T/C Renegade 54 Caliber Loads?

[Idaho Elk Hunter]

After about 10 yrs out of the muzzleloading sport I purchased a brand new T/C Renegade still in box never been fired 54 caliber. My question is: What seems to be the best load for this rifle? What powder and bullet combination, etc.? I shot several different loads and have yet to come up with the one that groups the way I want it to.
I bought Clear Shot, Clean Shot and American Pioneer Powder and also have Pyrodex pellets. Have been shooting Goex Clean Shot with round ball using lubed patches and it seems to group not too bad. about 3-4 inches at 70 yds. Tried Power Belt bullets and terrible grouping as they were all over the place. Am I usind too much powder? 125 grains of Goex Clean shot. Am switching to American Pioneer powder....can anyone tell me what works best with this rifle?
Shot T/C Hawken for years and had good results. Live in Idaho and have Elk tag for super good area that starts Nov. 21, and want to get this rifle dialed in with right combination.
Tried the Maxi Hunter bullets and they seemed better than other sabots, etc I tried also. Can anyone tell me the right mixture on grains of powder, what kind of powder and bullets please?
Thanks.....
Jim

 

[Ohio Joe]

Jim,

Go to, "www.goexpowder.com"

Bring up their "load chart" and compare your current loads to what they recommend. You should fall into the Medium Twist range with the Conicals, and into the, "Reduce RB charge in fast twist rifles" This info is in the right colume of the muzzle loading chart.

Your rifle most likely has a 1 in 48 twist, with .005 depth rifling.

A good friend of mine has success with; 90grns Goex 2fg, T/C patch, and a .530 Hornady RB...

Hope this helps.

 

[Idaho Elk Hunter]

thanks Ohio Joe...I am using Goex Clear shot powder, TC lubed patches and .530 Hornady Round Balls. I have been using 100 to 120 grains of Goex though. I will try using 90 grains. Want to develop a good load for Elk hunting in 2 weeks in my T/C Renegade 54.

 

[Ohio Joe]

Jim,

I would not use the Goex Clear Shot, it is one of their great failures :imo: for a quality powder. Use the 2fg Goex Black Powder, in the red can. You'll be amazed at the difference my friend! :thumbsup:

It will shoot dirty, but it'll help groupings and give you some ballistics to hunt Elk with much more then Clear Shot..

 

Learn to shoot round balls in your Renegade, please.
: The slugs are very poor for large game, reasons given so that everyone is sick of hearing it. They just don't work well on big game animals, from the 48" twist barrels. Deer - OK - MOOSE, ELK - NO WAY.
: A charge of 100gr.measure of Pyrodex, T7 or Swiss or 100gr. to 120gr.2F GOEX) with a patched RB will give a very good range to 120yds., if your accuracy holds. Try for a .535 ball and .015" OxYoke patch. This combination worked just fine on a big B.C. Moose 2 weeks ago as longer range than that. The ball got both lungs, heart and was between ribs and hide on the off side - perfect performance. The bull went 40yds. max.

 

[cayugad]

I don't know if this will help but I have two .54 Caliber T/C Renegades. If I load 90 grains of Pyrodex RS or Goex FFg and a .530 moosemilk patched roundball (in my old one) I get very good accuracy and excellent power downrange.

I have also worked up some loads for the rifle with 300 & 380 grain REAL conicals and they do shoot fine. I have to lower the powder charge with them.

I would start shooting 80 grains of FFg and work up from there. I am sure the roundball will come in fast. The old rifle used to be 85 grains (from looking at my notebooks) but it has wanted more powder with age it seems. Last notes are 90 grains Goex FFg - .530 moosemilk patched roundball. My new .54 caliber I have not had as much time as I wanted to work up the best loads. I bought it to throw a .58 caliber roundball barrel on it.

As for going to a .535 ball... I have a LEE mold to make them. I made up a bunch of them many years ago. My friends and I all shot T/C Renegades or Hawkins .54 calibers. I remember we had to beat the roundballs down the barrel they fit so tight using .015 ox yoke patches at the time. We tried to go to a thinner patch but the problem was we were smoking the patch. At that time we were shooting bore butter for a lube.

I will have to cast some of them up and see if they will load in the old rifle now....

 

[Idaho Elk Hunter]

Thanks for info...Like I said, I shot a lot in the 70's and 80's with T/C Hawken 50 and only shot round balls and Goex BP. Just got back into the ML sport and I have been amazed at the changes. Just wanted to see what has happened the past 10-12 yrs.

I have always been a RB enthusiast having killed several Elk in past with RB. Wanting to know if these so called bullets are better is all. I will stick to RB as I like the idea of hunting the old fashion way anyway. I live in Idaho and getting tired of shooting big game with my 300 Win Mag as it is "no contest" anymore. Just turned age 52 and want to put excitement back into hunting big game!!!!

Thanks to all on here who have responded to my questions.
Jim

 

[sabotloader]

Jimbob

I too use a 54 Renegade, and I too have put the 300WMag away. I now hunt all season with ML's. Inlines for the regular rifle season and sidehammers for the ML season.

As you know in Idaho you can use a saboted bullet and that is the route I have gone. I am really sold on t7 loose powder, although as soon as Sportsman Surplus gets some BlackMag3 - I am going to give it a try.

I shoot nosler sabots and nosler partitions - 300 grain .451 for Elk and 260 grain noslers partition hollow point for deer both pushed with 90 grains of loose t7. I really get good accuracy and none of the BP corrosion headaches.

I would have no problem in the right conditions pulling the trigger on a Elk or Deer out to 150 yards. Although, most of the animals I have taken here in Idaho have been 60 yards and less.

Good luck in your late season Elk hunt - I went the "B" tag route this year so no late Elk Season for me - but I am looking forward to the late season ML deer hunt - if I can keep from shooting something during the regular season.

 

[Bob J]

90 grains Goex and Maxi-ball - accurate and powerful! Dropped my first ML buck in its tracks at 75 yards with this load using a Renegade. :m2c:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I've got a trusty ol' Renegade. Mine likes 90 gr FFg and a .530" PRB. I hunt squirrels with 42 gr FFg and that load will cloverleaf at 25 yards in the center of the bull with the same sight setting that gives me 2" high at 50 yards with 90 gr. Further proof that God loves the .54 :thumbsup:

 

[bsimardjr]

Great timing for this thread I just ordered a Green Mountain .54 with the 1-70" twist to replace my .56 smoothbore on the Renegade that I recently dusted the cobwebs off of. Thanks for the load suggestions.

Bob

 

[Idaho Elk Hunter]

Thanks fellow Idahoan hunter! I appreciate your advice and will try about anything at this time. I like the idea of "no cleanup" hassle as well. I did order 5 lbs of Goex BP from Powder, Inc in Arkansas today though.

I really have not tried sabots at all yet. I also have a CVA Firebolt Magnum inline that I shot some of the PowerBelts made in Nampa and they seem to work ok.

Sure wish I had not sold my old T/C Hawken 50 caliber as I had it dialed in with RB loads using BP back when. Both of these guns I now have are new and it will just take some time to figure them out.....my shoulder is wanting an icepack about now though.....LOL

Jim

 

[harryo]

Great timing for this thread I just ordered a Green Mountain .54 with the 1-70" twist to replace my .56 smoothbore on the Renegade that I recently dusted the cobwebs off of. Thanks for the load suggestions.

Bob

If your GM barrel is like the 2 GM barrels I have, you will find it is very accurate over a wide range of powder volume. More so than the T/C 1:48 twist barrels. I have both a .50cal and .54cal Renegade with T/C 1:48 twist barrels and they both shoot balls well with moderate loads, 70-80 grns Goex Ffg. They don't shoot badly when I push the loads higher, but accuracy is definately not as good as the more moderate loads. With both my .50cal, GM barreled, T/C Hawken and Renegade with a .58cal GM barrel, I can shoot any load from 60 to 110-120 grns, with almost the same outstanding accuracy. Excellent barrels. You will not be disappointed.