Loose fitting conicals

[jtmattison]

I recently acquired a T/C Maxi-ball mould in .54, 430 grain.
I cast up a bunch and hit the range.
I tried them first in my deerstalker with decent results, about two inch group at 50 yards. What surprised me is they are very loose loading. They do not engage the rifling at all, they just slip right down. Anyone who has shot a Maxi-ball knows they are supposed to engage the rifling.
Today I tried them in my Trade Rifle and had very impressive results. They clover leafed at 50 yards. They loaded just as loose in this rifle.
I have a hard time believing they shot so good after loading so loose.
I wanted to use them for hunting very big game but I don't feel comfortable with a loose bullet down bore while hunting.
Oh well, what's a man to do?

Huntin

 

[Rebel]

Paper patch them?

 

I recently acquired a T/C Maxi-ball mould in .54, 430 grain.
I cast up a bunch and hit the range.
I tried them first in my deerstalker with decent results, about two inch group at 50 yards. What surprised me is they are very loose loading. They do not engage the rifling at all, they just slip right down. Anyone who has shot a Maxi-ball knows they are supposed to engage the rifling.
Today I tried them in my Trade Rifle and had very impressive results. They clover leafed at 50 yards. They loaded just as loose in this rifle.
I have a hard time believing they shot so good after loading so loose.
I wanted to use them for hunting very big game but I don't feel comfortable with a loose bullet down bore while hunting.
Oh well, what's a man to do?

Huntin

Jest be careful when use'em fer hunt'n,.... if the conical bullet moves forward off the powder-charge while carry'n yore rifle, the bullet will act as a "barrel obstuction" and the barrel may rupture!!

YMHS
rollingb

Roundballs can kill anythin thet bleeds!!

 

[rabjr]

I never tried paper patching on maxi type bullets, never had a reason to. But when I used White 460 gr buckbuster bullets I used to wrap em with .0011 patch paper and they worked wonderfully. They enabled me to load and hunt without fouling the barrel first and the bullet stayed put. Might be worth a try on your maxi's.

 

[JoeC]

Huntin....
Be carefull of those slugs ,if they are as loose as you
say they are . As rollingb said they can move foward off of
the powder charge . Years ago , when i first started with
BP guns most of us used the TC guns and maxi-balls .and
there WAS MORE THAN ONE TIME that, part-way through a day of hunting , i saw a maxi sticking out the end of a barrel , or you could see it just below the muzzle of the barrel .
Might be a good idea to load one and then try thumping the muzzle of the barrel on the floor ,( actually a block of wood so you don't damage the muzzle,or the floor!!!!! ), and MAKE SURE , that the slug won't move foward. Definately looking for a
bulged barrel if you shoot it with the ball about 1/2 way down bore.

Joe

 

[cayugad]

How many grains of powder are you using in your Trade Rifle? I loaded some of them the other day in my Trade Rifle and they loaded great but I would not describe them as loose.

I tried shooting them with 100 grains of Goex 2f and did not get the kind of groups I was expecting. Also that curved butt plate and that load pounded the devil out of my shoulder. Of course it was a warm day in the high 30

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

If you're not using pure lead, the bullets could be shrinking as they cool. The Maxi should fit the bore of the rifle, and the top band should engrave the rifling as you load it.

When I was hunting with the Maxi, I got in the habit of checking several times a day to make sure that the bullet was still seated firmly on the powder.

 

I recently acquired a T/C Maxi-ball mould in .54, 430 grain.
I cast up a bunch and hit the range.
I tried them first in my deerstalker with decent results, about two inch group at 50 yards. What surprised me is they are very loose loading. They do not engage the rifling at all, they just slip right down. Anyone who has shot a Maxi-ball knows they are supposed to engage the rifling.
Today I tried them in my Trade Rifle and had very impressive results. They clover leafed at 50 yards. They loaded just as loose in this rifle.
I have a hard time believing they shot so good after loading so loose.
I wanted to use them for hunting very big game but I don't feel comfortable with a loose bullet down bore while hunting.
Oh well, what's a man to do?

Huntin

First I would stop all shotting with them and next I would mic the muzzle with a good set of inside micrometers and make sure you barrel is .54 and not slightly over sized.
All barrels are not exactly .50 , .54 , .58 , ect.
Then check the dia. of the maxi with the mic and see what the difference between the two.
This will give you a good idea as to what your have to start with.

Woody

 

[jtmattison]

I was shooting 100 grains of Goex 2f.
They grouped outstanding. They just load too easy for my liking.
I expect the bottom bands to slide in easy and having to smack it with a short starter to get the top band in.
These just push right in with no effort.
I don't feel there is any danger with them as long as I make sure the bullet stays seated.

The lead I use is pure. All other bullets I mold come out right to specs. These are a bit small for some reason. It is a genuine T/C mould.

To me they load like a slip fit minie ball.

Huntin

 

[scott k]

I have a trade rifle and a tc hawken shoot prb's out of both and the trade rifle has to have a bigger bore or something. It's a lot harder to get the same ball and patch down the hawken barrel. Was trying .495 balls in the Lyman trade gun and I know I would never get it in the tc hawken. .495 balls loaded in the trade gun with out a problem.
Lehigh...

 

[jtmattison]

You're right. My Trade Rifle shoots better with a .535 than a .530. Same with my deerstalker, but not so with my Great Plains Rifle. The GPR orefers .530.

Huntin

 

[riarcher]

Had simular situation with the T/C Maxi in a .45. The middle land hit very lightly.
Melted some Alox Lube in a can, stood the minies up in anouther and poured the lube over the maxies. Had a brass/bronze metric bushing sharpened like a wad cutter (metric was slightly oversized to the maxie) and trimmed the lube around the maxi while cooling. Worked just fine as the lube is rather hard and with a good bore thumping (barrel down) they never moved.
:results:

 

[Joel/Calgary]

I vaguely recall mention of using shotgun overshot cards to keep loose conicals down on the powder. Can't recall if there were any effects on accuracy. You could try finding some 28ga ones, or make your own with a 14mm (0.551") or 9/16" (.563") punch. Milk cartons ought to be thick enough to work since it does not need to withstand powder gasses or recoil; if not cereal boxes work well in my fowler.

Then again, my OLD Pedersoli .50 rifle is really a .51 with interior dimensions of .510 by .520, and I'm going to be trying paper-patched 250gr Lee REALs. The upper band at .514 (pure lead) is the only one that engages at all, and just barely at that. Right now, two wraps of 25% cotton onion-skin paper looks promising, in theory. If this works, I may be able to extend the patch into a somewhat flimsy cartridge and simplify loading.

Please let us know what works for you.

Good luck,
Joel

 

[bearbeater]

hey
All this talk got me thinking. I just bought a cva 36 cal squirel rifle and I have alot of 357 cast slugs and all lubed up and stuff. so I just tried one and the bottom just cut the groovs. the fit is alittle loose. I dont think I can paper patch them but I do have a better fit in my 54cal TC renegade when I use my REAL conicals. I think I will try these. Anyone ever have tried this before??
Bearbeater

 

[LRB]

I agree with Joel. Try the over shot cards, and test it to see that the bullet does not shift under reasonable conditions.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

I just bought a cva 36 cal squirel rifle and I have alot of 357 cast slugs and all lubed up and stuff. so I just tried one and the bottom just cut the groovs. the fit is alittle loose.

If they are solid-base bulets, you could try them with a wonder-wad (or a homemade equivalent) underneath.

Joel

 

[merdean]

I tried this a number of years ago. Same CVA .36. Bullets were hand cast .358 SWC, 158gr from Lee mold. Used some felt wads for my .36 Navy. The gun went BANG! The bullets went downrange. Some even hit a target...just not the one I was shooting at. I had very poor accuracy and it was a waste of my time. Took those .358 SWC back to the loading bench and put them where they belonged...

:m2c: :results:

 

[bearbeater]

hey I mic'd the boe and the slugs. on my 36 cal
grooves= .362
lands= .357
slug (swc)= .358
lands does cut allof the swc. I think I can resize them and try it. I have alot of these things.
what do you think??
Bearbeater

 

[jtmattison]

I'd put a wonder wad under it and try it.
Can't hurt to try.

Huntin

 

[riarcher]

OUCH!
I just made a nasty discovery!!!!
I just got a new (condition-in box) .45 maxi off Ebay.
After dropping a couple of doz. I started looking them over. :hmm:
With the micromer I'm getting .451 (ish) major dia.
The older mold was throwing a .456 maj. dia.!!! ::
The .451 is a T/C maxi-ball
The .456 is a Lyman.
Now I've got your problem! The T/C's fall in!
And I gave my older mould to the boy. :cry:
That .005 makes all the diff. in the world. (they slide all the way to the bottom and back out,,, without help!)