sabotloader

I am trying to get an a couple answers and I am tryingto be dipolmatic about the approach to the question. The question(s) only apply to those of your that use a 50 cal ML because I can not back up my thoughts for the use in a 54 or a 45 caliber barrel. Also those of you that live in states that require full bore projectiles - you are out of the equation.

Question #1 - How many of you use PowerBelts because of the ease of loading?

Question #2 - How many of you use PowerBelts because of the ease of loading the follow-up shots... (when you do not have time to run a damp patch)?

Question #3 - How many of you use PowerBelts because of their performance, both down range and their peformance on bringing the animal down?

Again I am not trying to generate a controversy - but a conversation because I feel that most of the people using PB's are using them because of the ease of loading.

Now for my personal feelings - We are able to use sabots in Idaho - if we were not I would probably be using PowerBelts. I feel a PowerBelt is nothing more than an elongated round ball. A round ball with with better ballistics, better ballistics and sometimes a very thin electroplated copper cover or even with a Polymere tip.

I honesty do not no what this proves or if it proves anything: but in my wood shop one day I placed a copper coated 295 PB in the vice and squeezed it - soft really soft -squeezed right down. Then I put one in the vice and cut it in half with a 24 tooth hack - piece of cake, I really believe I could have cut through it with a razor blade knife. I then ran the same experiments on a 300 grain XTP - there was a world of difference in which bullet appeared to be the strongest.

Like someone has said so often "you either love them or hate 'em"

Just thought I would vent a little...

Please remember one of the great things about America - is choice and it is your choice. i am just wondering

ENCOREMAN

Sabotloader,
You need to add another reason for shooting Power Belts....."accuracy"
The consistant accuracy I canachieve whileshooting themin a widerange of rifle twists, powdersand powder charges makes it a good choice in my books.
I do not remember ever needing a quick 2nd shot while hunting, so the ease of loading a 2nd shot means almost nothing to me. I want accuracy and a bullet that will humanely harvest the game I'm hunting. I'm not saying that PB's are my #1 choice, but I do like them.
If I was hunting animals thicker skinned than deer, I would opt for another bullet.
My #1 pick of the litter would probably be the Barnes Spit Fires 285gr.

sabotloader

ENCOREMAN

Thank you for your reply. I guess I assume you are shooting an Encore?

Hunting accuracy of the bullet has never really been a question. Their accuracy for the most part has always been there - I do often question their performance on animals. And I should qualify that also by saying I think in the hands of an experianced user they will perform as you suggest.

My hunuting partner uses them in his 54 hawkin and he has learned to use them - at first, when he began it was pretty messy and pretty brutal. He made shots that I believe should have done the job but didn't, various reasons the bullet blew up, it passed through without expanding, got caught in a major bone, etc - now he is more particular about range and location.

Again thanks...

REM7MMAG

i do not have personal experiance with pb's yet but an uncle of mine showed me his target thathe used 2 check the zero on his cva optima pro 50.cal an his 3 shot group was under 2 inches and with50.cal size holes id say thats pretty good he was using 150 grains of 777 i think

ENCOREMAN

Sabotloader,
I did like the "squeeze vice test" you did. You must have more $$ than I do, cuz I can't afford to squeeze them in a vice I just wanna shoot them....LOL
"Yes I do" shootan Encore and many others, but mostly T/C's and Knight's.
I shoot traditional archery (recurve instinctive)and I'm use to selecting my shots carefully. I take pride in my marksmanship withboth bow & gun. Maybe that's why I haven't had any bad experiences with the PB's??
All of thedeer I've taken using the PB'shave gone down in less than 50yds. All of the shots taken were less than 60yds.that I can remember.
I like to take lung shots and the blood trails I getusing the PB's have not been that impressive.
If I'm lucky enough to harvest a deer next weekend, I'm going to butcher the deer myself. I want to see if I can find what's left of the PB. I use to do all my own butchering years ago, but I've gotten lazy and prefer to take it to the lockers now. If I can retrieve the PB, I'll post the picture. I've seen other posts of retrieved PB's and they do scare me!

sabotloader

REM7MMAG

Again thanks for the response,

If he is able to use 150 grain charges with PowerBelts - I am surprised that they perform that well with that charge. When we got above 120 we were melting the skirt to the post + plus really jamming the bullet up against the bore - can not say we reduced velocity but the curve dropped sharply.

Accuracy or performance on paper has never been the question - that is one of the reasons the have sold so successfully - they are great on paper.

lemoyne

PB's shoot in less than 3 inch at 100 for me but the Sabor tooth is consistantly better;I have no idea how they work on deer I use shock waves for that so far or 230 XTP. I have been watching for some info on that sabor tooth since the cost is more reasonable and they shoot more accurate in my Omega.

Criggster

I must say I do to all three of the questions. I shot my first deer with them this year at 40 yards, and had a pass through. It went in between the ribs on the near sideand exited through a rib on the opposite side. The deer ran about 40 yards and piled up. I was using 100 grains of pyrodex and a 245 grain aerotip PB.

Pglasgow

Sabotloader,

Probably the first thing to think about is that the Powerbelt is just a pure lead conical. Ultimately thats all you are going to get. Granted the powerbelts have some other features, lets discuss them.

1. All powerbelts are hollowpoints.

Yes even the ballistic tips are hollow-points with a plastic thang stuck in'em. The plastic thing helps ballistics but doesn't change the fact that it is a hollowpoint when it comes to expansion and penetration. For me the hollowpoint is a deficiency of powerbelts. Unfortunately, it helps to sell them so there is no plan to produce solid point powerbelts.

Light hollow-pointed bullets (.50 cal. 295 gr.and less) are inadquate, in my opinion, for providing sufficient pentration to vital organsWHENbone must be shattered first.Most stores don't carry the heavierpowerbelts, you will probably have tomail order them.I would go at least with 405 grains in the .50 cal. and I think a powerbelt 405 should perform as well as any 405 grainhollowpoint conical when it comes to terminal performance.

2. Powerbelts are easy to load.

Yes very, but I don't have any problems with any other conicals either. Nor do I have any problems loading a second shot without swabbing when i use a low residue ascorbic acid base powder (Pinnacle, BlackMag3, American Pioneer).

3.Some are copper-plated.

One must pay extra for this feature. Its benefits are that there is no need for lube and it prevents leading. For me, I use heavy 380+ grain conicals with lube and at the velocities black or replica powders propel these heavy bullets there is no problem with leading. If you don't purchase the copper-plating, leading could be a problem without lube because lube does inhibit leading.

In the final analysis, Powerbelts are nothing but full bore conicals with features designed to sell powerbelts and appeal to hunters (ka-ching, ka-ching). I think these features do little, if any thing, to improve the powerbelt over competing conicals.

If ballistic performance and deep penetration through bonewith fully adequate expansion is what you are looking for, you may wish to take a look at the 390 grain spitzer "Colorado Conical" at http://www.bpbullets.com/colorado%20conicals%20muzzleloader%20bullets.html

I have only one chrono and so don't have a very accurate measurement of the Ballistic Coefficient, but as near as I can tell, it is on the order of .270 to .280, which is, HYPER-EXCELLENT for a .50 cal. full bore muzzleloading concical weighing in at less than 400 grains.

They are expensive so I only use them for hunting. The Hornady 385 loaded 5 grains heavier on charge will provides an excellent low cost substitute for practice with acceptable trajectory.

Happy Hunting, Phil

sabotloader

Pglasgow

Thank you for your post - better than "well" written and good food for thought. I believe we share some common thoughts. Although I really do not mind the HP at the ranges and velocities we are shoot ML's. They are most often very devastating - ask the police departments across the country.

I am cheap - I'll be the first to admit it - I can not see spending that money for that bullet.