powerbelts

HIcountryman

Very Active Member
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1,363
Has anyone has success on elk with 300 gr Aerolite platinum Powerbelt bullet? It worked great on deer. Shot behind shoulder with no rib contact.

I heard powerbelts are pure lead= soft, not enough oomph inside cavity once they penetrate...

I have the Thor one size fits all, but havent had time to shoot em yet. Anybody use this bullet w Accura v2 yet?I have sizing kit but didnt get around to ordering ones that fit my Accura v2. Shooting Bhorn 209, 100 grains.

Thanks for your input. I ll make time to shoot soon. Just looking for a headstart from you guys' experience!
 
The only animals I ever failed to recover were shot with powerbelts. I will not use them any more.
 
I don't use powerbelts because they are too soft for elk. And the aerolyte has a bigger hollow point to make it blow up more easily! You did ok because you didn't hit a bone. IF you could always slip powerbelts thru the ribs without any bone contact they would be great. But if you hit a bone........

If I were looking for an easy to load tough bullet, I would probably try the 350 grain federal BOR. it is a lead alloy and tougher than PowerBelts. But the Thor is definitely worth h a look. It is definitely a very good and very tough bullet

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Thanks TX. I was hopin you d reply as you seem to know your way around muzzleloaders quite a bit! I ll test the Thors i have and order some others
 
LAST EDITED ON Jun-19-19 AT 07:07PM (MST)[p]I was able to get the 338 grain Powerbelt to shoot accurately but with 90 grains or more of Blackhorn 209 they were coming apart on the impact side of an elk. I played around with the powder charge and have found 82 grains of 209 and the slug holds together and will shoot thru the shoulder and remain about the size of a nickel on the off side. My experience hot loads on powerboats didn't work.
 
Last time I used Powerbelts, was on a CO 7X6 bull. 348 grain hollow point I aimed right behind the shoulder at about 100 yards as the herd entered a cottonwood patch. I couldn't see him as he went in. The cows came out, not the bull. After reloading and watching a while, I went in. He jumped up and I shot him again, same place other side. Each bullet took out one lung and didn't penetrate to the other side. 120 gr triple 7, so not a weak load.
 
There are way better options for a few more dollars.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."
 
I use the 285 gr Aero Tip PB with 150 gr of Triple 7, never had any issues with in 100 yards or less.


Robb
 
TX: while checking out Federal BOR bullet, i see no indication that is an alloy, only lead.... is the trophy copper BOR tougher? Harder to load? Better in any way?

(Btw: i heard a report about raptors eating deer and elk carcasses and it stated that an x ray showed a spray of lead fragments about 8" away from wound channel, presumably from rifle lead bullet)

Is the Federal BOR lead 350 bullet tougher than a powerbelt? Lookin to order some and get more confidence in my distance shooting and bullet construction!
 
Yep the Barnes 290 is a saboted bullet. However the Thor conical bullet is made of cooper and made by Barnes.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
>I use the 285 gr Aero
>Tip PB with 150 gr
>of Triple 7, never had
>any issues with in 100
>yards or less.
>
>
>Robb

Robb, you may want to do a little research on that bullet/ load. Aerolites are built to come apart and do damage. If you slip it between ribs you are good. But if you tried to put that load thru a shoulder I would expect you would have a problem. If I was using that bullet I would use less powder, prob in the 90 gr range. My elk loads all use 90-95 gr of powder. I would only push a bullet harder if it was a Barnes type copper. JMHO


txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Probably many better bullets out there that will out perform the power belts. Lots of opposing opinions because hundreds of elk have died with power belts.

Including these two of mine. 290gr PB hollow point with 90 gr 777.

331fieldelk2.jpg

38703img1487.jpg
 
"Is that saboted? I cant use sabots, hunting colorado. Thanks for the input guys."

Go with a full bore Hornady or Federal bullet.
 
Sooner or later, anyone shooting Powerbelts will loose an elk - elk are tough. Much better options out there as described above. If you shoot enough tough game, you'll eventually loose one with the best projectiles available. Things happen, why not give yourself more margin for error?

I can tell you that after killing almost 100 animals, including African game, with a blackpowder rifle, I wouldn't consider Powerbelts for anything.

____________________________

?I told my pap and mam I was coming to the mountains to trap and be a mountain man. Acted like they was gut-shot...?
 
I've shot a trainload of big game with powerbelts including many big bulls. They perform flawlessly for me. That's all I use. I recently bought a lifetime supply in case they quit making them. I shoot .54 cal though. Whenever hunting with a muzzleloader you should wait for a shot that you would take with a bow. If you do that and know how to shoot you will never have a problem.
 
Do yourself a favor and throw those powerbelts in the trash. Hands down worst performing muzzleloader bullet for elk.
 
I too have killed a few elk with powerbelts, also in 54 cal, but in a 405 gr bullet. Big enough to get the job done even with soft lead.

I also hunt elk with rifles occasionally, like I will be doing this year. And I could use just a soft lead bullet like a Remington corelokt bullet. That bullet has killed a boatload of elk. However, I choose to use a nosler partition because I know it will perform in circumstances where the corelokt might fail. Just a personal choice.


txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
I'm with the general consensus , Power Belts = Junk !!!! I've lost deer using them, group size , and my pride more than once. Way better options out there.
 
I use power belts on mule deer. Never had a chance to hunt elk with them but I would in a heartbeat!

I killed my first deer with an inline using a 250 grain power belt. The distance was 248 yards.

Unlike others on this thread, I have no complaints with that bullet.

My dad has killed elk with a round ball.

I have killed deer with a round ball.

Know your equipment and its capabilities and know how to use it.
 
Yep, big lead bullets will kill game! But push them too fast and you can have trouble if you hit bone. So 248 yards is actually ideal for a soft lead bullet. I would trust a PB at 250 yards better than at 50 yards! Slower is better with those bullets.

Powerbelts are the best selling muzzleloading bullet for a reason. But it is a fact that all of their bullets are pure soft lead and there are much tougher bullets out there. For the life of me, I can not figure out why they don't make at least one lead alloy bullet??

I killed an elk with a Hornaday FPB, which is a lead alloy. I pulled the shot a little forward and the bullet hit the bottom of the humerus bone at the elbow. The lead alloy was tough enough to break that bone and make it all the way through the heart and lungs. elk went less than 50 yards A powerbelt would have failed given the same circumstances. Yes, you could say that it was I that failed to make a better shot, but I am glad I had a bullet that was well enough constructed to succeed even when my shot was less than ideal.

It comes down to personal choice. Any powerbelt is a step up from an arrow...?.. To each his own.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
I've shot a few bulls several years ago with PB's and often found the bullets fragmented a lot. After loosing at least 2 bulls with relatively easy shots as well as a couple friends same experiences, I'll never use them again. Some guys have been lucky in my opinion but I also agree that there are many way better bullets for elk. They shot very accurate which seems to sell many people but that's only the first half of the goal!
 
Amen!

___________________________

?I told my pap and mam I was coming to the mountains to trap and be a mountain man. Acted like they was gut-shot...?
 
>Do yourself a favor and throw
>those powerbelts in the trash.
> Hands down worst performing
>muzzleloader bullet for elk.

Back in 2006 a buddy and I went to Colorado for a muzzleloader Elk hunt. Back then it seemed like that the Powerbelts were the cats meow for hunting. Am I wrong ?
 
In 2006 there weren't as many choices as today. PB's have taken a lot of elk but you will also find many people that have had them fragment upon impact and many have lost the animal because of it. I know several people including myself that have had the same sickening experience.
 
Full disclosure, I've never shot PB's, and never hunted elk with a ML, so I don't have any experience to share. However, with most of the replies negative, or "better bullets out there," I don't think I'd try them.

Good luck and post pics!
 
I've never shot an elk with a muzz. But I have shot a few decent to solid mule deer and a couple of whitetails with them. I quit on powerbelts 15 years ago due to bullet fragmentation after I almost lost a good 4X4 as a result. I ended up shooting that buck 5 times and not a single bullet came close to going through the buck. A couple of the shots had almost no penetration; almost laid under the skin on the entry side.

I won't use powerbelts again. They might work for whitetails out of a tree stand or antelope, but I would not consider using them on a big mule deer or an elk.

But they are really accurate and pretty forgiving from an accuracy perspective.
 
I have only hunted twice muzzle, and both times shot elk with power belts, 348 grain, and both elk went down immediately, lung shots. In my mind, bullet placement be it rifle or muzzle trumps bullet choice. In muzzle I have used 95 grains Triple 7 powder. Also using this load this fall muzzle on elk.
 
After much discussion i am choosing Federal bor loc 350 grain over powerbelts this year. Last year i shot a buck muley at 50 yards with 100 gr BH 209, p.belt 300 grain aerotip platinum. Bullet mushroomed on impact, creating huge entry hole. Luckily i did not hit any ribs and passed through with large exit hole. But this has scared me enough that i wont be taking any chances.

What if you had to take a shoulder shot? I am not confident in that bullet to penetrate if it expands so greatly at impact. Ya'll shoot what you want, but i am choosing something else. I ll let you know of my experiences with new gear.
 
For Powerbelts, bigger is better and use the solid bullets (no hollow points or plastic tips).

Of course there's plenty of bullet options.
 
IF you find one that works great, MAKE sure you buy a bunch so in a couple years they change it YOU wouldn't have start over trying find another good one.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
I use 348 grain powerbelt areotip and they fly great. Knocked down 5x5 bull at 130 yards. Knocked down last years mule deer at 125 yards. I have not used the platinum ones yet but they are supposed to be better
 
I'd suggest you let people know what gun you have, then if someone has the same gun, they might let you know what works for them. SOME of the better ones I know of are Bullshop, No Excuses, Thor, FPB, and TC Maxi Ball (for elk). Could be a few more so others might respond with ones they've tried.
 
Barrera, I shot those today for the 1st time! Shot both the 250gr and 300's. I liked them enough to order 2 more packs. Shooting 80grains of BH by weight. Got some more tweeking to do, but I like them.
 
Tackdriver,
Shot two packs last weekend of the 250gr maximus. Shot about 1.5" groups w 70gr bh by weight. Average speed was 2130 fps. Was impressed by the small speed deviation of about 15fps overall. I had to buy the black harvester sabots to fit my muzzleloader.
I wanted to push some faster but my sons will be the shooters this yr for deer. Hope they get a shot opportunity.
 
That's interesting, I couldn't shoot the supplied red harvesters sabots with the 300gr bullets as they would barely load, I had to use the blacks also. Hope your boys all score this year!
 
Interesting conversation, but has nothing to do with this thread.
Colorado: No sabots

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
>I'd suggest you let people know
>what gun you have, then
>if someone has the same
>gun, they might let you
>know what works for them.
> SOME of the better
>ones I know of are
>Bullshop, No Excuses, Thor, FPB,
>and TC Maxi Ball (for
>elk). Could be a
>few more so others might
>respond with ones they've tried.
>

I have a TC Omega.
 
Powerbelts? I don't think so.

I'll be using the No Excuses 420gr for elk, muleys, and bear.
 
300gr Powerbelt Platinum did the job for me on my Muley hunt this year. I couldn't be happier with the performance of those bullets. 50 yard heart shot that completely severed the leg bone below the shoulder. 50% bullet retention. Shot from a T/C Hawken .50, Magspark 209 primer conversion, Blackhorn 209 powder at 110 volumn.
 
>300gr Powerbelt Platinum did the job
>for me on my Muley
>hunt this year. I couldn't
>be happier with the performance
>of those bullets. 50 yard
>heart shot that completely severed
>the leg bone below the
>shoulder. 50% bullet retention. Shot
>from a T/C Hawken .50,
>Magspark 209 primer conversion, Blackhorn
>209 powder at 110 volumn.
>

Yes, but the question is how does the Aerolite work on elk.
 
Muley - Exactly! I can attest from elk I've taken as well as friends I've hunted with that the bullet blows apart. Thus, deer don't seem to be the issue but elk. Don't have experience with the platinum on elk and I don't plan to test that as there's really a lot better bullets out there.
 
I've seen the Platinum tested to see how strong it was. You really couldn't tell the results from the regular copper version. The smaller hollow point doesn't change the lousy lead that breaks apart.
 
ALL powerbelts are soft lead. The only difference in platinum is a smaller hollowpoint and the plantinum "skin". The platinum is only a skin and does nothing to strengthen the bullet.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Even the so-called Platinum is still copper. They found a way to color it different. It's just a wash and is put on to avoid lead fouling. It adds no strength.
 
300 gr. worked perfect for me. Put them where they are supposed to go and they do the job. This buck made it 50 yards. Wouldn't shoot any else.
89402img20190914120009.jpg
 
Nice deer but not an elk. Powerbelts work on deer - I don't question that. I switched to Federal BOR loc 350 grain and didn't get to shoot an elk with it this year. But it busted through deer shoulder all the way to opposite side flank (deer was facing me, angled slightly to his right, going down slight hill at 42 yds). Happy with my choice.

I hope no one ever loses an elk regardless of what bullet they are shooting - but to decrease my chances i did some research and asked some questions and found what i believe is a better alternative.

Happy hunting to all!
 
>300 gr. worked perfect for me.
>Put them where they are
>supposed to go and they
>do the job. This buck
>made it 50 yards. Wouldn't
>shoot any else.

I am glad you can put them "where they are supposed to go" every single time. I have not been so lucky. Like when I shot an elk with a 350 Hornady FPB that took another step when I shot and the bullet took out the front elbow (almost the largest bone in their body), destroyed the heart and was lodged under the far side hide. No, not exactly where I wanted it to go, but s#@% happens. I had a happy ending.


txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 

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