power belt failers

G

grimreaper

Guest
LAST EDITED ON Sep-30-09 AT 01:14PM (MST)[p]has anyone had a failure with these bullets? i shot a cow elk on wednesday the 23, she was 70 yrds quartering away. hit her perfect and she was down in 40 yrds. when i skined her and cut her up the bullet hole was long and very odd shaped and jagged. it broke a rib comming in. there was no exit hole or any other kind of hole on the oppisite side. it was a 295gr hp. best i can figure is it exploded on impact. for it not to make it out of the chest cavity blowes me away? shot a buck a couple years ago with the same load and it prformed perfect. i guess it would help if i could spell failure! can't figure out how to edit the title.
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-30-09 AT 01:15PM (MST)[p]ive been dealing with this for years. You guys can not use the 295gr powerbelt on elk size game! its not recommended by powerbelt. It wont even handle a 100gr charge for whitetail size game. Powerbelt recommends that you use 348gr minimum in the copper series and 338gr minimum in the platinum series, nothing smaller. With the 348 i wouldnt even consider anything over 90 grains.

Good deal on your hunt though! Any pictures? I had to pack a cow out last year and its a quite a chore!

Also if you want a great shooting conical that loads just as easy as the powerbelt and performs 100% better on BIG game, check these out,
http://thepowerbeltforum.powerguild.net/thor-bullets-testing-f32/247gr-colorado-thor-test-1-t590.htm

http://thepowerbeltforum.powerguild...ting-range-f36/cva-accura-50cal-thor-t594.htm


www.thepowerbeltforum.powerguild.net
 
if i am smart enough to post pics i will. i am a little simple when it comes to the computer. the bullet did tons of internal damage! the buck i refered to, i found the slug on the opposite side behind the hide. it looke loke a silver dollar. i might be giving the barnes a try in the future.
 
From what I've seen, the Powerbelt HPs do kind of explode. The powerbelt HP my dad used this year exploded on a buck. I used the none HP ones (Aerotip) and had a complete pass through. However, the cow my brother shoot a few years ago didn't pass through (non HP) but lodged under the skin on the opposite side. She went about 30 yds and piled up. As you know elk are just bigger.

I have no problem using them. YMMV
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-30-09 AT 04:41PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Sep-30-09 AT 04:40?PM (MST)

Have taken 4 bull elk with powerbelt bullets a non were pass thru shots,but they did kill the elk in a reasonable distance.Three were all the 348 HP and one with the 348 aero tip.I shot 90 grains of APP Powder on the first elk and the next three were 90 grains of Triple 7.Three of the elk went 30-50 yards and the 4th one went over 1/4 mile and took a second shot.Just some animals die hard.
Shot several deer with Powerbelt bullets and could not ask for more,most dropped on the spot ,some went a few yards.To me they are a very good accurate bullet.I plan on using these or Hornady FPB for Colorado next year. It depends if I hunt deer only or combign the hunt with a cow elk tag.
 
I have seen cow elk to go further than 40 yards when hit with a 300 magnum.
I think the bullet did it's job.
 
yeah ive even shot elk with a centerfire wit ha .270 at a little over 300 yards. It still managed with run 60 yards with NO heart intact! Dropping an elk with a muzzleloader within 40 yards is excellent. My round ball elk from 150 yards went 60 yards with shredded lungs. Like Rem said, some animals are fighters and keep on going.

www.thepowerbeltforum.powerguild.net
 
A better title would be "Might have failed, but it didn't"

I don't use them any more because there are bullets that hold together better. The thor looks to be one, and the Hornady FPB certainly is one.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Between me and the wife, we've shot 5 mulies in the last month, 4 with 295hp powerbelt and one with 45 cal 275 aerotip. None made it 20 yards. I did have several this year fail to pass through. I will go back to my own cast bullets next year. Not because the powerbelts failed. Because $1 a bullet is a ridiculous price for what they are. When you like to shoot a couple hundred rounds a year it adds up.

Lead, gas checks and bullet lube are cheaper. Plus you can get them to mushroom or penetrate as much as you want by varying the alloy.
 
we have taken 4 bucks this year with no pass throughs 3 kills less than 50 yards and 1 at 100 yards all died, but I still would have thought they should have exited.Most shots did hit the ribs going in though.245 grain HPs with 90 grains black horn 209
 
I have had better penetration results with the 45 cal 275 grain powerbelt than I have with the 295 grain 50 cal. I'm sure it has better sectional density. I've only had two 45 cal powerbelts fail to give complete penetration and that his been when they connected with spine. I am pushing both calibers to the limit with 110/120 grain loads of blackhorn 209. Chronographing just under 2,000 fps in a 28" barrel.

There is another school of thought on bullet performance. Some people prefer bullets to not exit thinking it transfers all the energy to the animal. I prefer pass throughs myself.

I have also had better luck with the platinum powerbelts as well. They seem to hold together much better than the copper series.
 
I myself have never shot the platinums.Asports shop by me has them on sale for 15 dollars for the 338 grain.Think I will see what kind of accuracy I get with them.
I usually only use full bore bullets for Colorado.I shoot Hornady XTP or SST here in Michigan for whitetail most of the time,mostly do to the cost of powerbelts.Like was said at $1 or more per bullet arround me,they get expensive to target shoot with.I get the Hornady bullets for $7 for 20 .
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-01-09 AT 09:43AM (MST)[p]Here is a 295 gr. shot with 100 gr pellets at approx. 100 yard through the front shoulder of my sons 2x3.
It broke through the shoulder and lodged just under the skin on the far side.
100_0740.jpg

100_0741.jpg

Buddy used my gun last year on a LE elk hunt with 338 gr. plat. Never recovered the bullet but the elk dropped like he was hit by lightning!
 
I just talked to a guy today that hunts elk with a 245 grain HP Powerbelt.He has taken 1 bull and 2 cows with this bullet and 90 grains of Pyrodex.When I said that the bullet is a little light for me,he said,think about the elk and deer that havebeen killed with the patched round ball.
I myself would say the 295 grain would be the minimum for cow elk and prefer something heavier.As proved though a proper placed bullet of any size will work.
 
I would tell him two things:

1) People also kill elk every year with a 243, but it would not be my first choice.

2) If the guys shooting a round ball had had a 350 gr conical for elk, they would have used it.

My shot on my elk this year was less than optimal: The bullet went right through the bottom of the humerus (upper arm bone) at the elbow. Shooting a 245 gr powerbelt, I would have wounded and lost that elk, no question. Using the 350 gr FPB, the bullet put that elk down in 30 yards.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Had 2 "failures" already this year on antelope by pushing that 295 HP too fast (130g). Fist sized entry and no exit - both animals went less than 100 yards. It worked just fine on antelope - I sure wouldn't want to try that load on deer or elk.
Jason
 

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