T/C Maxi-Hunter Bullets????

[Idaho Elk Hunter]

In my 54 Caliber Renegade T/C rifle the 435 gr Maxi-Hunters are horrible with at least a 20+ inch group at 65 yds. Round Balls are excellent at same yards.

I have not shot them with Goex BP yet though as I just got Goex last week. And they go down almost too easy in my barrel, so maybe I need to step up the grains to maybe make them spread more to grip and seal on way out or something of that nature.

Appreciate any advice on using these bullets with this T/C Renegade 54 caliber as I would think they would almost have to work in this rifle made by same company as bullets are.


Jim in Idaho

 

[cayugad]

Jim Bob.. I have two .54 caliber T/C Renegades. I shoot 300 & 380 grain REAL conicals out of them and T/C maxiball (not maxihunter). I found that if I keep them around 80 grains of FFG the accuracy is excellent.

If that rifle is shooting roundball well, then I would not mess with it. Hunt with the roundball. .54 caliber roundball will stop almost anything I ever shot them into, right now. My one Renegade shoots a .530 homecast roundball with a .018 pillow tack patch and moosemilk lube over 50 grains of powder excellent when target plinking. If I bump that up to 90 grains the accuracy is still very good and is my hunting load.

I know for a fact (not something I am real proud of) that 90 grains of Pyrodex RS and a patched roundball go through one deer, dropping him in his tracks and kill a drop a second one that was hiding in the brush behind him on the spot also.

I am not saying that the conicals do not do a good job on deer because they do. I have shot quite a few with them. But if the rifle does not shoot them, well then find something it does shoot well. If it was shooting roundball, then I would still be happy. That's the beauty of the .54 caliber.

One thing you might want to try with the maxi-hunters.. put a wonderwad between them and the powder charge. I use wonderwads on any flat based conical, but never on a hollow based conical.... Just something to try.

 

[Mark Walker]

I'm calling tc, get back soon. Like to find out what they do to test these bullets.

Flincher

 

[lonewolf5347]

JIM: I just sent back my new englander for a chip in the stock while t/c had the gun 54 cal. I did mention to them the gun will always shoot high,even with the rear sight bottom out,I inreturn to solve the problen just installled a taller front sight.T/C did laszer the barrel and installed the factory front sight ,there load was 430 or 435 max-ball and 90 grains of goex 2f.I myself use a REAL conical and a wad 3f goex 85 to 90 grains 380 real bullet gun shoot great.
I have a 54 renegade flinter I just pick up and uses the same load

 

[musketman]

In my 54 Caliber Renegade T/C rifle the 435 gr Maxi-Hunters are horrible with at least a 20+ inch group at 65 yds. Round Balls are excellent at same yards.

Jim, look at the hollow points of the Maxi-Hunters, are they all in the same place?

I have seen many with holes off-center that don't shoot worth a darn, this could be the problem, not your rifle...

 

[Stumpkiller]

One thing you might want to try with the maxi-hunters.. put a wonderwad between them and the powder charge. I use wonderwads on any flat based conical, but never on a hollow based conical.... Just something to try.

I use 1/8" Ox-Yoke .510 fiber cards behind my Maxi-Hunters and R.E.A.L. conicals. This shaves maybe 1" off my 50 yards groups. But 20" at 65 yards!!! There is a chance you are getting blow-by, and a card might help that. If that's the case you should see much improvement. I think they're like $7/1,000 from Track of the Wolf, so it won't add too much to your expenses. They are untreated, unlike the Wonder Wads, and so cost 1/10 as much, and being light, don't slow your projectile down as much.

What powder charge are you using?

I was told by a black powder cartridge shooter that a flat based conical needs a wad so the powder doesn't "Peen" the bullet's base.

 

[musketman]

I was told by a black powder cartridge shooter that a flat based conical needs a wad so the powder doesn't "Peen" the bullet's base.

I was told just the opposite...

A flat based bullet needs to sit right on the powder to expand and fill the grooves apon firing... :hmm:

 

[tna]

i tried 275grn t/c maxi hunters for my 50 cal hawken. not quite 20" groups but it was bad. went back to roundballs.

lone wolf. did thompson charge you to reset the sights? mine have to be all the way down and just about all the way to the left. no room for adjustment.

 

[lonewolf5347]

Hawken50 no charge for the fix,the gun always shot excellent but since I did return it for the stock repair I thought I would have them look at it .I did speak with one of the guys who work there and did mention that the barrel was test fired and had to re=lazered .i also ask them if I could get the gun back for the early m/l season in PA ,they ship it back two-day UPS Air service spoke with them on Monday ,Had the gun back Wed. afternoon (NO CHARGE)

 

[roundball]

TC Hawkens may not be "PC", but the total package with lifetime warranty is unbeatable for a blue-collar guy like me...except for one, every one I've bought has been a used one for a couple hundred bucks or so, refinish the stock, get TC to handle worn stuff, and as a result, I'm able to have more rifles, different calibers, percs, flints, in like new condition, than if I was only buying new ones (or gosh forbid, so called custom rifles!)
::

 

Musketman - the quote was for a BP ctg. gun. The reason is to protect the bullet's base from the powder & help prevent gs cutting, not peening of the bullet's base. That isn't important, but does happen. In a CTG. gun, the bullet is already groove dia. and need not expand at all & that's why they can be cast from Linotype or other hard alloy.
: It's muzzleloading rifles that need bullet obturation to fill the grooves, therefore soft, pure lead or almost pure lead must be used in them. An oxyoke or fibre wad won't prevent obturation with heavy loads, and will definitely protect the bullet's base as well. They can also help eliminate leading, which can be a very serious problem in a ML gun. Leading is easy to see in a breechloader, but not so easy when you cannot open the breech.
: Many fast twist rifles that refuse to shoot accurately with slugs, possibly do so because of leading. The wads, whether card of fibre can HELP prevent leading. Bores that are shot with lubricated naked lead bullets must be smooth.
Daryl