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Thread: Question for Maynard Owners - Ammo

  1. #1
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    Question for Maynard Owners - Ammo

    I have some questions for Maynard owners regarding ammo. I recently acquired a Maynard with some ammo and I have been trying to learn about reloading this cartridge.


    First: Chamber dimension: 0.550”

    Bullet is an odd hollow-base Hodgdon, but mics out at 0.520” That’s pretty wide. However, it needs to be wide for the brass, because the brass is pretty wide at the top: About 0.519-0.520”. It’s a reduced capacity case and it is visibly wider at the top than below the reduced section. OD at the top is 0.548” and the OD lower portion of the case is 0.541”.

    I placed a 0.518” Smith round into the brass case and as you would expect, it will easily fall out. Of course, gummy lube would keep it in but that’s no approach to accuracy.

    Barrel is around 0.5” as you would expect. I did not slug it, nor do I have a pin gauge for that size, but safe to say, it isn’t over or under sized as far as 50 cal carbines go.

    So....

    My questions are:

    Is the brass mis-shapened and would 50-70 dies fix it, or is that an incorrect approach?
    If I re-size the case, is it now going to be too narrow for the chamber and yield excessive leakage?
    How much under the chamber ID is acceptable for the brass to seal?
    What are the dimensions of your Maynard? I would greatly appreciate it if you could actually measure the Chamber, the Brass, and the bullet. That way I have something to compare to...

    Thanks!!

    Mike
    Mike 'Bootsie' Bodner
    Palmetto Sharpshooter's, Commander
    9996V

  2. #2
    WBR10654 is offline
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    If you cases are .581 and they are falling out I would say that you chamber is to large but then again I size my bullet to .518 so the case is going to be larger, I will check following sending this.

    Most people seem to shoot the Smith Bullet and I knw a few people who have tried the Tennessee Mold bullet and found success. I do not know about Moose Molds.

    I use a 50-70 die to resize mine every year or so,,, after being fired in a particular Maynard they are now sized for that Carbine. So you do not need to resize them over and over...

    If you tubes do not fit you can try to resize them but they may give you issues afer being fired.

    I resize mine every year or every other year and when one starts sticking I try to toss it in to a pile that I only use for individual matches, some folks toss them out or give them away.

    BASICALLY: If the chamber is not "belled" larger near the rifling than at the base of the chamber and you have fired it a couple time you might not ever have to resize it and it will wear out before you have to. The flash hole gets to big and starts burning back in to the rifle. Then again some people keep shooting them and their flash holes just get bigger and bigger.

    Like I said I need to go check mine cases and I am not skilled enough to check a Chamber,,, not sure how to do it, I just know I size mine to .518 and need a press to push the bullets in and my Model One Groups.

    I had a Model Two that need to be sized to .515 because it had been relined by Hoyt and my tubes would stick a lot but that was solve with a little rubbing compound...

    Just for your information: I load 24 grains in reduced tubes and have been shooting the same ones for about 17 years... I pull out the ones where the Flash Hole get larger than a Large Paper Clip and I shoot the thing a lot.

    I have had to get the flash hole in the Rifle fixed twice.

    ME? I would load the thing up with 24 grains, with a couple of bullets, and shoot it off the bench to see if it groups.

    Then I would confirm my tubes go in and out with no problem because they should be sized to the chamber now.

    DPB
    David P. Baldwin

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    Could it not be that your brass has fire formed to your chamber? If so, sizing it down will only work your brass, and it will be right back up where it is now when you shoot it next time.

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    Hi Bootsie,

    The 2nd Model Maynard you recently acquired, is it original or repro? If it is repro, is it a Harpers Ferry 2nd Model Maynard??
    Francis J. Miller Jr. (Herb)
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  5. #5
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    Its a No 2 Harpers Ferry. Early serial Number 276

    -Mike
    Mike 'Bootsie' Bodner
    Palmetto Sharpshooter's, Commander
    9996V

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    John Bly is offline
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    Original Maynard chambers were tapered about .003" from .551" diameter at the end of the chamber to .548" diameter at the front of the chamber. So your .550" seems about right. Many Harpers Ferry Maynards had chambers that were about .560" diameter. Many of the reduced capacity cases over the years have been too small. I've seen some as small as .538" diameter. The thin part where the bullet seats swells to fit the chamber upon firing and makes cases as you have described. If you resize them to fit the bullet each time you load them they will soon crack and be worthless. You need bullets to fit the cases without falling out and still be able to fit the loaded cartridges into the chamber. Try the .520" diameter bullets to see how they fit and shoot. Maybe the previous owner had it all figured out. If you need .520 bullets I have a modified Lyman 515141 mold that casts .520 diameter bullets.

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    I shoot a .520" Moose Smith/Maynard bullet sized to .518" in my original Second Model Maynard. The bullet is snug when I push it into the case and due to its length it actually pushes the bullet into the rifling when the action is closed. I use 35 grains of 3F. I bought and began shooting this carbine in 1985 and it still shoots as well as the day I started shooting it.
    Mike Santarelli 03635V, Adjutant
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    I found the mold for the bullets that came with the gun. 0.520 Hodgdon, Adjustable, from RCBS.

    Gave a decent enough group to begin working up a load.

    Mold or order!

    Thanks everyone!

    -Mike
    Mike 'Bootsie' Bodner
    Palmetto Sharpshooter's, Commander
    9996V

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    Lou Lou Lou is offline
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    I have heard that some repros like the hollow base
    bulets. I have the mould and never tried it
    Lou Lou Lou Ruggiero
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    WBR10654 is offline
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    Boots,

    For years I resized my brass once a year using a 50-70 and it works well.

    When you shoot this resized brass it will now be size for your barrel, if it is still belling, the bullet end much larger than the rest of chamber and it is tight getting out, I would suggest seeing if this is true for the majority of your cases and if so your chamber or whole barrel might need to be re-sleeved.

    BUT before you do that get a few new cases and test them because your existing brass might just be shot a bit to much (shot out) in another carbine and new ones might not.

    Cases can go bad and many on my team toss out a case that starts sticking since it is the last thing you want in the middle of a match.

    You could separate those and shot them in individuals though.







    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Bodner View Post
    I have some questions for Maynard owners regarding ammo. I recently acquired a Maynard with some ammo and I have been trying to learn about reloading this cartridge.


    First: Chamber dimension: 0.550”

    Bullet is an odd hollow-base Hodgdon, but mics out at 0.520” That’s pretty wide. However, it needs to be wide for the brass, because the brass is pretty wide at the top: About 0.519-0.520”. It’s a reduced capacity case and it is visibly wider at the top than below the reduced section. OD at the top is 0.548” and the OD lower portion of the case is 0.541”.

    I placed a 0.518” Smith round into the brass case and as you would expect, it will easily fall out. Of course, gummy lube would keep it in but that’s no approach to accuracy.

    Barrel is around 0.5” as you would expect. I did not slug it, nor do I have a pin gauge for that size, but safe to say, it isn’t over or under sized as far as 50 cal carbines go.

    So....

    My questions are:

    Is the brass mis-shapened and would 50-70 dies fix it, or is that an incorrect approach?
    If I re-size the case, is it now going to be too narrow for the chamber and yield excessive leakage?
    How much under the chamber ID is acceptable for the brass to seal?
    What are the dimensions of your Maynard? I would greatly appreciate it if you could actually measure the Chamber, the Brass, and the bullet. That way I have something to compare to...

    Thanks!!

    Mike
    David P. Baldwin

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