Maynard Loads

[danajhanson]

Would anyone like to comment about creating Maynard loads using 56-50 Spencer die sets? Sizing and crimping the brass etc... Is it worth it?

DJH

[RaiderANV]

Tis' would be ah Sin :shock:

Maynard's should only be feed the best manufactured BRASS cases ye can find. It's GOD's Will :!: :wink:

[Charlie Hahn]

Development of another way to feed any gun always provides bennifits, even if it does not work. As I have a limited view of the weapon, and the head spacing takes place on the rim, it would most likely require die sets made for each gun to allow the head space and bullet entry into the the rifling to happen together. If you have a departing baseline assembly with recorded results this project could have merit. I have found on a limited study that if you make the bullet lock in the case if improves the group. What I see is about 15% better string distance. If you where to develop a better lock, and/or head space improvement, this would be a "match" condition. I am not sure you would gain 50% string improvement, but I do believe that you error budget might be reduced. I would like to explore your idea.

Charlie Hahn
410-208-4736

[John Bly]

In the Jan.-Feb.-Mar 2006 issue of The Skirmish Line is an excellent article by Jim Leinicke on loading the Maynard cartridge. Find it and read it and you will find much of what you are looking for. He uses a .50/70 Gov't die set, and he mentions that he thinks the Spencer dies will work, but they are more expensive. You can get a shellholder from Whitacre's Machine shop or Northeast Trade Co.
I use a .50/70 die set to load my Maynard rounds. the sizing die sizes the cases just enough to hold the bullet firmly. I made up a bullet seating stem to work with the short Maynard round. I do not crimp. The free machining brass used in Maynard cases is not as ductile as drawn cartridge brass and will fatigue much sooner and crack if it is cold worked a lot to crimp the cases. I get very consistent bullet seating depths using the die set and loading press. I wish you good luck in your endeavor.
John Bly 5109V

[Jim Wimbish, 10395]

I have a set of 50/70 dies and a set of Spencer dies and I wouldn't use either one to load a Maynard. About the only thing that I have used the Spencer dies for is to resize the case mouth if I dropped one and knocked it way out of round. The Maynard cases don't need to be resized or crimped. Just clean em up a little and reload them. The less you do to a Maynard case the better off you will be. To seat my bullets I use a Whitacre shell holder and a turret press offset so that the bullet contacts the turret. Pushes the bullets right in. Use consistent pressure when seating and you will get good consistent ammo.

[danajhanson]

The reason I ask, is that I seem to have problems keeping the bullet from falling out of the brass. I load a .515 sized Rapine or Romano bullet for a Model 1 Romano Maynard. In fact, I can seat them into the brass with my thumb. I am using the reduced cap. brass, so the bullet sits up on the ridge inside the brass just fine. I just wonder if a "loose" bullet effects the accuracy? I guess I could size up (.516 or .517) this may be the easy fix. Thanks for all your imput
DJH

[Tom Magno, 9269V]

Sounds like your brass is swelling to chamber diameter. What is the inside diameter of the case mouth of a fired round? What is the groove diameter of your barrel? If you are now shooting .515 and getting decent accuracy, you should be able shoot .517 if it fits the case better without any change in accuracy. Try it - it costs nothing.

[Jim Wimbish, 10395]

Are your bullets coming out at .515"?. I get some undersized ones with my Rapine mould and they will definitely fit loose. A true .515 bullet should work fine in the reduced capacity Maynard cases unless your cases have a larger inside diameter than most. If your bullets are casting to the right diameter follow Tom's advice and size your bullet larger.

[Tom Magno, 9269V]

My lube sizer will resize a .515 to .517 - yes, it does. So if your bullets are dropping from the mold at .515-.516, put in a .516-.517 die and give it a try - with soft lead. I use pure lead, so the mechanical push during the lube process compresses the bullet enough to fill out the die to .517. The nose does not deform, but the sharp "flat" becomes a tiny bit "rounded" even with the correct nose punch. Does not affect accuracy at our distances at all. Don't think you could do it with wheelweights without significant deformation, but I don't know. It may work with a 50/50 alloy. Doesn't hurt to try it. You can always throw them back into the pot.

[John Bly]

The consistency of the case wall thickness on Maynard cases available at the Fort has varied considerably over the years. I've seen fired cases that would not hold a .519" diameter bullet and some that would be too tight to chamber with .517 diameter bullets. My box of reject Maynard cases is getting quite full and I delivered some to a shooter that neeeded to shoot .520" bullets and was having a hard time finding cases to do it. Having bullets fall out of the loaded cases in the cartridge box is a dangerous situation. I use the 50/70 die to resize the neck area of my cases. It only brings them down .001-.002" and for only about 1/4" in length. This is only enough to ensure a tight fitting bullet without working the brass much at all. I do not bell the case mouths and I do not crimp the bullets in place.
I feel that by using the seater die that I get more consistent ammo than any hand seating operation I've used in the past. I bought the die set on eBay for about $30. I'm not a gadget person, but I do feel that this is one tool that is worth the effort. That is my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
John Bly 5109V