i have never used conicals at all for hunting. Several years ago i bought80, 370 grain TC Maxi-Balls for cheap at Wal-Mart. Tried them in my cheap old Staghorn with 1:32 twist:The Maxi Balls shot really well with 70 grains of granular Pyrodex. Butaccuracy went all to pieces with 80 grains. Ditto for 90 grains.

Questionoes 70 grains of granular Pyrodex give that 370 grain Maxi Ball enough oomph to kill a deer or a good sized hog at 100 yards?

Well,
It is not exactly an apples to apples comparison, but the old load for a 45-70 was a 45 cal bullet, usually in the 350 to 450 grain range, over 60 to 70 grains of real black powder (the range variances with the poweder loadswas due to differing case constructions, some of the older brass had thinner brass in the base due to the construction techniques and therefore held more powder, new cases tend to have much thicker brass, especially in the base and have less volume).
This load was used on Buffalo from close to some pretty extreme distances.
I would say that your load of 70 grains of pyrodex and a 370 grain maxi would be very similar to these old 45-70 loads and their performance. Pleanty for whitetail at 100 yards.
Just my view.
Hank

I think this applies to every projectile you can stuff in your muzzleloader. If you can place it accurately, you can harvestwith it. So it just boils down to one question. How accurate is the Maxi-ball in your rifle, in your hands, at 100 yards. If the accuracy is there, there is plenty of oomph to get the job done.

Alasqr, sounds like your gun and mine handle 370 maxi's in very similar fashion. At 70 grains RS, I am happy with 50 yd. performance and have killed a dozen or so deer with that combo. Unfortunately, the drop at 100 yds. is excessive, and when I bump the powder charge, I wind up with fliers, not to mention bruises (metal butt plate). One thing I haven't tried which I need to, are wads or corn meal between the conical and powder. I sense the reason these loads become inaccurate is due to blow-by ceating turbualnce ahead of the projectile. I don't know how to prove that other than trap more gas and see what happens. Let us know what you find.

Like Pglasgow said, 70 grains and that 370 grain conical is a lot of down range thump. Put that in the right spot and a deer or hog (I never hunted hog.. when do we go ) should be freezer filler. The thing you need to remember, you're already putting a 1/2 inch hole into that animal without any expansion of the conical at all. I would avoid large bone structure area until YOU are confident in the penetration of them.

A friend of mine hunts deer with a T/C New Englander .50 caliber. All he shoots is 70 grains of Pyrodex RS and a 370 grain maxiball. He had yet to not drop a deer in sight of him. Last I talked to him, the further he has had to shoot a deer was 70 yards, it was complete pass through, and a blind man could have tracked the deer for the few yards it ran. Its all he every uses...

I shoot them out of my Staghorn also. Try some cornmeal under them. You might be able to bump the powder charge. I actually shoot them with 80 grains of Pyrodex RS and get real good accuracy. What lube are you shooting?

Good luck with that hunting. When you shoot a hog, be sure and tell me about it...

Thanks everyone for your help. Sounds like 70 grains just may be the ticket.

"I shoot them out of my Staghorn also. Try some cornmeal under them. You might be able to bump the powder charge. I actually shoot them with 80 grains of Pyrodex RS and get real good accuracy. What lube are you shooting?"

I will give the corn meal a try next time at the range.The grooves have lube in them i did not know that i am supposed to use additional lube. What lube do you use and howdo you use it? With 70 grains of powder, the couple of three shot groups i fired at fifty yardshad the holesalmost touching. The Ft. Sill pig season is coming up and i would like to use the 370 grain Maxi Ball at a stand that is near a pond. Max shot would be 75 yards.

All the maxiball I purchase come unlubed. I then lube them with a homemade lube I make. If the ones you have are lubed.. fine.

Good luck on that pig hunt. It sounds like a lot of fun.

same here.i went from 80 to 70 grains pyro and man what an accurate combo with those 370-s. this was out of my tc new englander.

I normally shoot around 70 grains in my flintlock, with a roundball. I would not hesitate to shoot a deer out to 125 yards without a problem. Your conicals should have more "OOOMPH" than a roundball. Tom.