Maynard Carbine Bullet Size

[gunbb]

I have a Maynard carbine and ordered brass from Lodgewood for it. I see people saying you use .515 bullets but the case throat measures .503 . I tired to get a .515 in the case but it was a no go. What size bullet is best for this. I tried to find a .505 and no one seems to have that size. I bought some .501 but that won't seat in the cast, although it does fire. Also how do you clean out the area , after taking the nipple off, between the nipple hole and the barrel. I tried a very small wire as well as a pipe cleaner and they were a no go. Thanks

[Battis]

Did you slug the bore for size?

[Deadeye Bly]

Most original Maynard carbines shoot well with bullets from .512" diameter up to about .518" diameter. Slugging your barrel is best but remember it is a 3 groove barrel. Determine the bore size with pin gages. Slug the barrel and measure the slug from one land to a groove. Subtract the bore diameter from the measurement, double the difference and add it to the bore diameter for the groove size. You may need to expand the cases to seat a bullet. Best accuracy is usually found between about 24 to 30 grains of black powder. About all you can do the clean the flash hole is flush it with a water based cleaner and blow it out with compressed air.

[varsity07840]

I'd call Lodgewood and tell them about your problem. I have their .50 cal Gallagher cases and they take my .517 Smith/Maynard bullet with a sharp rap of the seating tool. You should also ask for help on the N-SSA website forum. LOTS of Maynard shooters there.

[gunbb]

Checked the bore and it was about .505 max. That .515 will not go into the case and we tried. What does your seating tool look like? We were just using a hammer on the top of the bullet.

[Battis]

deleted

[varsity07840]

Checked the bore and it was about .505 max. That .515 will not go into the case and we tried. What does your seating tool look like? We were just using a hammer on the top of the bullet.
I got it from Lodgewood. It's made for Gallagher cases. They have one for Maynards, shown below the description of the full capacity cases but it's out of stock. If you know someone with .50-70 dies, you might try running your cases through the case mouth expander die.

[Bent Ramrod]

Harbor Freight sells a key ring with various sizes of tiny test-tube type brushes for cleaning out the spray nozzles of airbrushes. I use them with a dropper of Ballistol/water to clean out the flash channels of my capping breechloaders.

When the moose milk stops looking dirty, I blow the channel out with compressed air and spray in pure Ballistol for preservative.

[gunbb]

Do you have a picture of that key ring with the brushes so I know what I'm looking for. The help is NO help at our HF store.

[Bent Ramrod]

I don't have a picture. They're on a yellow and black card, coated in clear plastic in the section that has the airbrushes, paints and other stuff. Sometimes they are on sale; I grab an extra or two when that happens.

[gunbb]

OK, thanks.

[gunbb]

I got it from Lodgewood. It's made for Gallagher cases. They have one for Maynards, shown below the description of the full capacity cases but it's out of stock. If you know someone with .50-70 dies, you might try running your cases through the case mouth expander die.

Do you have any Gallagher cases you'd part with. I'd like to shoot the gun . Thanks

[varsity07840]

Sorry, no. S&S Firearms has them.

[gunbb]

No, S&S is out . Any other ideas? I'd just like to shoot it.
I did load the Maynard with .515 and they worked fine. It's a big bullet though, 450 grain .
I'm thinking a 300 grain might be better .
I did find an original Maynard cartridge in my stash.

[John in PA]

Back Creek Gunshop (John Venskoske) in Winchester VA ( blackpowderva.com ) has the plastic Maynard cases that 90% of Maynard shooters in the N-SSA use. No loading tools necessary if you use a bullet with a slight taper to the base. You can fire them MANY times with black powder. Wash and dry between firings. Reload, repeat. Lyman 515139 works quite well, as does the Rapine 515365. Both designs have a very slight bevel to the base, which would allow you to thumb-press the bullet into the plastic case. Cast from lead 95%/tin 5%. NO antimony! BP bullets need to be able to bump up to the bore diameter. Use a good BP lube. 50/50 olive oil and beeswax works fine if you want to make your own (and about a zillion other recipes) Olde Eynesford or Swiss fouling is MUCH softer than GOEX or Scheutzen. Experiment with 28-36 gr 3F to find best accuracy load. Cream of wheat can be used as a filler over the powder charge to take up any dead space. Good lube and a blow tube between shots should allow you to shoot till the barrel is too hot to hold. (Which is why most Maynard competitors in the N-SSA wear a glove on their support hand!)

Well, I just found out I lied! Back Creek no longer has plastic Maynard tubes. The guy that used to make them for him died. We're working on a new source, but may be a while... Maybe you can find some on EBAY or elsewhere(??)