txhunter58

I would agree that the 444 flat point is a good bullet. I have taken a bull with one, but the only place I can find them for sale is from the CVA online store. And $27 for 20 bullets isn't any bargain.

So I am going retro I guess, cause I am going to give the 420 and 460 gr bullshop bullets a try! I can shoot 100 for the price of 20 --444 gr powerbelts.

oldsmellhound

Powerbelts have killed many, many deer and have their pros and cons. Personally, I think they are a bit expensive for what you are getting.

Pros: Easy to load, wide availability, usually pretty accurate

Cons: Expensive (at least where I shop), velocity limitations, questionable terminal performance, especially with lighter weights

You should be okay with your 295's, but please don't use 150 grains of powder. 100 grains of pellets or 80 grains loose powder should be a max load for that bullet.

trader74

I have always herd that cva reccomends powerbelts. Sabots may perform better in other guns but i have a wolf and i always use 295gr powerbelt with 100 gr of pellet powder. i have no problems with penetration or bullet fragmentation.

hardwoodhank

I have a CVA and have been shooting it for 5 seasons now. I tried the 3rd season to try something new and went with the Hornady sabots. Far less accuracy in the same grain and powder load.

This year I went with the 295 Platinum Aerotip and I always use the magnim load. I have a scope on mine and can put 3" groups @ 100 yrds.

This year on opening day I used the Platinum Aerotips for the first time and Shot a nice big bodied deer at about 10 ft under my stand at 30 ft high. I put the crosshairs just at tip of right shoulder from the sharp angle I was shooting at. Dead nuts heart shot with no exit wound with 150 grns of powder and a 295 grn Platinum sabot. His heart was like mashed potatoes.

I was told by a reliable source that the CVA guns are almost made for powebelt sabots and Im a believer. I havent found a sabot yet with the same results as Powerbelt sabots, although I will not shoot hollow points for any distance. I switched to aerotips a few years ago and they are by far the most accurate sabot I have shot at any distance.

This is the bruiser I got November 1 at 10 ft...without an exit wound!

hometheaterman

I've killed 3 deer with 295 grain Power Belt Hollow Points backed by 100 grains of Pyrodex pellets. I know quite a few guys that use this same setup, and I can honestly say that I've not been impressed and from what they have told me they have had the same issues. The only reason a few of them haven't switched is they think sabots are a pita. I switched along with a few guys to Federal Fusions this year.

The problem I had with the Powerbelts is that of the 3 deer I killed only one had a blood trail. The first one I ever shot with them I saw run into the woods. When I got to the edge of the woods where he went in I could see him laying there. I didn't find any blood at all from where I shot him to where he was even though it was a perfect double lung hit.

The time I shot a deer it was two in the field. I shot the first one which was a doe and I saw her run about 20 yards and drop right in the middle of the field. There was also a spike that stayed there even after me shooting and gave me time to reload and shoot him too. I shot him and he instantly fell and started kicking. Next thing I know he jumped up and ran off. We never did find him. I never found any blood, but a friend helping me look did find a tiny bit of blood on a tree where he had rubbed up against it, but that was it.

The doe, I had seen where she fell, but once again it was no blood trail at all from where I shot her to where she lay.

The next deer a buck walked out 20 yards or so from me and I hit him a little low. Aimed low, but aimed a little too low. I hit the shoulder bone and the bullet somehow made an entrance hole about the size of a baseball. He made it about 150 yards, but there was a large blood trail the whole way to him.

So out of the 4 deer I shot with these bullets I only found 3 and only 1 of those 4 had a blood trail. My buddy using these has had the same problem but refuses to use anything with a sabot. He has lost several deer that he knows he has hit, but can't find any blood. He has also killed several that he has found, but they haven't had a blood trail either. The only pass through I had was on the doe.

I got fed up with this and switched along with another buddy. He got one deer with the Fusions and it passed through on a nice buck and left a great blood trail all the way to the dead deer about 50 yards away. I can say I was impressed and hope to get to try out this load on a deer too.

I also tried 150 grains of powder, and for me it kicked like hell and the bullets seemed to be key holing, so I dropped down to 100 grains of powder and have used that since.

flounder33

It took me one deer to figure out I didn't want to use powerbelts. Fragmented on a rib, 80 yard shot 85 grains of triple 7 2f. There are so many better choices out there and almost all of them are cheaper also.

rlmx

I just started firing powerbelt 50 cal 245s with Trip.7 50 grain pellets and Trip.7 209 primers all out of a brand new CVA Accura V2. The results - yuck! Very hard to load, more specifically very hard to seat, after just 2 rounds. I am not certain where the problem is. Prior to that my experience has been with a Knight MK-85. Used sabots with Pyrodex - no problems loading at all. The hard lesson I have learned: I bought 50 rounds of Powerbelts and 2 100 pellet boxes of Trip. 7. Can't return it and am now stuck with $85 worth of crap. Buy small quantities until you find what works.

txhunter58

No surprise since they make powerbelts!

txhunter58

The problem is not the powerbelts, but the 777. You are experiencing the dreaded "crud ring". However, all you have to do is swab between each shot (spit patch followed by 1 to 2 dry patches) and that should solve your problem.
'
That is why I switched to BH 209. No swabbing needed even for 30 shots!

hardwoodhank

I am guessing a whole lot of this controversy has to do with what type of Powerbelt sabot you are using, I dont believe that whether its 100 grn of pyrodex or 150 grn has much of a different outcome. I explained in my post above of hitting a big bodied 8 pt at 10 ft under my treestand and not having an exit wound, even though i was shooting the magnum load. I have shot a doe at around 60 yrds where I was using a hollow point and it was a double lung shot that literally had an exit wound that blasted a blood puddle on exit about 5-8 yrds from impact. The doe, unbelievably made it 25 yrds. With the smoke in my face after the shot, and in my tree stand I thought I had missed her, because she wasnt curled up at the point of impact. As I got closer to where I last saw her and taking the shot,it looked like someone had butchered the deer right there, and needless to say a HEAVY blood trail led to the deer. It devestated her and the exit was about the size of a lemon.

The aerotips are way more accurate, but its dually noted that they do in fact fragment upon impact of any bone or ribs. I still cant believe the internal destruction my platinum sabot did to my last kill, regardless of any exit hole. When dressing it, it had completetly demolished all of his vitals in the diaphram.

To say if I was on the ground, and had a 30-50 yrd shot, I have no doubt I would have hit my mark, but its as much of a comfort to know that the sabot did so much internal injury.

I have bowhunted for years, and even hit the boiler room with a 1 3/4" mechanical BH that didnt leave as much of a blood trail as I would have thought, regardless of the vital that I struck (lung or heart).

I believe, IMHO that the aerotip powerbelts have dead on accuracy, and since switching to the 295 platinum, Im sold on it. I have had 3" groups at 100 yds with it compared to lousy results from the copper hollow points. Until I have a situation like you explained, I will reconsider...maybe, but in 5 years and many harvested deer with it, I dont see a need to switch. The time i did switch to Hornady, my scope had to be resighted and alot of inconsistant shots were made during the sighting in of my scope.

My creed with BP is to always use the magnum load with a 295 grn sabot (aerotip), no matter the distance. Im sorry to hear these other stories, but to be honest with you, my resources to purchase the other brands named in this thread are not at my disposal. Perhaps they are better, but Im not willing to fix something that isnt broke...yet!