Maxi ball vs maxi hunter performance

[Cbriggs57]

Morinin', fellow shooters. I have a 54 cal T/C Hawken. Bought it with accessories that included maxi-hunters. A friend just gave me some original T/C-style maxi-balls he casts. I haven't shot them yet, but plan on deer hunting with this rifle. I've heard stories of maxi-balls not being as effective on deer as the hunters, but the maxi-balls are reputed to be more accurate. Have any of you had actual experience with this? I'd be grateful for real-life experiences.
Moderators, I'm unsure if this is the right sub-forum. Please move as you see fit.

 

[roundball]

I've heard stories of maxi-balls not being as effective on deer as the hunters.

For whatever this might be worth, I'll at least share my experiences with them in a different caliber.
When I first started with a .45cal T/C Hawken, I wanted a heavier projectile for deer hunting as I had no experience at that time with round balls. And because of seeing many posts about the unpredictability of Maxi-Ball terminal performance...as you apparently have...I never risked trying them.

As a result, I can only speak to my experiences with .45cal / 255grn Maxi-Hunters for two years of range testing and deer hunting before switching to PRBs. Never had any issues with Maxi-Hunter accuracy, and the Maxi-Hunters were devastating on several Eastern whitetails at typical woods shot distances out to 70 yards I used them.

It might not be safe to assume the exact same thing would apply to your .54cal, but if it was me, my first purchase would be Maxi-Hunters...and then only spend money on Maxi-Balls if there was some problem with the Maxi-Hunters out of your rifle.

NOTE: I'll add that I got better accuracy and zero leading from using an Oxyoke prelubed wool wad over the powder charge before seating the Maxi on down.

 

[BrownBear]

I've shot a lot of them, but never at game. However, a bud of mind loves them and takes all his game with one or the other.

He started out with a 50 cal years ago, and moved up to 54 cal about 10 years back. He sezz he sees a little better penetration with the Maxi-ball in 50 caliber, but can't tell a difference with the 54 because both have fully penetrated every deer he's taken with either.

He's found that one of his rifles prefers the Hunter, while two others prefer the Ball, in terms of accuracy. Both kill like crazy, so he just tests the rifle to see which is most accurate, then uses that without a worry.

One thing he found that might "enlighten" that fact. He uses his CO2 discharger to remove loads at the end of the day. He's found that seating in his tight bores completely closes the hollow in the nose of the Hunter, rendering it more or less the same shape as the Ball. Food for thought, in his eyes anyway.

 

[gonpce]

I have killed deer with both and honestly can't tell any difference, they both have always exited on the other side. Very good on deer. I'd shoot the one that is the most accurate.

 

[longcruise]

My exp is with the maxi ball in .50. Have never used the maxi hunter. The maxi ball worked fine on deer and elk, but a .50 rb killed deer as quick and in some cases quicker. A .54 rb killed elk quicker than a .50 maxi ball.

I think a flatter nose slug would outperform the maxi ball.

A few years ago a friend shot a medium cow moose with a .54 maxi hunter at about 30 yards. That worked ok.

It's just my personal preference, but I think a .54 cal is excessive for the use of bullets. They are big and heavy and recoil is severe.

Deer are small! A .54 is big! A round ball is more than adequate. Not trying to push the tiresome "RB is trad and conical is modern" issue, just speaking to practicality.

 

[coloradoclyde]

My experience is similar...never shot the maxi hunter but shot some Buffalo bullets back in the 80's.....didn't like 'em. I've shot Maxi balls in 50,45,and 32 they are very accurate.
The only one I still shoot out of a muzzleloader is the 50.....the 45 bullet got repurposed to a BP 45-70 bullet and the 32 to a 8mm gallery load.

I still prefer a round ball to any other projectile.

 

[Patocazador]

I have had experience only with the .50 cal. Maxi-ball from 2 rifles. One has a 1:48 twist and the other a 1:24 twist. Both guns shoot the Maxi-ball accurately and I have killed 8 deer with the Maxi-ball. All but one dropped at the shot. The one that didn't was hit in the jugular vein and bled out after running 50 yards. The longest shot was 65 yards and the shortest was 18 yards.

Since I have had such good results with the Maxi-ball, I wouldn't consider switching.

It sounds to me that the two bullets are equitable. Pick the most accurate.

 

[cynthialee]

I never use them but I have maxi hunter bullets for my T/C's, both .54 and .50
I save them just in case I ever need to shoot something really big like an elk, moose or bear. For deer I load with a PRB. Hoping that this year will be my year to take a Bambi with a black powder firearm.

Like you I got a couple boxes of conicals from the man who sold me my first hunting rifle. So I was shooting them at first.
I stopped shooting the conicals the day I shot my first PRB. The amount of recoil from those conicals just beats me up too much. Also seeing my hunting partner take a good sized deer with a PRB, combined with all the pictures of deer harvested with PRB I have seen here on the forums I see no need for the conicals.

Add in the issue with conicals coming off the powder ...

 

[longcruise]

Add in the issue with conicals coming off the powder ...

Now ya went an done it!! Katy bar the door!

 

[cynthialee]

Add in the issue with conicals coming off the powder ...

Now ya went an done it!! Katy bar the door!

well...it happens

I musta went pale the day I went to shoot and I saw my bullet sticking part way out of my muzzle. Glad I spotted it in time and didn't pull the trigger!

 

[roundball]

Add in the issue with conicals coming off the powder ...

Now ya went an done it!! Katy bar the door!

well...it happens
I musta went pale the day I went to shoot and I saw my bullet sticking part way out of my muzzle. Glad I spotted it in time and didn't pull the trigger!

Amen...2012 when I was prepping to run range tests with 'oldnamvet's custom .40cal x 200grn REAL conical, I loaded one in the garage and handled, moved around, shook the Late Lancaster up and down for a minute, then checked to find the conical halfway up he bore.
So I then experimented with some over-sized tight fitting card stock I cut...wasn't satisfied.
Then tried a tight fitting .45cal felt wad...and went with the felt wad as it wedged on top of the REAL very tightly.
Had no negative effect on accuracy at the range or taking deer in the field.

 

[longcruise]

well...it happens

Oh, I know! The wife and I were deer hunting and I saw something poke out the end of her barrel and then go back down. Thought it was a mouse. :haha: Was the conical.

A friend had the same thing happen with his renegade and buffaloe bullet. He is the only one that has not switched to round balls! :shocked2:

My ref to katy bar the door is to the fact that conicals moving in the bore usually set of a three or four page discussion. :shocked2:

 

[Supercracker]

If you really want to use conicals, wouldn't paper patching them deal with this issue? I say that as a genuine question, not a statement as I have no experience with paper patching.

I do know that lots and lots of double rifles were made in the 19C that were intended to use conicals. If the bullet moving off the powder in the unfired barrel were a common problem it seems like that wouldn't be the case.

That said, I've seen (at an auction) one Purdey DR that actually had instructions to use a paper patch written on either the trade label or loading instructions included with the gun. So I was thinking maybe that's how they handled it.

Just a thought.

 

[BrownBear]

If you really want to use conicals, wouldn't paper patching them deal with this issue?

Oh yeah. The friend who likes the two Maxi's so much wraps his in teflon plumbing tape. He's a plumber anyway and always has some around. Eases seating as it tightens the maxi in the bore, according to him.

 

[Vaino]

Started out w/ Maxiballs in my .50 TC Hawken and didn't like them for 2 reasons....they looked like a weird, modern creation and they were hard loading in a fouled bbl.

So went to a Buffalo Bullet and they weren't quite as difficult to load w/ a fouled bbl, the "shape" wasn't "modern" and the accuracy was excellent.

But....after a couple of "moving up the bbl" episodes, tried some newspaper on top of the bullet but the accuracy really went to pot.

Pure, soft lead doesn't spring back after loading, so the friction is minimal in keeping the bullet on the powder. In a fouled bbl, the bullet doesn't move.

The solution for my peace of mind and not having to often check where the bullet is while hunting, is the PRB.

This MLer is still in use for elk using the Buffalo Bullet and has shot quite a few w/o a whole lot of tracking, but the user has to still check for bullet movement fairly often w/ a clean bbl......Fred

 

[Christophero]

First deer I shot with my 50 was with a maxiball. 50 caliber hole in, 50 caliber hole out. Bought a maxihunter mold and shot dozens of deer with them until my first prb kill last year. Better sized exits. Both did the job, though. Accuracy for both conicals is outstanding. Never had one move up the barrel.

 

[BrownBear]

...50 caliber hole in, 50 caliber hole out....

Oh yeah. And they're probably still whistling downrange after the pass through.

Only Maxiball I've seen recovered was a 50 found while helping my bud skin and hang a nice buck he'd shot face-on in the chest at a little over 50 yards. The buck ran about 100' before dropping.

Entrance hole mid-brisket, and I felt a lump on the back of the left ham up near the top. Probed with my knife point and out popped the Maxi. The nose was smeared just a little, and the only other sign of firing was the rifling marks. That after going through close to 4' of deer.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

My experience with the Maxi-hunter was with a .50 caliber, Italian barrel with a 1:48 twist 39" long...I found that the maxi-hunter in it's lowest weight for that caliber was the best shooting by far of the TC maxi-ball/Maxi-hunter family. I took it moose hunting, but alas I did not get a chance at a field test on a moose.

I then sold that rifle and got a better rifle in .54 for round ball...so I cannot say if impact performance was any better than a TC Maxi-Ball.

I have found though that a patched, round ball, has no problems out to 110 yards with my present rifle against deer, and much less kick.

LD

 

[Rat Trapper]

I have never found a conical to have moved off the powder in my rifle. those Hornady great plains bullets load very hard in my Tc 50 cal hawken and that may be why. They do shoot very well for me.

 

[mnbearbaiter]

Maxi balls for elk, black bear, etc and the Maxi hunters will put deer down hard and fast but I wouldn't shoot anything with a hollow point any bigger than a deer. My $.02