Rusty in MO.

As far as most of know they are the same, but with a different colored tip and different sabots. The TC sabots are suppose to be thinner than the SST sabots. This is not always the case though because TC contracts more than one company to make sabots for them. It has caused more than a few headaches.

talking the tc hawkins .50 cal flintlock. here is what i like about powerbelts, say 295. i dont like recoil. your shots here in pa. with flintlock will be a max of hundred yards with open sights. thats it. most of the bucks i got were around 60 yards in last 45 years .i use the MAXI-BALL 370 gr. not the MAXI-HUNTERS. why, they are cheaper than the powerbelts .i get 20 for 6 dollars, unlubed.18 dallorsfor 20 powerbelts. BOTH shoot great out of my hawkins. back to subject,you can load up to 100 grs with 2f on the 370 maxi-ball. it will not fall apart. if you load the powerbelts 295up to 100 grs, they will explode. why, no HOLLOW POINT. i LIKE the 295 gr hollow point powerbelt because i can load it lower and i know it will OPEN up.thats great. you can load your flintlock open sights with less powder. i LIKE that because i dont like all that recoil and i shoot better too. recoil can make a lot of us JERK on pulling trigger. you DONT need all that velocity on a 100 yard shots on WHITETAIL DEER with OPEN sights. now, on to in-lines where you may want that extra 50 yards, to 150 with scope, i would shoot bullets over 300 grs and hottest load that would work. you want to get flatest shooting when you have to reach out to 150 yards.so, i would go with 348 powerbelt or 370 maxi-ball . you want heavy bullet with higher velocity.take care.

The problem is, at least in my Omega, and others I have talked to, the powerbelts seem to lose accruacy with heavier charges of powder. My personal gun shoots 5 inch groups at 25 yards when I go above 105 grains of 777.

My current elk load is 95 grains 777 behind a 405 grain powerbelt. Plenty of power to take down an elk to at least 120 yards, which is my maximum PERSONAL distance for any muzzleloading shot. I love the primative nature, and scopes and 150-200 yard shots are not MY cup of tea.

As you stated, I also don't like the recoil produced with higher charges, and since I don't have to have them to take elk cleanly in Colorado (no sabots) I am just happy as a clam.

However, I will probably be trying the 444 grain flat nose. If they shoot well, I may switch to them. Hopefully they will shoot well in front of 85-105 grains of Black Mag 3.

true, youre right on. my .50cal hawkins flintlock .l shoot the 370 maxi-ball not maxi -hunter better at 80 grs than 100. so does my other one ,same caliber. i bought 2 in 1971 for 119 dollars. i had older one that i sold. you dont need all that power in muzzleloader UNLESS you are shooting a bullet that needs to open and is light. like roundball, i would shoot more powder than my maxi-ball because of its massetc. i think the powerbelt 295 in .50 cal flintlock, open sights at LOW CHARGE is a great thing for deer in flintlock.only reason i dont use them , is cost.if cheaper like MAXI-BALLS , I would use them. talk to cayugag on in-lines. i am not a pro at those on groups etc but i do know my velocity and what happens to bullet when it hits a WHITETAIL deer. best advice i could give anyone on powerbelts on WHITETAIL deer,isthis, LOWER CHARGES ON FLINTLOCK and use 295 gr,and on the in-lines, use as high as you can CHARGES that group good and use a HEAVY POWERBELT, 348 and up. take care.

Just as a point of interest,more because the information we exchange here helps make decisions sometimes. I have found and read onhere that 777 can melt the plastic used on PB's if the load is large enough. when I was running the powdere ladder with them I looked at the plastic rings and some of them showed signs of doing so. I ran the powder ladder with APP and did not find that even at 150 gr as a matter of fact the 245 pb shot best at 150APP FF.Not that I would use them on deer afer what I have read here that load would be too heavey. Lee