54 cal renagade help

[whitetailsniper]

hi i just got a used,never used 54 renagade. its flawless,not shot once,,but i pland on fixing that,,,has anyone have oneof these,and any suggetions on loads for it,, i have both round balls,and a 54 maxi ball mold from t/c i plan on using the maxi ball mosltly for deer. any advise ,and loading data is greatful.

[Themoose]

If you are going to use the maxi-ball make sure you fill the grooves with a good black powder lube... I have found that 90 gr BY VOLUME/NOT WEIGHT of 2F black powder (or a replica powder... if you use 777 you should back that off about 10%) has been a consistent load to start with and plenty of ooompf! for any whitetail...

TheMoose

[docone31]

It is a 48" twist. That is good.
You can use any load data for .54. I prefer 70gns and in my case I like Pyrodex..
I use #11 caps. Works well.
The first few rounds I did lap the bore. I used lapping compound in the place of lube. Made a difference. Loads easier, and the groups tightened up.
Looks like you got a good un.

[35remington]

If you don't get good results with the heavy Maxi-Ball, this is not uncommon, as the twist is really marginal for a 400 plus grain slug. Try a shorter conical or up the velocity with 777 to improve stability. I had the Maxi Hunter mould (430) and I never could get it to shoot with black, RS or Select. It would shoot into about a foot and a half at 100 yards.

For the same reason, roundball loads will shoot best when under maximum. The "compromise" twist is neither fish nor fowl with the heavy conical or the roundball. Too slow for a heavy conical, too fast for a roundball at top speed.

You may do like I did and shorten a 430 Maxi Hunter mould to two lube grooves. This reduced its weight to 330 grains and it shoots very well....because for this projectile 1-48 is no longer a compromise, but just perfect! The now discontinued Ball-et (310 conical, looks like a roundball crossed with a conical) also shot well.

[whitetailsniper]

my t/c encore 209x50 reaaly loves those mag exspress sabots,50 cal sabot with a 45 cal 240 grain xtp, never missed yet, and can do surgery with that rifle with that load. i know there avaible for the 54 cal as well,wonder how they would do? i also have a encore 209x50 15 inch barrel pistol,i havent shot yet. i just got it all set up, have no idea were to start with it, but im thinking using the same load i do in my rifle. hoping for same results..t/c gave me 2 storys on what to start loading powder wise with. so between the 50x209 pistol,and the 54 renagade,and my 45 old army i have got to get to work,if im going to be ready for this yr.

[Richard B]

I have a Thompson Center New Englander in .54 with the same 1 in 48 twist and it likes a .530 RB + 0.15 patch + 75 grn 3F Goex black powder.

The Renegade is a nice gun you will enjoy it.

Richard

[cherokee235b]

I have a 54 Renagade for over 30 years and only shoot patched round ball. This was my target rifle when I entered black powder matches. I did my shooting all off hand from 25 yds. out to 200 meters. I took the stock front sight off and put a higher and square post front sight on. This rifle is extremely accurate! I also hunt with this rifle and use a load of 75 grains of FFF . Yes you read it correct, that is 3F Goex powder. I won many matches with this rifle and have taken deer also. I believe the 54 Cal. is an excellent choice for deer.
I use a .530 RB and .015 patch

[bubba.50]

maxi-ball with 90gr and round-ball with 70gr shot to same point of impact at 75yds in the one i had. from what i'm readin' i musta had a freak as it was extremely accurate for me. you have a very fine gun-my opinion and you're welcome to it, bubba.

[whitetailsniper]

thanks guys, alot of useful info,,,i was thinking of replacing the hot shot nipple i bought for it,with a tresco,,,any thoughts or should i keep what i got ,the hot shot

[mooman76]

I don't know anything about the tresco but the hot shot nipples are good, I put them on all mine. It's always good to have a spare or two.

[whitetailsniper]

i hear that the trescos are stronger and outlast all others ,,but im not sure,its just hear say. dont know for sure,there asking price surely dictates there quality. i wanted to replace the nipples on my old army ruger 45 as well. were talking 35ish dollars for 6. thought id ask arround before jumping onn that wagon. i just love the looks of the 54 cal renagade,,i like it so much ,im thinking of adding a 58 cal to my collection.

[stubshaft]

I have two Renegades in 54 caliber. They both shoot the Lyman Great Plains bullet extremely well but the recoil is fairly stiff (90gr T7). I have tried to shoot RB but could never get a really accurate load with any patch/ball combo. A friend of mine gave me a Lee REAL mold and using it lubed with Emmerts or Darr lube ahead of 75gr T7 shoots 1"@50yds. all day long.

[bigdog454]

I've killed lots of deer with my 54 renegade using 100 gr FF and a RB. My 54 likes 80 to 100 gr of FF and the RB real well, the maxi shoot OK. The Renegade I have is an older one bought back in the 70"s and will put RB into one clover leaf hole at 50 yards if I do my part.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I used the same loads as Bubba does. I had a 1st year Renegade that seemed to have a tight bore. It grouped well, just was a tight fit with RB loads, irregardless the thinness of patch material. I tried all the different powders but settled on 2f black. The LEE Maxi ball works good in mine. I used the T/C Wonder yellow lube for groove filling on the bullets and clean up afterward.Robert

[whitetailsniper]

nice guys ,very helpful, i m making notes,for my data book,,, now how many of you like round ball better than the maxi,and vis versa?? results on deer? how far they ran, ect.

[fishhawk]

round ball is the only thing i shoot in my muzzleloaders don't need any thing else. steve k

[Maven]

wts, Maxi-Balls can be extraordinarily accurate if you take pains to insure they are perfectly cast. Pay particular attention to their bases, which must be flawless. In addition, it also helps to use some kind of overpowder wad, commercial (Track of the Wolf) or home made, with them. Third, since Maxi's are used with heavy powder charges, it helps to damp swab the bbl. after each firing, and dry patch it (to remove the grease left behind) after seating them, but before capping the piece. Btw, the T/C mold is excellent and casts very well.

[roverboy]

A friend of mine bought a .54 Renegade back in the early 80's. He said he didn't know much about muzzleloaders and somebody told him not to use over 120 gr. of 2f black. He said I bought some roundballs and patches and loaded 120 gr. I asked him how it did. He told me he put 3 shots in a ragged hole at 40 yards. He ended up killing a big doe at 133 yards. Right through the neck.

[hamour]

I like the Roundball out of the .54 @ 100grs 3F KIK powder charge. Oxyoke lubed over powder felt wad and pillow ticking lubed with Hoppes Black powder solvent and lube. Shoots great.

You might want to contact the TC custom shop and see if you can get a .54 Roundball barrel. it is longer with slower twist.

I have also put a .58 Roundball barrel on my Renegade, it retired my .54 caliber.

[DIRT Farmer]

Green Mountain drop in barrels are avatible in either fast twist or round ball twist. The RB barrels will mak a compition ready gun enywhere. Just a thought if you want a .58. A .58 RB will stop any thing that needs stoped. .575 ball, 20thousands patch 70 to 80 grns of FFg should print better than most can hold.

[brassell31]

I bought a .54 renegade back in the late 70s. I have used it primarily for elk hunting. The load I used most was a 440 gr. (as my mold casts them) Maxiball in front of 105 gr. of Pyrodex RS, with a musket cap for an ignition source. Weighing them helps a lot, I bought some factory Maxis once that would not group for beans, and when I weighed them, there was a 5 gr. + or - variation. The recoil does get your attention with this load. I used to use that brown lube in a tube that TC sold then, and now Bore Butter. Both are a little messy, but work well. Back then, when I could see the iron sights better, that load would print cloverleafs at 50 yds. I have also used a .530 round ball with a .015 patch to kill elk with the same amount of powder. Not quite as accurate, but I've held my own in shooting contests with a reduced load in that rifle. The Maxiball load does create a lot of fouling, making a quick follow up shot difficult to load. Wiping between shots in the field is often not an option, so I use a patched roundball for a follow up if needed, it loads much easier in a fouled barrel. Needless to say, the Maxiball load is more than adequate for deer. Lately, I've been using Goex 2f with the roundballs for hunting, 3f for target shooting.