Bullet considerations

[7danny]

When I bought my muzzle loader last year I just bought some powerbelt premium 270 grain bullets.

Now I am thinking of re-sighting it in using 245 grain standard powerbelts.

I think I would shoot more with a less expensive bullet which would help improve accuracy. I do need 270 grain around here 245 will do good enough.


But I would like suggestions.


btw
I have a traditions pursuit lt accelerator with scope
Main target SC deer
First muzzle loader ever

[Grouse45]

Danny, probably the worst bullet i ever used was powerbelts. The Hornady .452 250grn pistol bullets come in packs of 100 for less then $20.00 bucks. Of course then you need to buy some sabots.

I have never used the Gold Dots on game, but here again a really cheap bullet that will prove to be alot better then what you are currently using.

[jaybe]

I agree with Grouse. Especially if you are just talking about "shooting more", get something much more economical, like the ones he suggested. Get them in a similar weight (close) to what you plan on using for hunting and practice at different ranges and experiment with different loads. When you are fully satisfied with something, do a final check with your hunting bullet before going out.

[7danny]

That sounds really good.

I know nothing of using sabots. What would I need, where can I learn more?

[nchawkeye]

We have had some lively discussions on here about bullets...
Everyone has their favorites...

How far do you normally shoot??? I'm assuming since you are in SC you are shooting whitetails that can weigh 90-175 pounds or so...

Do you hunt over bean fields where you might want a longer (150 yard) shot or so???

PowerBelts are short and fat so they start to drop pretty quickly...You also don't want to push them too fast as they flatten easily and this prevents pass throughs...

On the other end you have the T/C Shockwave/SST bullets which have a more streamlined design...They shoot flatter but some report poor mushrooming and others say they are too soft...I suspect it really depends upon how fast you push them as to what they do...I've killed a dozen or so with them and had no problems, but I helped the bullet mushroom by taking high shoulder shots...

Next, we have the Barnes MZ bullets...My Knight loves them in 300gr and they are death on deer...They are also expensive and simply not needed on our Southern whitetails...

I'll bet most members on here shoot bulk pistol bullets in sabots they buy in bulk...That's the cheapest way to go and Nosler, Speer, Sierra and Hornady all make .430 and .451 bullets for .45s and the .44 Mag...

I'm trying Hornady 300gr .430 XTPS this year, my rifle loves them...It also likes the Hornady 250gr .451s as well...It just so happens that the 300s shoot dead on at 100 and the 250s are 2 inches high at 100...I've got a hunting buddy that is trying the Hornady .430 240gr XTP this year...So we'll see what they do as well...

It will be interesting to see if one performs better than the other on deer...

[nchawkeye]

Danny...Google MMP and Harvester as far as I know they are the only two sabot makers in the US...They explain the different sabots on their website...They also will answer the phone and walk you through your questions...What gun are you currently using??

[7danny]

Originally Posted by nchawkeye

We have had some lively discussions on here about bullets...
Everyone has their favorites...

How far do you normally shoot??? I'm assuming since you are in SC you are shooting whitetails that can weigh 90-175 pounds or so...

Do you hunt over bean fields where you might want a longer (150 yard) shot or so???

PowerBelts are short and fat so they start to drop pretty quickly...You also don't want to push them too fast as they flatten easily and this prevents pass throughs...

On the other end you have the T/C Shockwave/SST bullets which have a more streamlined design...They shoot flatter but some report poor mushrooming and others say they are too soft...I suspect it really depends upon how fast you push them as to what they do...I've killed a dozen or so with them and had no problems, but I helped the bullet mushroom by taking high shoulder shots...

Next, we have the Barnes MZ bullets...My Knight loves them in 300gr and they are death on deer...They are also expensive and simply not needed on our Southern whitetails...

I'll bet most members on here shoot bulk pistol bullets in sabots they buy in bulk...That's the cheapest way to go and Nosler, Speer, Sierra and Hornady all make .430 and .451 bullets for .45s and the .44 Mag...

I'm trying Hornady 300gr .430 XTPS this year, my rifle loves them...It also likes the Hornady 250gr .451s as well...It just so happens that the 300s shoot dead on at 100 and the 250s are 2 inches high at 100...I've got a hunting buddy that is trying the Hornady .430 240gr XTP this year...So we'll see what they do as well...

It will be interesting to see if one performs better than the other on deer...

I feel comfortable shooting out to 150 yards. I would like to keep it set up to be able to shoot out a bit, never know when I might head up to hunt with friends in Missouri. But for the most part most shots will be close in on small southern deer.

[7danny]

Originally Posted by nchawkeye

Danny...Google MMP and Harvester as far as I know they are the only two sabot makers in the US...They explain the different sabots on their website...They also will answer the phone and walk you through your questions...What gun are you currently using??

traditions pursuit lt accelerator with scope shooting 270 grn powerbelt premium with 100 grain pellets

[nchawkeye]

Another suggestion...Ditch the pellets...You are handloading each shot, doen't restrict yourself to pellets...Loose is much cheaper and you'll shoot more...

[cayugad]

Just my two cents Danny...

Powerbelts are expensive. BUT you know that if worse comes to worse, you can load them and use them if you are in a bind. So keep them in mind as an emergency back up bullet when all else fails.

Sabots come in different thickness and different diameter. In my CVA I use a crushed rib sabot made by Harvester in .452 and .430 diameter. The .452 is when you purchase .45 caliber pistol bullets that are .452 diameter or close to that. The Hornady XTP 250 in .452 is a great bullet and I am sure a lot of deer have died from them. Hornady also makes .44 caliber pistol bullets in .430. I like the 300 grain XTP here. Its a little heavier but flies real good for me. The sabot MOST THE TIME are green when they are .430 and black when they are .452 but I have seen different colors like red, blue and black. So make sure you look at their diameter and match them to the bullet.

An expensive bullet combination but on that is a long range deadly master is the Barnes MZ 250. In my Remington Genesis (barrels are made in the same factory as yours) it shoots them with 100 grains of pellets that it scares me a gun should shoot so good. It is the one rifle I will buy pellets (pyrodex RS) for. They are long range bullets and just really put a world of hurt on game.