I may have stumbled onto a little known tidbit of info on Renegade barrels.This may explain why some shoot and others are so-so.I guess early TC barrels were made by Douglas marked with a W on the bottom of the barrel beside the wedge slot.Not sure when this started or ended for that matter but the 'W' marked ones all shoot! They probably made all of the early TC barrels at one time.Maybe this is old news just thought I'd pass it along.Thanx Harold
I never knew that.. but the Douglas Barrels were sure good shooters.
Another good shooter years ago was a Sharon Barrel. A friend of mine had one on a .54 caliber and would that thing shoot. He paid a lot of money for it, but in my opinion it was worth it. I never seen a rifle that accurate. I even tried to buy it off him, but he would not sell.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
I did talk to a t/c rep: some time back,He did give the marks to look for the heart or spade were sharon barrel the W I can;t remember if so but all my early barrels have the W and they all are tack driver with heavy charges of black and round balls and all flinters
54 cal. renegade 95 grains of 3F goex a wad and hornady 230 grain RB good day can but all 3 shots clover leaf group from the bench at the 100 yd target
My 50 cal. hawkens flinter 100 grains of 3F and a wad same type of groupe.
I just located a 45 cal. barrel N.O.S. that is going to a PA hunter stock again 5 digit serial number will see how she prints this spring,I am just adding the last coat of tung oil to the stock should be ready to go by the end of the week.
I have two Renegades that has no mark at all. Two others have a W on them. I know for a fact that the two with no mark on them were kit rifles becauseI built them back in the early 80's.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
Best I can tell you is they make most of their own barrels, seen it being done myself. I also know Green Mountain helped them out after the fire.
I have a very early Renegade and I will look for the "W" next time I have the barrel out of the stock, it is a fine shooting rifle. The serial # is 15,XXX.
My Renegade barrel with no marks must really be old. The serial number on my oldest rifle is 5XXX (four numbers only). Still this is a good shooter. It will shoot roundball, conical, about anything I want to stuff down it. It's been responsible for a lot of whitetails.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
Ok, now you guys made me go dig out the other Renegades... I have a K barrel that is an old barrel and it is marked with a "W" or and "M" which ever way you look atit + the one I am shooting, both of these barrels do not reference Pyrodex and the other now mark at all, but I am 99% sure it is a Green Mountain...and it does reference Pyrodex...
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Keep on Shooting Muzzleloaders they are a Blast
Dave: 4 digit serial number could be a sharon barrel,flip the barrel and on the bottom near the breach plug should be a stamp if it has a heart it a sharon barrel
Early Renegade barrels...........
