Antique T/C Maxi-Ball Couple questions

[Pigpopper]

Picked up this box up Maxi-Balls for $5. Opened it up and the lube is caked and falling off. Should I just re-lube the bullets before I shoot them and what lube would you recommend?

Also, what is the slowest rate twist barrel to shoot Maxi-Balls? If the barrel twist is too slow, will the bullets simply start tumbling?

Thanks,

 

[bubba.50]

I would re-lube or at least smear on some new lube over the dry stuff.

I shot maxi-balls and Lee real bullets in my 54cal great plains with perfectly acceptable accuracy.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The T/C Maxiball was developed by Lyman for use in the T/C Hawkwn and Renegade for the 1 in 48 twist shallow rifling.

Grease them up and use them

 

[Loyalist Dave]

You can find a shallow, plastic container at a Dollar Store. Remove the old lube from the bullets, and you could simply melt it down with some additional lube. For conicals I like 50/50 beeswax and olive oil or lard (unsalted). Place the bullets into the plastic container, and pour in the melted lube until it reaches the top edge of the upper groove. Allow to cool and harden and then remove the bullets. .

1:48 was what they were working with when they were developed as Mike pointed out. There are rifles out there that shoot a "conical" bullet, and have a much slower twist rate...i.e. the "3-Band" Enfield, but they often use a "skirted" bullet, aka a minie-ball, not a flat bottom such as you have. I tried the TC Maxi-Hunters once in a 1:60 twist rate barrel made in Spain..., then tumbled like a football kicked for a field-goal. .

LD

 

[Pigpopper]

Thanks for the replies. I will give the 50/50 beeswax and oil a try.

 

[Nodrama43]

great information. I bought out a soon to be retired muzzleloader shop in Ky last year and probably have 40 unopened boxes of pre-lubed conicals of different varying manufacturers and weights. On most of them the lube has literally turned to dust so I will need to do the same thing and re-lube them. I already have the bees wax and olive oil so I will be good to go. Will be a good project this weekend when it is raining.

 

[Don Steele]

Thanks for the replies. I will give the 50/50 beeswax and oil a try.

When I’m “pan lubing” bullets with a relatively soft BP lube I use a piece of thin walled hard plastic of correct I.D. as a sort of field expedient “ Kake-Kutter” ( old Lyman product). .50” ID works for 50 cal. As LD suggests put the bullets in a pan then pour in the warm liquid lube. Let it set up until it hardens then push the tube over the bullet to the bottom of the pan and extract. Takes longer to explain than it does to do.
Hope this helps.

 

[azmntman]

Years ago I bought 12 boxes of Great Plans Hornady .45 conicals, at that time I didn't have a .45 but at $2.00 a box I grabbed em all. I now have a TC hawken .45 but have yet to try em. On other calibers when I would hunt with conicals (always Great Plains per extreme accuracy) I would open em and see the lube cracked and dried like yours. I just loaded em up. My old .50 CVA would do 2" groups at 90 yds with the old lube.

 

[Pigpopper]

When I’m “pan lubing” bullets with a relatively soft BP lube I use a piece of thin walled hard plastic of correct I.D. as a sort of field expedient “ Kake-Kutter” ( old Lyman product). .50” ID works for 50 cal. As LD suggests put the bullets in a pan then pour in the warm liquid lube. Let it set up until it hardens then push the tube over the bullet to the bottom of the pan and extract. Takes longer to explain than it does to do.
Hope this helps.

Got ya Don. Great tip.

 

[Don Steele]

This question comes up occasionally.
Someone took the time to call the good folks at Hornady about it and was advised that the dry lube would still do it’s job as long as it’s still on the bullet.
I love the 50 cal 385 gn Great Plains in my 1:48 T/C barrel. I set it up with “ Fire Sights “ front and rear for hunting the thick cover in S. E. Georgia where shots on game come up close and personal. Call it my “ Hog Rifle”. I’ve recovered one of them from a hog. Got back a textbook mushroom, expanded to .80” and retained 90% of it’s original wt.

 

[Nodrama43]

I used the 50/50 beeswax/olive oil formula yesterday evening and it worked very well for some new unlubed T/C maxi-balls. I also have 6 boxes of the discontinued Hornady Great Plains conical in 410 grains. I went ahead and pan lubed some of them as well. I use a Thompson Center quick load tube to separate them from the pan. It works very well as long as you only wait about 15 minutes before removing the bullets.

 

[Pigpopper]

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Howie1968]

Pigpopper, I found 14 boxes of the same maxi you are using every last one of them the lube is cracked or falling off. the first couple boxes I pan lubed with a 50-50 mix of Crisco and beeswax. I was talking to a ole timer and he said why are you relubing? he said shoot them the way they are. so I put a wonder wad over the powder seated the bullet on top of the powder and wad and never looked back. I swab between shots and so far they hit to the same point of impact. ive got some great plains 425 gr that the lube comes off, while after a hunt I blow them out of the barrel with a co2 discharger wipe them off and re use them, I was told they put way more lube on them that is needed. this is how I do it in my muzzleloaders

 

[dave524]

Shot my first deer over 40 years ago with one of those out of a 1-66 twist CVA Mountain Rifle, I also had a mold for 250 grain Lee REAL slugs which supposedly should have shot better out of the slow twist barrel, they didn't , go figure . I rolled my own , never tailor mades.

 

[Mad Professor]

Not maxis, but hornady GP in same shape. They will load/shoot fine. But I worry hunting with dry lube the conical coming off the charge. It has done this in my 54 w/425 gr GP bullets. Check the load or use lube that is solid at your hunting temperatures (e.g. frozen lube won't move, deer fat rendered). Regardless, check your load with a marked ramrod. Same thing with Buffalo bullets....

 

[appalichian hunter]

Set them in a old cookie sheet use a hair dryer the hand held kind ( do not, I repeat do not let the wife catch you with her hair dryer) and melt the old lube out of the grease rings wipe the bullets down with some paper towels or a old rag, re-lube with what ever you use. I believe the original lube was (gasp) bore butter.

 

[oldwolf]

Some good tips here. This weekend I cast some conicals for my Ruger Old Army. I was wondering what the best way was to fill the lube grooves. Now I have a method to try. Thanks.

 

[Stantheman86]

I bought a candle melter for like $5 and a small pyrex bowl . Works great for melting beeswax.

 

[foresthawk]

Could you not use "bore butter" product by Thompson Center as the lube?
I mean, any reason why that would or would not work?