lemoyne

Power-belts, I don't like to use load for kids so the lightest load I have ever used on deer is 100grains of RS with that load the Power-belt I first tried disintegrated on a does shoulder, if a friend had not dropped her with a PRB as she went past him we never would have found her, I have also left the pure lead bullets I started with behind they won't group good with a decent load behind them 100 grains is absolute max, I used XTP 250 grains for a while and they worked as long as you had a straight broadside shot but rarely exited. From here on its brass or bonded bullets and 110 t0 140 grains of blackhorn for the inlines and the good PRB for the 54 caliber with 120 grains of RS.

ronlaughlin

The bullet i will not use for hunting, is the bullet MountainDevil54 used to kill the deer last season. Photo show the bullet blew up on the hide before it penetrated the deer. What the bullet was, i don't know, but i reckon it was a CVA bullet; i shall never use them bullet myself.

Muley Hunter

It was a PB. CVA doesn't make bullets.

wabi

After some thought I can't come up with a single bullet I wouldn't use.

But I'd better clarify that statement a bit.
Sure, there are applications where a specific bullet doesn't work well (eg. patched round ball in a fast twist barrel). But most bullets have their place where they will work. If they don't they aren't around for long.

I think most available projectiles have their use where they will get the job done, but there are other applications where they will often fail, and sometimes fail badly.

Many of the horror stories I have heard over the years was a result of poor bullet/load selection by the shooter. Many of the bullets are designed for very specific conditions (velocity & size of game).
If you take a bullet designed to perform on deer at relatively low velocity but push it at high velocity on bigger game it is likely to be a disappointment. On the other hand if you select a bullet designed to be pushed hard at big/dangerous game and plow right on through tough hide and thick bones then use it to shoot a small whitetail it just isn't going to give optimum results.

There are several bullets I haven't tried, and many more I have tried but DO NOT use on specific game simply because there are much better choices available.

For example, when it comes to deer hunting my T/C Hawken with a Green Mountain LRH (1:28 twist) will handle a wide variety of bullet/sabots very accurately. I pick up inexpensive ones for target shooting, but when I'm hunting deer it will have a premium bullet/sabot down the barrel. Those inexpensive bullets just might work fine on a deer, but I'm not likely to find out as long as I keep having success with the Barnes or XTPs I use.

sbuff

Just like Flounder, 295gr power belt ,two pellets and the advice of a sales man that didn't know nothing better. Shot a few deer with that bullet but lost one that should be hanging on my wall now.They shoot great and are accurate, but after doing some testing on media awhile ago I wouldn't shoot them at a chipmonk. Then I started reading some forums like MML ,talked to some great guys like Busta and Sabot Loader and they set me straight.

Steve

1874sharpsshooter

Powerbelts. I will never use them again. The only deer I ever lost was to powerbelts. The terminal performance just doesnt seem to be there, leastwise not for me. The worst bullet on the market.

cayugad

Some very interesting observations so far. I knew powerbelts were going to take a hit. And it also seems roundball have some questions. I was looking at maybe some pistol bullets that were not cutting it.

For instance.. what you like better and XTP or a Speer Deep Curl?
Shockwaves .. I have heard horror stories about them. Anyone care to share?

But so far, its been good reading for me.

Johnmorris

I would not use a 440 gr solid powerbelt in 54 cal. I shot a great group with my Lyman 1x48 when i dug the bullets out of the woodpile they did not mushroom when they hit an
oak log. The woulfd go straight through a deer.

ronlaughlin

One year i killed 5 deer with 300g sst. What i saw inside didn't particularly please me. One of them deer took me on quite a trip, after it was lung shot. The snow ran out too. It took some doing, but it ended in the freezer. That was the last time i used that bullet.

To me the Deep Curl seems to be a better bullet than an XTP. Behind my target i find bullets i shot, here and there, especially after a rain storm. The Deep Curl are always in better condition than XTP. Deep Curl hold together; XTP are mostly in pieces. However, i have no problem using XTP for hunting, because i don't hunt rocks and dirts.

Semisane

One bullet whose performance turned me off was a LBT hard cast Wide Nose Flat Point (WNFP). It didn't perform up to the hype for me. I suspect the problem is that bullet style is not suited to my shooting preference. I think it's meant to be a bone buster for high shoulder shots. I avoid shoulder shots, preferring a top of the heart placement.