# Power belt vs. Hornady Saboted



## jonboyb

Been using 250 gr Power belt for probably 15 years.  Buddy swears by Hornady 250gr Saboted so I tried them out to see where POI compared.  Power belt was about 1/2" off "x".....Hornady DIDN'T HIT PAPER????  I expected a slight difference in impact, but not that severe.  Both were same weight and loaded with 100 gr of Pyrodex in CVA Optima Elite.  Anyone ever seen such a difference.


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## jonboyb

100 yds fwiw


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## RockyMountainBasser

I would assume that a muzzleloader is the same, in this respect, as any other "rifled" barrel.......that after so long, it becomes "familiar" with a certain bullet and the barrel is shaped (due to repetitive firing) to fit that bullet.  Any variation, in this case, a saboted bullet, will yield shocking results.

I had it happen in my old .243.  I remember they were ballistic tipped bullets (can't recall manufacturer) but I changed to a soft point bullet (Remington), and I basically had to re-sight my rifle in.....the POI was totally different.

Personally, why would you switch to another bullet after so many years of using what you have been using (and I am presumptive that those years were successful, since it took that long to change) and even have to worry about it?


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## leoparddog

I'm not surprised.  At a minimum, the bore seal is going to be drastically different between the two.  The Powerbelt bullet is going to be slightly undersized in the bore and rely on the skirt to make the seal.  The Hornady sabotted bullet will also be undersized but once it is in the sabot, it will probably make for a tight fit/seal almost the full length of the bullet.

A tighter fit will likely increase pressure (cet. par.) and increased pressure will likely increase velocity and recoil.  I bet that the Hornady bullet went over the top of the target.

Did you get the Hornady on paper?  Was it high or off left/right?


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## frankwright

I have never used a Powerbelt but the Hornady SST are deadly accurate.
But every round will probably shoot different and the gun will need to be resighted.


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## Barebowyer

I stopped shooting powerbelts years ago, they were very accurate and very easy to load.  I killed everything I shot with them but the bullets fragmented even on turkeys badly and I rarely got an exit wound(still ok I know).  My buddy was shooting shockwaves on multiple hunts while filming and all of my deer were going much farther than his.  So, I switched and I totally prefer them now and many are just DRT.  I know dead is dead but my faith is in the shockwaves now!!  Be safe and shoot straight!


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## deast1988

I stopped the PB train 3years ago. What I got was exit holes, solid blood trails and IMO better on game performance. I've taken 11 deer with the 295gr PB whether the aero tip/ hollow point I've had several DRT the last two PB deer were 70yd tracks on no exit an very tough trailing. I've never lost a deer to PB tips but I wanted more consistent performance. I shot 265gr Aframes for a bit an the TC/Hornady 250gr sabots I'm sticking to sabots


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## jonboyb

To answer earlier question, I still have a few of the old school hollow tip PBs I bought long ago.  Needing to restock and realized now just the Aerotip available so tried my buddies Hornady Saboted to shut him up....lol.  Only fired 1 so never hit paper.  After this season I'll work with them some more with bigger paper


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## bevills1

I've never used anything but sabots and have had excellent results for both accuracy and performance on game.  FYI there's an interesting article on power belts that talks about sabots too at http://www.chuckhawks.com/powerbelt_bullets.htm.


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## tcward

Go with Hornady or Barnes and don't look back...


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## outdoorlife99

I switched to Barnes this year from powerbelts and accuracy improved greatly. Only time will tell if I get an exit wound though.


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## Apex Predator

I never lost a deer with powerbelts but seldom got an exit hole.  I want the maximum damage internally, with an exit hole.  I get this every time with TC Shockwaves, and am a happier camper.


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## Luke0927

I've had bad luck with PB's too.  I need something for a .45 cal and have not had good luck.  I guess I need to check out the Hornadys


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## Chase4556

Luke0927 said:


> I've had bad luck with PB's too.  I need something for a .45 cal and have not had good luck.  I guess I need to check out the Hornadys



These are what I shoot. I have found I can swap between the hornady brand, or the thompson centers and they shoot the exact same. I can find the TC brand at walmart every now and then. Picked up 3 boxes the other year after season for $7 a box. My wolf will cloverleaf either one at 100yds over 2 T7 pellets. 

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/5...ber-240-grain-jacketed-hollow-point-box-of-20


https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...-with-240-grain-hornady-xtp-bullet-pack-of-30

I first started with the TC shockwaves, and while they shot great, I had poor performance on deer. Both myself and a buddy shot deer with my Wolf and the shockwaves, and had very poor blood trails. These XTPs straight put a hurting on them, and I have taken a deer at 175yds... so they hold up.


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## PappyHoel

At 25 yards I'm 1.5" high using Sst 250 grain 50 cal.  At 100yards I'm 5" high.  Can someone explain that?

I didn't continue to shoot because it was a chore to get it on paper and centered.


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## RockyMountainBasser

PappyHoel said:


> At 25 yards I'm 1.5" high using Sst 250 grain 50 cal.  At 100yards I'm 5" high.  Can someone explain that?
> 
> I didn't continue to shoot because it was a chore to get it on paper and centered.



At what distance were to trying to get it dead on?  If you were just sighting it in, then it seems to me that something is amiss.

I wanted mine to be dead on at 50 yds, even though the rule seems to say that 100 is more preferable.  But, with that being said, I am dead on at 50 yds., and I am shooting about 1\2" low at 25 yards.  I suppose that I should be grateful that my ML is that accurate at those two ranges.

Now, when I am able to get another case of bullets, I will stretch it out to 100 yds and see where it shoots with it being dead on at 50 yds.  If I am within 2", I will be happy.

As for what is going on with yours, besides it being the initial sight-in, I couldn't tell you.  It surely doesn't sound right.


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## ALB

Barebowyer said:


> I stopped shooting powerbelts years ago, they were very accurate and very easy to load.  I killed everything I shot with them but the bullets fragmented even on turkeys badly and I rarely got an exit wound(still ok I know).  My buddy was shooting shockwaves on multiple hunts while filming and all of my deer were going much farther than his.  So, I switched and I totally prefer them now and many are just DRT.  I know dead is dead but my faith is in the shockwaves now!!  Be safe and shoot straight!



Same here. I hit a 100# doe at 20 yrds and never found her. Hit her in the chest. No blood! Then I switched to Hornadys hollow points.


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## PappyHoel

RockyMountainBasser said:


> At what distance were to trying to get it dead on?  If you were just sighting it in, then it seems to me that something is amiss.
> 
> I wanted mine to be dead on at 50 yds, even though the rule seems to say that 100 is more preferable.  But, with that being said, I am dead on at 50 yds., and I am shooting about 1\2" low at 25 yards.  I suppose that I should be grateful that my ML is that accurate at those two ranges.
> 
> Now, when I am able to get another case of bullets, I will stretch it out to 100 yds and see where it shoots with it being dead on at 50 yds.  If I am within 2", I will be happy.
> 
> As for what is going on with yours, besides it being the initial sight-in, I couldn't tell you.  It surely doesn't sound right.



It doesn't sound right but it was repeated 3 times shooting from a rest vice.  I can't say I'm confident in it.  What I will say is that every muzzleloader I've ever owned has been very frustrating.  Especially when all my rifles will drive tacks.


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## Chase4556

PappyHoel said:


> At 25 yards I'm 1.5" high using Sst 250 grain 50 cal.  At 100yards I'm 5" high.  Can someone explain that?
> 
> I didn't continue to shoot because it was a chore to get it on paper and centered.



Bullets don't just shoot straight, then start to drop. They have an arc to them. If you sight dead on at 25yds, you will usually find you are high at 50, and maybe even higher at 100, then will drop back down. 

Sight it in at 50, then step to 100. I'd be willing to bet you will still shoot high. 

Zero it at 100, then if you want shoot it at 25 and see where you impact is. Keep the difference in mind for when you go to take a close up shot.


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## shane256

Barebowyer said:


> I stopped shooting powerbelts years ago, they were very accurate and very easy to load.  I killed everything I shot with them but the bullets fragmented even on turkeys badly and I rarely got an exit wound(still ok I know).  My buddy was shooting shockwaves on multiple hunts while filming and all of my deer were going much farther than his.  So, I switched and I totally prefer them now and many are just DRT.  I know dead is dead but my faith is in the shockwaves now!!  Be safe and shoot straight!



We had similar experiences with the Powerbelts. I started using the Hornady sabots and they have performed much better. My uncle uses bonded Shockwaves (the non-bonded ones are rebranded Hornady, I think) and he likes them. They seem to work well, too.


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## grndhunt10

*Zero*



PappyHoel said:


> At 25 yards I'm 1.5" high using Sst 250 grain 50 cal.  At 100yards I'm 5" high.  Can someone explain that?
> 
> I didn't continue to shoot because it was a chore to get it on paper and centered.



Pappy Hoel, the info on what you're shooting I'm familiar with. All barrels, barrel lengths,powders, bullets and rifles themselves are going to shoot differently. You didn't mention if you're shooting with a scope or not. If so, sight your front stuffer to ZERO at 20 yards with your load of 100 grains powder & 250 grain bullet. This will put you at 1.3"high @ 50 yds, 1"high @ 100 yds, and 3" low @ 150 yds. These are approximate, but should be very close to what you're looking for. I would at least shoot it at 50 or 100, whichever you prefer, to make sure that you are achieving suitable results for your setup. Good luck with getting her dialed in. I believe these ballistics will resolve your issue. Good hunting Pappy!


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## bevills1

PappyHoel said:


> At 25 yards I'm 1.5" high using Sst 250 grain 50 cal.  At 100yards I'm 5" high.  Can someone explain that?
> 
> I didn't continue to shoot because it was a chore to get it on paper and centered.


The bullet is still rising at 25 yards, will be higher at 50 yards and still higher at 100 yards.  Look to bottom of page at  http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/ballistics/2016-Standard-Ballistics.pdf to get a better idea of muzzle loader trajectory   Those ballistics are with 150 grains equivalent propellant and will be slightly but not drastically different for 100 grains equivalent propellant.  Trajectory will vary too with different bullets, but this chart will give some idea what to expect.


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## Twiggbuster

Glad my CVA shoots powerbelts well.
Never mess with it.
Did the job Sat .
Hit right where I aimed.
Keep um clean!


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