Wondering what i need for cleaning and shooting a .50 caliber Renegade Hunter?

[William]

I think you are going to do just fine.  Relax and have fun with it. 

[flintboomer]

You were getting into the TOO MUCH INFORMATION mode, so make some decisions (You are doing fine.), buy some supplies, then get out and start shooting.
Have fun and let us know how the first range session goes.

Buy the way, William has done a good job of giving you the right information to make things work properly and steering you away from poorer choices.  
If you asked 30 of us (You kind of did.) how to get started and what to buy you will get 35 different answers, but you will also find that there are some basics that are pretty consistant from all of us. The other details are choices we make according to what we have been exposed to and what has worked well for us.

[isaacdavis1214]

I agree,i was getting in to the too much information zone.I have noticed everyone recommends a Range Rod,hot soapy water to clean,and balls and patches to shoot/clean Pre-lubed or lube the patches yourself appears to be personal preference.I am going to buy the stuff in my list and will let you guys know how my first shooting session goes.Once again thanks for all the helpful information everyone,and as i've said countless times...i can't wait to shoot this gun!

[Dogshirt]

I would mention one more thing that is CHEAP and easy. For MANY shooting and cleaning chores,
go to Goodwill/St. Vinnies/Value Village (what ever you have in your area) and but 1 or 2 flannel
bed sheets. For 1 or 2 bucks you can get a lot of cleaning/oiling patches. I also use it for oiling/waxing
my stocks. A very cheap investment.

[William]

That's a good idea, cheap flannel which makes for excellent cleaning patches and  GP rags.

[isaacdavis1214]

Thanks for the excellent advice,just so happens we have a goodwill here!How would you make sure the patches are the correct size for the bore ect?I have saw videos where people were using a long piece of fabric as patches for the round balls,and they cut the patches off at the Muzzle of the gun,so would it be done like that?Or is there a more exact way to make sure the patches you cut are the right size?

[William]

I use cotton flannel for cleaning patches only, I don't think that it would make good shooting patches.  Pillow ticking works well as a shooting patch because of it's tight weave.  Now, just because I don't think that flannel would be good for use as a shooting patch material doesn't mean that someone else is of the same opinion, it is up to the shooter to decide if it works in his or her gun or not.

[Rev]

That is the best way, no room for error. That being said, I use pre-cut patches, just a little more convenient.

[Red Badger]

I have used precuts and long strips cut at the muzzle both work fine in my opinion.... just don't do what I did trying to be cheap, I was cutting the patch close to the  ball and scored the muzzle surface.  Cut the patch so the knife does not come in contact with the rifle! 

[isaacdavis1214]

I'm going to use pre-cut patches personally.It is just more convienent in my opinion,and i don't care to spend a little extra since they are really cheap.Would the wooden ram rod work fine for cleaning and shooting the gun for now until i have enough for a range rod?If so i should be able to shoot or be close to be able to shoot by the tome the gun gets here.

[dusty hill]

wood rod SHOULD be fine but be sure to keep your hand less than a foot above the muzzle and work the rod down a little at a time.  the bend of pushing from too far up is what will likely cause the wood to split and or break. it is there to load and has been used from the beginning.

[Red Badger]

Yup what Dusty said!  I hae only broken 1 ramrod and it is a PITA to have to find the right wood and make a new one.  Range rods are a convience but IMHO not critical until you goof up and have to pull a ball for whatever reason!  Then you really want to know the guy with the CO2 Discharge system in his kit 

[isaacdavis1214]

So can you screw in attachments like a jag,ball puller,patch puller ect in the wooden ram rod or is that only for a Range rod?

[Dogshirt]

A wooden ramrod will have a brass "thimble" on one or both ends, one of which will be
threaded to accept attachments. Some have a jag that will screw off to accept male threaded attachments.

[flintboomer]

Since you are getting a TC Renegade if the rod is original it will have one end that is cupped for pushing the ball down and the other end will be smaller and be threaded 10x32. Most of the TC rods were very good quality strong straight grained wood and could last a lifetime if handled properly, so don't be afraid to use it.

The size that a cleaning patch should be is partly subjective, but larger than the shooting patches. Commercial black powder cleaning patches are usually about 2 inches in diameter, but if you are making your own from old shirts, sheets, etc. they just heed to fit the jag with a fair amount of overlap and in most cases a square of flannel should be cut about 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 inches. Too large a patch will be too tight fitting and can result in a stuck rod, but a cleaning patch that is too small will come off the jag and you will have to find out the hard way about ball and patch pullers.

When buying precut shooting patches they will come sized for different calibers and you can use either the .40-.49 or the .50 to .58 size in your .50 caliber rifle. I like the fit of the .40-.49 patch better when I use precuts than I do the larger .50-.58 patches in my .50.