Powerbelt interest
 

First of all, I am new to this forum and muzzleloading. I have been reading and reading the information on this forum and it seems to be a great place to be. Now my question is, can the powerbelt be accurate in a .50 caliber muzzleloader? I have read a ton of posts saying how bad they are, and a bunch praising them.

This is just my curiosity getting the better of me. I hate the way the T/C shockwaves load. I have some Barnes 250 Gr EZ that I have not tried yet. I like the way the powerbelts load and would like to use them but I am an accuracy nut. By the way, I do not want to shoot over 100 grains of loose powder and I am not interested in pellets. I like the idea of making small changes in the charge to get the perfect load.

Thanks for any input,

Michael

I'm getting about a 2" group @ 100 yards with 295gr hollow point Powerbelts out of my CVA Optima Pro using 100gr (2-50gr pellets) and Winchester 209 primers. Plenty good for me and the many deer it has taken. As you said, some hate em and some love em. I have yet to have a problem recovering a deer that i hit with a Powerbelt. I shoot the same bullet out of my Deerslayer flintlock using 90gr of Jim Shockey's Gold powder. Getting about a 5" group with that combo at 75 yards and open sites.

Michael396

Mike, i would say the question about the use of Power Belts has never been about their accuracy. It is what they do or do not do when they reach a live target.

IMO, they are or have unreliable terminal ballistics.

The other fact is that there a ton of different bullets out there that a far better, even the bad ones are more reliable than the PB's, and much less expensive.

The biggest selling factor for a PB is the ease of loading.

Just one voice in the woods - others really like them.

Powerbelts are generally accurate in most rifles. They were pretty accurate for me, although not as accurate as Shockwaves or SST's. Most complaints have been about their terminal performance on game. To lessen the chance of the bullet blowing up, I would suggest using the 295 grainers or heavier and no more than 80 grains loose powder. Should get the job done.

Thanks for the response. The ease of loading is what I like about them too. I understand what you are saying about the terminal ballistics, and agree that is a good reason not to shoot them at game animals. My son (7 years old) shoots the 223 grain with a 50 grain charge of pyrodex Select out of his CVA Wolf. He is holding a 6-7 inch group at 80 yards with them (field shooting, not bench) and they seem to stay in tact pretty good at his low velocity. I am going to try the shockwave 200 sabot out of it with a 60-70 grain charge. I just hate the way they load, but I can get over it, if the accuracy and terminal ballistics arey where they need to be.

Thanks,

Michael

Thank you sir. This is a little confirmation of what I have found with my son's low charge load. I guess I better stop crying about how hard the Shockwaves are to load.:)

Amen sabotloader, if loading is the issue, just do a bit of searching and you will find a lot of info on better bullets and what sabots to use to make them load easier.to loose is not a good thing, as it hinders accuracy.

Michael396

That may be just a matter of changing sabots to a thinner sabot.

What do you recommend? I have the 200 grain Shockwaves. They came with a blue sabot in the package. Should I buy sabots and bullets in bulk so that I get what I want or just shoot the pre packaged stuff? Also, the bullet does not seat in the bottom of the sabot. Is this a problem?

This is what we are shooting. :)