Bullets
 

I'm looking for some info on bullets. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of hollow points vs polymer tips.

I'm also looking at the price range for different bullets. For example, Hornady SST sells for about 60 cents per bullet, while CVA Powerbelts are more than twice that amount. Is Hornady made from inferior materials? Does a Powerbelt provide superior accuracy/penetration/etc?

Thanks for the info.

Ed

I wouldn't hunt with a Powerbelt if they were given to me. Do a search on them, but to give you a summary, they tend to NOT penetrate well. In fact, when driven to velocities typical of modern muzzleloaders, they tend to explode on impact resulting in shallow gaping wounds that may not even reach vital organs.

The difference between polymer tipped and HP bullets are that the tipped bullets will tend to be slightly more aerodynamic than similar HP bullets. With the short, fat bullets typical of muzzleloader sabots projectiles, the BC difference is actually pretty negligible in most cases. The tipped bullets are sexier, though! ;)

My recommendation for a good (no, GREAT) ML bullet is the Barnes Expander MZ. My Savage prefers the 300 grain version, I surmise because of the somewhat faster than typical 1:24" twist rate. Your rifle may prefer the 250 grain version. These bullets give good accuracy and are devastating to deer. Barnes also makes the Spitfire MZ and T-MZ which are semi-spitzer point bullets, non-tipped and polymer tipped respectively. There is also the Spitfire T-EZ which has a smaller OD to be easier to load in tight bored rifles (e.g. T/C inlines).

Mike

xtp 250,expanders mz250 both good close range bullets.shockwave non bonded 250,barnes 250 tez or spitfire,good longer range medicine.

i hunt with powerbelts almost every year. great bullets but they like lead hollow point conicals, have their limits.

driftrider:
How does bullet weight relate to rifle twist rate? My barrel is 1:28.

Ed

Bullet weight affects length ( you can't make it fatter so you have to make it longer if you want more weight). Longer projectiles usually do better with a faster spin. If you want to get technical it's actually the ratio of length to diameter, but we can assume that the diameter is constant. You have to work out the final details for yourself as each gun is slightly different. That's what makes BP shooting so much fun.

No - not at all.
No

Longer bullets require more spin to stabilize them. Your 1:28" twist barrel should stabilize a 300 grain .451" bullet at velocities typical for modern muzzleloaders. My Savage has a 1:24" twist, and it's always shot better with 300 grain+ bullets, but 1:24" is far more than is needed to stabilize a 250 grain 45cal bullet. 1:28" is the "standard" twist rate for muzzleloaders meant for sabot projectiles. I'm not sure why Savage chose the faster twist for the 10ML-II, other than perhaps they originally envisioned it shooting the much heavier .458" bullets meant for CF .45cal rifles like the .45-70.

Mike

How come I knew that it would only take a couple of posts before someone ripped on the Powerbelts? I use them and have had great success with them. Are there better bullets out here? Probably, but if used corectly, and placed corectly, they will do just fine.

Do some research and reviews on powerbelts and you will discover why so many people went to otherbullets.