LOADING DATA FOR RICE 50 CAL

[hortonstn]

just finished a beck with a 50 cal rice 44 inches long flint  any one have any experience with load data
normaly I would use 70 fff what do you think for a 60 yd target?
thanks
paul

[Standing Bear]

In my 42" 15/16" .50. Flinter I use 60 gr FFg out to 50-60 then 90 gr to 100 yds and 120 gr is good at 130 yds.
TC

[Okefinokee Outlaw]

I've been using 70 grains of Swiss 2F.

[Don Getz]

This is the fun part of building a gun.  I would start with 65-70 grains of both FF and FFF powder, also try .490 and .495 balls.
I have never been a magnum person and I don't shoot snything with over 100 grains, but, that's me.  Good luck, have fun
Don

[lexington1]

In my Rice 46" barrel I use 70 grs. 3f Goex with a .021 patch and .480 ball. This particular barrel is slightly smaller inside diameter than any other .50 barrel I've had but it does shoot well!

[Karl Kunkel]

My Rice 38" C Weight likes 65 gr FFF with .490 ball and .018 patch.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

In my Rice 50Cal 44" B wt barrel I use 70 Grains of 3fff to about 50 or 60 yards. If I want to shoot at 100 yds (not very often) I'll increase the charge to 95 Grains.

I shoot a .490 hand cast ball with .020 patch.

[hortonstn]

thanks for your thoughts
off to the range
paul

[Daryl]

Picking an arbitrary load for your rifle, ie: "I'm going to use 60gr.- or 70, 80, 110" - whatever - is not the way to find out what shoots best in your rifle.
You have to develop the load. That means starting with the minimum that might work- and going upwards from there. You MUST have a good ball and patch combination to start, one where the patch is not destroyed by the powder flame.  You MUST pick up the spent patches and examine them for burning9actual holes or black burns or scorching which looks like brown lines radiating out from the grooves.  Either condition is not acceptable, for me.

After you have a patch that maintains it's integrity with the starting load - THEN you can increase that load, checking for accuracy improvement and ALSO continually checking those patches.

[WadePatton]

yes heck yes what Daryl ^^^ said.

Because no two bbls are the same no matter who made them.  No two moulds are the same.  My denim isn't your denim.  Duck Butter is not Wool Fat and Whale Oil is not Penguin Poo (but they're both kinda fishy). Et cetera.


It is a lot of work, but it's also a labor of hot smokey love!

Best of developments to ya!

[hanshi]

The Rice .50 x 38" round bottom barrel on my rifle does fine with 70 grains  of either JBP or regular Goex 3F, a .490" ball with a .024" patch.  Actually, I've found most rifles do quite well with 60 to 70 grains.  I've killed deer with both loads and they are accurate.  I also killed lots of deer (.45) with 80 grains and that load is a tack driver.  Mostly I use 60 to 70, however.  In the .50 and .45 it works fine out to 100 yards which is as far as the shooting range permits.

[Virginiarifleman]

I like to get to know my rifle. I use say 70Gr. FFFG get my rifle zero at 50 yds bench, then bench it at 25yds and 100yds to see where its shooting at those different yardages.

[Vomitus]

  I started with 60, and worked it up to 80 grains of 2F. Tight patch,ball,bore combo of course. At 75 grs., it shot good,at 80,about the same,so I'm sticking to 80grs. of 2f Goex.  Barrel is a Rice "B" weight,44 inches, angular lands and grooves, 66" twist.
     2f is for rifles, 3f is for pistols....Lynton MacKenzie

[Bob Roller]

This is the only thing I ever disagreed with Lynton McKenzie on. I use 3fg in everything from a Colt 31 caliber pocket revolver to a 10 gauge shotgun.

Bob Roller

[Don Getz]

Funny thing about barrels.   Rice, or any other barrel maker, could make two identical barrels and send them to two different
people and they will come up with two different "best" loads........Don