I have a T/C Renegade, .50 cal percussion, has a scruffy bore and has never shot too well. I am thinking of having it bored out to .54 caliber and a slow twist for roundball. Does anyone know a gunsmith who works on this kind of project? I used to go to some good local smiths but they retired or stopped taking work recently.

Freischutz Gun Shop
2379 Mt Hope Rd
Fairfield, Pennsylvania
17320
7176426696
He's hard to get hold of but be persistent. He can make a new barrel or reline/rebore the one you have.

Reboring that barrel to .54 will cost far more than getting a new one; eBay is full of them.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Reboring that barrel to .54 will cost far more than getting a new one; eBay is full of them.

Yup, not worth a rebore, find another barrel.

Or upgrade...
https://ricebarrels.com/?s=renegade

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Reboring that barrel to .54 will cost far more than getting a new one; eBay is full of them.

But if the job is well done, you may get a very good barrel out of it.
Another option is to simply lap the hell out of the barrel you have. Properly done, it will smooth up the bore and you can even improve the configuration of the bore. A little choke can help a round ball gun. By the way, I don't think it hurts to have a little more twist than is usual for a round ball gun. Regards, Bill

Big waste of time and money; with iron sights and round balls you ain't going to be able to tell the difference in a good rebore and a factory barrel. Up to you: spend the $300 on a rebore or buy a good factory one with sights and under rib already on it.

Hell, half the things we do, if looked at closely, are a waste of time and money. People pay good money to have rifle fitted with a custom barrel or have a custom stock made. They could just buy a Savage. Anything more expensive is just a waste of money. Regards, Bill.

That is so true! I've actually told people the same thing.

After watching custom rifle prices.

It is true.

Many adds say it cost me so much

Please buy at less then it cost me.

Thanks for the feedback. I have tried barrels off of eBay and they didn’t turn out to be any better. I did go to the Rice barrels website and they are certainly pricey. Might look at what the fellow at Freischutz says.

The gunsmith's name @ Freischutz Gun Shop is
Bobby Hoyt.

Search the muzzle loading and single shot rifle forums and you'll find a lot of comments.
Much praise for the work, the turnaround time and even the prices.

Yes he is sometimes hard to get ahold of and usually lets the answ mach pick up.
Just leave a msg and call back# and he will get to you.

I understand his Grand Daughter is working w/him in the shop at times now. That may speed up contact and messaging.
Also that he was taking a break from the work for a time this past summer. I can't speak for his schedule/work times of course.

Re-bore/Re-rifle,,,Re-line,,make a new bbl,,smooth bore or rifled he does it all.

Here is what I did with my Renegade a couple years ago; it didn't have a bad barrel; it didn't have a barrel at all. I got this new, unfired CVA barrel off eBay for like $85. Had to modify the breech plug to tang extension hook a tiny bit and relocate the touch hole. It shoots one hole groups. .54 cal. I never got around to browning it. I think I lost the under rib. In fact, I had forgot about it.