powerbelts

[basskid]

I got a pack of power belt bullets for christmas along with my new muzzleloader. I was planning on using them for deer however, i read some bad stories about them blowing up on impact and not penatrating far enough for a quick kill. I was thinking this was probly due to magnum powder charges and thought i would be okay shooting 100 grains. I wanted to know if anyone had used these bullets and what their experiences were like. By the way i have the 245 grain hollow point in .50 cal if it matters.

Thanks for the input

[vister]

ive had problems with them just shooting consistently, let alone the fact that they peel apart like a banana. i to use 100 grains of powder, as 150 is completely unnecessary, unless you plan on shooting 200 yards. and then you probably would need a scope, as open sights at that range may be tricky. Try hornady 44 cal bullets 240 grain hp/xtp .430 get these from the reload section. they are pistol reloads. then get the 50 cal rifle mmp sabots, color coded green .429/.430 sabots. very consistent, buying both in bulk, so you save money. the hornadys come in a 100 pack, and cost the same as a 15 pack of powerbelts.

and yes, get the .44 cal, as the sabot fills er up to a 50 cal. good luck

[woody1975]

I have been shooting powerbelts for 4 years now and have been lucky enough to kill a couple of deer with them. I have not had any problems with consistency on the range and they are utterly deadly on deer. Shot a doe at 75 yards and she only made it 5 feet and I shot another at 40 yards and she made it 20 yards. The 2nd deer, it blew a hole on the opposite side the size of my fist. Now I am not sure what would happen past 100 yards, but I have been happy with the results so far.

My .02

DL

[Nova]

Never shot a deer with them, but shot them at the range with my TC and they were all over the place...really bad. I will never buy them again. I only shoot shockwaves out of my gun now.

[Moose-Hunter]

As a newbie to muzzleloading, and an avid gun nut, I tried quite a few different loads out of my new .50 cal T/C Encore and of all of these, the Powerbelts (245 grain HP, same as yours) were the least accurate. My shots were all over the paper at 100 yards. Loaded as light as 70 grains and as heavy as 120. My gun just didn't like them at all. I fired the whole pack so I feel I gave them a fair shake.

In the pre packaged rounds, I also tried the T/C Shockwaves. These were not too bad. But I still had quite a few flyers and they were kind of tough to load unless I really cleaned out the barrel well between shots.

also pre packaged, the Hornady 300 grain XTP mags w/ black sabots... Stay away from these!!! From personal experience, some of these packages are not packed with the correct sabot. The pack I bought during my testing, had the .45 cal (.452) XTP-HP bullets and .450-.451 sbaots IN A FACTORY SEALED CONTAINER!! These will not load into a close toleranced barrel such as the Encore. I have a confirmation from a gunsmith and a broken range rod to prove it. When started, this load stopped dead 1" into the rifling and was not about to go any farther. An "oops" by Hornady? Maybe. But who knows how many of these "oops's" made it onto the shelves... Just a heads up for ya...

After a full box of Triple 7 pellets and more than half a jug of powder, I finally found a load that shoots great, loads easy and is CHEAP to shoot. Similar to Vister's loads, I use a Speer Gold (Contact Us Please) .44 cal (.429) jacketed soft point in 240 grain. Wrapped in a green Harvester (.429-.430)sabot, pushed with either (2) T7 pellets or 90 grains of T7 powder.

Both loadings give me 2" groups out a 100 yards from a bench and about 6" groups standing. (Depending on coffee intake that day ) Swabbing one spit patch and one dry patch between each round.

And cheap to shoot as all the components are bought in bulk. I have basically 100 shots for around the same cost as two packs of powerbelts. As a bonus, I reload for my .44mag S&W 629 so the extra bullets will be put to good use.

In my opinion, while powerbelts may work fine in some guns, they are not the hot ticket for my Encore. If you want to stick with pre packaged rounds, check out the T/C Shockwaves.

Have a great season and good luck with the smokepole!!

[woody1975]

Alright - I am switching - Maybe the two that I have shot were lucky and I'd hate to run into trouble when Mr. Big shows up. I have a .50 cal - Have been shooting the 245 grain, so it looks like SHockwave has a 250 grain. We shoot powder pellets - How much powder have you guys found works the best with the Shockwaves?

Thanks

[bigbucks]

I've tried a few other bullets & didn't find any my ML liked. It likes the Powerbelts & shoot them well, but they haven't done much to the deer I've shot. I've killed two deer with them, but wasn't realy happy with the results. I shot one at I think 55 yards with a 260 grain Nosler, but if he'd have been any farther I think I'd have missed. My ML hates those bullets.

I think it was the Shockwaves, but can't remember for sure, I still have them, that wedged in my barrel, the gunsmith said don't use them. I had to replace my ramrod.

[Wanderer]

Woody,

This doesn't help your situation because my gun is different. A Knight .54 cal.. But I'm suprised at the responses you're getting.

I tried everything from spit patch and ball to different sabots to Powerbelts. By far and away my 325 gr Powerbelts were the best choice for me. I load 100 gr of loose Triple 7 though. I don't know if the pelletized powder makes a difference or not.

My best buck never got out of my sight after I shot him at 80 yards in the woods. I love em.

I did set up my daughter with Trip 7 pellets (100 gr) and power belts out of her Wolf smoke pole and she is doing decent with that as well.

Huh, suprising....

[jnorm1984]

I like the powerbelts, I find they are much easier to load than some of the others Ive tried. I have had no problem with accuracy and killing deer with them...But I also general will not shot at a deer with it longer than 50 yards.

[tengauge]

i've been ml hunting for two years and just recently ran into a problem. Last year i could fire 5-6 rounds without cleaning now this year i shot once and tried to ram another one in there and it got stuck. i shoot shockwave 250's with 777 and was just wondering if anybody else has had this prob or do i need to run a wet patch and dry patch down it every time??? just curious. need to get it figured out before the qweekend as i am using my ml for rifle season. any help would be great. thanks

[phishhead]

I have a .50 cal CVA Kodiak Magnum - I tried a few different sabots with different loads and found that my gun shoots the most accurate using the 245 grain powerbelts with 90 grains of powder. I guess it depends on your exact gun! Good luck!

[Stratosman]

Interesting.....phishead and I have the exact same setup. How did that ever happen?

The powerbelts sure put them on the ground last season huh phishead.

[basskid]

has anyone had any better luck with the shockwaves. I have shot both through my gun and they shoot plenty accurate for where i hunt. I was wondering more about their perfomance as far as expansion and penetration.