Psomniferum,

First and foremost... Welcome aboard! I believe you'll find muzzleloading to be very addictive as most of us here have. Your choice in a T/C was a wise one. I'm not trying to diss the other manufacturers because they all make good rifles, it's more a matter of personal preference. While they may not be the same company they were before having been acquired by Smith and Wesson, they are still an American company so some folks in this country are drawing a paycheck thanks to guys like you. I personally own seventeen T/C firearms and I have no complaints.

I think the 120 gr. recommendation is something T/C has stuck with since they first started producing ML rifles of .50 caliber and larger. I sure most of the members here would agree that 100 grains of powder is a very adequate charge for all North American Deer, Black Bear, Elk, or Moose. I don't believe I've ever taken a deer with a charge over 80-85 grains, whether it was pushing a round ball or a conical. That said, I don't shoot long ranges and I hunt in the woods where my shots are usually up close and personal.

You should try several different powders and I also recommend that you use "loose" powder and not pellets for your load development as you can work up your best load in 5 gr. increments to see what your rifle likes the taste of. I think you'll find after some shooting and load development sessions that maximum charges just aren't necessary.

And lastly, there is no such thing as a silly or stupid question, just silly or stupid answers. There are a lot of very knowledgeable fellas on this forum and they're all more than happy to be of help.

BPS