When the Prelubed TC Maxiball leaves the barrel of a .50 with a healthy charge behind it, is there any of that grease/lube still on it to impact accuracy, create and imbalance..etc? or does it all melt and lube before leaving the barrel? any info appreciated.
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TC Maxi-Ball Lube
- Thread starter Pilgrim64
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longcruise
70 Cal.
I don't know about the accuracy part of your question, but this past fall a friend shoot a moose with a .54 maxi hunter which I found under the skin on the far side. It still had the lube on it.
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I've only seen one recovered from game, a 50 cal that went lengthwise through a deer at 50+ yards and stopped against the hide at the back of the hindquarter. It was home-cast and home-lubed, and I don't recall any lube at all.
Kinda begs the question of whether all that lube is needed or does any good. Another thing that begs the question, I've had reports from a friend that he gets the best accuracy from double coating his maxis in Liquid Alox, not filling the grooves at all.
I can't conceive any mechanism in the firing that would cause more lube to come off one side, which I'd think would be bad. It is easy to conceive of the maxi being loaded without all the grooves filled all the way around. It "seems" like that would produce an off-balance maxi and affect accuracy.
That said, it would be very easy to test this on target paper: Pack the grooves on one side of the bullet and minimally lube the other and compare groups with maxis fully packed with lube.
Kinda begs the question of whether all that lube is needed or does any good. Another thing that begs the question, I've had reports from a friend that he gets the best accuracy from double coating his maxis in Liquid Alox, not filling the grooves at all.
I can't conceive any mechanism in the firing that would cause more lube to come off one side, which I'd think would be bad. It is easy to conceive of the maxi being loaded without all the grooves filled all the way around. It "seems" like that would produce an off-balance maxi and affect accuracy.
That said, it would be very easy to test this on target paper: Pack the grooves on one side of the bullet and minimally lube the other and compare groups with maxis fully packed with lube.
That is really my point with the lube packed in the grooves - perhaps it would create an imbalance. I personally have home cast maxis that I give a coating of lube but dont fill the grooves.
Again - they work ok. I am not sold on them.
Again - they work ok. I am not sold on them.
Dave Rosenthal
70 Cal.
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Some stays on the bullet and some flies with the bullet and arrives around the same time as the bullet!
My friends and I shoot LOTS of .50 cal Maxi's out of our Lyman Trade Rifles and T/C Hawkens. When we do we call 'em "snot guns" cause the lube flies all of the way to the target 50 or more yards away! The rounds leave a ring from time to time, but mostly the lube hits the paper target.
As to deliberately attempting to throw-off the balance of the projectile by removing lube from just one side, I've never done it. In fact I and my friends do the exact opposite in an attempt to minimize as many variables which might effect accuracy as possible.
In our guns the groups tighten-up after a fouling shot or two, and then it reaches a point of diminishing returns. At that point a spit patch brings you back into the deep part of the black! Also at this time of year our groups suffer with the Maxi's and when it's warmer we do better.
Dave
My friends and I shoot LOTS of .50 cal Maxi's out of our Lyman Trade Rifles and T/C Hawkens. When we do we call 'em "snot guns" cause the lube flies all of the way to the target 50 or more yards away! The rounds leave a ring from time to time, but mostly the lube hits the paper target.
As to deliberately attempting to throw-off the balance of the projectile by removing lube from just one side, I've never done it. In fact I and my friends do the exact opposite in an attempt to minimize as many variables which might effect accuracy as possible.
In our guns the groups tighten-up after a fouling shot or two, and then it reaches a point of diminishing returns. At that point a spit patch brings you back into the deep part of the black! Also at this time of year our groups suffer with the Maxi's and when it's warmer we do better.
Dave
My last thought on this - the front ring of the bullet is what actually gets engraved from the rifling as I understand while the back 2 rings fit somewhat lose. Why is the lube behind the ring that will encounter all the friction? unless it gets blown in front of it.
When I shoot them, I tap the base to make it bigger so they don't drift in the barrel, makes them harder to load but helps them stay against the powder. If you want your bullet to have lube on them when you recover them, here's how. Put maxis in freezer,heat some beewax, then dip the cold maxis in the wax. It will be there when you find it. Shoot in a block and see. I used this system. In cold weather keep close to your body to keep them from getting to cold as the wax will break off when you load them. You have to have them cold or they won't coat very much. Dilly
Dave Rosenthal
70 Cal.
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Actually the expanding hot gases from ignition/firing sequence partially melt the sides of the Maxi which helps the rest of the rings to engage the rifling in the bore.
At Dixon's Muzzle Loading Shop in PA is a demo barrel end with a Maxi in it. Just a scant few inches of bore. Chuck tells all who want to shoot Maxi's to take a peek through the "shorty bore" to see how much light passes right around the Maxi! He does this to illustrate a condition known in the ML world as "Blow-by". Blow-by occurs when hot gases escape from around the projectile prior to departure from the barrel, which results in a destabilization of the projectile (the Maxi). That's why using too much powder that burns in a violent manner just outside of the muzzle tends to make Maxi groups widen-up IMHO!
The use of simple .50 cal wonder-wads helps to seal the end of the bullet so most of the gases stay behind the projectile...that's why when I'm using the wonder-wads my shots print higher than if I don't, with everything else remaining the same.
Dave
At Dixon's Muzzle Loading Shop in PA is a demo barrel end with a Maxi in it. Just a scant few inches of bore. Chuck tells all who want to shoot Maxi's to take a peek through the "shorty bore" to see how much light passes right around the Maxi! He does this to illustrate a condition known in the ML world as "Blow-by". Blow-by occurs when hot gases escape from around the projectile prior to departure from the barrel, which results in a destabilization of the projectile (the Maxi). That's why using too much powder that burns in a violent manner just outside of the muzzle tends to make Maxi groups widen-up IMHO!
The use of simple .50 cal wonder-wads helps to seal the end of the bullet so most of the gases stay behind the projectile...that's why when I'm using the wonder-wads my shots print higher than if I don't, with everything else remaining the same.
Dave
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Well, I go with the theory that the LOOB is best soft enough to have acceleration move the LOOB. And, to have it sling out with centrifugal force. That means I LOOBs 'em when I loads 'em, on top of a card wad. Without the card the powder would have LOOB in it. Then it would be a BLOOBPer.
Ryan Willock
Pilgrim
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I've been shooting 350grn maxi hunters for years and they shoot great out of my custom Hawken. Three shots touching at 50 yards is normal for that rifle and a one inch or less group at 75 is the norm. My rifle has a 26'' barrel and I use 80 grn of triple 7, I can't remember what the twist is. I love them, I cast my own and boy do they leave a blood trail, it looks like some one filled a 5 gallon bucket with blood and put a half inch hole in it while walking!
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Hey Mountain Trapper,
What caliber and rate of twist do you have? I've got a 54 MH mould and a 48 twist rifle. Haven't been able to get to the sighting in yet but it appears it might just barely have enough spin.
My 40 needs lots of LOOB and my 50 needs lots of LOOB. I uses cards in both. The 54 is still a mystery. Reckon I will use the 9/16" punch for it.
What caliber and rate of twist do you have? I've got a 54 MH mould and a 48 twist rifle. Haven't been able to get to the sighting in yet but it appears it might just barely have enough spin.
My 40 needs lots of LOOB and my 50 needs lots of LOOB. I uses cards in both. The 54 is still a mystery. Reckon I will use the 9/16" punch for it.
