frontier gander

A couple weeks back someone wanted to know if a powerbelt would work in a 1:66 twist barrel, so i loaded up my kentucky with 70 grains blackpowder and a 295 grain aerotip powerbelt, got great results and today i wanted to see what the powerbelt looked like. That sucker went in over 9inchs and mushroomed liked it should. Now ive heard about the phone book testings and all that. I was shooting at a freshly cut piece of blue spruce. I think these bullets held up great. out of 3 shots, i only found one, the other 2 passed completly through that log which was a foot and a half long. So, for those who are having/ had trouble with getting pass through shots on deer sized game, you need to find the sweet spot on that animal and put it through.

frontier gander

#2 pic

cayugad

Is that green part in the picture the aero tip? 9 inches into fresh cut spruce is impressive in and among itself. I wonder why people would have a hard time getting full penetration of a deer with that? Maybe they are shooting the pure lead hollow points.

You don't know by chance what that projecitle weighs do you? I might be interesting to see how much weight retention was there.

Great information there...

frontier gander

yes thats the green aerotip. I measured the log and it wasnt as long as i thought, it came up as 1 foot 2" and 2 of those bullets went through. As for weight, i dont have a scale that reads grains but i'll find our scale and see what i can come up with. Maybe someone can convert OZ into grains. I took a new powerbelt and hold them and they feel the same but you know how that goes lol.

Pglasgow

I notice frontier gander was using a modest charge of 70 grains BP. Odd as it may seem, a more modest charge may help with penetration up to a point.

I bought a leftover doe tag for 444 and hunting the opening weekend of 3rd season. I hunted in dense oak brush. Too bad I didn't have a buck tag, because I had two within 20 yards. In any event, knowing the shots would be close, and wanting to finally recover a 385 GP bullet (which up to now I haven't), i sighted for a very, very, modest charge of 50 grains Goex 3f MV of 1100 fps. I was sighted dead on for 75 yards and was limiting my shots for the same distance.

Sunday evening, justas legal huntingtime was expiring, Idischarged the385 GP into a young aspen about 7" wide where I shot it.Really shook the tree but the tree did catch the bullet.I don't know how deep it went though. In any event, inside of 75 yards, I feel confident that the bullet would make the opposite side of a double lung if not pass through.

frontier gander

i used only 70 grains due to my upper shoulder being boney and my rifle buttplate slopes a little to much and hits bone. Now that 385 grain grea plains bullet i used this muzzleloading season in my inline, i shot a doe at roughtly 90 yards, hit high, dropped her and i shot her again this time at 25 yards with 90 grains pyrodex rs and that 385 grain bullet, it went throught the first shoulder " dead center" and hardly made a scratch on the other shoulder. i figured that huge bullet at close range would have blasted all the way through. I've gone back to powerbelts due to them letting me shoot flatter and longer ranges. Plus ive always had great luck with them putting the deer down.

grapeshot

I know 15.5 grains = 1 gram and 28 grams = 1 once. Maybe this will help. I've heard a while back these bullets should not be pushed too hard. They break up on impact.

cayugad

I read of people really putting the coal to powerbelts. I wonder if this could actually cause them penetration problems. Perhaps that powerbelt is hitting and basically shattering with the extreme velocity. I personally shoot them with 90 grains of Goex 2f. I have no idea of the fps of that load. Also I have yet to get a deer to stand still long enough to test one in a penetration test. Maybe this year.

Still Frontier Gander's pictures show that the bullet appears to have done exactly what it was intended to do, with a simple 70 grains powder charge. Again, really interesting....

lemoyne

My Omega shoots them accurate only with heavy loads with 150 gr it will blow a big male coyote almost in half but only small bits exited the hide on the far side, the chrony says that 245gr PB was going over 2000 fps which may have a lot to do with it acting like a varmit bullet. Of course that is just fine on varmits. Lee

mauser06

i think the guys that had problems with powerbelts shot the HPs...i know thats what i shot one year....and didnt like my results. wish i knew where i hit.....but i trailed for about 50yds..blood dried up..now about an hour after the hit..heading home since i left the cellphone and needed a search party..walking out the ATV trail i found where she crossed..followed it down hill towards a creek..halfway there i found a couple beds but the blood was old...she laid there and licked herself and clotted the wound and never left another clue....searched forever and never found her......granted i dont know where it hit...but a half inch diameter 295gr bullet should leave a little blood id think.