Hawken in .54. They are fine rifles. Do not be snookered into thinking that more powder is better. You will find that about 85 grains of any granulated powder will give excellent accuracy with both patched round ball and conicals. The secret to accuracy is swabbing the bore between shots. After about 3 rounds without swabbing the barrel the group will start to open. Especially if you are using a saboted slug...the plastic builds up in the bore.

These are not 200 yard varmint rifles. But within 100 yards, if you do a decent job of shot placement, the game will go down. I love the .54 caliber.

 

[Zeke/PA]

Don't be afraid to expirement.
I was told in the past that the 1 in 48 twist in my .50 cal built from kit T/C Hawkin would not shoot round balls.
I, at the advice of some knowledgable Black Powder shooters fooled around with powder charges and patch thicknesses and the rifle is capable of cloverleaf groups at 50 yards. (home cast ball, 45 grains FFG, .013" patch).
The same rifle, from rest, shoots the 370 grain Maxi-Ball over 90 grains of FFG in groups well under 2 inches at 50 yards.
I have taken 14 deer with this rifle/load combo.

 

[plateshooter]

Zeke/PA, My accuracy load for my .54 Renegade is 45gr 777 3F, .530 home cast ball with .15 Ticking patch cut at the muzzle. Like you, I can get clover leaf groups at 50 yards. Someone started a rumor long ago that faster twist barrels will not shoot round balls. My best round ball shooter is a 50 cal 1/32. It will shoot with, or most of the time out shoot my Green Mountain 1/70 32" barrel.

To the OP if you scratch your itch for a .54 Renegade, I would bet that you never will regret it. I have a bunch of muzzleloaders and my .54 Renegade would be the last to go.

 

[longrifle346]

I own TCs in 50, 54, and 58. I swap them back and forth between my Hawken and my Renegade all the time depending on where and what I'm hunting. I'd say 90% of the time I grab my Renegade and mount the factory 54 with a patched 530 over 85 grains of FFFG 777. If I feel like a longer or less than optimal shot may be required I'll slap my 58 on.

Hard to go wrong with a Renegade and/or a 54 caliber for what most people do with a muzzleloader...