T. C. Renegade flinter

Stopped at a small gun shop today. Noticed a traditional muzzle loading rifle on the rack and asked to see it. Turned out to be a 54 caliber T.C. Renegade flintlock. Looked it over and was not surprised to find some corrosion around the pan and breech end of the barrel from lack of proper cleaning of course. From what I could see the bore did not look terrible but has some light corrosion going on. Was missing the barrel wedge and there was not a flint in the cock. Frizzen only looked to have been struck on the lower 1/3 of the face. Did not seem to be a kit if this was ever sold as a kit. asking price was $250. I asked if they would deal on price and the lady said she would ask and I will call her tomorrow. Familiar with the percussion Renegades but not the flintlocks. What do you folks think would be a decent price?

I have a couple of TC Renegade flinters and in my opinion they are good production guns. You need to know if the bore is ok so I would suggest dropping a bore light down it. If no bore light you could run a patch down it but I would go for a bore light. The lighted fishing bobbers work real well. If it is really rusted you can negotiate a good price but you will need to show the shop owner. One of mine had a real rusty bore so I got it for $100 and had Bobby Hoyt bore it out. The other issue is whether the cock is the old style or the new. I don't have pictures but a search should give them or maybe someone has pictures. Mine were replaced by TC. I never had problems with the old ones but when they came out with the new I sent mine in and they replaced them. The missing barrel wedge is not a problem as they are easy to find. $250 is not a bad price assuming the bore condition but I would offer less. Of course you will get other opinions but that is mine. If I can find pictures of the old vs. the new cocks I will post them. Oh and if it was a kit it should have the letter K in front of the serial number. Good luck.

Dave

I wouldn't exactly call a Renegade a Traditional muzzleloader. It is in the sense that it is a side lock, but its got more modern features than most traditional muzzleloaders. The butt stock is of a more modern design, and the rear sight is far from being primitive. That said they are still great guns. I have the percussion version in .50 cal. Its a great shooting gun and is well made. IIRC I probably paid something close to $250 brand new for mine when they were being made. Ever since I got into flintlocks though mine has become a hangar queen.

I have owned a couple of Renegade Flintlocks. They shot well enough and I never had any lock issues. In the condition you describe I think $200 would be fair, if you decide you didn't like it you could always part it out and get your money back.

Pawn shops have difficulty getting rid of 'traditional' style muzzle loaders. This would be especially true if it is not in pristine condition. Negotiate hard. Unless you really-really need it, offer $100.00 and don't go above $150.00. Be willing to walk out. Pawn brokers need to turn over their cash, you are in control of this deal.

This cock was being advertised on eBay as being TC's newer replacement.
I realize that sellers can make mistakes, but I thought that the older original style had more of an exaggerated "S" shape to it.

The one pictured in Arcticaps' post is the revised T/C cock. As stated, the original cock had a more severe "s" shape, and in many cases (not all) struck the frizzen too low to provide sufficent spark. The improved version hits the frizzen higher with a good angle to provide ample spark

well, they're your hard earned, God entrusted, overtaxed dollars to spend as you best see fit, I would take Rifleman1776's advice to heart. sometimes a bit of nasty gnarly bit in the bore doesn't hurt, but sometimes it really does. I had Mr Hoyt bore a fifty with a sewer pipe bore into a .62 smooth (this was a one inch Renegade barrel), and it was money well spent - so, if you're willing to go down that road, even if the bore is toast, you can make a decent gun out of the deal. He doesn't have a web site, so you have to call him on the phone and this requires patience because he's very busy doing the best work around (IMO).

I would offer $100, and go no higher than $175. I assume that the stock is nothing to get excited over one way or the other, and there are no 'issues,' other than the bore being problematic.

If, after you drop the bore light down, it looks simply dreadful, tell the pawnbroker that it would only make a good wall hanger/decoration for your man cave, pull out fifty and say "Whatcha wanna do?"

BE WILLING TO WALK … this is the heart of dealing

Repair parts can be had for T/C locks, and while it's not a Chambers DeLuxe large Siler, it will work OK if you keep track of flint position.

As far as those who say it's 'not really a flintlock,' well, I would urge you to do your own thing and if someone else doesn't like it, that's much more their problem than yours.

Good luck with your project, and Make Good Smoke.

MSW said:

As far as those who say it's 'not really a flintlock,' well, I would urge you to do your own thing and if someone else doesn't like it, that's much more their problem than yours.

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