powerbelt muzzeloader bullets

[rod hog]

Any body use them. If you do what do you think about them.

[Capt Vince Pierleoni]

I've had trouble dialing in my 2 yr old T/C Triumph this season. Several guys have told me to ditch the power belts so next season I'm starting from scratch.

[Dan1]

My father and I both shoot powerbelts out of our CVA's and have had good success. Its usually no problem to get a one inch group at 100 yards. Hes been muzzleloading a lot longer so they work better for him, he highly recomends them tho.

[GAMBLER]

I have been using them for years with no issues. 

[rod hog]

I have shot two bucks with them in the last three years. They dont seem to have much knock down power and dont leave much of a blood trail. One buck was shot in the heart and there was no blood at all. The buck went over 300yds lucky for me it died in the trail on my way out. wensday I shot an 8pt threw both lungs I thought I missed I followed the tracks in the snow for 150yds before I found a small drop of blood and two hours of serching  I found him.If there wasnt any snow he would be lost. I Shoot 150gr. pellets 270gr platinum bullets.

Edited December 14, 2013 by rod hog

[skipper19]

Easy to load, fair accuracy, lousy terminal performance...don't like them much...my butcher has some from bow killed deer that just got bent up and never expand. Anyway the deer lived to next season due to that poor terminal aforementioned.<br /><br />Sent from my PC36100 using Lake Ontario United mobile app<br /><br />

[ray koziatek]

junk,,,,, next question

[King Slammin]

Super accurate out of my old cva optima. Never had an issue. However my father in law could not dial them in from his tc. I think he's just getting old. Lol

[T Luck]

My encore loves them they shoot great

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[Don Supon]

My Encore is satisfied also. Penetration and expansion very good in deer I've taken in past (not hunting this season). Slugs, however, are five years old. Could that be why?

[ray koziatek]

I tried them years ago when i first got my T/C could not get a good group at 100 yds 6in...,Another guy next to me gave me 3 250gr. sabots had me drop to 100 gr powder (triple 7 pellets) all 3 were within 1/2 in of each in a 2 in circle. I sight in 1 in high at 100yds and am good to 150 yds....Im about 3 in high at 50 yds ... and at 50 yds the bullets should be almost in the same hole or within 1/4 in...Every gun shoots a tad different as do shooters,and maybe the belts I bought back then have been improved on over the years ...but as the old saying goes if it works for you and yer gun stick with it..

[bondouley]

They are specificaly designed for cva muzzleloaders. I have a otima pro 50 cal and have shot many deer including 2 big bucks with no problems at all. I shoot 100 grains triple 7 powder and 245 grain areotip bullet. That combination acounts for 90 percent of my gun deer kills as I don't use a shotguns unless doing deer drives which I rarely do.

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[GAMBLER]

My buddy did some research and found most of the time the issue is the primer and the bullet.  If the bullet is not tight in the breech, the 209 primers will have enough kick to move the bullet and powder before igniting it.  This causes inconsistant patterning in muzzleloaders. 

[skipper19]

My buddy did some research and found most of the time the issue is the primer and the bullet. If the bullet is not tight in the breech, the 209 primers will have enough kick to move the bullet and powder before igniting it. This causes inconsistant patterning in muzzleloaders.

<br />That is exactly right Brian...they do fit loosely in a TC, and primer budge is a concern. It usually takes 3 rounds without cleaning to tighten up the barrel to the projectile, thereby increasing velocity and consistent drag on the bullet to get good groups. Just can't achieve the tightness on that little plastic disc to seal the gases behind it. I find the long plastic sabot with petals and a sub caliber bullet of .44 or.45 gets better adhesion to the bore rifling and bullet. Harder to push down the barrel but that means better sealing and more consistency. Also the 209 will not move it from its seat in the breach. <br /><br />Sent from my PC36100 using Lake Ontario United mobile app<br /><br />

[Xxx]

I have a CVA also and always the first shot, with a clean bore the shot is 6" low, then the next shot 3" low, next shot dead on with the power belts, or any other projectile, so I was told to snap 3 primers off in a cleaned barrel so I tried it on paper first and it's about 1/2" low, so I know I need to fire a round off first before heading off on safari. I shot a lot of deer with the aero Tip power belts, until a gun smith told me about the load I'm using now 209 primer for muzzle loaders the 209 shot gun primers are not a hyped up as muzzle loaders, then 100 grains of triple 7 loose granular stuff and a 44 cal. pistol bullet, I don't remember the grain and I'm to lazy to go downstairs to look but I know they are hollow point, this combo really works swell there is no looking for a blood trail, cause you hit one in the boiler room when the smoke clears just collect your groceries and go home. I hunt deer with a 35Whelen during the rifle season and my smoke pole isn't for behind as far as performance bullet wise, what's nice about both guns is they don't turn everything into jelly, they just plow through meat and bones and usually always exits with about a 3" hole, not hard to find blood with that kind of bullet performance. Our rifle season ended Saturday, I did not shoot a buck, but I shot 2 big doe's this season. Now the day after Christmas our Flintlock season opens, since I have my buck tag still, I can hunt anywhere in PA. and shoot what ever comes. I hade my front stuffer worked on by the same guy that told me about the sabots for the muzzle loader, My flintlock really works sweet since he worked on it, I can walk around all day and my pan powder stays in and he made a special piece for the flash hole it's like drilled out in the back and machined flush on the side of the barrel so basically the 2F powder in the barrel and the 4F powder in the flash pan are only separated a few Thousands just enough so it keeps the pressure in the barrel and it doesn't blow the flash hole open, really works sweet, bottom line is if the flint ignites the pan powder hold the aim point cause the gun is going off, since he did all this it goes off "almost" as fast as a inline.    Happy Hunting to all an Happy Holidays to all also!!

 

[JakeyBaby]

Bottum line is every gun likes different loads. My older cva loves powerbelt shoots great! I just got my new cva accura and couldnt get them to group for the life of me. No gun is the same....

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[Fish Hunter]

.270 gr Powerbelt/3, Triple 7 pellets/CCI Magnum primer out of my Optima accounted for another one yesterday afternoon over here. 

Dropped and died on the spot, at about 90 yards.

[Total Chaos]

There's better bullets on the market. I used the power belts for a few seasons and here's what I found. They load easy, they're fairly accurate but they don't expand. I shot 2 deer, 1 with 2 pyrodex pellets and 1 with 3 pyrodex pellets. I got both deer with short trails but neither bled and the hole coming out was the same as the one going in. The size of the bullet. I was able to recover one of the bullets from the ground and it was intact including the aero tip and it was hardly deformed. That didn't really concern me. What did was on a real cold day of hunting with my father who also used the pb's noticed something green at the end of his barrel at the end of the hunt. After inspecting we found the the pb had come loose from the plastic and the bullet slid out to the end of the barrel. That could have been devistating had he shot at something. At the time we were both using knight rifles.

 

I now have an Encore and I've been using it for about 10yrs now. I find the 200gr shockwave with 110 gr of Blackhorn 209 to be the ultimate for NY deer. It's flat, low recoil and knocks the crap out of a deer. There's almost always blood at the impact and the trails are easy to follow. However I haven't had a deer go more than 30 yrds.

 

If I were you I'd be looking for something other than the pb's.

 

Total Chaos

[Chas0218]

295gr. hollow points, 2 triple seven pellets and shotgun cci 209. I get 1" groups at 100 yards with my winchester apex.  They load really easy.  A buddy tried the ballistic tip powerbelts in his muzzleloader and they wouldn't group worth a crap they seem to be hit or miss depending on the rifle.  

 

I would call the manufacturer and see what loads they recommend. 

Edited December 17, 2013 by Chas0218

[CHAMP99B]

try them all….shoot what your gun likes….some guns just don't like them because of the twist in the barrel

[Adk1]

My Optima shoots them like a dream. I prefer the hollow point 295gr. I use 100 grains of Triple 7 out of mine..

[rod hog]

the problem isnt hitting the deer its killing it after its hit. they shoot great groups.

[Adk1]

yes. I have never lost a deer yet with the combination. and there have been dozens. I will say I shoot the hollow points because I believe that the deer that I have shot in general compared to the aerotips that I have used in the past did not go as far. But, 295gr also packs a wallop

[camomanbg]

I have been using powerbelts for a few years now and I think this year was finally the straw that breaks the camels back. I'll be spending some time at the range this summer doing some research. The first animal I killed with a PB was a cow elk with a 339gr. platinum. I made a perfect shot, pass through, but she bled minimally. I know because she didn't move, she just stood there, then laid down with her head up and I put another one in her to finish her off. Here is a picture of all of the blood that came out over the course of about a minute from a double lung hit at 40yds. Elk are big..kind of a different story. So, I wasn't afraid to use them on deer when I returned back home. Since then I have shot a handful of deer with them (245gr. Copper HP's and Aerotips) and none of those deer have bled. I have shot them through at T/C and a CVA Optima V2. The last deer this year was a doe at 20yds (if that) and it didn't even pass through the chest cavity. No shoulder blades, no legs....just ribs. I like the idea that the bullet broke up and all that energy was absorbed by the deer, but there was ZERO blood trail. It didn't run far enough to worry and there was snow on the ground but many of the previous deer that fell to them were in dry conditions, and ran out of sight. They kill deer, but they have made me more nervous than excited while trying to find them. I think that other than the elk I've only had one other shot that passed through the chest.

[King Slammin]

My father in law shot a doe with a t/c shockwave (switched from power belts due to poor groupings while practicing). The shockwave never opened. We pulled the bullet out of the shoulder and could use it again.