I shoot the 245gr aerotip Powerbelt over 100 grains of 777 out of my CVA .50 cal Kodiak Mag. I have used this load succefully on deer out to 160 yards and as close as 10 yards. I have never seen them fragment and have always had passthroughs until this shot. I have heard the horror stories of Powerbelts, but believed them to be mostly with hollow-points. Besides, the aerotipsshoot great out of my setup.
Near the end of the Michigan Black Powder season, a lone doe came in 45 yards out standing at the edge of some timber and brush. When she finally turned broadside andeverything lookedclear, I fired. I heard her crash and knew she was hit hard. I went to the point she was standing and noticed a 2 inch diameter tree had a hole blown through it right where her tracks were standing (heavy snow on the ground). There was still blood everywhere and was easy to follow. I found the deer 45 yards later with good blood throughout the trail. The bullet entered just behind the right shoulder after going through the tree and did come out the far side of the deer. In processing the deer, I found the bullet between the hide & ribs on the far side of the deer. The base green cap was still with the bullet.Thought you might like to see some pics of the recovered bullet. Again, this is how I pulled the bullet from the deer after blowing through a 2 inch tree.
Not saying that Powerbelts will work for everyone, but they have my vote. I just love talking bullets & broadheads. I am also going to try and get out to take a picture of the tree that was hit.
Powerbelt recovered
