Redclub wrote the following:
My Elk load last year was 115 grains of T7 wonder wad and a 348 powerbelt. Out of an Omega this was dead on at 118 yards,and 6" low at
160 yards and 20" low at 200 yards,I shot this load a lot to verify these drops.
I appreciate Red Club's comments for a couple of reasons. Primarily because he tested his load through a considerable range and KNEW where his rifle was shooting through the range. Had he used a ballistics calculator to "predict" where he'd be at the different ranges, he'd been way, way off. Also because it may shed some light on what may happen to a pure lead projectile when we push them hard.
Below I attached a trajectory which has a MV I would anticipate with the load and closely matches his results in the field. To approach his field performance, I had to reduce the B.C. of the 348 powerbelt considerably. Notice thatI used .10 for the BC. Ballistics published at the Powerbelt website
http://powerbeltbullets.com/docs/PBB_Ballistic_Chart.pdfsuggest a B.C. of .206 at sea level. Notice also that their ballistics chart indicates 31% greater energy at 150 yards thanthe chart below. Also note that Redclubsenergy is 38% greater at the muzzle than 100 grains of pyrodex pellets.
I was very surprised to see Redclub's drop at 150 yards with a 118 yard zero. I think it possible, that 115 grains of 777 is flattening the front of the 348 PB's andruining the Ballistics Coefficient of the Bullet. When you think of it. One is accelerating the bullet to aMV in a time and distance span approximately equal to the span a Bullet is "decelerated in a game target" We know what kind of deformation takes place in an animal. It would be interesting to know howcharges deform the nose of the bullet into relatively differing ballistics coefficients. It may actually be possible for Redclub to reduce his charge and deliver more energy downrange.
Happy Hunting, Phil