Powerbelts

[Suilleabhain]

I just sighted my gun in for 223 gr 50 cal Powerbelts. Or not sighted in. I tried them during the summer with 75 gr of Pyrodex and they hit left and a little low. My brother said before you change the sights go to 90gr. I tried that yesterday, 90 is my normal roundball load, they were right on. A little high at 50 yards which is fine with me. This is with iron sights on a T/C Hawken. They load like a dream compared to Hornandy and Great Plains Buffalo bullets.

[DanceswithSkunks]

Powerbelts are the best thing since sliced bread and toilet paper. My hunting buddy has a TC Hawken 50 calibre and uses the same bullet as you do with 80 grains of FF Goex. 3 shots @ 50 yards makes a nice cloverleaf all touching. 2 inches high with iron sights. You use 90 grains of Pyrodex. Is that by weight or volume? What is your aiming point on the front sight? Is it a blade or bead? If it's a bead use the top 12 O'clock of the bead as your aiming point @ 50 yards. At 100 yards the center of your bead will represent your point of impact. At longer ranges 75 yards plus just center the bead behind the shoulder.

[bubba]

Most including me will tell you they are junk. They fragment and lack good penetration.  Maybe at slower speeds out of the hawken they may be alright.  I shot two deer with them out of my H&R sidekick.  Performance was terrible with 100 grains of 777.  One I had to shoot three times after tracking it about 400 yards after a broad side double lung hit.  At 50 yards the bullet did not exit.  I hope you have better luck than I did.

[Suilleabhain]

Dances, that's good info. My 90gr is volume. Bubba I went to the Powerbelts because my buffalo bullets, hollow tips, flattened out like a quarter and I didn't care for that. They did kill but, I just didn't like the way they ended up. I'll test the Powerbelts in some wet phone books and see how they hold together. I may try the T/C solids again too

[bubba]

good luck to you.

[Pygmy]

I am surprised that powerbelts don't perform well on light game such as deer.

A few years ago when I was working up a good elk load for my .50 TC Hawken, I settled on a NOEXCUSES 460 grain conical..Worked great on the one elk I shot..Perfect mushroom on a double lung shot. They kill deer well too..

[TeeBugg]

My friends use powerbelts and they never complain about performance or accuracy issues. Ive used them before too and i liked them. Ill probably be using them next year as im rebuilding my muzzleloader and this year ill be shooting whatever my dad has that performs well.

[Cabin Fever]

Same experience as bubba with the Powerbelts. Great hits, but NO bloodtrail! Thank God I had snow, so I could at least follow tracks to the dead deer! After my experience, I did some research and found it was a common problem with Powerbelts. They shot and grouped great, but performance on deer sucked.

[SteveB]

A 3rd to Bubba and CF. Not to mention they are about the most expensive option out there (last I looked).

Far better and less expensive options out there.

[PREDATE]

I won't run PB's through my gun. Like bubba stated, I too have seen it take multiple hits to bring a whitetail down.

[fasteddie]

I tried Power Belts and although they group well , they suck for taking deer down . I went to the TC 240 gr sabots using 90 grain of 777 and that worked like a charm ! 

[sbuff]

I like a lot started out with power belts. It's all the stores sales people know how to sell. After lost deer and poor results I switched. I now use Speer deep curls and hornady xtps both in 300 grain in .452 wrapped in crush rib sabots. All bought in bulk, it's the way to go. Also use the hornady fpb and the hunk of lead no excuses in 460 grain. If your going to use power belts get the largest weight you can find and push it real slow .

[DanceswithSkunks]

I spoke with my buddy today. He uses the .50 calibre 295 grain lead HP. If you're shooting jacketed bullets from a ML you better have at minimum 1,800 FPS velocity when you contact your target for adequate expansion. 

 

.50 calibre all lead that opens to the size of a quarter is exactly what you want for deer killing. You want your energy expended in the deer. Not the dirt on the other side of it.

 

In my Knight MK-85 I use their saboted bullets. .54 calibre 310 grains all lead with a flat HP. My longest kill with them was 167 yards. The buck dropped got up and went another 30 or 40 yards and piles up. The bullet was recovered on the far side between the rib it broke and  the skin.

[Five Seasons]

absolute junk. Switched to shockwave and the accuracy off the bench with my CVA was 10 times better. I've heard great things about Barnes as well, but have not personally tried them.

[sbuff]

Skunks go shoot your power belt at  four wet phone books then try it with the deep curls,xtp or no excuses. It will be the last time you use a power belt.

 

 

[RangerClay]

I really like the .348 grain Powerbelts and I have intention of switching.  I too shoot from a hawken style rifle with 80 gr. of pyrodex.  Never had a bullet fragment and every shot a pass through.

 

Here is a question.  Have you been cleaning the plastic residue after every 5-8 shots?  That will screw up your patterning.  CVA makes a solvent for this.

[DanceswithSkunks]

I use an industrial cleaner not available to the general public. DME Mold Cleaner. It's for use with Thermoplastic tooling. Injection molding. Blow molding etc.

[DanceswithSkunks]

Skunks go shoot your power belt at  four wet phone books then try it with the deep curls,xtp or no excuses. It will be the last time you use a power belt.

 

 

I don't hunt for phonebooks. Is there a season open on them? Short of using a block of ballistic gelatin, I would setup a melon in front of a sand pile for those purposes. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I spoke with my buddy today. He uses the .50 calibre 295 grain lead HP. If you're shooting jacketed bullets from a ML you better have at minimum 1,800 FPS velocity when you contact your target for adequate expansion. 

 

What does you buddy say to all the shotgun shooters that are running jacketed bullets at slower speeds than that wil excellent performance?

[sbuff]

Test your power belt in the ballistic gelatin as I have with any other bullet I listed and post your results. End of story, good luck using them. 

[DanceswithSkunks]

Shotguns are for small game.

 

[sbuff]

My last post was for the skunks,i for got to state that

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Shotguns are for small game.

 

 

Huh. all these years in NY and they were all doing it wrong.

[Pygmy]

Wait a minute...Let me get a beer and some popcorn....<<grin>>...

[DanceswithSkunks]

Are you not permitted to use a black powder muzzle loading rifle in the shotgun only areas?