36 cal TC Maxi

[Boerrancher]

When I decided I was going to get the 36 cal, I started looking for items specific to it. I had a couple of cleaning jags, and a 350 round ball mold days before I had the kit. The one thing I could not find was a 36 cal TC Maxi mold. Lee makes one for the 32, but not for the 36. Finally this morning a Lyman 36 cal TC maxi mold shows up on eBay. I’ve been checking every day now for over a month. Needless to say I bought it. I hope the 1/48 twist is fast enough to stabilize it.

Next question I have is this, I would think that, if it shoots consistently enough at 50 yards, with about 50-60 grains of powder behind it, that 128 grain maxi ought to be potent enough to kill a deer inside of 50 yds should it not? I know the State of Missouri says 40 cal or larger with black powder to hunt deer with, yet in the same paragraph of the regulations state that a 25 ACP is perfectly acceptable as well, and I quote, “Any center fire firearm, firing an expanding type projectile…” which means that a 25 ACP, 32 ACP, 32 S&W, 380 ACP, and 9mm are perfectly acceptable. Simple math shows that at 50 yards that the 36 with a maxi has more energy than any of the best of those do at the muzzle. So I ask again for thoughts and opinions on using the 36 with a Maxi on white tail.

[gunther]

Except for bullet weight, you are in the neighborhood of the 35 remington or the 38-55. That exception is gonna require precise placement of the shot.
Practice enough to know when to quit.
Find your local fish & wildlife officer and run your logic past him.
Use a soft lube on those maxi balls. I had to pull a couple of 50 caliber maxi's for a friend that had hardened-by-time TC lube on them. Educational. Clean the barrel between shots. Maxiballs get tough to load after the first 2 or 3.

[pietro]

I know the State of Missouri says 40 cal or larger with black powder to hunt deer with

FWIW

Regardless of what you think about your state's CF rules for deer-hunting ammo, if you get caught using a sub-40cal muzzleloading rifle on deer, you risk prosecution, and the loss of both your rifle and your hunting license/privileges.

(My state has the same muzzleloader restrictions: sub-.40cal only for small game; .40cal/over only for deer)

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[eastbank]

i had the three TC small framed rifles in .32-.36-.45, when prices went nuts i sold the .32 and the .36 and kept the .45 as that is the only one legal for deer here.

[Boerrancher]

FWIW

Regardless of what you think about your state's CF rules for deer-hunting ammo, if you get caught using a sub-40cal muzzleloading rifle on deer, you risk prosecution, and the loss of both your rifle and your hunting license/privileges.

(My state has the same muzzleloader restrictions: sub-.40cal only for small game; .40cal/over only for deer)

.

One Farm is 160 Acres and the other is 75, both are in the middle of nowhere and I own both. I know the game warden for the county, he leaves me alone because one of the farms butts up against 5,000+ acres of government ground he is responsible for and I control one of the few access points to it, and he can see that I spend thousands a year on maintaining exceptional wildlife habitat for all the game animals. The game warden is of no concern. When I’m out chasing Turkeys in the spring and he sees me walking down one of the public roads back to the house instead of fighting the hills and hollows I just came through, he gives me a ride back to the house. Doesn’t ask about the tag, hunting license, or the gun I am using.

My question was 100% about capability. Looking at the Goex charts, with 50 grs of 3F, that 128 gr should be up around 1700 fps at the muzzle. A behind the front shoulder shot inside of 50 yds even if it is down to 1500 fps should do the trick. I’ve killed plenty of deer inside of 50 yds with my 30-30 at 1500 fps and a 150 gr cast bullet and the same with my Marlin 1894c in 357mag with a 158 gr cast running 1200 fps. I don’t see why the 36 would not be at least as good as the 30-30 and 357? I am trying to be an ethical hunter here, and am not concerned with what some moron who knows nothing about ballistics and firearms think, up there in the puzzle palace otherwise known as the state capitol.

[eastbank]

will the .36 cal kill deer, yes it will. i,ve killed deer with a .22 lr in the buckwheat at night with a light for crop damage on the farm. but the shot must be placed right and the margin of error is small and that can lead to a got away for the coyotes

[Boerrancher]

will the .36 cal kill deer, yes it will. i,ve killed deer with a .22 lr in the buckwheat at night with a light for crop damage on the farm. but the shot must be placed right and the margin of error is small and that can lead to a got away for the coyotes

With a PRB I consistently take squirrel’s heads off at 25-30 yards using the 36, In the brush where I hunt a 40 yard shot is a long one. If it shoots the maxi well enough for a 2” group for 3 shots at 50 yards I will be golden. That is basically what it is going to come down to is how well does the gun shoot it. I don’t like head shots unless they are looking directly at me and their nose is aligned with their neck. I’ve tracked down and killed deer for folks who made bad headshots and just broke the lower jaw. I know the 36 is not going to break one’s neck when a 243 Win is not big enough to do so. As I said, if my 357 rifle with cast bullets knocks the crap out of them I don’t see why the 36 cal ML won’t do the same with a maxi.

[Boerrancher]

Well I got my 36 TC Maxi mold in yesterday and last night I cast up a few. I thought I had something when I poured 50 grs of 3F down the barrel, stuffed the maxi in nice and tight, and from the bench sent the first one right through the bullseye nearly dead center at 50 yards. Then I shot the second one, 8” low and left, shot the 3rd and Lord only knows were it went. It wasn’t even on the paper. If there is anyone out there wanting a 36 cal TC Maxi mold by Lyman, let me know.

On the bright side, I figured I would load up two patched round balls just to see how close they would be together. That rifle is a tack driver with 1, but I had never tried 2. Needless to say I was very pleased when I walked up to the target and found an oblong hole where the two whent in side by side, and dead center. I pushed the paper back and the second ball was about half a ball out from the first. I can live with that.

[LAGS]

You just turned your rifle into a Buckshot Shooter using two balls in one load.

[Gtrubicon]

That’s not what I wanted to hear with the maxi, I wonder why the erratic results?

[smorin2]

I have the 45 and 50 maxi ball molds and when i tried them under 70-80 grs. of 3f my shots were pie plate sized. I did some reading on this forum and found that a wad or card would help so i tried it this fall and my groups tightened up to a 5 shot group about 2 1/2" @ 50 yds which is as far as i'm shooting with a peep and 60 yr old eyes. I'm using a homemade lube of olive oil,beeswax and sheep tallow.

[Boerrancher]

After I made the post about poor results with the maxi, I went to clean the rifle, and I had this rubbery goo coming out of it. It was bad enough that I actually had to pull my touch hole liner. And drag these long strings of rubberized plastic goo. The only thing I can figure is my crisco went bad, because that is what I used for lube. Also, when seating the first shot, I was able to bounce the rod off the maxi a few times(3) for a good solid seat, something I never do with a PRB. I noticed on the second shot the rod didn’t slide a freely as it did on shot number 1 and on shot 3 forget it. The maxi was not hard to seat didn’t try to hang up going down the bore, like an overly cruddy bore when I went to bounce the rod it wouldn’t slide freely at all. So with the rubber in the bore I am going to give it one more go before I give up on the maxi.

[LAGS]

That is a good decision.
Give it a couple more trys.
I too mostly use to use Crisco.
I did find that it could go bad sometimes.

[eastbank]

get salt free crisco. don,t ask me how i know.

[Gtrubicon]

After I made the post about poor results with the maxi, I went to clean the rifle, and I had this rubbery goo coming out of it. It was bad enough that I actually had to pull my touch hole liner. And drag these long strings of rubberized plastic goo. The only thing I can figure is my crisco went bad, because that is what I used for lube. Also, when seating the first shot, I was able to bounce the rod off the maxi a few times(3) for a good solid seat, something I never do with a PRB. I noticed on the second shot the rod didn’t slide a freely as it did on shot number 1 and on shot 3 forget it. The maxi was not hard to seat didn’t try to hang up going down the bore, like an overly cruddy bore when I went to bounce the rod it wouldn’t slide freely at all. So with the rubber in the bore I am going to give it one more go before I give up on the maxi.

What gun are you using?

[Boerrancher]

What gun are you using?

It is an Investarms, Santa Fe Hawken, 1:48 twist.