.54 Renegade flinter

[Confederate rifleman]

Saw her on consignment at Dixon's for $450.
Thought about a day and picked her up.
No warning, stamped Cal 54, and a 32xxx serial number.
The bore looked good, but patching showed orange, but no pits and she patches smooth. Another " nick of time" save!
The frizzen shows little use and the lock is tight. The unset pull is very good.
A .54 ball rifle is a useful increase in WHOMP. Now that our October antlerless season is also a muzzleloader bear... If I decide to take a flinter out, the .54 gets the nod.
Funny that excepting my long rifle, and my P53, all my rifles ar TCs.

 

[edmehlig]

Wish they made one for left handed shooters like me. Guess I’ll gave to stick with my Left handed Flint Lyman Deerstalker . I’ve been meaning to get to Dixon’s myself. How much have the gone in prices regarding powder, percussion caps?

 

[Confederate rifleman]

Powder and cap prices haven't really spiked. $36/lb for Swiss, bit they won't have any till June. #11s I believe are around $9/100.
They have a few used rifles, but nothing.like they used to. Folk are hanging on to them.

 

[Confederate rifleman]

Well, here she is!
I took her to pieces, and a good thing too! There was about a pan and a half of priming powder in the trigger mortices!
That could've been... rude?
Anyway. I guess I'll be doing a bit of inletting in the lock mortice. There's a bit of a gap between pan and barrel flat.
The elevation screw on the sight has a peice broken off. Be needing one. The spares I have are too large.
The bore is bright and shiny. Its also an M stamp. That's a Sharon iirc. There's some faint, but nice fiddleback grain in the stock.
Even though I paid more than I normally would, what is normal anymore, I think I got me a very fine rifle. Not like there gonna ever make more?
Need to find me another TC peep sight...

 

[edmehlig]

Wish they made one for left handed shooters like me. Guess I’ll gave to stick with my Left handed Flint Lyman Deerstalker . I’ve been meaning to get to Dixon’s myself. How much have the gone in prices regarding powder, percussion caps?

WOW!! Last year I think I bought a can of Swiss 2F for $26 or 28 dollars.

 

[edmehlig]

Well, here she is!
I took her to pieces, and a good thing too! There was about a pan and a half of priming powder in the trigger mortices!
That could've been... rude?
Anyway. I guess I'll be doing a bit of inletting in the lock mortice. There's a bit of a gap between pan and barrel flat.
The elevation screw on the sight has a peice broken off. Be needing one. The spares I have are too large.
The bore is bright and shiny. Its also an M stamp. That's a Sharon iirc. There's some faint, but nice fiddleback grain in the stock.
Even though I paid more than I normally would, what is normal anymore, I think I got me a very fine rifle. Not like there gonna ever make more?
Need to find me another TC peep sight...

Man you stepped in manure and came out smelling like Roses! That is a thing of beauty!

 

[Matthew323]

$450.00 is not unreasonable for a Thompson/Center flintlock, Hawken or Renegade, in this day and age. The Gun Works Muzzleloading Emporium has spare Lyman frizzens to fit the lock, as well as the 2nd Gen cocks which have a better geometry that is easier on flints. TGWM-LE purchased all of Thompson/Center's spare parts for the sidelock muzzleloaders when S&W bought T/C. They might have the screw for the rear sight. I would give them a call.

www.thegunworks.com

 

[Confederate rifleman]

Thanks Gents!
I know of the different cocks for the TCs. Honestly, I never had one that was a rock crusher. They could've made the new ones a bit better looking though...
This one is a real spark show, even with the TC frizzen. I most likely will get a Lyman fitted though. I also got an aluminum rammer. To me, its still the only legit use of aluminum on a firearm...
Will check them out. Can never have too many spare parts!

 

[hairybird]

Powder and cap prices haven't really spiked. $36/lb for Swiss, bit they won't have any till June. #11s I believe are around $9/100.
They have a few used rifles, but nothing.like they used to. Folk are hanging on to them.

My area has plenty of powder and no caps. Before the threat happened BP guns were everywhere and prices were rock bottom. Now you can't find one with a good bore for sale. People are hanging on to them and anything that goes bang.

 

[Confederate rifleman]

True that! Friends are curious why no breechloaders/ AR types etc. My response is " Why pick that fight? They're the first things the yankee govt. wants to go after." My frontstuffers do everything I want ,and need, to do. They're off paper, under the radar and if they chose to make an issue of them... Well. I still have my gray suit.

 

[barbatotony]

Just a beautiful rifle, sir. And Matthew323 is correct, $450 is actually a steal for any flintlock in this day and age. I would really like to see photos of your inletting woodwork, as I am considering getting a kit one day. Primers are the hardest for me to find right now. A few places will now only sell in case lots of 1,000! How long would that last?

 

[eekjellander]

Not near long enough!/Ed

 

[brad502a]

Very nice rifle! Good luck getting the peep sight, I saw a couple on ebay go for over $150. Looking forward to a range report.

 

[JIMYJAC]

Very clean! Congrats and enjoy.

 

[Confederate rifleman]

Range report!
.530 Hornady ball, Ox Yoke pre lubed .015 patch, 70 grains of 3f Swiss. Prime was 4f
3 shot groups at 50 yards. First was 11/ 16ths, the second was and inch on the dot and the 3rd was 3/4.
Ignition was percussion quick. I still need to do some work on the lock inletting though. Too much fouling getting in there...
Recoil was pleasant and patches were a bit abraided. None blown though.
I'd say we have a winner.

 

[Matthew323]

Range report!
.530 Hornady ball, Ox Yoke pre lubed .015 patch, 70 grains of 3f Swiss. Prime was 4f
3 shot groups at 50 yards. First was 11/ 16ths, the second was and inch on the dot and the 3rd was 3/4.
Ignition was percussion quick. I still need to do some work on the lock inletting though. Too much fouling getting in there...
Recoil was pleasant and patches were a bit abraided. None blown though.
I'd say we have a winner.

If patches are abraded it's either too loose of a patch/ball combination.......

Or, a bore that is either rough, or needs lapping because the edges of the lands are too sharp.

Or, the crown might be cutting the patch as it is loaded.

How is the crown? Is it angled, or radiused? A radiused crown, 0.09375"-0.125" deep, will allow you to thumb start a tightly patched ball far enough into the bore that it won't move until you use a short starter to drive the combo about 6" down into the barrel. After that, a smooth bore should allow a shooter to use even a hickory ramrod to smoothly send the patched ball down onto the powder charge in short, 6"-8" strokes, without any strain whatsoever, or risk of breaking a ramrod.

A properly radiused crown will not cut even the tightest ball/patch combo when loaded. This includes bore sized balls, such as a 0.500" diameter ball with a 0.028" thick cotton canvas patch, in 0.016" deep round bottom grooves in a .50 caliber barrel.

 

[Confederate rifleman]

The crown is typical TC and nicely radiused. The bore shows little use and the rifling is sharp. At some point, I'll give her some JB, but we're just getting acquainted now.
It takes a bit of pressure, just a thumb won't do, to get the ball started. It does ram smoothly and evenly.
I usually use a wad under the ball. One caliber up, but I have no .56/.58 wads just now.
I must say I'm a bit surprised. My usual results with a flintlock are not this 1: good or 2: consistent. Now one range trip does not a trend make, but I'm smiling. Just a bit...

 

[Matthew323]

If your patch is thick enough, an over powder wad should not be necessary. Can you accurately measure the thickness of the patching that you are using? If the patches are pre-cut round patches, in plugs/100 then you definitely need to measure the thickness because there is a very, very good chance that the thickness is not what is represented on the label. Most of the recently sold pre-cut patches tend to be 0.002"-0.004" undersized. For instance, if you purchased 0.018" thick pillow ticking patches, what you probably have are patches measuring somewhere between 0.014"-0.016" thick. Always check the thickness of store bought patches, don't rely on what the manufacturer has printed on the package.

Based on what you have described, I would increase the thickness of the patch by 0.003"-0.006", and see if the abraded patching look of a recovered patch stops.

 

[eekjellander]

An over powder wad is insurance with a patched ball ,just on the off chance you screw up with patch selection/lube /dirty bore or an under sized ball . It just gives the best gas seal possible if any of the above fail and cost nothing more than an added step. Unless there's injuns charging then skip the wad and grab the hatchet /Ed

 

[Scott-WV]

Looks like a nice rifle and a fair price for todays market.