Ive shot 2 deer with 245 grain powerbelts, Aerotips with 2-50 grain pyro pellets,, I get excellent accuracy with them. One deer was at 10 yards the other at 85 yards.

Killed both deer instantly! Good thing? maybe not. on closer examination I only found entrance holes on both deer, big ones, bullets hit nothing but ribs!

Figured when gutting id find them inside the deer,, never sound either of them... found bits and pieces of them but never found a large chunk of bullet. Both deer were 130-140# does,, I seriously question what would happen if I were too try and put one through the shoulder of a 200#+ buck...

Definitely changing my ammo for next year with out question,, I want an exit hole and I want something that will smash through a shoulder bone without completely falling apart!

Ive got a box of sst's that will be next years ammo!

Man, some of you guys on this forum have total **** for luck lol. Maybe whitetails are built stronger than mule deer? 4 years straight using powerbelts and have never wounded a deer or had any powerbelt failures. Every deer shot this year with a powerbelt were pass throughs. Just amazes me when i read all the issues that people have with bullets/guns. Actually i take that back, i found part of a powerbelt in 1 of my deer, the lil green tip from the aerotip powerbelts lol

Probably because unlike some posters - okay, unlike me, I'll speak for myself - you're consistently putting the bullet in the right place.

frontier As I said in a past post after testing 12 + slugs the power belt bullets were the only slugs to blow apart on impact. Now to some hunters that use them, they think that that is a good thing.Last week at the range a guy told a similar story about shooting a buck during our earlier season. Behind the ribs, one hole, bullet fragments every where, deer went 20 yards. He loves the bullet. His buddy said "that what there suppose to do". "That why we like them."
For me I want to have a bullet that mushrooms and takes out both shoulders and exits.Shoot straight.

couldnt you just upthe powder charge for more power?

actually I believe that powerbelts do better with lower powder charges. It is the high velocities/impacts that cause the break up. At lower charges, they are more likely to hold together.

Although I cannot comment on the original question regarding sighting in the different gr PB I must agree with Swampthing and Catus Magnus regarding penetration and performance of the 245 PB. My friend swears by them because he can dump 90 gr of RS in his black diamond and buy a package of powerbelts and he's ready to roll. He's been fortunate that he's a good shot because any bullet would have killed his deer. Two deer we butchered last year and one so far this fall have been hit broadside in the vitals without any pass through. These shot are all under 50 yards. The bullet disintegrates completely leaving bits of lead all over the place. He's under the impression that this is optimal performance (schrapnel & soft tissue injury), however, as I think most of us would agree two holes to bleed through are better than one- and to accomplish this you need the projectile to hold together.

I don't use them mostly because I'm cheap and perfer sabots.

Tom

I have had great success with Powerbelts but I am aware of their downside too.Ino longer shoot the 245 gr. They are too light, they blow out of the end of the gun with 100 gr of pyrodex before all of the powder can burn (causes more fouling due to unburned powder). A heavier bullet(295 gr)moves slower down the barrel giving increased time for all of the powder to burn with little (if any)velocity lost because of the additional weight. If you are shooting a magnum load I would recommend something even heavier than that (like the Powerbelt Platinum in 338 gr weight, this bullet also has worked well for me with just 100 gr of powder also). Most of the bullets and sabots offered today are capable of excellent groups from 50 to 150 yds but matching your load to your bullet(powder and bullet matching isvital in getting the best performance out of both, some loads and bullets just do not compliment each other or work well together)and between shot cleaning (while sighting in anyway) are an absolute necessity. Understanding the dynamics of how the charge and the bullet are working together in the barrel isimportantinformation and many people don't have the slightest clue. I see guys at the range all the time with their "new" muzzleloaders with 24"-25" barrels, 150 gr powder and the lightest bullet they could find, that is a recipe for inconsistency and frustration. I see guys at the range all the time shooting over and over with an occasional cleaning or patch run through the barrel (and that is only because it is getting nearly impossible to load). I run patches between every shot and remove the breech plug and clean every 2 or 3 shots. It might seem like overkill (or underkill to some) but I am interested in pinpoint accuracy not just getting it pretty close because exact shot placement is more important than any bullet characteristic. Whatever bullet/load you choose spend some time working with it and if it is not working out how you want don't be afraid to start over or tweak your set-up a little. But of course you can't do this if you wait until the day before the season to sight in! IMO

I use the 245gr powerbelt, and it passed right through the deer i shot(100yard shot). I did have an issue with blood (environmental is noted); it didn't seem like the blood started right away, but i was standing in 10inches of water. I guess a hollow tip would cause more, anyway, i did have a whole box of 245gr. powerbelt but my hunting partner used them all at the range, due to his gun miss-firing.....hmmmmmmmmm-wonder who?

I think with Powerbeats it depends on weight of the bullet your using, the 245 270 290 respond better with 2 pellets the heavier 338 405 are designed for 3 pellets