Can I Get A HOO-HA?

[Semisane]

OK Guys, the saga of the recalcitrant Renegade continues.

As you know, I got severe vertical stringing with the .50 GM/LRH Renegade in my last two range sessions. After trying a variety of loads with two different powders and two different bullet weights, we pretty much decided it was not a "load issue", but a mechanical problem with either the stock or the scope. So my range session yesterday was designed to pin down the problem. I brought along an extra scope "just in case".

I decided to work with a load of 95 grains of GOEX FFFg under 300 grain XTPs in Harvester short black sabots. When I cleaned the gun after last week's range session I removed the double layer of duct tape that I'd used to shim the barrel in the stock. So for the first target I left the gun as it was, but put a pretty good bend in the wedge pin, so that it was really tight. I had to tap it in place with the ball on my short starter.

I took five shots at 75 yards and got this.




Now that's not a great group at 75 yards, but not too bad and no sign of vertical stringing.


So I removed the wedge pin, turned it over and reinserted it. It went in very easily with finger pressure. Took five shots at a fresh target and got this.





Ah Ha !!! I think we can eliminate the scope question. I've got a bedding issue.

So I pulled the barrel from the stock and put it on the stock from the .45 Renegade, using the .45's wedge pin (it's nice to have sister rifles). That wedge went it fairly snug, but did not require tapping. Moderate thumb pressure did the job. Took five shots and got this.




Now I'm grinning. Were it not for that flyer the group would likely have been less than two inches. I was especially surprised because a weather front was approaching and the wind was really gusting during those shots.

Not being able to leave well enough along, I pulled the wedge pin and bent it so that it was "tap in tight". I adjusted the scope eight clicks up and two clicks right, and took five shots (target below).




Is that vertical stringing I see??? Why, YES IT IS! We've got this problem roped and in the corral. All we've got to do is get a saddle on it.

So I straightened the wedge pin to "snug - finger tight" and took five more shots.




Can I get a HOO-HA???

Now I'm excited, and just had to see what some 250 grain XTP's would do with the same 95 grain load. So I put five 250s into the next target.




Good, good, good. Shot #5 was definitely my error. My brother-in-law was watching me shoot that group and I told him "that shot went high" right after I shot. In fact, I really thought it would be higher than it is. But I'm still grinning - you betcha!

Just gotta do it - shoot some 250 Gold Dots. Is it possible they'll shoot as well as the XTPs?

Five shots later.


Sho-E-Nuff done found my hunting load.

Time for one more target. May as well stretch the 250 Gold Dots out to 100 yards and see if they stay together, so I took five shots at 100.




Uh-Huh. That'll do. (Hey, is that vertical stringing I see?)

[nchawkeye]

I believe I'd leave that barrel in the .45 stock...

On the last target at 100, it might be vertical stringing, but it's also 5 dead deer, I'd leave it alone...

[dburns51]

Semi

Agreat big hoo-ha. Nice shooting and cograts on staying with it until the problem was solved.

[mnprohunter]

hooo-hhaaa!

[cayugad]

I am glad you got it all figured out. That is some good shooting there.

[lemoyne]

Now you know. I take it you don't normally tune the wedge to the barrel before group shooting.

[bronko22000]

very interesting Semi. I would have sworn it was a scope problem. Glad to see all is well. Good shooting btw.

[jaybez101099]

Semi........I think all the targets are dam good shooting. But that one was beyond what I thought a Rene could do at 75yds.

[Semisane]

Now you know. I take it you don't normally tune the wedge to the barrel before group shooting. Lee

Never have Lee. I guess I've never run across the problem before.

My old New Englander was the first rifle I ever had with a hook barrel. It shot dednutz from day one with Hornady Great Plains bullets and Lee R.E.A.L's, and that's about all I've ever shot from it. The .45 and .54 Renegades and the .54 GP flinter all have hooked breeches and gave me no problem finding an accurate load. That dang .50 Renegade (the middle Sinful Sister) is the first one to act up that way.

After the shooting session I got to examining the two stocks and swapping the .45 and .50 barrel in and out of both. What I found was that both barrels lay nice and flat in the .45's stock, but both stop short of laying flat in the .50's stock. They cantiliever up so there's about a 3/16" gap between the barrel and the front of the stock, so that you need to squeeze them together to insert the wedge. I'm now certain that pressure is the source of the problem. It should be an easy fix by scraping a little wood from the bottom of the barrel channel for about an inch in front of the tang face.