Greetings,

I just wanted to let you know that I have had a Thompson Center Renegade .54 caliber caplock rifle for several years and have enjoyed it.

This year I drew out on a once-in-a-lifetime moose permit in Utah where I live. Normally a bowhunter, this year I chose to use my Renegade because of a shoulder problem. I had never used a muzzleloader for big game and so was very excited to be able to shoot a moose on the second day of the hunt. The rifle worked very well and with a 110gr load the bullet went straight through the moose which dropped within 60 yards.

As I understand, the Renegade is no longer produced, but nonetheless I want to say that it performed very well in rugged country and weather.

Thanks for a good product.

Here's what happened: Following an afternoon of heavy rain, my son-in-law and I went up into a wooded canyon which we had not been in before. A friend at church told us that he while bowhunting for deer he had been chased down the trail by a moose. As the rain eased, we put on our rain gear and hiked into the forest. About 30 minutes on the trail and with no sign of a moose other than bushes that had been munched on, we suddenly came upon fresh moose tracks.

Within 5 minutes we saw a bull moose standing broadside to us, uphill about 20 yards. Taking much longer to load than I liked, I was able to take a shot. I was able to hit him just above and little back of the shoulder joint. The bull ran and we shortly heard a crash. Climbing to the spot where he had been standing we found it had been on the same trail we were taking! The trail had made a switchback turn. As it turned out, the moose was only 50 yards ahead of us on the same trail!