New to me Maynard carbine

[patio]

Picked up a Maynard this weekend and need some shooting information.
1. Cases - brass or plastic, reduced or full capacity.
2. A good bullet to use
3. Powder charge
4. Any other tips that could be useful.

Thanks in advance,


Pat
136681366913670136711367213673

[RangerFrog]

Picked up a Maynard this weekend and need some shooting information.
1. Cases - brass or plastic, reduced or full capacity.
2. A good bullet to use
3. Powder charge
4. Any other tips that could be useful.

Thanks in advance,


Pat
136681366913670136711367213673

Assuming it?s a 50 cal, I like the brass reduced capacity cases? not cheap, but definitely worth it. I use Ideal mould 515137 or 515141and a full case (reduced case, that is) of FFg GOEX? about 27-28 gr.

Froggie

[patio]

Yes, it is a 2nd model in 50 cal.

[Tom Magno, 9269V]

First, congrats on acquiring arguably the most accurate carbine on the line!
You will want to slug the barrel to determine what size bullet you will need. As with all breech loaders .001-.002 over groove diameter seems to work best.
There are a number of good bullets. I?ve tried the Lyman 515139, 515141, Hogdon .50 variable size, and Romano 50. They all shoot accurately. I settled on the Lyman 518145 360 grain 3groove bullet and size down to .516 for my barrel which is .515. Lee makes a similar bullet in a 6-gang mould. Using reduced capacity brass I load with 23.5 grains 3F. Shoots better than I can hold it.

[Harry Gaul]

It is very popular to have a bullet sized .001- .002 oversize groove size in a Maynard. I had a Maynard, and I tried that and the first three shots were dead on and broke birds and tiles. After the barrel became fouled, the fouling would cause an obstruction, and the bullets would spit out here and there. The bullets would fly all over the place. Maynard is gone. Many members like them. I found the sight radius to be too short. I am a fan of Smith. Parts are easy to get but since you bought a Maynard, that ship has sailed. Best of Luck and break birds. Remember in Science, two things can not occupy the same space at the same time. Anyone who tries it is called an accident.


Harry in Pa.
Forney's
03626v

[patio]

Thank you RangerFrog and Tom for your replies. Will order some reduced capacity cases from S&S soon and look into acquiring a mold too.

For Harry - the ship sailed and headed back to port....

136741367513676

[ms3635v]

Type 2 American Machine Works Smith. American Machine Works began producing these carbines in August 1863.

[Tom Magno, 9269V]

Thank you RangerFrog and Tom for your replies. Will order some reduced capacity cases from S&S soon and look into acquiring a mold too.

For Harry - the ship sailed and headed back to port....

Same general principles apply to the Smith. Size bullets .001-.002 over groove diameter. Ensure you have sufficient lube in the grooves, and lube designed specifically for black powder. I use MCM Lube.

[patio]

Thanks again to all that replied. I have an Eras Gone Smith mold. Will the bullets cast from this mold work in a Maynard?

Thank you,

Pat

[PoorJack]

Thanks again to all that replied. I have an Eras Gone Smith mold. Will the bullets cast from this mold work in a Maynard?

Thank you,

Pat
Unless and until you slug the bore, all bets are off. The Eras mold, while authentic, may not be the correct size for your bore. I'd slug the bore first, then look for a mold of the correct size.

[Kevin Tinny]

Hello:

I hope this helps:

Once you know the true bore land and groove diameters, many suggest starting at groove OD plus .001 for sized bullet OD. That's a good beginning for first tests.

Sorry, but the challenge is measuring it. I have seen many that fiddle test plugs and get odd measurements that put them in a tail chase.

The other issue is the mouth diameter of Smith METAL cases, if used vs. the less rigid plastic ones.

Pushing the correct bullet into a metal case with a tighter mouth may cause an undersized bullet.

A smith guru here that helped me a lot starts with truly pure lead. If it'll shoot, it should be at least decent with pure.

Then you have the powder charge process described many times in our Forum. This takes patience and care.

After trying metal cases, I found the black plastic ones with steel pop rivet flash hole inserts did not squeeze the bullet smaller, fit and sealed well and lasted upwards of 25 shots with FINE accuracy. I stopped using the heavy metal ones.

I can email you the process. If wish, please PM me your email address.
Smiles.
Kevin Tinny

[mgmradio]

I use the Eras gone Smith bullet in both my Smith and Maynard originals. Both have .518? grove diameter as measured with a three leg micrometer. For the Maynard I use full capacity cases with 35gr of 3F with a fiber wad. It shoots very well out to 300m and will knock down the pigs easily and is basically a tack driver at 50 and 100 yards.