Powerbelts are the way to go
 

I did some shooting yesterday, first 3 were with the maxi hunters and didnt group well. Next 2 were with the 225 aerotip powerbelts lettered A & B. Im getting ready to try these out @ 100 yards in about half an hour and see how they do. Starting out with 70 grains RS and work it up from there.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Ok, first shot at 100 yards, 60 grains rs " forgot i wanted to shoot 70" 225 powerbelt. First shot i aimed at the top of the black circle and hit a bullseye, 2nd and 3ed are grouping up seems like it shoots high on the second and 3ed shot. Right now im set to go with this load. 2nd and 3ed could have been from movement but right now, the #1 is the one im always looking to get the best shot from and make it count. Wind started kicking up pretty good once i was packing up so hopefully it will calm down in the evening. But as of right now, if the season started tomorrow, i'd feel confident with the rifle and load.
From center to center on #2 and 3 shots, its 2 7/8" and from 1st to 2nd, 3 1/4". May just take it to the NRA this week and shoot it off sandbags and see how it does. First shot is hard to see, i even had a hard time at first when i walked up to it, Darn near turned away lol.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Uh oh! Its not the fouling, I took 3 more shots but i swabbed, first was near the bullseye, second was about 2" higher and the 3ed was way low and hit the rock holding my box down. What did i find? The little yellow plastic skirt stuck in the rock along with a few fragments! Fragments dont bother me, they were small and the bullet took out a silver dollar size chunk out of the rock, but now this explains why the 2nd and 3ed shot were not grouping with the 1st. I used a new pack and didnt spin the skirt and i took a bullet and they are really tight, after rolling them a few times and popping them off and on, they come off a lot easier. I even swabbed between each shots and when i took a look i was like, WTF!?! Then i found the lil skirt and felt a lot better. So problems solved, just have to twist them and loosen them up a bit.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

X-150

Please don't let the yellow plastic skirts cause you any headache. In my experience they always blow into two pieces. One round frizzie halo part, and the inner ring directly connected to the powerbelt post stays with it all the way to the target. This is because CVA uses a different(Cheaper!) skirt polymer, closer to ABS plastic, that is not as tough and resillant as the 50 cal skirts[:@] I never even spin the skirts anymore, just load and fire;)

This does not effect accuracy at all, and is normal for the 45cal PB's. I would strongly recommend the 275grain or better yet, the 300grain Platinum. And continue to use Only 70grains of powder.:)

This load will be a real tack driver, and good too at least 120yards;)

If you do go with the 300g Platinums, Do Not Spin, or take off and on the skirts!! These are Great! And need no messing with at all. If you do, you run the risk of loosening them too much. And they Will Not grip the bullet tight enough to keep it in the barrel. PB might jar itself free and slide out, or worse yet, slide aways down and stop. This would make for a very unsafe condition!!

Just my 2 cents.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Im going to give the platinums a try just for the heck of it. This was just a minor setback, aslong as the first bullet hits where i am, im okay with it but i will due some more testing tomorrow and see how they shoot once i break the skirts loose. But other than that, this rifle has been shooting them great.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

At about $1 each, I don't even consider them any more.
Bull Shop conicals are delivered for about 25 cents each and do everything a pb will or more.
But nice shooting.

Steve

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

I bought 4 packs off ebay for $33 + shipping. It was around $8.50 a pack.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Better, but still 2 to 3 times what the BS are - and offer ME nothing more.
JMO
Steve

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Tried the maxi hunters and the barrel didnt like them. So its pretty much a buy one type, give it a try and then move on to the next if the other didnt work. So far the powerbelts and the barrel fit great and shoot great. Atleast they will once i loosen up the skirts. I dont think BS makes a lower grain .45? I always saw them for .50+

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Sure he does. The bullets in the pic that I threw together for him are just his more common ones. Email him and tell him just what you need. Betcha he can fix you up. Be sure on the bore dimension though.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

4.57 sound about right for the .45?

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

.457" ? No - that's an awfully loose bore if you are getting that measure land to land. I would expect it to be .450" to .452"

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

I used some kind of ball looking thing that you screw to expand the ball and then you use the caliper tool and measure the ball.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Okay i measured right off the lands and groves with the calipers and came up with just slightly over .451, Im going to start with 20 of BS 225-245 grainers.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

If you got just over .451, then I would order the bullets sized to .452. Wouldn't need more than a bit of thumb pressure to get them started and should go down the bore very easily.

And I would suggest a bit heavier bullet - what is the twist rate of the rifle you are going to shoot them in? Some 340 grain bullets shot great for me from a Knight .45 with 1:30 twist.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

i think its a 1:48 twist but am unsure. i'd prefer to stick around in the 225-250 grain area so i wont have to file down to sight.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Ah, okay - a lighter bullet might just be the ticket. Do the grooves look deep or shallow - conicals do best with shallow grooves in my experience. Go with a bullet that has a fat nose (wide meplate). I would also use a card wad of some sort between powder and bullet, you could make your own from cardboard or similar.

One of the things that encourages full obturation of a conical in a muzzleloader is the weight of the bullet itself. The heavier the bullet, the harder it is to get started and as a result the bullet tends to fill the grooves better. Since you are going on the light side, a bullet with a hollow base might be the best choice but a card wad (or a few grains of buffer such as cornmeal) might well help achieve the good seal you need for accuracy.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Yes the bullshop guy also recommended a wad over the powder. I can buy a few samples of each to try out, once i find the right one i'll place a big order. So for starters i'll go with a .452, Which others do you think i should try out?

The rifling looks to be half the thickness of my fingernail. I wish i knew what thickness patch i use for the PRB, probably help out more with figuring out the rifling depth.

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

Try some of his 420 grainers just for grins. I don't have access to a list of his molds right now (or ever) but I know he has a bunch of different .457/8 molds that could make a suitable conical. His computer was down for a bit or he would very likely haveseveral auctions up on Auction Arms. Even though the ones he lists on auction are primarily for centerfire rifle and handgun, many of them could be excellent in a .45 muzzleloader if cast in pure lead and sized properly.

Now half the thickness of a fingernail, I would guess that to be about4 RCH? :D ;)

RE: Powerbelts are the way to go
 

I agree with you, Powerbelts are the way to go. I absolutely love them. I shoot 295gr hollow points out of my CVA Optima and see no reason to switch.