New Barrel for TC Renagade

[victorcharlie]

I got my .50 T/C Renegade back from my stepson.  He didn't clean it after firing it, and after the year of so he's had it, well, the bore is rusted out.   It's never been a tack driver, but now it shoots like a smooth bore, all over the place.  It looks like I can buy a new inline for the price of a TC barrel is that correct?  If I decide to re-barrel it, where and what barrel should I use?  Is it scrape iron and stove fodder now?

[filmokentucky]

I believe that I would buy a drop in replacement barrel from Track. They run somewhere around $150.00 and include everything- sights, ramrod, underrib etc- literally they drop in. You get a longer barrel and a choice of calibers. Type trackofthewolf.com into your browser window. Then click on parts, then look under barrels. You might also find a gunsmith to bore your old barrel out to a smooth bore, but this would likely cost more than a new barrel. In-lines-bah, humbug!

[Gregory]

Good excuse to buy a Green mountain drop in replacement barrel.  Stepson should be good for at least half the cost right?  :lol:

[roundball]

I got my .50 T/C Renegade back from my stepson.  He didn't clean it after firing it, and after the year of so he's had it, well, the bore is rusted out.   It's never been a tack driver, but now it shoots like a smooth bore, all over the place.  It looks like I can buy a new inline for the price of a TC barrel is that correct?  If I decide to re-barrel it, where and what barrel should I use?  Is it scrape iron and stove fodder now?

I agree...IMO, a good investment would be to buy a 1" Green Mountain "drop in" barrel in either a .50 or a .54cal 1:70" round ball twist.

Also, see what Ed Cain at Cain's Outdoor in West Va can do for you price wise...Ed is great to deal with and got me good prices on GM .58cal and .62cal Hawken/Renegade drop in Flint barrels...could even be a good time to consider stepping into the world of flintlocks since you've got to make an investment anyway...if you like shooting muzzleloaders, and especially if you enjoy shooting them occasionally through out the year, you'd probably never regret getting into flintlocks

[victorcharlie]

Thanks guys!  Just exactly the information I needed.  Track of the wolf has prices about $100 cheaper than I thought I could get a barrel for.  I'll give Ed Cain a call and see what they can do for me.  

The gun is a .50, but a .54 seems like it might be the ticket.  Any thoughts on caliber?  I'm I correct in thinking that .50 would be the easiest caliber to find balls etc for?

As for the stepson, well, there is no way to win....dambed if you do, dambed if you don't......half the money?  right........

[harryo]

The gun is a .50, but a .54 seems like it might be the ticket.  Any thoughts on caliber?  I'm I correct in thinking that .50 would be the easiest caliber to find balls etc for?

Depends what you want to do with it.  If you want it for hunting big game, a .50 is enough for deer and even larger game, with a well placed shot, a .54 is good for about anything and is a good all around caliber and a .58 is a hammer.  I have a Renegade with a .58 GM barrel and it is extremely accurate.  I will be using it for whitetail deer in a few weeks, for the first time.  I also just picked up a very nice TC Hawken stock and lock.  I've got a GM .50 barrel coming for it and I plan on using it for deer, too.  I have complete faith that it will shoot as accurately as my .58 GM barrel  You will do well by rebarreling with a GM barrel.  

You can easily purchase balls in any size from several sources on the internet, so caliber shouldn't be a factor in that respect.  If you shoot very much, you should consider casting your own.  You can get a Lee melting pot, ladle and double cavity ball mould for about $25.  I buy lead at a local scrap yard for 25-40 cents a pound.  You can literally cast your own for pennies plus have the extra satisfaction of using something you made yourself.

[victorcharlie]

I ordered a .50 cal 32" 1 in 70 Green Mountain barrel from track of the wolf.  I see that GM offers a 1 in 28, anyone shooting one of these?  Should I want to shoot a conical in the 1 in 70, what should I expect?

[harryo]

I ordered a .50 cal 32" 1 in 70 Green Mountain barrel from track of the wolf.  I see that GM offers a 1 in 28, anyone shooting one of these?  Should I want to shoot a conical in the 1 in 70, what should I expect?

You did good by getting the GM barrel.  I think you will love it.  On a lark, I tried some 300 grn REAL conicals in my . 54 GPR, which has a 1:60 twist barrel.  They actually shot exceptionally well.  There is a 250 grn REAL that might shoot OK in the .50 GM barrel.  I'll let you know next week, after I get my .50 GM barrel and get a chance to give them a try.

[filmokentucky]

The 1-in70 probably won't stabilize the new-fangled sabots and such, but it may do just fine with Minie balls. My '53 Enfield has something like a 1-in 72 twist and is very accurate using Civil War type Minies. You can buy these from Track ready cast and when you find the most accurate one then you can get the mold and cast your own. A good Minie load is a wondrous thing to behold. Recoil is moderate and ballistics can easily approach .45-70 territory. For example. my load in the Enfield is a 563 grain Minie over 70 grains of Goex ffg. The one time it was clocked, it was going about 960 fps. The owner of the chronograph was using a slow twist
.58 Hawken and with the same Minie and maybe 110 grains of the same powder was getting over 1300 fps.
  Generally, I've had good luck with traditional Minies in roundball rifles over the years. Getting the charge right is important and you'll want a good lube, but these rifles can be surprisingly flexible.

[victorcharlie]

I got the Green Mountain Barrel in yesterday.  The ram rod rib was about 1/4" to long but after a few strokes with the dremel the barrel now fits!  It's tight though.  

I've never shot round balls, so I'm off to the gun shop for some .490 balls and .010 patches....Hope that's what I need.....Then to the range before the rain.  The Green Mountain pamplet that came with the barrel says on page 11 in bold letters "Do not use miracle lubes or bore seasoning agents on your rifle".  Does this mean no bore butter?  Several places in the manual it recommends oiling the bore, but most of the post I've read say never put oil in the bore.  What's up with this?

The renegade now seems front heavy with the 32" barrel....any idea's on how to balance it better?  

I should know a little more in a few hours......happy shooting!

[roundball]

All I use on all my barrels is steaming hot soapy water, then get the bore absolutely bone dry, then plaster it with Natural Lube 1000.  Dry patch out the excess before shooting it next time...then repeat the cleaning / drying / lubing process.


Actually, I found a front heavy rifle helps with accuracy...it just seems to "hang" on the target, no muzzle wandering = improved accuracy

[harryo]

The Green Mountain pamplet that came with the barrel says on page 11 in bold letters "Do not use miracle lubes or bore seasoning agents on your rifle".  Does this mean no bore butter?  Several places in the manual it recommends oiling the bore, but most of the post I've read say never put oil in the bore.  What's up with this?

The renegade now seems front heavy with the 32" barrel....any idea's on how to balance it better?!

I have two GM barrels and both came with the same booklet, which does state, in bold print, the warning you mentioned on certain lubes, which I take to be Wonder Lube and Natural Lube/ Bore butter.  GM must feel there are reasons not to use them.  This is a hotly debated subject and I will only say that I have used those lubes in the past and experienced no serious effects frpm doing so.  I don't use them anymore because I believe there are products which perform better.  I suggest you do a search of this forum for past discussions on these products and form your own opinion.  

I clean my barrels with hot soapy water, as roundball described, but I use Hoppe's or Remington gun oil wiped on all the steel on the outside of the rifle and in the bore.  I run a couple of patches down the bore, to dry to oil from it, before I shoot.

I shot my .50 GM barreled T/C Hawken today for only the second time.  It has been very windy both times so that has affected my being able to hold a steady aim, but today, I was consistantly shooting sub 3" groups, at 50 yds, with an occasional flyer which was no doubt caused by the wind problems.  Without the wind, I am confident these groups will shrink.  I was using a .495 ball & .015 patch, using moose milk for lube, over 60 grns of Ffg Goex.  I used 100 grns of powder for the last five shots of the day and was still able to hold a 3" group.

You will get used to the longer barrel after you shoot for a while.  As roundball stated,  I think you will appreciate the extra legth and weight of the barrel after you become accustomed to it.

[victorcharlie]

Unfortunately, I got rained out yesterday, and looks like rain today.  I bought a tube of T/C bore butter, but after the hot water bath, and because of the manufactures recommedation, coated the bore with rem oil.

I bought .490 speer round balls and .010 patches.  Is there a hard fast rule on what size ball and patch to use?

I've been reading about triple seven.  While I'll probably shoot FFFg BP, I'd be interested to know if it's worth the extra cost.

[harryo]

I bought .490 speer round balls and .010 patches.  Is there a hard fast rule on what size ball and patch to use?

I've been reading about triple seven.  While I'll probably shoot FFFg BP, I'd be interested to know if it's worth the extra cost.

From my limited use of my .50 cal GM barrel(3 sessions), it seems to prefer .495 balls and .018 ticking patches.  I use moosemilk or Lehigh Valley patch lube.  I prefer to use blackpowder and have been shooting Goex Ffg in the .50 barrel.  I'll also give Swiss Ffg a try in the near future but it has been shooting great with the Goex.

Triple Seven is a hot powder and at hunting loads, might cause some some patch problems.  It is also harder to ignite. I don't think it is worth the cost but I admit my bias toward blackpowder.

I went out this afternoon.  It was windy but it was behind me and I was sheltered from it hitting me.  I got my sights dialed in and was shooting <2" groups at 50 yds. with 60 grns of Goex Ffg.  I went up to 90 grains for 5 shots and it still shot under 2" groups.  I shot my last 5 shots with 110 grns and the group opened up a bit but was still under 3".  GM really makes some great barrels!  You are going to love yours.

[BS]

If you think the fifty barrel is a little nose heavy, you might want to give the 58 cal. drop in a try. Bigger is better!

[D.E.C]

IM RELATIVLY NEW TO MUZZLE LOADERS BUT HAVE BEEN USING T7 IN A .50 PEDERSOLI KENTUCKY PERC. AND A .50 GPR FLINTER.
MY EXPERIENCE SO FAR HAS BEEN THAT T7 SHOOTS WELL. IS A BIT HARDER TO IGNITE,( MAGNUM CAPS TOOK CARE OF THAT), AND FOULING IS NOT A PROBLEM.
IN MY FLINT I POUR ABOUT 4 GRS. OF 4F BP BEFORE THE MAIN CHARGE OF 70GRS. OF T7. GET RELIABLE IGNITION, SOME FOULING AFTER ABOUT 20 SHOTS.
HAVE TRIED BOTH 2F AND 3F T7 AND CANT TELL ANY DIFFERENCE IN PERFORMANCE.
HAVE USED GOEX 2F. AND FOUND RELIABILITY ABOUT THE SAME BUT BP GAVE 1/4" TO 1/2" SMALLER GROUPS AT 50 YARDS
IN BOTH RIFLES I HAVE FOUND THAT .20 THICKNESS PATCHES WORK BEST. I USE PRE LUBED. HARDER TO PUSH DOWN THE BARREL BUT GIVE GOOD ACCURACY. HAVENT HAD ANY BLOWN PATCHES YET.
HOPE THIS HELPS

[harryo]

If you think the fifty barrel is a little nose heavy, you might want to give the 58 cal. drop in a try. Bigger is better!

I have a T/C Hawken with the .50cal GM barrel and a T/C Renegade with the .58cal GM barrel.  They feel almost identical when shouldered.  If they were the same width across the flats, the .50 would be heavier but since it is 15/16" and the .58 is 1",  I would guess them to be almost the same weight.  I would have to weigh them to be sure but I'd bet there isn't much difference.

[BS]

harryo, we are talking 1" 50 compared to a 1" 58, the 58 will be lighter. Right?

[harryo]

harryo, we are talking 1" 50 compared to a 1" 58, the 58 will be lighter. Right?

My mistake.  Due to a brain fart, I was thinking victorcharlie had a Hawken, not a Renegade.  Yeah, I imagine the .50 cal 1" barrel on a Renegade is a bit nose heavy.  Still think one would get used to it with some shooting time.

I sure like my .58.  It is a real shooter.  In a couple of more weeks, Ill get to see how it performs on deer.  I have no doubts that a .575 ball over 120 grains of Ffg will be a real hammer.