T/C .58 Big Bore

[nkbj]

.58 caliber guns shooting with hunting accuracy beyond round ball ranges is a matter of good enough eyesight, field experience on ranges and load development with long bullets instead of short bullets.
Everybody knows that a long bullet will go through a deer. But you do have to go through the deer.
:haha:

 

[Abe48]

Thanks to all. Educational. Looks as though I'll be using my Pedersoli double in the woods, the Big Boar out to 100yds, and maybe put better sights on a Zouave to out further. As one can see, I do love the .58!

 

[TC Tommy]

Ummmmm.... Are you sure that applies for anything more than their special-order 50 caliber round ball barrels?

Both of my Big Boars are 4 digit, and both are 1:48. For that matter, all the TC literature I've been able to collect on the Big Boar, as well as the manuals for my own two, make no mention of a slower twist.

If you have something official from TC I'd love to see it, just for my own records.[/quote]



I have to agree that TC didn't offer the Big Boar 58 or even the Hawken 58 from Fox Ridge Outfitters in any other twist than 1 in 48". I also have two BB 58's. Now in my 32" Green Mountain 58, that has a 1 in 70" twist.

 

[shdwlkr]

I can find from my files that TC produced a .50 caliber hawken with a 1 in 66 twist but nothing that says any .58 calibers were made with anything but a 1 in 48 twist.
would be interesting to read which ones had a different twist.

 

[BrownBear]

Far as I know, the only 1:66 barrels produced were after-market drop-ins labelled Round Ball or some such, and special order rifles from their custom shop. A couple of buds have the barrels and shoot them lots. Both are excellent shots, but neither can find any real difference in accuracy. If I remember correctly the Round Ball barrels may be a little longer than standard, too. Scratching my memory while the level in the coffee cup is still a little too high.

 

[bubba.50]

I believe(but not 100% certain) the factory T/C Hawken 1-in-66 twist roundball barrels were 30 inches long. my factory T/C 54cal 1-in-66 twist Renegade barrel is 31 inches long.

 

[BrownBear]

That fits.

Mebbe my caffeine quota wasn't so low after all.

 

[dragnetbill]

T/C Catalog No. 15 (1988) lists accessory barrels for Hawken & Renegade: Round Ball barrel with deep (.010") cut rifling - 1 turn in 66" twist.
15/16" (.45 & .50) Hawken barrels 31"
1" (.50) Renegade barrel 30"
1" (.54) Hawken & Renegade barrel 30"

There are no .58 caliber listings in that catalog.

 

[varsity07840]

Thanks for the rapid input. Plan on sighting in to 150yds in next couple weeks. Hoping that although just a regular renegade, it prints me something akin to what I've been reading about the Hawken.

Just my humble opinion, but anything past 100 yards, hunting wise is
risky with open or peep sights. Sighting in at 150 tells me you'd consider shots further than that. Chances are you either miss or
get a crippling hit. Muzzle energy would also be an issue. I've been hunting with muzzleloaders since the
seventies and can recall maybe two shots that approached 100 yards.
Both were misses.

 

[jfaldo]

Well I have a conundrum Renegade to add to the discussion. It's a factory 58 caliber with a 28" QLA barrel and a what looks to me to be a factory recoil pad. It "does not" say big boar on it. Best I can figure it must of came from the custom shop. I have not checked the twist but I suppose it's probably 1:48.

 

[BrownBear]

Only thing in those details I haven't run across myself is the lack of the Big Boar label. One of my Big Boars has the QLA and one doesn't. So I'm guessing that there was some shuffling of features over the years. Too bad the TC records were lost in the plant fire years ago.

BTW- I know a lot of guys get irritated bladders at the mention of QLA, but I sure can't find any difference with and without. Both are outstanding shooters with both round ball and conicals.

No wait.... There's one difference.

Without the QLA, I one time needed to scratch my nose just as I was getting ready to use the short starter. The ball didn't balance worth a darn on top of the patch and muzzle, and it rolled off when I let go. Spent a good 10 minutes wallowing around in the tall grass and never found it. At least with the QLA a little thumb push frees my hand. Pretty small complaint, isn't it? :grin:

 

[Free Plunder]

I will emphatically say YES. I have shot many deer with my Cabelas 58 traditional "Hawken". I shoot .565 rb and pillow tick patch with deer tallow lube and 110 grains 1.5F Swiss when hunting with that rifle. due to age and eyes I currently have a Lyman peep on the rear and a "fire" type hooded sight on front. It shoots great and easily gives "minute of deer" at 100. Longest shot so far has been 127yd and clean pass through shot on high shoulder, DRT. Good shooting and good luck hunting. FP

 

[Rafsob]

Renegade has no nose cap or patch box. Butt plate is shotgun style plain metal not crescent shaped brass. TC

 

[Rafsob]

I have two of them and both mine say Big Boar (Not Big Bore) on the barrel. Both are 1-48 twist and accurate as a snakebite with both conicals and RB. One has a standard muzzle and the other has the recessed muzzle (forgot the name at the moment). Can't tell the difference between them accuracy-wise.

 

[Rafsob]

just a regular Renegade Big Boar with the T/C standard 1 in 48 inch twist.

Key to T/C serial numbers: 4 digit numbers have a 1:66 twist rifling 5 digit or more will have the 1:48 twist rifling

Never knew this!!! Always wondered why mine would only shoot the PRB accurately. Tried conicals thinking it was a 1 in 48". Thanks.

 

[BrownBear]

Actually, TC themselves listed only 1:48, with the exception of replacement barrels with 1:66 rifling cut deeper and labelled Round Ball. If memory serves they were only available in 50 cal. Who knows what came out of their custom shop, though.

A bud has one of the Round Ball barrels, as well as standard barrels, and he's been an active (and very good!) TC shooter for 40 years. In his exact words about the Round Ball barrel: "All smoke and no fire. Zero difference in accuracy from the 1:48 barrels." I gotta go with the guys who been there, done that.

 

[bubba.50]

I have a 54cal T/C roundball barrel and as you say, it has the banner mark on the side that says "1 in 66 roundball twist". they're longer than the standard barrels(31 inch compared to 26 or 28 for Renegades & Hawkens) and I'm not certain but, I think they all came from the custom shop.

Big Boars most assuredly have the T/C standard 1 in 48 twist no matter how many digits in the serial#. this twist has, can, and will shoot roundballs very well.

 

[BrownBear]

Big Boars most assuredly have the T/C standard 1 in 48 twist no matter how many digits in the serial#. this twist has, can, and will shoot roundballs very well.

And how!

My bud has a GM 58 caliber drop-in with its 1:72. For that matter, I have one too. Both my Big Boars consistently deliver slightly smaller groups than my own GM, most noticeable out at 100 yards.

My bud was a proud new poppa when he got his a few years back, and like all new poppas went to bragging. His GM was going to make the Big Boar run home in shame, it was going to beat it so bad with its "better" twist, whatever that means.

At his insistence we agreed on a little wager: Loser would buy the winner coffee for a year at our favorite little country roadhouse not far down the road. Shooting was 5 shots from the bench at 100, 5 shots sitting at 100, and 5 shots offhand at 75 yards.

Gotta say my lowly Big Boar with its pitiful 1:48 twist let me drink a whole lot of coffee that year, since it was free ya know. :grin:

 

[mooman76]

just a regular Renegade Big Boar with the T/C standard 1 in 48 inch twist.

Key to T/C serial numbers: 4 digit numbers have a 1:66 twist rifling 5 digit or more will have the 1:48 twist rifling

Never knew this!!! Always wondered why mine would only shoot the PRB accurately. Tried conicals thinking it was a 1 in 48". Thanks.

It should shoot Lee REALs good with an over powder wad.

 

[Grimord]

I have 3 "round ball" barrels from the T/c custom shop. a 45, 50 and 54. As stated in a earlier post, these barrels have the banner that says "round Ball". They all have 1:66" twists and are longer than the standard T/C barrels. The 50 and 54 are 32"and the 45 is 30" (probably due to the extra weight of the 1" barrel with a .45 hole).All three of these barrels shoot round balls great, but with bigger powder charges than the 1:48 barrels. I have a Big Boar barrel with the 1:48 and a re-bored Browning Mountain Rifle (Bobby Hoyt) in .58 with a 1:66 twist. Accuracy at 100 yards with both barrels with round balls is pretty much identical, but the 1:66 barrel wants more powder (120 grains 2F) whereas the Big Boar with its 1:48 likes 110grains of 2f. If I use more powder in the Big Boar the groups open up considerably. Never tried more than 120 grains in the Mtn Rifle, as the recoil is enough for me at that level, and more powder probably won't shoot much better anyway.