are powerbelts any good for deer

[jeffpenland123]

i have a traditions nitrofire the bullets it recomends are all saboted bullets except for the fedral bor lock copper 270gr and traditions smackdown mzx aka hornady full bore 290gr ftx. and i am wondering if powerbelt are any good some people say the get poor blood trails some say they are awesome. i am looking at 50 cal. i have looked a the elr 50 cal the copperseries aerotip hollow point and tipped and the aerolite. wich are the best let me know

 

[PathFinder]

The standard ones are OK most of the time. They're nice and soft, and expand well. I shot a couple critters with them back when I first started MZ hunting and they worked well enough.
There's a lot of negative info about the newer Aero ones not expanding, but I have no experience with them.

 

[blkqi]

They seem to do fine as long as you don't push them too hard. They are essentially just a (plated) lead conical.

Are you trying to avoid saboted bullets for some reason?

 

[iamthenick]

I use the hornady .50 cal sabot .45cal bullet 250grn all coppers and i have watched every deer i shot with them drop.

 

[jeffpenland123]

The standard ones are OK most of the time. They're nice and soft, and expand well. I shot a couple critters with them back when I first started MZ hunting and they worked well enough.
There's a lot of negative info about the newer Aero ones not expanding, but I have no experience with them.

thats what i hear about the aero lites and copperseries but you never know somebody may have shot a deer in the guts then said they suck and it be thier fault not the bullet fault.

 

[jeffpenland123]

They seem to do fine as long as you don't push them too hard. They are essentially just a (plated) lead conical.

Are you trying to avoid saboted bullets for some reason?

no i am fine with them but i would like to try some full bore conicals.

 

[jeffpenland123]

I use the hornady .50 cal sabot .45cal bullet 250grn all coppers and i have watched every deer i shot with them drop.

ok what are the name of those bullets.

 

[FrontierGander]

If you can't kill a deer with a powerbelt, you best call it quits

I like the 250gr aerolite. Massive blood trails and tissue damage.

 

[Dioni A]

They worked for me but seemed way too soft on all the animals I shot with them. I wasn't very impressed.

 

[jeffpenland123]

They worked for me but seemed way too soft on all the animals I shot with them. I wasn't very impressed.

ok what type of powerbelt was u useing a aerolite or elr or aerotip what i am wondering. i have heard what you have said.

 

[Dioni A]

ok what type of powerbelt was u useing a aerolite or elr or aerotip what i am wondering. i have heard what you have said.

I don't remember the weight but it was an all led 50 cal Idaho legal one

 

[iamthenick]

ok what are the name of those bullets.

Hornady monoflex, very accurate too

 

[ElDiablito]

Lots of horror stories concerning Powerbelt terminal performance.

If you are set on trying conicals for deer there are much better choices. Like Thors, Hornady Bore Drivers, Fury Universal .50 and Ferderal Trophy Copper BOR Locks.

Collections

The Best Muzzleloader Bullets on the Market - Thor™ Bullets - Bore Specific Black Powder Bullets

thorbullets.com

Bore Driver® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc

Fast and easy to load, the Bore Driver® delivers the ultimate in muzzleloader performance.

www.hornady.com

.50 Universal Fit – Fury Custom Bullets

www.furycustombullets.com

Buy Trophy Copper Muzzleloader Bullet .50 Ammo 270 | PMZ50TC1

Shopping for the Trophy Copper Muzzleloader Bullet - Learn more about the latest Muzzleloading and other hunting or shooting gear at Federal Ammunition.

www.federalpremium.com

But honestly, IDK why anyone would shoot a full bore .50 in an inline instead of a saboted bullet unless required to by law.

 

[jeffpenland123]

I don't remember the weight but it was an all led 50 cal Idaho legal one

thank you the powerbelt all leads have problem of breaking before they get to the lungs but when you hunt in idaho and oergon and colorado you have to use all led and not a alot of brands make them.

 

[jeffpenland123]

Lots of horror stories concerning Powerbelt terminal performance.

If you are set on trying conicals for deer there are much better choices. Like Thors, Hornady Bore Drivers, Fury Universal .50 and Ferderal Trophy Copper BOR Locks.

Collections

The Best Muzzleloader Bullets on the Market - Thor™ Bullets - Bore Specific Black Powder Bullets

thorbullets.com

Bore Driver® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc

Fast and easy to load, the Bore Driver® delivers the ultimate in muzzleloader performance.

www.hornady.com

.50 Universal Fit – Fury Custom Bullets

www.furycustombullets.com

Buy Trophy Copper Muzzleloader Bullet .50 Ammo 270 | PMZ50TC1

Shopping for the Trophy Copper Muzzleloader Bullet - Learn more about the latest Muzzleloading and other hunting or shooting gear at Federal Ammunition.

www.federalpremium.com

But honestly, IDK why anyone would shoot a full bore .50 in an inline instead of a saboted bullet unless required to by law.

i like saboted bullets but i would like to try full bores i hunt in nc and there is no resctrion on the bullets but the full bore seem to hold energy better than saboted bullets at long range. but thank you.

 

[jeffpenland123]

i like saboted bullets but i would like to try full bores i hunt in nc and there is no resctrion on the bullets but the full bore seem to hold energy better than saboted bullets at long range. but thank y

Lots of horror stories concerning Powerbelt terminal performance.

If you are set on trying conicals for deer there are much better choices. Like Thors, Hornady Bore Drivers, Fury Universal .50 and Ferderal Trophy Copper BOR Locks.

Collections

The Best Muzzleloader Bullets on the Market - Thor™ Bullets - Bore Specific Black Powder Bullets

thorbullets.com

Bore Driver® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc

Fast and easy to load, the Bore Driver® delivers the ultimate in muzzleloader performance.

www.hornady.com

.50 Universal Fit – Fury Custom Bullets

www.furycustombullets.com

Buy Trophy Copper Muzzleloader Bullet .50 Ammo 270 | PMZ50TC1

Shopping for the Trophy Copper Muzzleloader Bullet - Learn more about the latest Muzzleloading and other hunting or shooting gear at Federal Ammunition.

www.federalpremium.com

But honestly, IDK why anyone would shoot a full bore .50 in an inline instead of a saboted bullet unless required to by law.

also why not shoot a .50 cal 300 grain full bore than a three hundred grain .44ca or.45cal

 

[ElDiablito]

If you’re shooting at short to moderate ranges (say out to 250 yards) this won’t make much difference but, one reason would be that a 300 gr .45 bullet will likely have better BC than a 300 gr .50 (assuming a similar design). For example

The .45 300 gr Fury has a BC of .30
The .50 300 gr Fury has a BC of .26

 

[FB Trout]

We have had good experiences with the Powerbelt ELRs in both .45 and .40 caliber, but I have transitioned to Arrowhead 275 XLD in the .40 cal Paramount I shoot, as the ELRs did not group well. Terminally, however, the ELRs have been impressive.

 

[FrontierGander]

well i have killed 6 deer with a rifle i am just wondering you dont have to be dumb putting comments like that i am asking a question i aint dumb i know they are good bullet for killing but what is weight retention and penetration and expanision like it might be able to kill but not be good i can kill adeer with a 22 lr but not good if a bullet goes straight thru and does not expand it worth a crap on blood trail that is what i am asking i am not asking for a smartelleck comment.

Calm down Francis.

My comment was pointed towards the responses to those that are going to claim poor expansion, over expansion, or the one I love best.... I shot a deer today at 65 yards, put it right in the boiler and didn't get hair or blood for the 2 miles I tracked it through the jungle!

Powerbelts are literally the most heated debates you'll ever run across and I highly doubt anyone has shot more of them than I have.

It's all about understanding a bullets design, how a soft lead projectile reacts to velocity, especially when it's a hollow point.

 

[jeffpenland123]

We have had good experiences with the Powerbelt ELRs in both .45 and .40 caliber, but I have transitioned to Arrowhead 275 XLD in the .40 cal Paramount I shoot, as the ELRs did not group well. Terminally, however, the ELRs have been impressive.

thank you. you are the second or third person thats acutally commented something smart and accutally what the topic is about and not saying something stupid. thank you.