What kind of groups can your sidelocks hold at long distance

[cayuga]

I went out today with the intent of shooting at 75 yards but later decided I must have misstepped and only got 70 yards. I was shooting a T/C .54 caliber Renegade that I purchased recently used, off one of the auction sites. It is in pristine condition. I really do not think the prior owner ever shot the thing.

I had shot it a few times before and learned it liked 90 grains of Goex 2f and hated 3f. It also liked patched roundball, so the rest was easy. I held almost a 3.25 inch group with the open sights. For my old eyes I was more then pleased.

Then I painted a black + at the top and got cocky. I hit it the first time but missed it the second. Over all the rifle shoots real well. I think with a better front sight I could do better. I do not favor the thick blade sights they put on the Renegades, but it will do...

I have a .58 caliber 1:70 twist roundball rifle that will shoot better then this, but if I can hit around a 4" bull at 100 yards with the open sights, I am usually pretty happy....

What do you find you normally shoot with the open sights?

 

[Doohan]

Looks like some great shooting to me!

 

[BCS]

100 yds.

I have an Under Lock......I was shooting 2 1/2 to 4" groups till I started using sub-bases and card stock under my lead based bullets. With the card stock spacers, my groups are 1 1/2" and under with the 370 maxi. I also opened the center and top groves of the mold, I think it helped, also!

 

[lonewolf5347]

groupe at long distance

I myself would like to shoot max: 75 yards with iron sight,but the range were I shoot only have 50 and 100 yard target.I find the 50 yard target is not a problem,the 100 yard target is ruff on old eyes.I am pleased to say at the 100 yard target my groupe stay in a softball groupe,at the 50 I can shoot clover leaf groups all day.
I did find that my t/c flinters both in 54 and 50 cal. like 3f goex with charges fron 90 grains to 100 grains of powder,I also place a wad befor the patch ball.

 

[cayuga]

BCS.. that is some excellent shooting. Those maxiball are an impressive projectile. If you have a rifle that shoots them well, the down range energy of them and the damage they do on game is fantastic. I have an old Renegade that shoots Maxiball and R.E.A.L. conicals extremely well. They will devistate a deer when you shoot them with it.

again, very nice shooting. Looks like your ready..

 

[BCS]

I have been shooting my 24" 1 in 36 twist .54 cal barrel, with really poor results....................Best group that I could get was 5"s at 100yds, with .535 RBs. I tried some Lyman Great plains and 3 different Buffalo Bullets.............5 to 7"s...........tried 70 grains of 3F to 150 of FF, with card stock over the powder..........

Then some how I ened up on the Goex website and the reccomend 90 or 95 grains of 2F, so I give 90 a try................and.............

When I bought my barrel from Dehass, he sent me a short pc to make a bullet size die with, so I sized some 460 Buffalos and shot a 1 - 13/16s group at 100.

 

[cayuga]

I really outdid myself yesterday. I started out with an inline trying some different loads at 100 yards and the rifle behaved real well. The heavier bullet just needed to come up about an inch compared to the light one..

The for fun I got the Thompson Center Renegade out. This rifle has a .58 caliber Green Mountain Barrel with a 1:70 twist. The old iron sights are not the most refined and I have thought of putting fiber optic on it, until today that is.. I was using Dynamite Noble 1075 caps.

I was shooting 110 grains of Goex 2f and a moosemilk patched Hornady roundball off the bench. I actually had to put a bigger size bull out at that distance because I had a hard time focusing on that little one inch bull. My first shot was a dead center bull and the next three were right in the main area. I ended up with just a little over a 2.3/4 inch group because of one that snuck out on me. I really think if that front sight was more fine, I could get a better placement for the bull with it. Yet, after shooting like that I would take a 100 yard shot on a standing broadside deer in a heart beat out of my blind which has a rest in it also....

 

[lonewolf5347]

flinters

I had some time to kill so off to the range,grab my Renegade in 54 and my HAWKEN in 50 both flinters.
I was not feeling great seem every bone in my body was hurting,just one of those days.
I stayed at the 50 yard target 54 cal. 230 RB a Wad and 95 grains of goex 3f dead center ,15 rounds all were in the same group.
Next was the hawkens 50 flinter RB ,wad , 95 grains of goex shot excellent.
The hawkens does a little better only because of the hunter peep on the tang.
I keep the Renegade with stock sights only because PA late m/l season ,no peep allowed
I also did notice the finer the front sight the better the groups ,too late to play with the front sights ,hunting season is getting closer 6 weeks away.
I was also playing with a new t/c barrel I pickup ,yes it a new flinter 50 cal.
barrel that has about 25 rounds threw it ,the sold it only because it has the QLA ,I swap barrels at the range and fired 3 REALS 320 grainers threw it ,it seem to groupe excellent,I was getting tired to play with RB ,will see what happens next time out.
I have pushed both flinters by t/c up to 100 grains of 3f goex and with RB and a wad thay still hold an excellent group.

 

[cayuga]

Lonewolf.. I know all about what your saying with old eyes. The other day when I was shooting I had to change the size of the bull because the one up there looked like a red blurr instead of a red dot. The degree of day light does make a big difference to me also. I like to shoot around 12:00 noon.

Today I was shooting the .58 caliber again. I was real pleased with the rifle. Then I got out some minnie ball. I had some 315 grain Warren Minnies and some 500 grain Minnies. The accuracy with them at the 100 yard line was not real good. I even lowered the charge but could not make them behave. I then started shooting at soda pop cans at 100 yards but did it with 110 grains of Goex 2f, a wonder wad, and a patched roundball (Hornady). I like shooting objects much more then punching holes in paper...

It sounds like you have some excellent loads worked up. Maybe the deer will cooperate this year.

 

[quigleysharps4570]

Nice shooting C. I couldn't tell you the last time I shot at a 100 yard target with mine. Do most of mine at 50. Never have had to take a shot at a deer past that with a muzzleloader...so just don't practice any farther.