TC Maxihunter size

[Ken Rummer]

I bought a box of 20 54 cal, 435 gr Maxihunters.
The diameter measurers .542 which is also the land diameter on several of my 54s.

This can't be right. It will load with little or no force and will probably fall out if carried muzzle down.

Am I missing something?

 

[jtmattison]

Is .542 the bore or groove diameter of your rifles?

It should be the groove diameter and the bore diameter should be slightly smaller which would mean the lands will engrave the bullet.

The T/C bullet should be engraved by the rifling and held in place.

HD

 

[Ken Rummer]

These bullets are the same diameter (.542) as the diameter across the lands (.542). There won't be much engraving.

I have some Buffalo Bullets from Dixie Gun Works. They are the 310 gr Ball-et, are .554 diameter and will probably work just fine.

 

[jtmattison]

That's interesting that your bore diameter is oversize like that. The Ball-ets should work fine or you could paper patch the Maxi.

Either way, best of luck.

:hatsoff:

HD

 

[Kapow]

I had exactly the same experience recently with those bullets. I was shooting them out of a Lyman GPR with hunter 1:30 barrel. I got very poor accuracy with them. What rifle were you shooting them out of?

Incidentally the maxi ball bullets load perfectly and shoot straight. I wonder if an undersize batch came out. They definitely shouldnt be that loose. Even if they shot straight I wouldnt have confidence carrying them in the field as I could see a short started load situation happening for sure. Glad I only bought one packet to expriment with. Hope this helps.

 

[roundball]

I bought a box of 20 54 cal, 435 gr Maxihunters.
The diameter measurers .542 which is also the land diameter on several of my 54s.

This can't be right. It will load with little or no force and will probably fall out if carried muzzle down.

Am I missing something?

Unlss its a bad batch...check closely on 'where' you're measuring them.
I think the design of the maxi-Hunters is that the very top band, so called driving band...is actually a few thou large diameter than the rest of the body...the lands cut through that band and transfer the twist rotation...the rest of the body does not get engraved.
But I may be thinking of a Hornady GP bullet...anyhow, it'll only take a few seconds to check with the calipers.

I was never pleased with the accuracy from that particular size .54cal Maxi-hunter when I range tested them...was a little more plased but still not satisfied when I range testd .50cal Maxi-hunters...and in retrospect concluded it was more of a caliber/bullet length/weight issue than anything else based on what I read from others who tried different sizes within each of those calibers, that some sizes did better than others within a caliber.

By contrast, the .45cal/255grn Maxi-Hunter just laid them in there using a T/C .45cal standard 1:48" barrel...apparently a perfect match of caliber x length x weight...and were just devastating on deer.

 

[Ken Rummer]

They measure .540 at the base and .545 on all the other bands.

As I understand the mechanics of bullets and barrels these bullets would not be expected to shoot worth a darn. They would never expand into the grooves and would not have enough friction to stay on the powder charge when carried muzzle down.This could be dangerous.

This is a factory product made with the wrong sized dies and was probably made in a very large batch by TC's subcontractor. I bought them at Gander Mountain in the Pittsburgh area.

 

[Rat Trapper]

KV,
Did you try shooting those bullets?

 

[Ken Rummer]

I never tried loading or shooting them.

The problem was found when I measured the length and diameter for the purpose of calculating the Greenhill number. (This tells me which rifle twists will likely shoot them the best. I have rifles in 28, 48, 60, 66 and 72 inch twists)