Todd1700

Thanks for the replies guys.

c-rad

The only powerbelts I had luck with are the 338gr plat. I tried most of them and just had troubles with grouping or seem like they broke apart. With the 338gr plat I kill 2 elk and a bear with no problem. The distances was 20yrds to about 70yrds. The bear ran about 50yrds and fell and the elk fell within a few feet.

sabotloader

Todd1700

I have to tell you I have not read all the responses in this this thread, but I did read your post.

I can identify with some of your problems very easily.

Most of these same problems plagued me when I first started using a ML to hunt with, actually it even goes back farther than that. Even while elk hunting with a 300 Win Mag - I rean into bullet performance problems... Hornady's were one of the worst - I was just plane shooting them to fast from the Win Mag. The bullet would enter strip itself od the copper and the lead would blow up someplace inside. The animal was dead - it just did not know it right away.

I solved that problem when I switched to Nosler Partition bullets... the problem all just disappeared. I had even tried Barnes and the work very well at the longer ranges but were disappointing in the closer ranges. The Nosler worked over a much wider range of velocities.

After my introduction to ML hunting and my disappointments - I found that Nosler indeed made Partitions that I could use in a ML - Once again problem solved... Unfortunately Nosler decided to drop the 44-45-.458 Partition and I was forced to make another decision.

That is when a friend told me - introduced me to a brand new bullet being built back in PA using a completely different theory of operation versus the conventional mushrooming theory that we in the US are totally sold on. I believe Lehigh Dave got the theory form Germany.

But first... this is my theory of how a bullet should work..

The Hunting bullet should be the most lethal big game hunting bullet available. The bullet design should allow the bullet to penetrate 2” to 3”, through bone or tissue, before it starts to expand the petals. After the bullet starts to expand or shed it petals it should adversely affect all the surrounding internal organs. The combination between the expansion of the bullet and/or release of the petals and the creation of hydrostatic shock produces a massive wound cavity within the vital area (internal organs) that can be 13” to 15” long. I believe that in most case the bullet should pass through the body providing a secondary exit hole for blood and debris. This massive wound cavity results in the animal dropping fast since most go into shock after such a tremendous blow. Those animals that don’t go down immediately will soon succumb to blood pressure loss and/or organ failure producing a quick ethical kill. Using a bullet matching this description will normally result in an animal that goes down fast so you can enjoy the results of your hunt without having to track the wounded animal after the shot.

The Nosler Partition filled this bill, and for the most so do all the different varieties of solid copper Barnes bullets. For me I have found the Lehigh or now the Knight Bloodline bullets fill that bill to a 'T'. It is not like none of the other bullets will not, because a standard Speer Deep Curl will come darn close also. It is a bullet built along the same lines as the Nosler they are bonded copper to the lead and with a large degree of controlled expansion.

But today I use the Bloodline because I have all the confidence in the world and it has a margin of error built into it in that you do not have to be perfect with every shot to get excellent results.

http://www.knightrifles.com/bloodline-bullets/

They work

7.62NATO

This. I will never feel the need to look for another bullet. The price can't be beat and the performance is golden. My muzzleloader has roared with the 270gr .44 cal Deep Curls five times this season. Two were neck shots that dropped on the spot. The other three were heart/lung shots and two dropped within 15 yards and one dropped on the spot. Prior to this season I shot four other times with a DeepCurl of one variety or another and had four very dead deer and no tracking to do. So that's 9 for 9. Why look any farther?

edwardCVAmason

Ok
1. You will Be Banished from this site forever
2. A Team of trained Assasin Ninja Monkies will invade your home and kill your puppy while you sleep
3. All beer will be served warm to you
4. You will be forced to watch reruns of the Cosby show and The Gong Show
5. Sacha Baron Cohen will deliver the eulogy at your next of kins funeral
6. All of your Camels will develop herpes from Fleas.
7. May all of your deer develop night vision during the day.
8. Grumpy Cat From Facebook will haunt every Dream you ever have.
9. The Most Interesting Man in the World will Never have you in one of his beer commercials
10. George Zimmerman called. He wants to hang out and party.

flyinlowe

I started off with the Hornadys for my Encore and they shot good and I killed several deer with them. One thing I noticed right away is little to no blood trail. Which was fine if you could watch the deer but if it ran into a woods or tall grass it was trouble. I read on here and other sites that the XTP's aren't designed to go as fast as the ML shoots them and they don't expand right on impact, and sometimes can explode into peices. I swithced to Barnes and have had better luck, although I did shoot a buck at about 170 yards last year that I did not find. I don't think the bullet itself was the issue but it did happen. I will try to find some pics but I recovered two barnes bullets from deer I shot last year and the year before and they expanded perfectly. You could not have made them any more perfect if you tried.

Grawlix

Jeez, Todd, dunno.

I've used a lot of different muzzleloading bullets, and none of them have hit like the Hammer of Thor.

300-grain all copper Red Hots have consistently penetrated an entire animal for me, but I also have never had to track one more than ten yards - - if shot through the shoulder they drop like rocks, and when gut shot (I hate to admit it), they've laid down because they've been pretty much disemboweled.

I don't know if you can really do much better than good shot placement, assisted by complete penetration.

BigDaddy12t

I just took a doe this past weekend with a 295 grain Aerotip, with 80 grains of Loose 777. the first shot was about 20yards, quartering towards my. Bullet went in just in front of the front shoulder, hit the spine, went back thru 1 lung, busted 2 ribs on the other side, and lodged just under the hide. Here is the bullet.




She dropped iin her tracks, so I got down and put another one in her at about 10 yards. Second shot went in about the same spot in the neck, and went straight thru and into the dirt under her. (the second shot did not hit where I wanted, but thats a whole other story) Here is the bullet that I dug out of the dirt under her.

BigDaddy12t

Here is the doe..

dbowling

I just shot a huge doe yesterday with the .452 300 gr. XTP at 21 yds, went in below point of shoulder through top of heart and out behind offside leg.It destroyed the entrance shoulder went through the top of the heart with a 50 cent piece size hole and exited with same size hole, insides were a mess, she made it 60 yds stumbling and falling the whole way... This was w/85 gr. of pyro rs.. Ive killed at least 40 whitetails with the 240 gr xtp`s and none made it over 60 yds, most dead in 30-40yds, killed 1 with the 300 gr. xtp, 2 with the 348 gr. powerbelts, both had softball size entrance wounds and fragments buried in offside ribs where powerbelts exploded, 100 grs pyro pellets both shots around 45 yds(both deer dead but poor performance as far as Im concerned)..know a bunch of guys that had the same thing happen using 100 grs and up, powerbelts need about 85 grs of powder to work right... have a friend who insists on using 150 gr. of 777 w/295 gr. powerbelts and wont believe the bullets are blowing up, hes lost 4-5 deer in the last few years.I wouldnt take 10 powerbelts for 1 xtp..jmho