Anyone else use the old Thompson Center Maxi Ball system bullets for hunting?

[Military Collector]

I have been getting back into shooting TC Hawkens with my father and recently picked up a couple of NOS TC Maxi Ball molds in 45 and 50 cal for casting my own bullets for future hunts. Does anyone else use these bullets and any special advise on use or load and fire away like normal?

 

[Freedom]

The maxi can be quite difficult to load. And there performance on game seems to be no better than a patched roundball...
But don't feel bad, most of us have a drawer full of useless moulds, and a big leftover supply of Maxi`s that were cast in 1978.

 

[Patocazador]

I used to use maxiballs and they did a fine job on game. IMO, they performed better on deer than round balls due to the increased mass. One deer was knocked down by a maxi hit through the lungs; it got back up but fell again after running in a small circle.

The trick is to have them fit very tightly in the barrel so they don't come off the powder. Casting different percentages of tin with the lead can sometimes work by increasing diameter; another way is to use a tight fitting wad on both ends. One to seal the gases and the other to keep the maxi in place.

 

[Dave91]

I hunt with a .50 caliber T/C Hawken with 90 grains of Pyrodex behind a 325 grain maxi-ball. It shoots great and has done the job well on several deer I've taken with that rifle. My bore is good and I haven't had any difficulty loading, even after just firing a shot. I don't cast my own, though. The ones I shoot are made and lubed by T/C.

 

[Christophero]

Maxiballs are fine projectiles, they just don't expand all that much on thin skinned deer. I switched over to TC MaxiHunters years ago as they didn't pencil through as much but mushroomed out a bit more. If I had a bunch of Maxballs, I would use them. Might use the drill press and give a slight hollow point, but would certainly use them and kill game.

 

[SDSmlf]

I have been getting back into shooting TC Hawkens with my father and recently picked up a couple of NOS TC Maxi Ball molds in 45 and 50 cal for casting my own bullets for future hunts. Does anyone else use these bullets and any special advise on use or load and fire away like normal?

In testing I was involved with years ago (before everyone had a phone with a camera, so no photographs), found that the top band or ring on the maxi-ball collapsed back into the large lube ring just under it, creating what could almost be called a spire point when shot into soft tissue. Conicals with a wide flat nose or a hollow point expand reliably in soft tissue. Believe this is the major reason TC came out with their Maxi-Hunter design after their Max-Ball had over penetration and poor expansion issues. My testing was done with 54 caliber Maxi-Balls and Maxi-Hunters cast from TC molds using ‘pure’ lead (believe I still have both molds). Using the same gun and powder charge, the expansion difference was dramatic.

For hunting, figure out what’s accurate in your gun and have at it, be Maxi Ball, Maxi Hunter or a roundball. For most of the game we hunt your choice of a 54 caliber projectile will make little difference. It just has to be accurate.

 

[Military Collector]

The maxi can be quite difficult to load. And there performance on game seems to be no better than a patched roundball...
But don't feel bad, most of us have a drawer full of useless moulds, and a big leftover supply of Maxi`s that were cast in 1978.

Ya I've noticed the difficult getting it started in the Barrel, but once in no issues. I've shot patched round balls too and they preform well too. Only real reason I got the molds was I got a great deal on them and figured why not give 'em a try.

MC

 

[Military Collector]

I used to use maxiballs and they did a fine job on game. IMO, they performed better on deer than round balls due to the increased mass. One deer was knocked down by a maxi hit through the lungs; it got back up but fell again after running in a small circle.

The trick is to have them fit very tightly in the barrel so they don't come off the powder. Casting different percentages of tin with the lead can sometimes work by increasing diameter; another way is to use a tight fitting wad on both ends. One to seal the gases and the other to keep the maxi in place.

Thanks for the tip on the wads I'll have to give that a try next time I take my Hawkens out.

MC

 

[R Ellis]

Ya I've noticed the difficult getting it started in the Barrel, but once in no issues. I've shot patched round balls too and they preform well too. Only real reason I got the molds was I got a great deal on them and figured why not give 'em a try.

MC

Its made with the bottom ring a little over size to engage the rifling . So the hard start. As for the people talking about expansion I don't get it because it is already as large as most unmentionable bullets after they expand. I have and use them in 45- 50 and 54

 

[cynthialee]

yeah didn't like them at all
If I am going to shoot conicals I use the TC Maxi Hunter 275 grain in my .50 TC Hawken. Those work great.

 

[Hawk54]

All I ever shot out of my TC .50 Hawken for hunting deer.

 

[SDSmlf]

Its made with the bottom ring a little over size to engage the rifling . So the hard start. As for the people talking about expansion I don't get it because it is already as large as most unmentionable bullets after they expand. I have and use them in 45- 50 and 54

Something must have changed as TC originally marketed the Max-Ball as having it’s initial or lower bands under bore size (easy to load) and the top band over bore size so as to engage the rifling, very similar to Lee REAL concept. Below is the blurb from a 1980 TC catalog. Wonder when they started making the bottom ring larger? I have yet to see any of those.

As far expansion, yep, the Maxi-Ball tends to pencil though most game with little if any expansion unless none is hit. That’s why they came out with the Maxi-Hunter. Doesn’t mean either one doesn’t take game.

 

[smokepolehall]

I like them, i use them in my T/C Hawken .45. I have a mold to cast some when i need to. They will certainly put the hurt on tick toters

 

[deerstalkert]

i cast and use them in both 50 and 54. i used a block of teflon, drilled a hole just the bullet diameter, then drilled a .25 hole perpendicular to the hole and threaded a zerk into the side. i insert the maxi into its matching hole and pump the bottom groove full of a lube i made and filled a grease gun with.
with a 1/8 inch felt patch over the powder they both shoot about 2.5 " at 50 yards.

 

[morehops52]

I've used nothing but maxis for decades. I've found them to be very accurate and hard hitting. I settled in on 80g of 3f a 370g maxi for my T/C Hawken. They shoot well from all of my 1:48 twist rifles.

 

[Bigpete]

I've used them in my .36,they worked well on rabbits and foxes but not so great on the goat I shot,double lunged her at 40m and she ran about 50m with barely any blood. I was going to investigate getting a hollow point mould made but in the end I've got 50 calibres that do a better job with round ball

 

[Military Collector]

I've used nothing but maxis for decades. I've found them to be very accurate and hard hitting. I settled in on 80g of 3f a 370g maxi for my T/C Hawken. They shoot well from all of my 1:48 twist rifles.

Have you ever chronographed your load to see how fast it is coming out of the barrel?

 

[morehops52]

I forgot to mention that I coned my barrels so that my maxis would load easier and straighter. You still need some effort to get the top ring engraved but it has made life much better at the range and in the field. My Hawken still shoots 1.25" at 50 yds so if there was any lose of accuracy the deer don't notice!

 

[morehops52]

Have you ever chronographed your load to see how fast it is coming out of the barrel?

Never had a chrony or borrowed one. I can tell you the those slugs are moving fast enough to drop a deer in its tracks. There are plenty of ballistic tables that would get pretty close to actual fps.

 

[user 48679]

Maxiballs are fine projectiles, they just don't expand all that much on thin skinned deer.

I switched over to TC MaxiHunters years ago as they didn't pencil through as much but mushroomed out a bit more.

Ditto.......