Renegade (Old Reliable)
10-05-2015, 04:50 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Irvine, KY
Posts: 157
Renegade (Old Reliable)
First off I got to admit I love my .50 Renegade. I have had it for several years and it had the original sights on it which aren't much. So I ordered a new fiber optic TC front sight. I wanted a rear sight that I could adjust to shoot at longer ranges. I didn't want to put a tang sight on so I went to Shiloh Sharps website and ordered a full buckhorn ladder sight for there 1874 Hartford model. So a couple days later they arrived and the sights were a perfect fit. Today I got out to try them out. I loaded 70 gr Pyrodex RS and a 240 gr XTP with the supplied sabot, remington #11 caps. The 240 XTP and the 260 gr Scorpion shoot really well in my Renegade. I got her on paper and moved out to 100 yds. Temp 76*F wind 5 mph humidity .68% I swabbed with a windex patch both sides and a dry patch both sides between shoots. Honestly it's better to be lucky than good any day. I expect the front fiber optic sight probably sub tends about 5 MOA so to shoot a sub 2 MOA group I believe it to be a random occurrence. Any way it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed being out and shooting.
10-06-2015, 07:50 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,922
That is some fine shooting and wish I lived in a climate that was less humid. I just do not trust sidelocks anymore. I've done all the necessary things too, to keep things dry and ignition powerful with them. The end-result is I'm married to inlines now.
I just sold two Renegades and three other sidehammers last December. Keeping only (1) brassy model that I hang on my wall and shoot once every five years.
Inlines are my desired MLs these days..... more reliable than sidelocks to me. Our Midwest climate and the nature in-which I hunt, tells me to stick with the sealed ignitions of my Omega and Vision inlines, for much more trustworthy ignition, in all kinds of weather.
I just sold two Renegades and three other sidehammers last December. Keeping only (1) brassy model that I hang on my wall and shoot once every five years.
Inlines are my desired MLs these days..... more reliable than sidelocks to me. Our Midwest climate and the nature in-which I hunt, tells me to stick with the sealed ignitions of my Omega and Vision inlines, for much more trustworthy ignition, in all kinds of weather.
Last edited by Triple Se7en; 10-06-2015 at 08:11 AM.
10-06-2015, 09:23 AM
#8
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Irvine, KY
Posts: 157
I understand the benefits of hunting with inlines and I do have a couple myself. However, for me there is just something magical about hunting with a flintlock or percussion cap rifles. I had some troubles with mine along the way but that's part of the journey. To me it's like riding a Harley. It's not how fast you get there but the journey plus looking good while your doing it. My ole Renegade is about as dependable as I am and more so these days. When I was a kid I started hunting with trad bows and then switched to compound and now I am back to my trad bows and the same with my muzzleloaders. I guess it's the nostalgia and the feeling I get from carrying those ole side locks but then again I mainly hunt with muzzleloaders. Don't get me wrong I love my knight rifles and encores but to me it is just different. However, you can catch me out occasionally on the farm with my 1874 Sharps Hartford model making smoke. I have a deep love for fine rifles and over the years I have acquired some that I only dreamed of owning when I was a kid. I see no one caught on to the 1858 Remington converted to BP cartridge in the pic....
10-06-2015, 11:48 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,922
My Renegade was just as dependable as yours. I had all the hi-tech equipment attached to it, to keep it dry. But without all that weatherproof dressings, dependable doesn't exist.
So I'm just saying that with my sealed ignition Omega and Vision, there's really nothing to buy to keep it dry. No covers for the nipple area, drum area.... no cover or seals for the #11s. Nothing needed to put over the hammer.
Now that's naturally dependable and it's doesn't cost the ML owner a dime. So that's pretty-much why I abandoned my sidelocks.
Really nothing more to say on this. If anyone wants to debate with me further, my private email is active and that keeps the moderators here more happy, having less to edit and less time to contact posters with complaints stemming from disagreements.
So I'm just saying that with my sealed ignition Omega and Vision, there's really nothing to buy to keep it dry. No covers for the nipple area, drum area.... no cover or seals for the #11s. Nothing needed to put over the hammer.
Now that's naturally dependable and it's doesn't cost the ML owner a dime. So that's pretty-much why I abandoned my sidelocks.
Really nothing more to say on this. If anyone wants to debate with me further, my private email is active and that keeps the moderators here more happy, having less to edit and less time to contact posters with complaints stemming from disagreements.
10-06-2015, 01:02 PM
#10
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
Gotta disagree here Triple Se7en. I've always found that a tight fitting #11 cap placed on a dry nipple on a sidehammer is totally reliable even in a hard rain. The problem occurs when a few of those raindrops get down the bore.
On a nipple that the cap doesn't fit tightly, a light dressing of the nipple with a bit of beeswax before cap installation will make it totally waterproof.
There's no need for a private email debate of a civil discussion. Even one that involves different opinions or experiences.
On a nipple that the cap doesn't fit tightly, a light dressing of the nipple with a bit of beeswax before cap installation will make it totally waterproof.
There's no need for a private email debate of a civil discussion. Even one that involves different opinions or experiences.
Last edited by Semisane; 10-06-2015 at 01:04 PM.