ryanhm82

I have been reading on several different forums and i have been hearing good and bad things. I was wondering if they had good expansion on deer, or if I should try a different sabot or bullet.

BOWHUNTERCOP

For several years I've been using the 250grain Knight Red Hot, made by Barnes with great groups and the performance on deer is great, I have yet to have a deer run more then 15yds.

cayugad

I've read both sides of the powerbelt stories also. I have hunted with them but never got the chance to shoot/use them. I would think the big thing is how accurate they are out of your rifle. The rest would be shot placement.

Shot placement with any projectile is still the #1 think to be concerned about. If you can not hit your target, then the bullet, no matter how well it might work will do you no good.

I've just picked up the 245 aero tips, 295 copper hollow points, and 348 copper hollow points on sale at Wal Mart. I intend to do some real testing with them this summer on real expansion tests and see how well they all do.... My CVA Staghorn really shoots them well.

livbucks

I shoot the 295 gr. copper HP out of my flinter. They seem to shoot real well for me to 100 yards so far. I get nearly the same POI at 50 and 100 yards. My form still needs some practice so the groups I get are not that tight. I do flinch some. I plan on shooting some ball-ets and comparing the groups. As I get better we will see how they really perform. Loading is a breeze, just start with your thumb. I'm just starting out and have yet to shoot a deer with the gun, so that is all the info I have.

MLKeith

I have shot both 295gr. and 348gr. copper clad aerotip Powerbelts at elk. The first 348gr. was out of an old rifle with bad powder and it keyholed and passed completely through the elk sideways. Elk walked 20 yards and fell dead. Bullet went through both lungs and the center of the heart. Aerotip was still in the bullet and except for the missing cup the bullet could have been shot again. I shot an elk this year with a 295gr. and it passed completely through the rib cage and exited so I don't know if it expanded. It made a pretty fair sized exit hole. Only got one lung and a piece of the liver so the elk went a little further. Had to do a finish shot up close. They shoot well but I'm not so sure the performance is a dramatic as maybe a barnes. Some claim to have had expansion with this bullet but I can't prove it.

JsmesB67

They shoot really well out of my T/C Encore (245 Aero tip). I shot a Pronghorn Antelope at 200 Yds. The bullet was not recovered. I took a steep angle quartering away shot and the goat turned just before impact and I wound up hitting him in the hind quarter. The bullet penetrated all the way through and exited the ribs. a follow up shot was needed. I love them for their accuracy but I don't have enough experience with them to formulate an opinion regarding their terminal performance.
Jim B.

BDHUNTR

I have been using the 295-grain Aerotip exclusively in my Remington 700 MLS for the past three years. Unless something else comes out better, I will use nothing else. They are a little more $$$ than other bullets. Oh well!

I have killed over ten deer in three years with this bullet (and three red fox), powered by two, 50-grain Pyrodex pellets. Eight deer have dropped at the shot with 0 yards to recovery. One big doe last year was shot straight through the heart (no ribs or other bones were hit). She took off on a dead run and fell over stone dead in 75 yards.

Just a few weeks ago, I spotted two does while halfway up the climbing stick. I hurried into the stand, just in time to watch them enter the field I was hunting over, followed by two more does, than a buck, then another buck, another buck and finally, two more does. As soon as the last deer entered the field, the first doe spooked and ran, taking most of the deer with her. She left the three bucks and one of the does behind. However, they were gettiing real spooky, so I decided to take the buck with the biggest body. He was quartering-to me. Almost a head-on shot, but not quite that severe. The shot was to my right, so I'm guessing I was a little shaky. At the shot, all the deer scattered. After an hour I got down to look for blood, and I heard the buck get up and run, breaking branches all the way. I caught up to him on the other side and shot him in the neck at 100 yards, dropping him.

Darndest thing. The only hole he had in him was from the finisher. However, at the spot where I aimed for the first shot was a circle of missing hair about 2-1/2" in diameter. It appears that the bullet had hit at such a sharp angle, it deflected off the shoulder rather than penetrating. I guarantee this was the same buck, so if the bullet didn't penetrate, it must have whomped him hard enough to make him stay put and not run off with the others.

Regardless, the second shot was a claen kill, just like the previous nine. I really like these bullets, as they are extrememly accurate, hard-hitting and easy to load. What's not to like?

Brian

Triple Se7en

Get the copper hollow-points. They are the best Powerbelt performers. They generally shoot around 1.5" lower than ATs at around 125 yards. Stay away from the leaded ones unless you choose 348s or 405s. The smaller ones fragment/explode into little pieces.... ruining alot of meat.

slugman

Exactly ....best bullet I've used so far. Expansion is great , I like the fact I dont have to mess with the plastic sabots. They also load much easier than others I've used. I use the 295gr copper hollow points.

brother hal

I took and elk in 2002 and another in 2004 using the 348gr hollow point power belts. One was a broadside shot from 40 yards and the other was looking right at me from 8 steps. Both were pass thrus and both elk fell within 30 yards. I won't change bullets unless the manufacturer stops making them!