pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

A couple weeks back someone wanted to know if a powerbelt would work in a 1:66 twist barrel, so i loaded up my kentucky with 70 grains blackpowder and a 295 grain aerotip powerbelt, got great results and today i wanted to see what the powerbelt looked like. That sucker went in over 9inchs and mushroomed liked it should. Now ive heard about the phone book testings and all that. I was shooting at a freshly cut piece of blue spruce. I think these bullets held up great. out of 3 shots, i only found one, the other 2 passed completly through that log which was a foot and a half long. So, for those who are having/ had trouble with getting pass through shots on deer sized game, you need to find the sweet spot on that animal and put it through.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

#2 pic

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

Is that green part in the picture the aero tip? 9 inches into fresh cut spruce is impressive in and among itself. I wonder why people would have a hard time getting full penetration of a deer with that? Maybe they are shooting the pure lead hollow points.

You don't know by chance what that projecitle weighs do you? I might be interesting to see how much weight retention was there.

Great information there... :D

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

yes thats the green aerotip. I measured the log and it wasnt as long as i thought, it came up as 1 foot 2" and 2 of those bullets went through. As for weight, i dont have a scale that reads grains but i'll find our scale and see what i can come up with. Maybe someone can convert OZ into grains. I took a new powerbelt and hold them and they feel the same but you know how that goes lol.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

I notice frontier gander was using a modest charge of 70 grains BP. Odd as it may seem, a more modest charge may help with penetration up to a point.

I bought a leftover doe tag for 444 and hunting the opening weekend of 3rd season. I hunted in dense oak brush. Too bad I didn't have a buck tag, because I had two within 20 yards. In any event, knowing the shots would be close, and wanting to finally recover a 385 GP bullet (which up to now I haven't), i sighted for a very, very, modest charge of 50 grains Goex 3f MV of 1100 fps. I was sighted dead on for 75 yards and was limiting my shots for the same distance.

Sunday evening, justas legal huntingtime was expiring, Idischarged the385 GP into a young aspen about 7" wide where I shot it.Really shook the tree but the tree did catch the bullet.I don't know how deep it went though. In any event, inside of 75 yards, I feel confident that the bullet would make the opposite side of a double lung if not pass through.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

i used only 70 grains due to my upper shoulder being boney and my rifle buttplate slopes a little to much and hits bone. Now that 385 grain grea plains bullet i used this muzzleloading season in my inline, i shot a doe at roughtly 90 yards, hit high, dropped her and i shot her again this time at 25 yards with 90 grains pyrodex rs and that 385 grain bullet, it went throught the first shoulder " dead center" and hardly made a scratch on the other shoulder. i figured that huge bullet at close range would have blasted all the way through. I've gone back to powerbelts due to them letting me shoot flatter and longer ranges. Plus ive always had great luck with them putting the deer down.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

I know 15.5 grains = 1 gram and 28 grams = 1 once. Maybe this will help. I've heard a while back these bullets should not be pushed too hard. They break up on impact.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

I read of people really putting the coal to powerbelts. I wonder if this could actually cause them penetration problems. Perhaps that powerbelt is hitting and basically shattering with the extreme velocity. I personally shoot them with 90 grains of Goex 2f. I have no idea of the fps of that load. Also I have yet to get a deer to stand still long enough to test one in a penetration test. Maybe this year.

Still Frontier Gander's pictures show that the bullet appears to have done exactly what it was intended to do, with a simple 70 grains powder charge. Again, really interesting....

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

My Omega shoots them accurate only with heavy loads with 150 gr it will blow a big male coyote almost in half but only small bits exited the hide on the far side, the chrony says that 245gr PB was going over 2000 fps which may have a lot to do with it acting like a varmit bullet. Of course that is just fine on varmits. Lee

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

i think the guys that had problems with powerbelts shot the HPs...i know thats what i shot one year....and didnt like my results. wish i knew where i hit.....but i trailed for about 50yds..blood dried up..now about an hour after the hit..heading home since i left the cellphone and needed a search party..walking out the ATV trail i found where she crossed..followed it down hill towards a creek..halfway there i found a couple beds but the blood was old...she laid there and licked herself and clotted the wound and never left another clue....searched forever and never found her......granted i dont know where it hit...but a half inch diameter 295gr bullet should leave a little blood id think.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

ive killed with the hollow points before. Maybe the guys shooting higher charges is causing the bullet to explode on inpact? Althought ive shot 150 grains pyrodex and never had any problems with them. 120 grains and 150 grains powder have dropped my deer. I dont shoot through the shoulders, wastes a lot of meat. But damn, Those 2 bullets went through over a foot of fresh cut log. I'll do some more testing once i buy some and i'll try them with the mag loads from my inline. I just was curious to see what they looked like and why people were having so much trouble. Maybe i found the key sweet spot in dropping the deer? lol. i'll find the scale tomorrow and weigh it and get back and post what its weight is. I'll also get a pic of the log i spit, you can see how the bullet traveled and the exited.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

okay i found the scale. its weight is 0.6oz I have no clue what that is in grains.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

Approximately 262.5 grains or almost 89% weight retention.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

not bad. What weight is gone is mostly the copper.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

Really isn't bad.I figure your load is yielding muzzle velocitybetween 1380 fps to 1420 fps. It would give additional context to know at what range the log wasstruck.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

25 yards.. I took some 50 yard shots but im unable to split the log, next time i'll use something easier to split lol.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

At 25 yards, the velocity would be in the neighborhood of 1315 fps. At 50 yards, around 1245 fps.While a hollow point bullet this weight might be a little light for shoulder shots, wouldprobably beperfectfor double lung pass throughs that expand to the size of a quarter.

Your shots last year at 132 and 143 with would have beena littleunder 1200 fps (at impact)with 90 or so grains. Just my opinion, but I would consider the hollowpoint a benefit at that velocity. There seems to be a window of velocities where the pure lead conical really shines with acceptable penetration and expansion.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

90 grains was this years doe. last year i used 150 grains with a 295 grain and 120 grains with the 245gn hollow point.

This year i used the 90 grains pyrodex rs with the 385 great plains bullets. But thanks for figuring out my FPS, Thats very interesting. Im not a big fan of the GP bullets due to them limiting my range. I think im going to break down and add a new buddy to my other winchester, cabelas really has a deal on the SS/camo Winchester apex. Just not sure yet.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

Jon,

You can't use them during ML season, but you might consider trying some 375 SSB or 435 SSB in your winchester. The 375's are doing well for me and are as easy to load in my Sidekick as a powerbelt is. They have great sectional density and very good aerodynamic properties, meaning, they carry more thump down range would penetrate better than a PB of equal weight. It would surprise me if you could not extend your range with them. They are about 50 cents each and so are a little cheaper thanPB's. If they shoot well in your rifle, you are bound to fall in love with em.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

i'll check them out. I've always just bought the 245 grain ball-ets just to blast out of the winchester and have fun with 50 for $8.99. Those actually shot good out of my rifle. Another cheap full bore bullet that shot good was the sabot tooth bullets but again, im not a big fan of them after i found out 1 fell out of my barrel the first day of the hunt. Breaks my heart, knowing that i could have filled my tag 20 minutes into the hunt :(.

RE: pics of powerbelts VS pine log
 

As dense as a piece of green wood is, I think a bullet has more of a chance of overexpanding and fregmentingin a medium with a higher liquid percentage. Like flesh or water soaked phone books. And there is definitely a trend toward faster impact velocities causing more expansion and less penetration than bullets impacting at more modest speeds. A couple of years back, one of our local city officials shot a big bull elk in the shoulder at 25 yards with a 348 gr. Powerbelt HP. His load was 150 grains of Pyrodex RS. Elk went down, but got back up and ran off, never to be seen again. I would bet his bullet exploded in the shoulder and failed to penetrate the vitals. The use of a 100 grain charge - or possibly an Aerotip Powerbelt -very likely wouldhave changed the outcome of this very disappointing experience.