Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Giving up on PowerBelts

I am about fed up with the performance of PowerBelt bullets. 3 years ago, I lost a bear that I shot, two years ago it was an elk. Last year I put 5 shots into my elk, all of which were in the vitals. And this year a friend of mine lost an elk. Yesterday morning another buddy of mine hit a dandy 6x6 elk with his. The elk took off. We followed the blood trail for several hundred yards until it dropped off into a hole with aspens. The wind was not favorable so we backed out, not wanting to jump him. We surrounded the area for the evening hunt and he never came out. So this morning I am out glassing again and I see the same bull running around like crazy chasing cows and bugling his head off. No sign of being hit. I am 100% positive it is the same bull because of a funky brow tine.

All of these shots have taken place between 90 and 160 yards, and have had good shot placement with 300-348 grain bullets. Has anyone else had poor experience with PowerBelts? What are some better choice out there? I feel that I am limited to bullet selection because we aren't allowed to use sabots here in Colorado. I am thinking it is time to hang the smoke pole up for good for fear of inhumane kills. I just love being able to hunt the rut, and not necessarily using a bow!

YOu didn't mention what type of gun you are using but a 460 grain No excuses bullets would be the Cat's azz . You can also try out Thor bullets.....very nice

get some hp plugs to go in those bullets and they will kill like hell.

talk to bigblock,he can fix you up.

Shot 2 deer with power belts. One deer ran for the hills with no blood trail, the other died but only after a exhausting trailing job with dogs. When I recovered the bullet it was none for the worse and seemingly unharmed. I could have put a gas check on it and used it again I'm pretty sure.

I switched to Barnes Spit Fires and have been EXTREMELY proud of how they work on game.

http://www.barnesbullets.com/products/muzzleloader/spit-fire-mz/

Pure Lead cast bullets..??
Been killing stuff for centuries.

Good Luck!


Johnny $

How'd those bullets look?

Huh, I've used PBs (54cal 348gr) on 6 or 7 elk without a problem and a few deer too. Interesting...

RH

5 bullets into an elk? Better go to a semi next year!

I killed an elk at 140 yards with a simple patched round ball. If you're saying a 300+ gr powerbelt isnt elk medicine, i dunno what to tell you.

Shot placement is key.

If the bullet does or does not expand,A 1/2" hole is going to kill regardless.

Most of the time, that " I put it behind the shoulder" doesnt mean anything.

I've put the plugs on hold till i can get a mold that casts correctly. Its hard doing one at a time and having to pry them out of the mold I do need to get to work on a new mold and build it slowly so they come out the right way.

Sounds like you had good performance with the tips i sent you.

Five elk for me, and two bucks. On both bucks, entrance and exit, no bullet recovered, dead deer, one in its tracks. On one elk, went through the scapula, recovered the bullet under the off-side hide, expanded to the size of a quarter.

If you can put 5 bullets in a elk or deer at 90-140 yards .What kind of a smi auto are you useing when they look an not even ben hit.Still chaseingg other elk or deer sounds like you miss

The PowerBelts have a pretty bad rep..

I'n not an expert on powerbelts from actual field use but I have read a lot on the subject. They're both loved and hated.

One issue that hasn't been brought up is they're not designed to be pushed at high velocities. They do best with 100 grains or less with the powder of your choice. Push em too fast and they pancake and might not penetrate very well. Some people suggest they can also break up. ???????? I'm just stating what I've read.

I've only seen one animal that was shot with a powerbelt and it pancaked. It killed the deer and the bullet was recovered in the off side underneath the skin, so NO failure, dead is dead. It did confirm what I've read about though. The deer was shot at about 200 yards using 130 grains of 777 pellets. Even at that distance and speed it pancaked and didn't pass through a medium size mule deer shot broadside.

The thing is, closer and faster could be a problem. Run them slow and it's not a big deal. There just a plated chunk of lead. I don't know this for a fact but I don't think they're a hard lead alloy either. Thus the pancaking.

It's not a bullet I want to use. I've read about too many bad experiences with them. There's better options out there. The non sabot I'm gonna try is the Thor.

Pure lead = Soft

It takes the average guy a good 2 minutes *me at least* to reload properly. It gets worse in the field when you are shaking with excitement.

Kind of reminds me of some civil war stories where the soldiers were so pumped up and scared chitless that they thought they were shooting but in truth, they just kept ramming one load on top of the next.

Everyone in my club shoots powerbelts... except me and my bud. We shoot 240 grain hollow point .44 mag pistol bullets in the green Hornady sabots.

Many deer have gone down to them over the last 20 some odd years. I shoot them with 2 triple seven pellets behind them. I imagine that a 240 soft point or even a bigger bullet would be a potent elk round with 3 pellets behind it. It'd be a shoulder basher but a nice bullet.

Another view on power belts. I sat and watched my buddy shoot about 20 of them through his Knight disc rifle. It was getting dark and he still couldn't find a combination that would shoot. He got on board with the Hornady green sabots too. The sabot bullet combo works well.

FH your conclusions are exactly what I experienced when I got my first 50...they definitely are more accurate at lower velocities.I always used 100gr Triple 7 but going up to 150 was the schitts!! Could never get decent groups and they always would throw flyers ..thought at first it was me or the gun but then moved on to Barnes T-EZ's and what a difference.Groups tightened x 3 and I finally started getting pass throughs on deer.Not hawking Barnes cause there are other very good sabots out there but I don't recommend Powerbelts to anyone after my experiences.....FLEM

Flem, was that loose or pelleted 777?

Tried both didn't seem to make any difference...although my son got his best group with 90 gr of loose.

Fish head was dead on about pushing them to fast...almost think when at higher velocity the A$$ end is trying to outrun the frontend!!

I had a knight LK93 and it really did well with powerbelts.

Fly, the Powerbelt Platinums are made for rifles such as knight. They use a thicker .507" base they they fit a good deal tighter.

Powerbelts are accurate with mag loads, you just have to find the right combo. I shoot 4,000 + each year

I don't ever like to critize anyones choice of caliber or components but these things just weren't workin for us..we gave them our best shot on paper and in the field..increasing the charge/decreasing the charge..I don't ever remember having this much trouble with a bullet's behavior.Maybe T/C's don't like them..have had other friends tell me the same.Glad they're working for you !!!! .....FLEM