Just bought a 40 cal T/C renegade with a green mountain barrel. Looking to learn more about this rifle.
Can I assume this should be riffled for PRB or do they make a 40cal connical?

Anyone hunt with a 40cal? I have read it is popular for targets, but might be a little big for squirrel and a little small for deer. Not that I don't plan to use it where I see it fits, just wondering if anyone else does.

Is there a M.L. forum anyone can point me to?

Any guess on a value? I got it for 150$ at an auction. I think it was a great deal, rifle is in impecable shape.

best source for ml products is probably Dixie Gun Works. If you want conical bullets for your rifle, they will have them. I shoot a .32 cal. with .310 round balls and that is squirrel head shots only. Your .40 will be about the same.
Some states(mine) don't allow .40 cal for deer hunting.
Not sure which style of bullet the renegade was designed to shoot. That will depend on the twist of the riflings. I'm sure you can find plenty of info on that by typing the right key words into an internet search. Include T/c in your search. your rifle may shoot both style bullets acceptably well with the right load of powder. You will need to experiment with it to find out.
I shoot 3F black powder in mine. 30 grains behind a .310 round ball works good for me hunting tree squirrels.

My problem is T/C didnt make the 40 cal as far as I can find. The barrel is custom from green mountain. I will check out Dixie gun works though. Thanks

make a call to green mountain, i bet they will tell ya all ya need to know.

I've shot squirrels in the head with my 50 & 54 and will say aim at the area in front of the eye and you can do fine with a 40 RB. on deer, I'm skeptical.
Do a search for 'muzzleloading black powder forums' or "traditional black powder forums", there are hundreds of forums and subforums on gun sites.

Also need to check you state game regs. Most have a minimum caliber for ML on deer. Some are .40 and some are larger.

From Wikipedia - Renegade: Barrel: 26” octagonal, 1:38 (50), 1:48 (50 & 54), 1: 66 (50 deep button rifling), smoothbore (56), Trigger: double set, Caliber: 50, 54 & 56, Stock: American Walnut, Status: discontinued, Ignition: flintlock & percussion

The 1:66 is the round ball rifling twist. Since yours appears to have been re-barreled, you can measure the twist rate yourself by using the method described here. http://www.bergerbullets.com/wp_super_faq/how-do-i-find-out-the-twist-in-my-barrel/

Here is some 40 cal info on a forum you can join. http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=7922.50

Ed beat me to it I was just looking for a place you could reference to check the twist. Green would not know what the barrel you have is rifled at because they have produced many versions.
Most of the TC I have seen were 1:48 and sold as compatible with either RB or conical as I recall, a compromise twist; the bullets were hard for me to get loaded straight and I've always used RB.

put a jag on your rod , a tight lubed patch , run the rod all the way down take a piece of tape put it around the rod right at the muzzle make a mark on the tape at 12 oclock pull the rod out till you get the mark to 3 oclock measure the distance multiply by 4 that is your twist.

on a modern center fire rifle you would pull till you were at 12 oclock again but on a 1:70 twist your going to run out of of before you get there. even on a 1:48 or 1:28 you can run out of rod.

it's a 40 so start with 40gr of powder and work up 5gr at a time till you find your best accuracy and then it hoes away again I would guess right around 45-50 gr you find a sweet spot.

in a spit patch a ball should take a good firm push with a short starter to go down but not need to make your hand sore beating on it

typically a .010 under bore ball with a .010 to .015 patch

track of the of the wolf is a great place for supplies it is in MN so it ships very fast to WI

good forum http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?16-Muzzleloading

is this your first muzzle loader or just your first cap lock?

just in case you didn't know , never pour powder from a flask or horn or can direct into the barrel even if the horn has a measure.

in WI is you want to hunt deer with a 40 you need a full bore conical to meat the 40cal minimum rule.

Congrats on the find! It should be fun to shoot.

40 caliber is the minimum caliber for hunting deer with a muzzleloader here...

That's a .390 or .395 ball... Not a lot of mass to it, shot placement would be critical. 40 caliber is a compromise between small game and large game. I would lean more towards small game with it myself...

American Longrifles forum has been mentioned as a good place to learn... I will second that notion.

Dixie Gun Works, Track of the Wolf, and The Possibles Shop are all good purveyors of everything muzzleloading.

Mike

We kill deer and squirrel with 40s it'll handle up to 80 grain. well, ares do! I rib thump or head shoot either one. I also load dowm my 45 with 40 grains and kill squrrels and eat um! Don't shoot them head on or going away and all is well. They'll be na sayer's but you can. Old hunters packed a lot of 40s and 44s cause they was good too load heavy or light and kill all ranges of game with. People say I can't load my 45 with 90grains and kill deer with round balls at 100 yards but I do!
Colt

Thanks guys I knew I could get a good start with info here.

This is my second caplock rifle. I have had a T/C hawken 50cal and a CVA trappers pistol 50 cal for the last 5 years. I use the hawken for deer hunting. There was the renegad 40 I bought, a 54, and a 56 in the auction all went for the same 150 range and 2 ml shotguns that went to the 200 range. I wish I could of bought them all.

I picked the 40 cuz I wanted a small game gun. I kinda like that is seems a little custom with the barrel and all. I'm also thinking maybe when the kids are in school full time next year I will be able to shoot a lot more. Maybe look for a club or even a competition to get into.

I have killed deer with my Hopkins and Allen 45 and no problem. We cant use the 40 cal here.

sounds like your kids may be a few years off but Wisconsin 4-H has a muzzle loading program one of the state shoots isn't to far from you.

WMLA Wiconsin Muzzle loaders Association might be of interest to you http://www.wiscmla.org/contact-us.html

.40 cal usually has a 1:48 twist - for PRB.

.395 round ball, with .018 pillow ticking patch, Mr. Flintlock lube on the patch and 40 - 60 grains of 3FFFg black powder.