Fox Ridge Outfitters

[smorin2]

Hello everyone,i’ve gotten interested in muzzleloaders in the past year and now have 3,a 32,a 45 and yesterday i picked up a 50. It’s a Thompson Center but it’s stamped Fox Ridge Outfitters on the barrel. I think it’s a White Mountain Carbine due to it’s short length. I’ve google searched but come up empty on information on this gun. It is percussion cap and has a tang mounted peep sight. Would anyone know what the twist rate would be and what would shoot best sabots,balls or maxi balls?I have a Lee maxi ball(?) mold that weighs 320 grs.,i’d like to use that if possible. If someone could give me any info on this gun and why it’s stamped FRO i’d greatly appreciate it.

[Shawlerbrook]

Fox Ridge used to be TC’s custom shop.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Fox Ridge used to be TC’s custom shop.

This they made a lot of good barrels

[1Hawkeye]

Like the other posters have said they were T/C's custom shop. If its a white mountain carbine it will have a half round barrel and a 1 in 48 twist. I think they were the shortest rifle T/C ever made your best bet for a projectile will be a conical or patched round ball but don't use to heavy of a powder charge because the slender wrist on a white mountain were known for cracking from the flex of recoil. Most of the fox ridge guns were a standard model that they had done an awesome deep gloss bluing job on the barrel and other metal parts.

[smorin2]

Hello 1Hawkeye,thanks for responding. This T/C has a full octagon 22” barrel. Could it be something other than a White Mountain carbine? What would you recommend for a starting charge?

[koger]

85-90grains should be all you need to burn out of that short barrel, and 80 might do even better, make sure your maxis are out of pure lead for best results.

[smorin2]

Thank you sir,very helpful.

[1Hawkeye]

Sounds like it might be a renegade. If all the furniture metal is blued and it has a flat butt plate it is. If the metal is brass with a cresent plate its a hawken. Either way 70 grains of 3fg with a patched ball or conical would be a good starting load you could go as high as 90 grs for hunting but 70grs will do fine.

[smorin2]

It definitely has blued furniture and the buttplate is flat. Thank you for helping to identify this gun.

[pietro]

Fox River T/C's were always made with upgraded walnut stocks (compared to standard models) and a very high polish blue, in addition to many barrel lengths that were different than the standard lengths.

If your .50cal doesn't have the upgrades, besides the barrel, then I would presume that someone ordered the custom barrel from Fox River's wide selection for their rifle.

If it does, then somebody ordered/bought a Fox River Custom Carbine - which had a 21" octagon bbl.

Here's the catalog pic:







.

[smorin2]

Fox River T/C's were always made with upgraded walnut stocks (compared to standard models) and a very high polish blue, in addition to many barrel lengths that were different than the standard lengths.

If your .50cal doesn't have the upgrades, besides the barrel, then I would presume that someone ordered the custom barrel from Fox River's wide selection for their rifle.


.

I think this is the case in regards to mine. The barrel is 22” and octagon. It has a single trigger and the tang mounted peep sight.It looks like a renegade/white mountain hybrid. As soon as the weather gets better i’ll take it out and see how it does.

[1Hawkeye]

Smorin, its a renegade hunter model the renegade had set triggers.

[Jeff Michel]

I shoot 80 grains of FFG and a Maxi ball lube with 50/50 lard and beeswax in mine. Stout load in a carbine but they shoot well.

[smorin2]

Pietro,that pic you posted is definitely what i have. Thank you ! The pics didn’t show earlier,internet is acting up tonite.Thank you all for your help,it is very appreciated.

[OverMax]

Have a 54 cal W/M/C purchased from FoxRidge. As best I can recall some of their 50 cals carbine's sold had a quick twist for a time. I think their 50 cal was rifled 1-28 or 1-23? A strange twist back then as the barrel was suggested to shoot T/c maxi bullets not ball. There was a co-worker whom I worked beside who had such rifle. He purchased his rifle second hand with a scope mounted. The co-worker complained allot about its purposely {heat} bent hammer to its nipple so to accommodate the scope. {A very disappointing situation due to the hammers misalignment.} So disappointed and being a perfectionist the fellow sold the rifle. I had first chance to buy the rifle but didn't as I had my own White Mountain Carbine by then.

[Walks]

I have a T/C WMC in .50cal, it has a 22" Round Barrel. Bought about 1990, the twist is fast and I've always shot Maxi-balls I cast myself from pure lead of course, using a T/C Mold over 75grs of 2F. Stock sights, a 3shot 3inch group at 100yrds resting just elbows on the bench, a shade under 2inchs at 50yrds.

[Jeff Michel]

Mine is a 1-20 twist.

[1Hawkeye]

My bad a renegade is a 26" barrel and a hawken is 28" boy I'm glad Iv'e kept some old catalogs around.

[pietro]

Pietro,that pic you posted is definitely what i have. Thank you ! The pics didn’t show earlier,internet is acting up tonite.Thank you all for your help,it is very appreciated.

You're entirely welcome !

I'm not sure, but IMO the Fox Ridge Carbine was likely based on the single-trigger T/C Renegade Hunter.


.

[OverMax]

F/Ridge offered both. A Renegade carbine and both W/M/C's 50 & 54.
Jeff Michel is spot on with his comment. W/M/C 50cal 1-20 twist. As I commented prior that twist rate 1-20 was and still is very rare in manufactured B/P traditional weaponry.