Thompson Center .56

[tom in nc]

Yesterday I looked, briefly, at a Hawken style .56 caliber gun. Now, looking on the 'net it appears that .56 is a smoothbore caliber. Reckon all T/C .56s were smoothbore?

 

[Timber Wolf]

Yes, internet lore is they were a run for smoothbore-only muzzleloader hunting seasons in some Yankee State. Further unsubstantiated speculation is they were messed up .54 barrels so T/C salvaged them by cleaning out the rifling and boring them to the odd .56 caliber. I don’t know and have not heard a reason for the odd size. But in any event I like shooting (and cleaning) mine both with “proper” .550 balls and .535.

 

[TDM]

While not absolutely positive, I’m pretty sure the .56 was only offered for the Renegade as a smoothbore.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Yes, done for Mass, as their 1st Primitive Arms seasons were smoothbore only.

 

[Flinter 2]

Yes, done for Mass, as their 1st Primitive Arms seasons were smoothbore only.

You are correct, MA. and RI. both required that guns used in their newly adopted primitive deer season be smoothbores, T/C answered the call and came out with the Renegade .56SB smoothbore rifle, under pressure from area sporting groups that restriction was dropped and the states allowed rifled barrels for the primitive hunts.

 

[Flinter 2]

Yes, internet lore is they were a run for smoothbore-only muzzleloader hunting seasons in some Yankee State. Further unsubstantiated speculation is they were messed up .54 barrels so T/C salvaged them by cleaning out the rifling and boring them to the odd .56 caliber. I don’t know and have not heard a reason for the odd size. But in any event I like shooting (and cleaning) mine both with “proper” .550 balls and .535.

The story about T/C using messed up .54 cal. Hawken barrels and reaming them out to .56 caliber is just that, a baseless story, T/C made that model Renegade in .56 because it was actually close to 28ga. and it could be used with shot for small game hunting using 28ga. wads already available on the market.
For a short time there were .56 cal.SB barrels being sold on the secondary market by a T/C employee who was purchasing scrap .54 cal. barrels from T/C and reaming them out to .56SB, when T/C found out they fired the employee and the supply stopped.
At the time I had purchased a T/C Hawken .54 cal. rifle in lieu of the new MA. and RI. Muzzle loading season, the Hawken wasn't able to be used because of the rifling, so I called T/C to order a .56SB barrel, I was told that T/C was not on the barrel business, if I wanted to own a .56SB I had to buy a new Renegade rifle in .56SB.
When I first got into muzzle loading T/C was the only game in town if you wanted a quality muzzle loading long gun, I had a .56 Renegade smoothbore, a .54 Hawken, and a .36 cal. Seneca, all were good guns but my favorite and most accurate of all was the .56SB Renegade.
Then I found flintlocks and sold all of my percussion rifles except one Hawken rifle that I built from scratch a year or two before, I still have that Hawken and still shooting my flintlock rifles and smoothbores.

 

[longcruise]

Yes, done for Mass, as their 1st Primitive Arms seasons were smoothbore only.

Didn't Pennsylvania originally go that route also. Seems like it was smooth bore and flintlock only??

 

[Hermit Tim]

I don't know the history but I love mine. Best $120 I ever spent on a muzzleloader. Maybe... Never have shot PRB out if it. I just use it for a little shotgun. Great guns.

 

[flconch53]

Yes, internet lore is they were a run for smoothbore-only muzzleloader hunting seasons in some Yankee State. Further unsubstantiated speculation is they were messed up .54 barrels so T/C salvaged them by cleaning out the rifling and boring them to the odd .56 caliber. I don’t know and have not heard a reason for the odd size. But in any event I like shooting (and cleaning) mine both with “proper” .550 balls and .535.

56 caliber is a true 28 gauge. Not 54 like alot of modern thinking

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

I didn’t know that a .56 was a 28 gauge that could use regular wads. I was never interested in a .56SB but now I think I need one!

 

[Britsmoothy]

I didn’t know that a .56 was a 28 gauge that could use regular wads. I was never interested in a .56SB but now I think I need one!

Why? Because of the availability of wads?

I would never base a purchase on that sir.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Why? Because of the availability of wads?

I would never base a purchase on that sir.

Well, to me it just makes the process simpler. You can choose to base your purchases on whatever you like and I won’t judge.

 

[Flinter 2]

I don't know the history but I love mine. Best $120 I ever spent on a muzzleloader. Maybe... Never have shot PRB out if it. I just use it for a little shotgun. Great guns.

I don't know the history but I love mine. Best $120 I ever spent on a muzzleloader. Maybe... Never have shot PRB out if it. I just use it for a little shotgun. Great guns.

Well I'd say your .56SB/28ga. Renegade just became a better deal for you, trust me when I say my .56SB T/C Renegade was the best shooting most accurate percussion gun I ever owned up to 50 yds, and at a 100 yds. I could put all my patched roundballs into a 10" paper plate off hand.
If you hunt anything other than upland birds with your Renegade smooth bore you're cheating yourself by not trying to shoot PRB out of it.
I did mine over by refinishing the stock and distressing the wood, I stripped the barrel and furniture of original finish and heat treated them with burned motor oil, replaced the T/C sights with primitive fixed sights, and installed a German silver nose cap on the fore stock.
Why, because I used to shoot primitive woods walks, and that was my dedicated primitive woods walk gun, I had others of course, but I swear that Renegade smoothbore had eyes, it never missed.
BTW, because it's a smoothbore you can use it for small game hunting as well, just reduce the powder charge appropriately, and take head shots.
If you need help with choosing round ball loads PM me.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Well, to me it just makes the process simpler. You can choose to base your purchases on whatever you like and I won’t judge.

Any smoothbores muzzloader is only a leather punch away from a wad brother.
Judging has nothing to do with it, I'm simply worried you passed on a smooth bored muzzloader because of acquiring wads.
Just go get one brother

 

[tom in nc]

Shucks! The owner sold it to someone else. He had given me his cell phone number to contact him, but then because he didn't recognize my number, wouldn't answer, thinking it was a sales call. I then sent a text but he had sold it already. Oh well.

 

[Hermit Tim]

Shucks! The owner sold it to someone else. He had given me his cell phone number to contact him, but then because he didn't recognize my number, wouldn't answer, thinking it was a sales call. I then sent a text but he had sold it already. Oh well.

I think there is a couple on GunBroker right now. Sometimes they are priced way too high but if you keep an eye out sometimes they are very reasonable.

 

[Rebel bull]

i have 2 of them 1 i converted to flint and single trigger to compete in nmlra smooth bore matches (now their all to far away and wrong time of the year) the other is stock percussion with sights, and it is a tack driver out to 100 yards ( if I can hold it steady ). I couldn't find a mold for balls that wasn't more money then what I paid for the gun. so I made my own handles and Mold ( now i know why there so pricey ) the first attempt was a complete failure, that taught me how to set up and index a mill the second was perfect it casts a .545" ball and with .015" - .020" patches lubed with wonder lube over 3f goex it truly a joy to shoot !

 

[Whiteoak15]

I bought a .56 Renegade and the .550 mold for it the first year Mass. had the special season. I was amazed at the 7 inch groups at 100 yards from a smoothbore and hunted with confidence. When rifled bores were subsequently permitted, I decided I wanted a .54 but was told that I'd have to buy a complete rifle as T-C wouldn't sell just the barrel. A friend told me he was a pal of Warren Center and would see what he could do. Within two weeks I had a .54 barrel for my Renegade! It shoots far better than I can hold with BOTH barrels and it patterns well with 3/4 OZ of #6 shot in the smoothbore. A thoroughly delightful gun!

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Any smoothbores muzzloader is only a leather punch away from a wad brother.
Judging has nothing to do with it, I'm simply worried you passed on a smooth bored muzzloader because of acquiring wads.
Just go get one brother

I’ve passed on quite a few TC 56SB’s including one that was new in box because I wasn’t really interested in smoothbores, but having a small gauge shotgun does for small game does.

 

[kelljp]

I have a TC 56 SB, and consider it one of the most versatile firearms I own. With the right patch and 60 grains of FFFG it shoots a excellent group at 50 yards ( maximum range for me these days). And with number 6 shot it's deadly on small game out to 40 yards.