Maxi balls

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  • Last Post 10 April 2026
Boschloper posted this 27 July 2025

I have been trying to get a Lyman 504617 to work in my TC Renegade.  The problem is loading, I have never been able to seat the bullet without aggressively pounding on the ramrod.

Chasing a wild idea, I sized some bullets to .501 which allows them to slip down the bore with very little resistance. Then I epoxied a 3/8” thick by 1/2” diameter felt wad to the base and dipped the wad in melted bullet lube.

From the 50 yard bench I was able to put 10 shots in just over 2 1/2”.  Not match accuracy but definitely minute of Bambi.  I was able to dig 4 bullets out of the berm and the felt wad was still attached and the bottom 2 driving bands had deep rifling marks.  The top driving band was too distorted to see if there were any rifling marks.  Loading was very easy.

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Aaron posted this 27 July 2025

40 years ago, I loaded and shot T/C Maxi Balls in both my 50 and 54 Hawken rifles. I bought the boxes with 20 bullets, never cast them. I assume you are slathering the bullets with lubricant? I always used Wonder Lube back then. If memory serves me correctly, once started with a short-starter, the bullets could be sent home with minimal ramrod effort. They did not slide down the bore unassisted, but very little pressure was needed to send them home with a ramrod.

If casting them now with that mold, I would be casting in PURE LEAD to allow proper fitting in the bore, and allowing for proper bump-up when the large powder charge is ignited. There is AMPLE space for lubricant to work its magic down the tube when fired. The Wonder Lube was (still is) a rather soft lubricant which remained in its original state during a hunting session due to normally cold weather. Wonder Lube would NOT work too well when the outside temperature is 98 degrees in the summer. It would tend to liquefy and saturate the powder charge. Using a different lube like say Confederate Lube, may not be as good as the Wonder Lube consistency, but I am guessing here.

So.....were I to cast some today with that mold:

  • I would see that they were about .001" greater than BORE diameter to ease their loading.
  • I would cast them in PURE LEAD to allow for ease of loading AND even more importantly, to allow for bump-up to groove diameter upon firing.
  • I would slather them in Wonder Lube as they were designed for.

Hope you get this figured out and get that rifle shooting fine with them.

 

With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.

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Istoic posted this 27 July 2025

I once back in the 80's got a wild idea to use wheel weights for maxi balls.  Bad Idea.  Even the first band wouldn't enter the bore.  As we all know the maxi-ball molds are calibrated for pure lead shrinkage rate.  With pure lead the first and second band enter easily, and the top band is engraved into the rifling. As we all know upon firing the bullet upsets and shortens resulting in both bands engraved by the rifling.  Most store-bought ones load easily except the casters that like to sneak in some hard metal.

 

Bob

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Boschloper posted this 29 July 2025

I forgot to state that these bullets were cast from lead recovered from the trap of an indoor range. It is the softest free lead that I have. As cast, I cannot load these because they are too hard to get the top band to engrave in the rifling. By sizing them for a snug slip fit, they load easily and still engrave when fired.

And a comment for John A., this scrap alloy cast horrible. I wasn’t able to get the bands to fill, and if I was casting bullets to load in cartridges I would have tossed them all back in the lead pot, yet I was very pleased with the accuracy for hunting. I think a lot of bullets that we reject might shoot better than we can hold.

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Istoic posted this 07 April 2026

I size the 50 caliber Maxi-Ball through a Lee .501 sizer upside down just enough to size the bottom and middle band and leaving the top band as cast. Then poke it back out the bottom. This way they fall into the barrel when loading up to the top band just as TC designed them.  The problem is between different lead hardness and mold specs along with barrel specs it is hard at times to buy a Maxi- ball that fits.  The .501 sizer solved my problem of hard loading even using pure lead.  Before the bottom bands were tight and that greasy bullet would tilt while loading.

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Larry Gibson posted this 08 April 2026

I cast my 50 cal Maxi-Balls out of 16-1 alloy as I push them at 1575 fps over FFFg Triple Seven out of my TC Blk Mtn Magnum.  Pure lead and even 20-1 alloy does not hold up to that acceleration.  The muzzle has a slight taper for loading saboted bullets.  My Maxis drop into the muzzle up to the top drive band.  A rap on the bullet with a short starter seats them into the rifling and then they can be seated with the ram rod. 

Here's 6 shots with the first loaded into the dry clean bore, then 5 more loaded out of the speed loaders w/o having to clean between shots.  Target was at 100 yards.  That's the way i used to hunt with it.  Figured if I hadn't got the deer or elk in 6 shots I might as well go home anyway......

 

Concealment is not cover.........

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MP1886 posted this 08 April 2026

I've shot Maxi-balls since 1970.  I've shot 777 since the first day it came out. 

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tomme boy posted this 08 April 2026

Don't over lube them. Lube just the bottom grove. Don't glue the felt wad. not needed. Just stick it in before the bullet. 0.501 does not work for me. The bullet will not stay on the powder. If I was just shooting at the range then I might go with it. I now size all of my bullets at 0.503" They stay put. 

 

Also, I don't know if you do this or not. But once you drop the powder in the barrel, smack the breech end a few times. It will settle the powder in the flash hole and you will get better ignition. And swab between every shot. The lead, I use roof jackets from the scrap yard. But I have used lead from the range berm when I had to. What I do is heat soak them at 400° for 1.2 hr the day before I use them. It will soften them up enough to not have to beat them down. 

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MP1886 posted this 08 April 2026

With Triple Seven you don't have to swab between rounds. It burns that clean.  I disagree with you lube remark, I've fully lubed the bullet and have zero problems doing so. 

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Eddie Southgate posted this 08 April 2026

I tried the TC bullets years ago and my guns didn't shoot them worth a crap . They would shoot minnies just fine and round balls great . The bullet that did work very well in .50 and .54 was the Lee REAL bullet . 

Grumpy Old Man With A Gun......Do Not Touch .

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MP1886 posted this 10 April 2026

I tried the TC bullets years ago and my guns didn't shoot them worth a crap . They would shoot minnies just fine and round balls great . The bullet that did work very well in .50 and .54 was the Lee REAL bullet . 

 

The first TC Hawkens 50 I had built from a kit was in the early 70's. It shot 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards with the Maxi or balls.  Later on, much later, I had a TC inline with a scope and it didn't shoot quite that well as that Hawkens. 

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Larry Gibson posted this 10 April 2026

To get proper accuracy with Maxi-Balls the twist rate must be on the faster side.  Many ML's still have slow twists meant for RBs.  That's why the REALs also shoot quite well in those and Maxi=balls don't.  My TC Blk Mtn Magnum 50 cal has a 28" twist.

LMG

Concealment is not cover.........

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Eddie Southgate posted this 10 April 2026

I tried the TC bullets years ago and my guns didn't shoot them worth a crap . They would shoot minnies just fine and round balls great . The bullet that did work very well in .50 and .54 was the Lee REAL bullet . 

 

The first TC Hawkens 50 I had built from a kit was in the early 70's. It shot 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards with the Maxi or balls.  Later on, much later, I had a TC inline with a scope and it didn't shoot quite that well as that Hawkens. 

 

Mine was a .50 TC Hawken that I built , mid 70's if I remember correctly. I also tried them in an early .54 and .50 Renegade and neither did very well with them . All three shot RB or a Mini just fine and the .50 Hawken and  the .54 Renegade shoot the REAL bullet just the same . Never tried the Real in the .50 barreled Renegade. I have a spare .50 barrel for the .54 so I might try them in that . 

Grumpy Old Man With A Gun......Do Not Touch .

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