TC 32 Maxi

[Boerrancher]

Many moons ago when I bought my first 32 cal, a Traditions Crockett, little did I know I was going to get totally hooked on squirrel hunting with it. I liked the little rifle so well it became my everyday plinker and walk about rifle. I bought Lee’s copy of the TC Maxi and found out it would not shoot the maxi at all. I love the little gun but my heart is really with the flintlocks. Enter the Pedersoli Pennsylvania Frontier 32 flintlock that a bought after Christmas. I was messing around shooting conicals out of my revolvers and I had found a few of those 32 maxi balls. I thought why not let’s give it a go.

I dumped 40 grs of Goex 3F down the tube and pushed the maxi home. I gave it a couple good thumps with the Rod to expand it a bit into the rifling and took aim at a fresh new 1.5 inch dot on clean white paper at 50 yds away from the bench and sandbags. I set the trigger and relaxed. At the perfect moment I touched the front trigger and instantly felt the recoil. I thought to myself, man that lock is sweet. I looked up from the rifle and couldn’t see anything in the 18x18 paper. I’ve been down this road before, so I took a walk down to the frame and there was the hole, dead center of the 1.5” red dot. Ok, I’ve got one good shot let’s see if it’s not a fluke.

On the second shot I didn’t have it quite perfectly aligned and the shot was a bit high and to the right but still within the 1.5” dot. The third shot things went south, real far south like about 10 inches, and the next was still 10 inches low but more to the right. I swabbed the bore with a couple of wet patches, followed by a dry one, and reloaded. Bam! Right where it belonged, back in the red. The second shot same thing, I had 4 shots within an 1.25” group. The fifth shot back down south about 10 inches with the other three.

I am not exactly happy about having to swab after 2 shots, I was hoping I could get at least 3 off, but 2 is better than 1 so I will take it. I’ve seen guys have to swab after every shot when shooting Conicals out of their rifles. At least I get a pretty quick follow up shot. I can be happy with that. Now for sure since it will shoot the Maxis without issue, the Pedersoli Frontier can now officially take its place as my do it all, walk a bout rifle. At 27 yds it will cut bullet hole with a PRB, and 20 grains of powder, and at 50 yds I will shoot under 1.5 inches with the 110 Maxi. I am very pleased with my decision to buy that rifle. It is the first 1:48 twist I own, that will shoot conicals well.

[triggerhappy243]

I have heard that the small calibers soot up real quick. I swab between every shot and it makes a big difference.

[HBAR2989]

My Traditions deer hunter small game in 32cal, 1:48 twist loves the TC maxi. I load 25 grains of 3f clean shot, and can shoot a long time without having to swab. It's unfortunate it's been discontinued. 3f tripple 7 is almost as good. Those maxi's will stack on top of each other if I do my part at 50 yards.

[HBAR2989]

I forgot to add, my maxi's are lubes with liquid also. I know it's not traditional but it works well.

[Boerrancher]

I have heard that the small calibers soot up real quick. I swab between every shot and it makes a big difference.

I’ve heard that as well, yet until shooting the Maxi I have never had that problem before. I’ve always shot light loads out of it as well. No more than 20 grains of 3F with a patched ball. I’ve always figured if I need more power I will go to a bigger gun. The one exception is my 50 cal. I recently discovered that the actual weight of the charge I was shooting was 100 grains of 2F. I started out at the lowest spot on my power measure and worked my way up notch by notch until I had a good 3 shot group at 50 yds. I thought it was 75 grains and when I actually weighed it, it was 100.

What is everyone’s opinion on using a front stuffer with Maxis on wild hogs? I’m headed to Texas the first week in April and want to take one with a muzzle loader. Where we hunt they average 150-175 lbs on the hoof. I really want to take the 32 or 36, a 50 yard shot is a long ways down there in the cactus and Mesquite. I’ve been hunting there for several years now and I think one time I was able to take a 50 yard shot. Normally I hunt with a 300 BLK, and a 120 gr Barnes TacTX. Does anyone here have experience taking game in the 150-200 lb range with a 32 or 36 cal Muzzleloader?

[LAGS]

I would use a .32 for hunting Javalena here in Az.
But they only weigh about 60 lb.
But 50 yard shots are easy to come by.

[triggerhappy243]

I’ve heard that as well, yet until shooting the Maxi I have never had that problem before. I’ve always shot light loads out of it as well. No more than 20 grains of 3F with a patched ball. I’ve always figured if I need more power I will go to a bigger gun. The one exception is my 50 cal. I recently discovered that the actual weight of the charge I was shooting was 100 grains of 2F. I started out at the lowest spot on my power measure and worked my way up notch by notch until I had a good 3 shot group at 50 yds. I thought it was 75 grains and when I actually weighed it, it was 100.

What is everyone’s opinion on using a front stuffer with Maxis on wild hogs? I’m headed to Texas the first week in April and want to take one with a muzzle loader. Where we hunt they average 150-175 lbs on the hoof. I really want to take the 32 or 36, a 50 yard shot is a long ways down there in the cactus and Mesquite. I’ve been hunting there for several years now and I think one time I was able to take a 50 yard shot. Normally I hunt with a 300 BLK, and a 120 gr Barnes TacTX. Does anyone here have experience taking game in the 150-200 lb range with a 32 or 36 cal Muzzleloader?

on the subject of caliber choice, i would use the 50 with a maxi-ball. get used to the group it will shoot. you want to be able to punch thru all that armor those hogs have. put one into the ear if you can.

[Gtek]

If anybody spots one of those molds, let me know!

[Richard66]

If anybody spots one of those molds, let me know!

Track of the Wolf has them 6 cavity $62

[HamGunner]

I have a little short CVA Squirrel carbine and it also is deadly accurate for the first and maybe the second shot, but hardly on the mark by the third shot. It certainly likes a clean bore. I mostly shoot around 18gr. of my own Black Powder with ball and that seems plenty for something the size of a squirrel.

I recently have gotten two other short pistol bullets that I plan to shoot greased, with patches. I am sure the little CVA has the slower twist, so maybe more speed would help with these pistol bullets, but I just have not played with it enough to tell just yet.

The Lee TL314-90gr. below, I have already shot a few times and it seems to do okay with at least a 20gr. charge. I think I only had it out once, so I will know more about how it will do as I shoot more with it.

The Lyman 313249 85gr. I just picked up, so I have not had a chance to give it a try yet. Hopefully one or both of these pistol bullets will be accurate enough to give the little CVA .32 cal. a bit more knock down on a critter larger than a squirrel. Perhaps a stiffer charge will stabilize these two in the slow twist CVA using a patch.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...d-tl314-90-swc

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...liber-85-grain