Max load for Dixie Tenn Mtn Rifle?

[sequoia]

I have a .50 Dixie Tennesse Mountain Rifle. The max load reccommended is 70 grains. This seems a little on the light side. What are the max loads in other .50 flinters from outfits like TVM?

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

There's usually not much point in going over 80 or 90 grains of powder in a .50 anyway. The last .50 I had was similar to yours but by a different maker and liked 85 grains of GOEX FFFg by volume.

 

[MikeChapin]

I have a .50 Dixie Tennesse Mountain Rifle. The max load reccommended is 70 grains. This seems a little on the light side. What are the max loads in other .50 flinters from outfits like TVM?

I have a .50 Tennessee that I built twenty or so years ago. It has a 42" 7/8" GM barrel. I do a lot of match shooting with it and only use 50 grains of 3F for 25 and 50 yards and 70 grains for 100 yards.

As for power, I once shot a large mulie doe at 70-75 yards with a .50 Mountain Rifle with 70 grains of 3F. The ball broke the shoulder blade and a rib and passed through the lungs, broke a short rib on the off side and lodged under the skin. The deer staightened up and collapsed on the spot. On a side shot at that range, the ball will go all the way through the heart and lung area and exit the the animal on the far side.

 

[KHickam]

I've had 2 Dixie Tennessee mtn rifles - One really liked 90 grs and the other liked 80 grs of 2F -killed black bear and cougar with one as well as won a rifle in a match back in the day. That said, most of my shooting was with 60 grs of powder

"Dan'l" :thumbsup:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Multiply your barrel length times 2.2580 to obtain the MAXIMUM EFFICIENT Powder load your barrel will burn.

That is NOT the maximum powder charge that can be safely fired in the barrel and gun, but its a reference place to use when trying to develop an ACCURATE load for your gun.

BP hunting is all about Accurate placement of your ball in the game- Not velocity. The open sights on your gun limit the yardage at which you can hold your sights on game and be assured of hitting within a couple of inches of where you aim. Most deer are killed inside of 50 yards, so using a ML rifle such as yours does not handicap you much at all.

In my 39 inch barreled, .50 cal. Tenn. Poor Boy rifle, I shoot 75 grains of FFg powder behind a .490 PRB when hunting deer. I can load more powder in that long barrel, but the load I settled on is the Most Accurate Load I have developed for this gun. For target shooting to 50 yds, I shoot 60-65 grains of FFg powder behind a PRB. I am using .015" pillow ticking patches, lubed with Young Country 101 Lube( Now Wonderlube, Bore butter, etc.)