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I am calling this �Project Renegade� because it is a Thompson Center Arms Renegade <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Subject rifle is 50 caliber and pretty messed up as it was in a house fire. So any way, here is the first look and disassembly for working on restoring her.

Not sure about the stock, it is pretty charred right in the middle.


Here are some pictures after disassembly:


The lock was fortunately away from the flames and heat:

You should be able to find anything you need on eBay. Do you think the barrel is OK? Do your springs still work?

looks like you need a new trigger a new stock a new barrel and well looks like you need to just throw it away and buy a new one.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

All the springs are still fine even the one under the sight and most of the damage to metal is from the water they put the fire out with that tells me it really didn't get that hot. I am going to sand on the stock tomorrow and see how deep the charring goes. The barrel straight edges just fine the bore is fine, no pitting and cleaned up easily.

cool, looks much worse than it must be.

Well, a bunch of it is cleaned up ready to "Gun-Kote" the stock looks like it will be toast however, I will sand on it a bit more but hold out little hope. I think I need to find either a Hawken stock or a synthetic Renegade one.

A Hawken stock may not work. You'll need the one with a 1" barrel channel.

I will have to look and see what is out there. I also could relieve a 15/16th channel easy enough.

Here's your stock:

http://cgi.ebay.com/THOMPSON-CENTER-RENE...1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks. I am the current high bidder!

Have you considered whether the steel may have been annealed? It would be easy enough to have a machinist check it. I bet T/C would do this as well. I would consider it a good precaution in light of the internet "talk" regarding soft spanish muzzy barrels blowing.

Other than that it looks like a nice winter project. Have fun.

Could not have gotten that hot, the wood was just charred on the surface and the damage to the metal is from the water, not the heat. Thanks for the concer none the less, I do appreciate it.

This is a T/C, the barrel isn't made in Spain thank goodness.

even if it was i would be concerned most all that�s a lot of FOOO foo spread by those whose hand are always in their pockets counting their money .

Many folks purposely made their barrels soft , hacker martin even stated that he preferred his target barrels to be so soft the flats could be drawn with a knife .
If you read his comments in fox fire you will find that he would put the barrels in a bed of coals just for that reason .

I read his comments about 30 years ago. I have no faith in any Spanish made barrel.

well thats most certainly your choice .
just don�t propagate it unless you can give something to the statement past your Buy American made. Of which i agree with .
However I also understand that when I do concerning barrels , im buying an item that is not held to any standard past that of the manufacture ..
Ever wonder why the barrels we buy today are often not drilled and tapped for liner or drum ??
You might want to read the fine print .
Just a thought

Myself ,, I have no problem with European barrels , be those Italian , Spanish or English .
As to how long ago you read Hackers statements ,, well hummmmm maybe you should read them again . Would do you good now that your grown up and can understand it LMAO.
ohhh one last thing next time you by a barrel , you might want to ask if the stock that barrel was made from was imported or made here in the states ??
also somethimng to think about when you concider the Made in the USA stamp LOL

If a manuf. isn't willing to proof their barrels, I'm not willing to go to the ER when they hand grenade. I'll stick with American made products if there's any way possible.

who do you know that does not proof their barrels ?
If your thinking European barrels , your wrong. They have to pass proof twice . 1st the manufactures proof same as American barrels. then they have to pass export proof through an independent proofing house .

That proof is what you see stamped on many barrels. Which by the way is not the actual proof but the proofing house test pressures , set forth by that individual government .
Is that proof obscenely low ? Ohm ya . But understand its an old law . a formality for export that goes back to the early to mid 1700 in their law .
But at least that barrel has been looked at twice .

We have no such writing here . But we have liabilities . So barrel makers do things like requiring you to install the breech plug or drill and tap for liner or drum .
Our makers also test much the same way but for one thing , the don�t test every barrel . We do whats called batch testing .so one barrel out of say 100 gets looked at . This is why you see garbage like heli coils being installed in bolsters to replace poor threads . Or as with a barrel I recently received with the makers stamp up side down all coming from a very well know barrel maker here in the US .


Im with you in the Buy USA idea . However that IMO should be because we make a batter all around product . Sadly that�s not always the case .

One fella who frequents this forum and has in the past had a lot to say about Spanish barrels likes to taunt numbers and pressures that American manufactures batch test to .
Those are some good numbers but at the same time who is checking those numbers ?
The manufacture . They can tell you what ever they want doesn�t mean they are doing it .or that they are anymore safe then any other barrel .
but then we here have a history of trusting companies words don�t we,, Philip Morris , Enron,
To lesser degree�s Ford , Chevy ��.

So you may want to remember that that barrel on your custom rifle may never have been tested at all , to any standard . Unless you were lucky enough to get that 1 in 100 barrel .

Now why are americian barrels better ?
Simple our finish of the bores , cutting of the rifling is much better IMO then those barrels quickly cut for lower end production guns be that muzzleloader or center fire .

T Lee, you can put a TC stock on if you want of course, but I think this is a great opportunity to buy a curly maple blank and use the charred stock for a pattern.

But I love to spend other people's money so don't listen to me too hard.

T;

If you tire of that project, or she needs a new home, let me know. What caliber?

carlos111,

I am a WORLD CLASS wood butcher, I would never attempt to make my own stock but I thank you for the thought. I won the one on ebay, now waiting for it to show up.

VA,

It is a .50 cal, the same cal & type rifle I took my ona and only Elk with back in '99.

T, try "Track of the Wolf" muzzle loading parts folk for any small parts you need for the T/C. I buy quite a lot of stuff from them for my T/C's including Green mtn barrels....some of the best around at moderate prices.
From the looks of the lock there was very little damage other than the wood, the Renegade for those of you not in the know is a hawkin with mostly Iron or steel trim rather than brass as on the Hawkin. The 50 cal barrel should be the same size on both Hawkin and Renegade. Get hold of some Birtch wood Casey Plum Brown and make a real nice rifle.

Bullwnkl.

It's not.....the Hawken barrel measures 15/16ths" across the flats.....the Renegade is 1" across the flats..........

Well, I did the "Gun-Kote" on the metal parts (GASP!) but wanted an all weather rifle when done. I think they look pretty good if not traditional. Still waiting on the stock, it has a rubber butt pad and I am hoping the stock is not altered so I can put the original back on.

Thanks for the "track of the Wolf lead Bullwnkl.

Well, some carefully applied air dry Gun-Kote and an Ebay stock and the old girl is back together for the princely sum of $56.00 and several hours work. Don't really care for the rubber butt pad but need to reshape the stock for the original steel on.

What Y'all think?

I think it came out awesome. Looks new. You plan on taking it out in the deer woods this year?

Damn, TLEE, that looks GOOD!

Best bet, on getting a non-padded stock, is to trade it/sell it for a non-padded version.

That said, with a full house load and a heavy Maxi-Hunter, you'll like that pad much more than the curved steel option.

bearstalker, plan on busting some piggies with it, it is overkill on our deer down here!

VA, I only shoot Hornady 385 grain HBHP's and round ball over 90 grains of FFg so recoil is not really a problem.

T,

Any chance you would post a picture of how the stock is inletted for the trigger? I am converting my renegade from a single trigger to the double set like on your gun. It would be nice to have something for reference when I start removing wood.

thanks......Jeff

Here ya go, if you need more info just holler.

Thank you sir, that will work just fine.

Thank you sir, that will work just fine.

Have the Metal but plate and double set triggers on my 54 Cal. Renegade. If you shoot heavy conicals like maxi hunters etc, you will appreciate that padded but end. Black and blued my shoulder last season just trying different bullets.I'm actually thinking of putting a Sims limbsaver ( grind to fit} on this season. As for the double set triggers, mine are to damn touchy, you breathe on it and it goes off. Nice job on the Renegade TLee, it sure looks purty

That is why I told VA "I only shoot Hornady 385 grain HBHP's and round ball over 90 grains of FFg so recoil is not really a problem."

I don't like to shoot anything that hurts at both ends!

well done , very nice restore job

Thank you Sir.

How does those Hornady 385 grain work out for ya ? Good penatration and knock down ? Must leave a really nasty hole . Have a couple boxes of the .390 Gr.to try out this year. Know I'm definitely staying away from them buffalo bullets

I had real good luck on a 900# Elk a few years ago with one. 68 paced off yards right through the boiler room, both lungs and the heart from a dead broadside shot. He took a start and two steps and went down on his nose. Lost a couple pounds of rib meat on the hit side, slug stayed just under the skin on the off side spread to about 75 caliber. I was pushing it with 90 grains of Pyrodex RS and lighting it with a #11 CCI magnum cap.

Ouchy bet that hurt. Won't be shooting anything that large myself , just whitetails. Should go clean through them.

The only Whitetails I have shot with one I used patched round ball and kept the shots under 75 yards, drop em like a sack of spuds if hit right.

Well the Renegade went to the range today. She likes 90 Grains of FFg under the 385 grain HBHP's, she put 3 in a clover leaf pattern 1" high at 50 yards off of a rest (Marksmans box by Swede 6.5. My grandson got a couple of licks in with it as well and really liked it.

Well, it looks darn good all the way from Michigan. From what I can tell, just like my old factory job.

TLee did you leave that sissy pad on : ) or put a metal butt plate on ? Couldn't tell by the range pictures. If you decide you perfer the metal butt plate we may be able to work out a swap. Mines in tack but definitely needs refinished.Mines a 54 cal though don't know if that would make a difference.

Left it on simply because I don't feel like reshaping and refinishing the stock to put the metal one back on. I was going to buy one of the lace on leather covers and put a pad in it any way.

T,

Could you post a picture of the trigger and trigger guard on the finished rifle with your ruler alongside for reference.

thanks......Jeff

Yep a slip on sounds like the eaiser route to go for me. About $15.00 dollars cheaper too.

Excellent, thank you.