# Powerbelt Results



## reelspoiled (Nov 1, 2012)

Here's some first hand experience last weekend. I sighted my open sight muzz with 245gn PB hollow points for 50 yards and had the holes touching. Very satisfied with the accuracy. However, I never had an opportunity to shoot anything with them. I shoot Hornadys in my scoped 100 yard muzz and I've had great results with accuracy and terminal ballistics with them. 

My brother was going to sit in a ground blind for an AM hunt that only had a 30 yard max shot, so I told him to use my open sight muzz b/c his has a scope on it. He said that was a good idea and took mine. Right at sun up, he has a bunch of hogs in front of him at 20 yards and he takes a crack at a nice 80-90lb guilt. 

Smoke clears rapidly, thanks to the wind last weekend, and he sees the hog run away. He waits a while and a buddy of mine meets him at his stand to take up the blood trail. Well, between the hog being a good draggin size and the blood being fire hosed on everything, he didn't need much help. They found the hog 40 yards down the trail. 

While he made a perfect shot, the pig didn't go far, and the blood trail was more than you could ask for.....we will be switching to Hornadys or shockwaves. 

There was not even an attempt at an exit wound. The bullet completely exploded on impact like a bomb, and if it wasn't for great placement and a little luck I seriously doubt we would have found the pig. While cleaning her, we found shrapnel all around the wound. It completely destroyed the one lung, but other than that, the hog was relatively untouched. The shrapnel didnt carry to the other lung, the heart, guts, spine, or liver. It was really interesting. 

We all decided right there, there was not enough damage for our liking and we will count our blessings while eatin backstrap. 

Here are a few pics.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Nov 1, 2012)

Looks like a pretty prolific blood trail from a perfectly placed shot.  Gotta love that much blood on the ground.


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## Bucky T (Nov 1, 2012)

I switched over to Hornady 250gr SST's.

Very pleased with that bullet's performance.


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## Gecko (Nov 1, 2012)

Hornady SST- ML 250gr work great in my Knight.  All pass throughs so far. Devistating bullet.


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## Marlin_444 (Nov 12, 2012)

Love my PowerBelts...  Loads faster than a fat baby's diaper... 

WOO HOO!!! 

*V*


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## Apex Predator (Nov 13, 2012)

I'll bet you he hit something in front of that pig.  I currently shoot SSTs, but have never had a PB failure.


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## shadow2 (Nov 13, 2012)

I will never shoot another power belt. Very poor and unreliable performance for me.


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## LanceColeman (Nov 14, 2012)

Big fan of Hornady XTPs here.


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## Skyjacker (Nov 14, 2012)

shadow2 said:


> I will never shoot another power belt. Very poor and unreliable performance for me.



Ditto.


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## Ronbow (Nov 14, 2012)

*Back to basic ballistics boys Its a 1200 to 1500 FPS muzzle loader not a 3000 FPS high powered rifle,  all this Pass thru talk is wearin me out. I have had very good luck with Powerbelts says Ronbow*


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## tv_racin_fan (Nov 15, 2012)

Ronbow 

I simply do not understand some people. Do they not understand that a powerbelt is a LEAD projectile and will not perform like a JACKETTED projectile at JACKETTED projectile speeds else there would be no need for a JACKETTED projectile at all? Even the "copper" plated powerbelts are LEAD projetiles with a thin "copper" plating not a JACKET.

But then who the heck was the fool that thought a power belt ought to be a hollow point projectile? A simple WIDE flat faced projectile would be optimum since you get pure lead expansion, WIDE flat face damage and then the pass thru for those who want it or think they need it.

Am I stupid or do I simply not understand?


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## Redleaf (Nov 15, 2012)

In my opinion,  a bullet that breaks up has failed.  Some bullets will fail sometimes and not fail at other times.  I use bullets that expand and penetrate while retaining near 100% weight.


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## Redleaf (Nov 15, 2012)

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=697128


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## Redleaf (Nov 15, 2012)

If I remember right, that bullet weighed 428 grains as cast and 419 after going through the deer.  Easy to load, cheap, totally consistent and top notch performance.   IMO,  trying to squeeze another 300 or 400fps out of a muzzleloader to flatten the trajectory is a waste of time.  Hitting targets past 100yards is not that hard to do with a bullet launched at 1200fps.  When you start jacking up the mv you run into long range accuracy problems too.  That and the fact that the lighter for caliber jacketed sabot bullets cost so danged much most folks aint gonna do enough shooting to really know what kind of accuracy they can depend on.  Getting a few shots on target at 200yds one time is not much of an indication of accuracy.  Before I shot that deer at 155,   I had shot well over 100 rounds at ranges between 100 and 200yds on at least 5 different days.  If I'd been paying $3/bullet I doubt if I would have done that.


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## Bucky T (Nov 15, 2012)

*Riddle me this??*

Alright all of you "ballistic experts", explain this.

I use to shoot powerbelts......  99% of the deer I shot with them died fast, but no pass throughs and the rounds exploded inside the deer....  Shrapnel is all I ever found.....

I also hunt with a .243.  100gr core lokts are my round of choice out of my rifle.

I've had quite a few rounds not pass through deer and hogs with my .243.  But.........  I always find the bullet with at least 90% weight retention.  Perfectly mushroomed out. 

I switched over from Powerbelts to Hornady SST's this season.

Only shot one doe with Hornady's so far.  Pass through shot and the exit hole was twice as big as entry.  Better than anything the Powerbelts did..  Seems the Hornady round was expanding and shrooming out upon exit??

Powerbelts, nada...........  Never found one intact bullet................  

100grs of 777 245gr Powerbelts.  

Shoot same load of 777 with 250gr SST's.


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## tv_racin_fan (Nov 15, 2012)

Bucky when you use them 243 rounds why you not using a pure ole soft lead projectile? You think a pure ole soft lead projectile is going to perform the same as that core lokt projectile at that sort of speed? You think that core lokt is going to perform the same as a Nosler partition? weight retention and all that? If it did there wouldn't be a Nosler Partition projectile cause there would be no need for it and people wouldn't spend that extra money.

I aint no expert and aint tryin to claim I am I just can not for the life of me understand why people are tryin to shoot a pure ole soft lead projectile at the same speeds they propell a jacketed projectile then comparing the results and claiming the pure ole soft lead projectile is at fault when it does not perform the same as that jacketed projectile.

I'm sayin you need to run the projectile at the speeds it was designed to run at then see if it dont do what you want done. They killed Buffalo with a 45 70 runnin a 402 grain bullet over 65 grains of black powder.


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## FrontierGander (Nov 15, 2012)

you'd think after all the info i provide on powerbelts, you ALL would put this behind you.

Maybe if I cut it down a lot.

Powerbelt Bullets:

Soft pure lead
Over sized hollow point for fast bullet expansion
Copper coating of .005" to prevent lead build up

Pure lead + large hollow point + high velocity = Over expansion of bullet "That's Fragmentation for those who experiences bits and pieces of bullet recovery"

Light weight powerbelts with high velocity behind them WILL over expand and shatter.

Powerbelt Platinum will be the better powerbelt to use if you want both expansion/exit wound.


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## Redleaf (Nov 15, 2012)

I thought powerbelts had a hard lead/antimony core?


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## tv_racin_fan (Nov 15, 2012)

Frontier sir, I still aint figured out why they make them in a hollow point design.

Someone makes a lead screw to fill up that hollow point and they supposed to work awesomely. I bought some power belts and aint never even shot em. Got some great plains bullets and some maxi ball and some maxi hunter and some sabbotted projectiles and aint never shot the first one of any of em. The simple ole patched round ball will do everything I want to do and then some and is plenty accurate. A patched round ball has killed every land critter on the planet I do believe and some water critters too. Course I don't think I want to go after some them land critters with my 50 cal flintlock but gimmie a 72 caliber flintlock and I wouldn't be afraid to go get em. 

You heard the term loaded for bear? Turns out it means you double balled that rifle... TC used to have double balled loads in the manual for their Hawken.


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## tv_racin_fan (Nov 15, 2012)

Redleaf said:


> I thought powerbelts had a hard lead/antimony core?


 
I'd have to see that in some offical advertizement for me to believe that sir. At muzzle loader speeds you need pure lead to obturate and engage the rifling else you use a patched ball or a sabot of some sort to engage the rifling even paper patched and patched round ball will obturate to some extent. The plastic skirt on a powerbelt is a gas seal, it can spin freely on the projectile so it wont do nothing as far as causing the projectile to spin.


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## Bucky T (Nov 16, 2012)

FrontierGander said:


> you'd think after all the info i provide on powerbelts, you ALL would put this behind you.
> 
> Maybe if I cut it down a lot.
> 
> ...



Thanks!!

Just looking for an explanation of the powerbelts not holding together.


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## tv_racin_fan (Nov 16, 2012)

Bucky T said:


> Thanks!!
> 
> Just looking for an explanation of the powerbelts not holding together.


 
Bucky actually sir it is the same reason the ballistic tips explode on contact for some people. They use them for the long range accuracy and performance without understanding what that will do to the short range performance. Ballistic tip is intended to help expansion at the slower speed of longer range, it is basically a hollow point projectile with a plastic insert to help it expand at slower speeds AND this insert gives it better ballistic performance to reach on out there. Yet some claim they blow up at short range. You aint need em if ya aint shootin something at 200+.

Least wise that is how they is explained to work to me.


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## tv_racin_fan (Nov 16, 2012)

IF I was to go shootin them new fangled sabotted projetiles.. 

This is what I would do.

I would purchase the correct sabbot and use a lead projectile. More than likely some wide flat nose projectile.

http://mmpsabots.com/

http://www.blackdawgecartridge.com/...e&thispage=bd_bullets.html&ORDER_ID=764491554

Of course I could very easily cast my own projectiles and Lee has some good molds for that. As do RCBS and others. I'm thinkin something close to 250-300 grains with a flat nose maybe cast out of wheelweights with some pure lead added to soften em up a bit. Ought to give me good expansion and plenty of penetration at black powder speeds. Might even try some of the non lead projectiles that some like.


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## Marlin_444 (Nov 16, 2012)

To each their own... They work for me...

I've never lost a deer using PowerBelts...  I do use the Platinums Aerotips but have used the Coppers both in tipped and hollow point...  There is a new version on the market, but I've not yet used up all of the Paltinums (.270 Grain) yet.

*V*

Platinums........................... New Style PowerBelt..................... Old Style


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## FrontierGander (Nov 16, 2012)

nope, powerbelts are pure lead.

Heres some more info that might help shed light on the problem. Ive already talked to powerbelt over it but the guy i talked to, stressed the same thing to the company but in the end, pointy bullets are what sell, so the hollow point is here to stay.

I did build a mold that fixes the problem but its just to danged hard to use since they are so small and get caught up by the threads. Even that smooth shaft on the ballistic tip causes more problems for the powerbelts.

http://gandersmuzzleloadingblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/powerbelt-aerolite-bullet-recovery.html


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## tv_racin_fan (Nov 16, 2012)

Frontier sir you found out exactly what I was thinkin.  As I said I have never even used them things tho I do have some. I got to thinkin about it and decidedit wowuld be cheaper just to use a regular ole pure lead conical and a fiber wad gas seal or not. I have some pure lead conicals I have never shot either as I understand I dont need them for what I intend as PRB will do everything I want, tho I would like to use some conicals out of my revolver (even there round ball ought to do what I want).


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## vonnick52 (Nov 16, 2012)

85 grains of loose powder and one of these suckers is what I've always used....devastating.  http://www.midwayusa.com/product/53...caliber-385-grain-lead-hollow-point-box-of-20


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## Florida_Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

Correct me if I'm wrong but, no pass thru=every ounce of energy expended in your target...???


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## shane256 (Nov 26, 2012)

Florida_Boy said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong but, no pass thru=every ounce of energy expended in your target...???



Yeah, but so what? The important things are the wound channels (temporary and permanent)... regardless of exit or not. Personally, I prefer two holes because on the chance that it runs, two holes bleed a LOT better than one hole. The exit hole will tend to bleed out a lot more than the entrance hole.

Not the Power Belts, but I've used the Shock Waves for a while. The cup-n-core Shock Waves do have a thin jacket... it separates quite often... you'll find it in the animal sometimes even on complete pass through. I've stopped using them and have gone to the bonded Shock Waves to try them out this year.


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