# Thompson's Center New Englander Muzzleloader



## UncleNorby

My friend had one of those, I had the T/C Renegade Hunter, both in .54 caliber. Just about any owner's manual for a T/C sidelock will tell you all you need to know.

My friend shot 90 gr or Pyrodex Select. I always used 100 gr of the RS grade, never saw a difference in performance. We both shot the 435 gr Maxiball (not the Maxihunter). These guns had all the accuracy you could need within 100 yds.

We used the standard #11 nipple with Dynamit/Nobel brand caps. Those caps are the best by far. Ignition was never an issue, just keep the gun clean.

Clean-up was with a drop of dish soap and a bucket of hot water. Put the breech end in the bucket and work patches on a cleaning jag until they come out clean. Start with the nipple in place, then remove once the nipple is flushed out. Then pour BOILING water down the barrel to get the barrel really hot. Then stand the barrel upside down to drain/dry. Once cool, you can run a LIGHTLY oiled patch down to coat the metal, followed by a dry patch. Wipe with another dry patch before loading. Many misfires are the result of oil from the bore accumulating in the breech.

To load, I always visually inspected the nipple to see it was clear, then install in the gun. Then charge the gun, lube the bullet and push it down the bore. I always used the T/C bore butter for lube. I don't recommend it for a bore protector. Seat it firmly on the powder. Pyrodex will actually compress 1/8" or more after first contact, so make sure to seat it well and then mark the ramrod. This witness mark will let you know you're loading consistently. Cap the gun, and seat the cap on the nipple. I had to force the caps on by carefully lowering the hammer and pressing it down. They never fell off.

I shot a pile of deer with my Renegade. That 435 gr Maxiball is devastating.


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