Heaviest Boolits For .50 TC's

[Good Cheer]

What's the heaviest boolits you have gotten a .50 caliber TC Hawken or Renegade to shoot why success?
Do you cast your own?
Store bought?

[Nobade]

I have a paperpatched .492" slick that's just a touch over 500 grains made by Walt at NEI a long time ago that works well in my Renegade. That is, when I am in the mood to get pounded on that much. The recoil isn't really all that fun but it does shoot well.

[brewer12345]

Mine shoots 370 grain maxi balls very well (best for accuracy in that barrel). The thumping those dispense at 90 or 100 grains of powder is enough that I don't shoot them much.

[OverMax]

I've heard of a T/c Maxi mold casting 470 gr in weight for 50 cal.. Other wise I don't know all that much about the 50 cal. I don't own or shoot one. 45 54 & 58 cal are my preferred white tail thumpers & paper hole punchers.

Yes I do cast my own

[725]

Maxi balls are the heaviest I shoot, but I prefer round balls for most everything. All cast at home, usually out of stained glass lead.

[megasupermagnum]

Not a renegade, but the Lee 440 grain paper patched seems to work in my inline. Idahoron, the guy who came up with the idea, uses it in a TC.

[charlie b]

Depends on the accuracy you want and what twist rifling you have. If it is the std 1:48 then you should probably stick with the REAL or similar bullets. Any longer and you have stability problems, ie, bullets will tumble.

If you have a faster twist barrel, 1:30 or faster, then you can shoot 450 and maybe 550gn long bullets. They need to be driven pretty hard for several reasons, 80 to 100gn of powder.

I shoot the Lee .500S&W bullet in my Lyman GP Hunter (1:32 twist) and it does well with 80gn of powder. I have also tried the Buffalo Arms Co swaged lead bullets. 450gn is the upper limit on those for my rifle. The 550gn bullets were not stable. I paper patch and size so they just slip down the bore. Veggie card on top of powder, then lubed felt wad, then bullet. I have also used the Hornacy Grea Plans bullets with some success. I did better if they were sized to fit the bore and pushed with 100gn of powder. I also shot some paper patched and they did well that way too. FWIW, I consider an OK bullet to be 2-3" at 100yd, a good one is closer to 1" at 100yd.

I suggest a good recoil pad when you shoot these. I use a PAST shoulder pad.

PS you can read Idahoron's sticky thread on paper patched bullets. He uses Green Mountain fast twist barrels for his shooting.

[cwlongshot]

Mine shoots 370 grain maxi balls very well (best for accuracy in that barrel). The thumping those dispense at 90 or 100 grains of powder is enough that I don't shoot them much.

For my Renegade and Hawkins 50’s(both 1:48) 90g FFg and a 370 Maxi ball was MAGIC!! If I’m careful they can cloverleaf.
I like MaxiHunters better for deer but they are looser groups but under 2” @ 100.

I have never had a want or need for more. Those maxis are harder and penetrate like a power drill. Hunters have larger frontal and dimple and really expand nicely.

What are you wanting or thinking ya need more for?

If ya truly do. BP isn’t like Smokeless. Buy a 54 or look for a 58 that will get ya bigger!!

CW

[brewer12345]

For my Renegade and Hawkins 50’s(both 1:48) 90g FFg and a 370 Maxi ball was MAGIC!! If I’m careful they can cloverleaf.
I like MaxiHunters better for deer but they are looser groups but under 2” @ 100.

I have never had a want or need for more. Those maxis are harder and penetrate like a power drill. Hunters have larger frontal and dimple and really expand nicely.

What are you wanting or thinking ya need more for?

If ya truly do. BP isn’t like Smokeless. Buy a 54 or look for a 58 that will get ya bigger!!

CW

Funny you should say that. I got the bug pretty good over the last year, so I now have a TC Hawken with a 50 factory barrel, a 50 slow twist Green Mountain barrel, and a 45 factory barrel. Also picked up a 32 CRockett, a 54 Grey Hawk, and a 54 New Englander I had rebored to 58. Killed last fall's deer with the 54 and a round ball, but I think this fall will either be round ball out of the GM barrel or the 58. I have some big honking conicals to try in the 54, but I am guessing my buddy will be borrowing it for our deer hunt.

[longcruise]

The 370 maxi balls shot pretty good in my TC and killed deer and elk ok.

But, the absolute most accurate bullet ever was the 450 grain 50-70 bullet sized to .501.

[elmacgyver0]

Shucks, I thought this thread might be about 50 BMG.

[Nobade]

Shucks, I thought this thread might be about 50 BMG.

It could be. No reason you couldn't shoot maxiballs in your BMG, just load 'em pretty light...

[Edward]

My long range GM 45 barrel 1-18 twist is a Bob Hoyt custom reline from a stock GM 32 inch 50 cal .It is shooting a BACO .443 slik paper patched Eliptical /530 grain 1-20 and 1-16 BHN ,still playing with hardness over 80 grain OE 1-1/2 and 2F . out to 700 yds

[Good Cheer]

I have a paperpatched .492" slick that's just a touch over 500 grains made by Walt at NEI a long time ago that works well in my Renegade. That is, when I am in the mood to get pounded on that much. The recoil isn't really all that fun but it does shoot well.

Is it blunt and squatty? To work in the 48" twist?

[Whiterabbit]

Shucks, I thought this thread might be about 50 BMG.

I dream of shooting m33 ball from a shotgun and from a muzzleloader with 50 yard target accuracy and 100 yard steel accuracy

[Nobade]

Is it blunt and squatty? To work in the 48" twist?

It is. Basically a hemisphere nose with short parallel sides. Not sure about the twist though, I just remembered that rifle has a green mtn barrel on it so may be faster than original.

[Nobade]

I dream of shooting m33 ball from a shotgun and from a muzzleloader with 50 yard target accuracy and 100 yard steel accuracy

All it takes is some custom sabots and one of those Hastings rifled barrels...

[Good Cheer]

It is. Basically a hemisphere nose with short parallel sides. Not sure about the twist though, I just remembered that rifle has a green mtn barrel on it so may be faster than original.

Saw one like that in the NEI catalog. Good looking design.
Perhaps someone will reactivate the company some day.

[Nobade]

I wouldn't hold my breath for that. Walt was an amazing talent, too bad his offspring didn't pay close enough attention to their lessons when they had the chance. I do wonder what happened to that equipment, they're not far from me and I try to pay attention to industrial auctions in the area but could have missed that one.