1st ML Deer Season in New Jersey with THOMPSON CENTER RENAGADE, 5 point buck

[NotJust22s]

Hunted today and every ML season with my 1978 54 cal Renegade. Bought it from my favorite catalog at the time, Bowhunters Wharehouse in York, PA. Open sights and still can hit a playing card at 100 yards.

[Nomad]

I got my Hawkin from a friend of mine.  I took him to one of my properties and he snapped caps on two bucks.  When I saw him at work a couple of weeks later he said, here it's yours.  He bought a new inline. lol

[JFC1]

Thanks Bushden and others for the history lesson. Cool stuff. I missed it. But I do remember Morsans. I loved that place as a kid. 

[bushden]

55 minutes ago, JFC1 said:

Thanks Bushden and others for the history lesson. Cool stuff. I missed it. But I do remember Morsans. I loved that place as a kid. 

Yeah that was a pretty cool store.

[jerseyjimk]

I bought my Renegade kit gun back in 1979, .54 caliber.Worked on that gun all summer. Still have it today along with a couple modern muzzleloader. No horns, but we had a blast that day chasing deer on the mountain. All the deer were taken with side locks, old picture , don’t remember the year 

[2 Brits]

I bought a TC Renegade .54 in 1993, the only modifications I made to it was put in hot nipple which has a slightly larger hole and fiber optic open sights for shooting in low light.  The sights make a huge difference when its getting dark or hunting areas with alot of shadows.  I did just recently get a TC 700 which I'm thinking of selling.  I like the traditional fact being that I hunt with a recurve as well.  The .54 Renegade has taken alot of deer - it shoots like a rifle out to 100 yards.  I'm using 80 grains of powder and maxi-hunters.  

To you guys that still use the .54, what are you using for bullets?  Maxi-hunters are hard to find, need to start thinking of new bullets for it.

[bushden]

48 minutes ago, jerseyjimk said:

I bought my Renegade kit gun back in 1979, .54 caliber.Worked on that gun all summer. Still have it today along with a couple modern muzzleloader. No horns, but we had a blast that day chasing deer on the mountain. All the deer were taken with side locks, old picture , don’t remember the year 

Great memories of times long past.!!

[Nomad]

12 minutes ago, 2 Brits said:

 

To you guys that still use the .54, what are you using for bullets?  Maxi-hunters are hard to find, need to start thinking of new bullets for it.

100 grains Goex FFG and one of these.  Use them in my Thompson Hawken 54 and Renagade 50.   Dead on at 100 yards and aim a little high at 150.  Very accurate.  Did away with the Maxiballs and Maxihunters these are much better.  https://www.midwayusa.com/product/100227190

[Buck154]

That was my first Muzzleloader too. Killed a lot with my 50 cal Thompson Renegade. Have taken a few incredible shots on running deer with it on small 2-4 man drives.  It was like a sledge hammer hitting them. 

[Cousin Brown]

congrats

[bushden]

3 hours ago, Buck154 said:

That was my first Muzzleloader too. Killed a lot with my 50 cal Thompson Renegade. Have taken a few incredible shots on running deer with it on small 2-4 man drives.  It was like a sledge hammer hitting them. 

We used them on drive to,  you could hit them in the butt with a 300 grain bullet and they fall down.

[2 Brits]

On 1/10/2021 at 8:43 AM, Nomad said:

100 grains Goex FFG and one of these.  Use them in my Thompson Hawken 54 and Renagade 50.   Dead on at 100 yards and aim a little high at 150.  Very accurate.  Did away with the Maxiballs and Maxihunters these are much better.  https://www.midwayusa.com/product/100227190

Thanks Nomad!  No issues with sabot residue on your Hawken 54?  

[bushden]

On 1/10/2021 at 8:43 AM, Nomad said:

100 grains Goex FFG and one of these.  Use them in my Thompson Hawken 54 and Renagade 50.   Dead on at 100 yards and aim a little high at 150.  Very accurate.  Did away with the Maxiballs and Maxihunters these are much better.  https://www.midwayusa.com/product/100227190

I shoot the tc xtp's out of my Rem 700 but never thought to try them in my TC Renegade.  In the day before the Rem 700 I always used 90gr powder and buffalo bullets in the renegade.  It will give me something to do on a Sunny day at the range.

[buckhound]

that TC renegade 50 cal was my first muzzy also bought it new in 1982  worked all summer shucking clams and cutting fish.simple and way more fun times hunting the powder could be a pain if you had to hurry a second shot.  started with maxi balls the maxi hunters then buffalo bullets  and when I retired  it I was shooting the hornady great plains bullets I shot 80 grains of black powder of mine for some reason some of they had a sweet spot any other amount would not shoot as well.

[bushden]

29 minutes ago, buckhound said:

that TC renegade 50 cal was my first muzzy also bought it new in 1982  worked all summer shucking clams and cutting fish.simple and way more fun times hunting the powder could be a pain if you had to hurry a second shot.  started with maxi balls the maxi hunters then buffalo bullets  and when I retired  it I was shooting the hornady great plains bullets I shot 80 grains of black powder of mine for some reason some of they had a sweet spot any other amount would not shoot as well.

I had a lot of fun with my renegade over the years and learned a lot about ML's from it. A lot of deer went into the freezer thanks to that  TC Renegade, I was feeding 4 sons back then