DECKAPE

ive been reading about a lot of people having problems with these bullets....coming apart.......no blood trail....cant find deer after shot.....no penatration.......well im on the other side of the coin.....ive shot 4 deer with them........i never recovered bullet ,always gone straight through.....plenty of blood.......deer always found........ ( i dont shoot at running targets) history.......gun... 50 cal lyman great plains hunter.....245gr. pb jacketed hp.......90gr. goex ffg.......50yd 5 shot group approx. 2'' off bench........cleaned after each shot....(as this would be how the bore would be on your first shot)........last thursday wanted to test penatration....nailed 4 pcs 2x8 together..fired shot went through all........next fired at 8 pcs nailed together went through 6 found bullet lodged in 7 th pc....the bullet had retained about 90% of its shape and weight.........i think that ill stay with what works best in my rifle.......just my $.02 worth

jaybe

Hi DECKAPE:
If I were you, I wouldn't be changing anything either! Sounds like you're having great success both at the range and in the field.
I personally decided to not use PB.s after hearing some of the reports that you mentioned. Now that I bought a White UltraMag, I can't use 'em anyway, 'cause they slide right in and back out of the barrel.
I can't help but wonder if some problems are the result of guys driving them too hard. You're load of 90 gr Goex FFg is a nice load, and obviously has excellent penetration and expansion on deer.
... and that's my $.02

Triple Se7en

We are talking about the best selling muzzleloader bullet in the world. Naturally, it won't please everyone. The leaded ones fragment rather easily on bone. The copper ones don't perform well with magnum, 3-pellet loads. That's whyPowerbelt came out with the Platinums. Whenever a million users purchase the same thing -- whether it's a household or business item, there's going to be some complaints. If other ML bullet companies sold the volume Powerbelt sells -- you would read those complaints.

It goes with the territory of being #1.

Catus Magnus

Deckape... haze gray... underway... sound & security watch... memories...

ON POWERBELTS... I used to use them. Rifle shot well with them. I killed one little itty bitty doe, the 295gr Powerbelt blew through both shoulders, breaking both... little deer dropped straight down. Of course, she was a little deer, and only about 25 yards away.

I quit using Powerbelts because they're expensive, and I want the most bullet for my buck. I've gone through packaged Hornady XTPs and the T/C version, and I'used big old Hornady conicals... last season used sabots (.429 XTP wgreen sabot) and they worked okay. Only one of the five deer I shot dropped immediately, and that was because I deliberately shot her i in the shoulder, and so learned that a shoulder hit will drop 'em. I'm pretty well convinced now that the key to killing the deer quickly is hitting the deer in the right place, with bullet choice being a distant second.

I've shot 300gr XTP sabots at the range, my rifle seems to group best with these... I'm going to use that next season, on 100gr Pyrodex. Seems to be a potent enough setup... I've not killed anything with it, but paper ballistics seem to indicate it'll be better than lighter (240-250) gr XTPs. Anyone have real world experience using 300gr sabots, instead of lighter, for whitetail?

cayugad

That is some impressive penetration you're getting with 90 grains of powder. It should do about anything you need done. I've never shot a deer with powerbelts but have shot a lot of them in the range. I always found them a good shooting projectile in many of my rifles..

I was shooting some 295 grain copper plated hollow points today with 90 grains of Goex 2f out of my Staghorn. They were very accurate although for some reason they were hard to load. It could have been the heat and humidity, or just something else. I normally shoot the 245 grain or the pure lead 348 grain powerbelts.

Chris W.

I use the 348 gr. copper hollowpoints and 100 gr. of 777 for deer and have had great luck with them. I recovered my firstbullet last season, but it was on a quatering towards shot. I hit him in the right side base of the neck/shoulder. The bullet broke the shoulder, traveled the entire length of the body and stopped in the off side ham.Travel distance after the shot was O yards . Couldn't ask formuch better. I'll beplaying with the heavier 405 and 444 gr. powerbeltshere soon working up a hog load. Thisshould be interesting.

AmericanPioneer

My friends .50 cal Black Diamond XR with 3-9scoped with 2 /50 gr.pyrodex pellets will shoot 1.5 to 2 " groups at 100 yards. If he goes to 3 pellets they go everywhere. I think some people are driving them too fast for their rifles(brand). By the way he shoots the copper aero tip. Now if I can get him to hunt with it. This man has four muzzleloaders and doesnt go hunting with them. He barely shoots them at the range. Thats a shame.

sproulman

i use the 295 gr. powebelts in my hawkins .50cal.they shoot real good. 348 shoot good and aRE probably a better bullet for deer but i like the 295.as for being expensive, no way. i shoot roundballs at range for fun. 2 weeks before season, i use powerbelts.it takes me about 5 or6 to sight gun in. thats all. rest are used for a nice buck. i dont shoot into a stump each day. i keep gun loaded and in garage so there is no temp change and i leave gun in the truck bed on way into my home. gone as long as 5 weeks and no problem with powder.hunting for 35 years with muzz and using maxi-balls. now, POWERBELTS. P.S,i use 80 grs of 2f with my powerbelt 295.no kick, no flinch, bullet will not EXPLODE,no recoil. trust ole sproul, recoil has caused many of buck to laugh at us over years.seen it, done it, lived it.

Smithbros.1

I saw the effects PB's had on elk last fall.....I shot mine with 120 grains of loose powder & 348 AT. At 90 yards & almost broad side my bullet never hit the other side....I picked up small pieces all over inside the chest cavity upon dressing the animal.

Elk #2 (same load) my buddy shot 4 minutes after mine. Quatering toward him & 40 paces away.....Hits the elk drops him in his tracks.....upon quatering the animal we recovered dust.... yeah dust thats what was left of the bullet.

I loved this load for elk....We were shooting encores. These guns loved this load, had a little bite at the bench but very accurate nonetheless.

I really hope this new bullet they have out will hold together better. I should draw agin next season & will be giving them a try if they fly as good as the others.

Idon't think anybody should have trouble with these bullets with deer size game....I can't say they were a complete failure because we recovered all the animals & I don't think 120 grains is to much for a 348 grain slug that is advertised for 150 grains......Just my 2 cents worth....Jason

Pglasgow

Alot of people have been reporting fragmentation, though not dust, but like you they also recovered their game. Most report that the animal dropped in its tracks. One thing I have noticed is that those who use lighter charges often get pass throughs (with deer and the 295's). By light I mean 80-90 2f or equivalent.

I, for one, was (at one time) a vocal opponent to highly charged PB's. Still it seems that the highly charged PB is more likely to discharge ALL of its energy where the lighter charged PB's tend to pass through. I am convinced that a pass through, especially one with the expansion of a pure lead hollowpoint,is plenty sufficient to drop deer or elk in its tracks. So even with the success of such highly charged projectiles, I still find myself more comfortable with a lighter charge.

Even so, who can argue with success? Contragulations on your two elk last season.

I see that you also have been eating your wheaties! A little bite?

Happy Hunting, Phil