# 54 cal t/c renegade hunter



## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

Ive had my t/c for a long time now and have allways used maxi balls or maxi hunters 360 grain with a 90 grain black powder charge....Im good with iron sites to 100 yards but im thinking of scoping the gun and wondered if any one has had any experience with sabots in a 54 cal like mine...ive shot at up to 150 yards and still had a 5 inch shot patern ..just doesnt seem to be much out there for 54 cal any more


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## Lindsey (Jan 22, 2000)

There is still some 54 cal sabots on the market. They are just hard to find. The local mass-merchandisers and chain sporting goods stores don't often stock 54 cal stuff.
I tried Hornandy sabots in my 54 cal T/C New Englander a few years ago. My barrel and your barrel are both 1:48 twist. My particular barrel didn't shoot sabots as well as it did cast bullets or patched round balls. Your barrel might like sabots. You won't know until you try.
MMP Sabots makes several sabots for the .54 to use with a variety of bullet diameters. http://www.mmpsabots.com/index.html
A web search for 54 sabot found 54 cal sabot/bullet combinations sold by Nosler, Knight, T/C, and Hornady. You may have to mail order 54 cal sabots or try one of the local black powder shops like Kenokee Trading Post in Avoca, MI


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

round balls fly just fine so do maxi hunters im just looken for a little more range ....if i used round balls even id get it but im not gonna shoot a deer with a round ball it was fin in its day but they just dont have the expansion


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## spendit (Dec 19, 2002)

I have gone to the nozzler's in 300 grain - my knight used to love the MMP in purple but like stated finding sabots for the 54's is getting tougher and tougher each year. Nozzlers have a soft, flat tip that expands with lots of energy behind it. I throw 100 grains of FFG out with it and can touch shots out to 150 yards. Have a 3x9 whitetail tasco on it with iron sighters. 

Hate to have to buy a new gun because I cannot find ammo:sad:


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## montcalm (Dec 1, 2004)

walleyeman2006 said:


> round balls fly just fine so do maxi hunters im just looken for a little more range ....if i used round balls even id get it but im not gonna shoot a deer with a round ball it was fin in its day but they just dont have the expansion


 Why would you need to expand a .54 inch hole?


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## wally-eye (Oct 27, 2004)

Your going to find that your gun doesn't have enough twist to accurately shoot a sabboted bullet. I also have a TC 54 cal. that has the slow twist and have tried all kinds of bullets and always go back to the maxi-ball due to accuracy concerns. A friend casted some maxi-balls for me which I believe are 385 grains. Bench resting it with 90 grains of loose pyro I can hit a playing card 3 out of 5 times at 100 yards with open sights.............


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## No Deer (Nov 24, 2005)

walleyeman2006 said:


> round balls fly just fine so do maxi hunters im just looken for a little more range ....if i used round balls even id get it but im not gonna shoot a deer with a round ball it was fin in its day but they just dont have the expansion


More deer have been taken throughout history with a patched round ball than any other type projectile. If you have proper shot placement you don't need massive expansion. None of the deer I have taken have gone more than 20 yards after being hit with a patched round ball.


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## hobtag (Oct 25, 2006)

I think it is funny to read all the hype about sabots, and such ,
we always used round ball , then around 79 I switched to the maxi ball, never had a problem with expansion, or pentration have shot deer at over two hundred yards with them still puts them down in there tracks,

They used to make a 600 grain colorado conical for the 54 , I still have a few left , but they work excellent on elk, and the larger game. and shoot real well out of the renegade.

My Mom shot a nice 6 point this year with a T/C hawken (case hardened trigger guard) and a round ball, 60 yards and shot full length of it ,, went in right front shoulder , came out left rear hip,,75 grains of powder (real black powder!) not the make believe..
not bad for a old round ball


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