T/C New Englander problem

[rebAL]

My son has had problems with his 5 year old .50 cal. rifle since day 1.  It shoots too high with factory sights.  Receiver sight is all the way down & front sight is fixed.  The only way we can get close to horizontal "0" is to shoot the heaviest conicals with the lightest charge but that load is way to inaccurate & inappropriate for deer.  I know factory will fix it for free, but is there a simple fix I can do?  Thanks- rebAL

[fffffg]

you need  higher front blade.. some factorys will ship it no questions asked..  it will then shoot low if done right and you    file it down so its on.. go slow.. have a gunsmith insert it if you dont have the right tools. dave..

[lonewolf5347]

I have a new englander in 54 cal, and the gun does the same thing ,rear sight bottom out and at 50 yards it still will shoot 5 inches over center of the bull,
I just sent the gun back to t/c for a stock replacement (cracked) again and ask them to fix the problem ,they will relaszer  the barrel.
My fix was to add a taller front sight but since I return the gun to them might as well get it repaired along with the new stock.
I have to say the new englander is a tack driver in 54 cal.

[crow_feather]

Brownells has a sight correction chart.  You tell them how low the bullet strikes at what yardage, and the height of your front sight..........they can send you the right height sight without having you file etc.  

C F

[rebAL]

Thanks for replys.  Lonewolf;  Could you explain "Relazering the barrel"?

[lonewolf5347]

When I spoke with t/c a while back they said when they relazer the barrel the barrel is bent a little and corrected with the lazer system,that all I got from them.I should be getting the gun back next week will see what comes out of it.

[Jerry/PA]

Hi rebAL;

I have a T/C New Englander in 50 caliber.  It is the most accurate ML rifle I own.   Sadly, this even includes a PC Longrifle that I painstakingly built year before last!

Anyway, I have several suggestions for you.

First, the sight picture.  The front sight bead is large.  You may be covering the target with it?  Personally, I set the round front sight into the round groove of the rear sight.  Then I figure for the ball to impact at the top, center, "12 o'clock", position of the front sight.  It makes for a "finer" sight picture, plus it would be a quick way for you to  impact lower.   Using this sight picture, I routinely shoot 2" groups at 60 yards, and my eyes (along with the rest of me), are 53 years old.

Second, a more lubricated patch will strike higher, a less slippery patch will strike lower.  You might work with the patch lubricity.  This is of course, "fine tuning", and you probably have a situation that goes well beyond this... however, it's something that you should know.

Third, call T/C.  Their service department and attitude is second to none.  If you explain your problem to them, my money's bet is that they will probably just ship you a new, higher front sight.  (It's that the wrong front sight height might have been installed on your rifle at the factory.)  If you measure the height of your front sight and email me, I'll measure mine and let you know how they compare.   My home email is sally@lcsys.net.

Regards,

Jerry.








Third,

[Jerry/PA]

He again rebAL:

I just measured my front sight.  I set the ruler on top of the barrel, behind and on the rear-side of the front sight.  Measuring to the top of the bead, it is very close to 7/16".

Hope this helps.

Jerry.

[rebAL]

I just measured my Renegade & my son`s New Englander front sights.  They are of different size overall but both measure 6/16" or 3/8" high.  If it is supposed to be 7/16" do you think that 1/16" would  make a big enough difference to cause my problem?

[filmokentucky]

rebAL-I just reread your original post. You refer to the receiver sight-is
this a sight that you added to the rifle or do you mean the rear sight on the barrel?
   A sixteenth of an inch will make a big difference in elevation, easily enough to cause your problem.

[rebAL]

I meant to ay original REAR sight is all the way down, and front sight is fixed (and is 3/8" high).

[Jerry/PA]

I meant to ay original REAR sight is all the way down, and front sight is fixed (and is 3/8" high).

Hi rebAL,

Yes, 1/16" is a lot in terms of sight elevation.  

You definitely need to call T/C.  They will just send you a new front sight.  Those people are phenomenal in their service!

The T/C phone number is 603-332-2333.

Call them today!  You will be glad you did, as it does a person good to talk with a company that actually cares about customer satisfaction.

(Also, if you will try the sight picture that I explained above, you may come close to solving your problem.  If you get in the habit of shooting with a "6 o'clock" sight picture, you may even prefer it.)

Keep us all posted on how it works out.

Regards,

Jerry/PA

Jerry.

[Stan in SC]

What load are you shooting when it shoots high?

[rebAL]

Shoots high with all practical hunting loads.  Called T/C;  Only solution seems to be to send it back for relazering the barrel.  Front sight is not the problem.  My son might just trade it in on new gun.  Thanks for all replies!

[Jerry/PA]

Shoots high with all practical hunting loads.  Called T/C;  Only solution seems to be to send it back for relazering the barrel.  Front sight is not the problem.  My son might just trade it in on new gun.  Thanks for all replies!

Hey rebAL,

If you and your son like the fit of the New Englander and the simple lines, perhaps you should consider shipping it back to T/C.  What they are telling you is that they will "boresight" it, and if it isn't a good barrel, they will send you a new barrel.  For $15 or $20 to ship it to them, it might be a good idea?

Regards,

Jerry.

[lonewolf5347]

The big brown tuck came to-day (UPS) I did get the New Englander back with a new stock and a reply from jack who work on the gun.
Jack states best New Englander he seen in a long time ,Barrel was relazered, stock front sight new ,they used 90 grains of black and 430 grain maxi-ball all three shots dead center and touching.he did state group size 1 1/2 inch.

[Jerry/PA]

The big brown tuck came to-day (UPS) I did get the New Englander back with a new stock and a reply from jack who work on the gun.
Jack states best New Englander he seen in a long time ,Barrel was relazered, stock front sight new ,they used 90 grains of black and 430 grain maxi-ball all three shots dead center and touching.he did state group size 1 1/2 inch.

So, can you tell just what T/C actually did to the rifle?

An inch and a half group is world-class phenomenal at 100 yards, pretty darn good at 75, to-be expected at 50, and piss-poor at 25.... so what are they telling you....

I'm not sure whether anyone actually knows exactly what "relazering" is!

Is there a new barrel on it or anything?   Maybe they just bend the barrel?

430 seems like a pretty heavy Maxi, considering that you also wanted to shoot RB....  

Let us know what they really did if you can tell.  

Let us know what you can do with it with maybe 80 grains of powder at 50 or 75 yards?

Jerry.

[lonewolf5347]

I purchase the gun last year from a gun shop on a gunbroker auction $200.00 bucks gun was rated NRA New never fired seem it was taken on a trade.I like the gun for one reason the overall weight and it is a 54 cal.
I can tell you from day one the gun all ways shot high at the 50 yard target no matter what I stuff down the barrel.(5 inches over center)
I called t/c then and explained the problem and did state that the barrel has to be relazered and would have to be bent to center itself with the factory sights,
O well why mess with something so easy just replace the front sight with a taller one to correct the problem,the gun was always a tack driver for me .
I was at the range a couple of weeks ago and while shooting I did notice a small chip of wood that broke off the side of the gun were the lock is inletted.I myself would of never sent the gun back to t/c just because of the front sight issue,but now that the stock was being replaced what the heck:
lets get the right front on the gun,so they did state on there work order the barrel was relazered (bent) and they did load 430 conicals and 90 grains of goex and gave me the results,I yet had any time to try the gun yet,we will see.
my favorute in this gun is 380 REAL 80 grains of 3f goex and a wad under the conical.I also notice that it will print some excellent groups with hornady 240 grain 45 cal. bullet drop into a harvester plastic sabot(red)54 cal.
I would think if you are having problems that a taller front sight will not fix ,why just return the gun to t/c there warranty is outstanding
I did also notice it favors real black over pyrodex powders

[filmokentucky]

Actually, a 430 grain maxie over 90 grains of powder in a .54 isn't all
that far out. The .45-90 cartridge uses a similar load and in a smaller bore. I once had a .45 fast twist rifle and it used a 480 grain bullet over 100 grains of ffg. In a 10 pound rifle, this was a pretty comfortable load and quite accurate too, if I did my part.