[Bronzeback]

What's your experience with Powerbelts? I was on Cabelas reading the reviews...opinions varied considerably. Some mentioned that there was poor penetration/blood trials while others had very positive comments. It seemed that a lot of the people who had penetration issues were using magnum charges??? Many of the favorable comments came from hunters using (2) instead of (3) powder pellets or medium instead of magnum charges??? It seems that more powder should equal more penetration...as long as the bullet is of sound construction???

 

[Woodywoodduck]

I use 2 50 grain pellets behind a 240 grain powerbelt and get very good penetration and very good expansion!


I know Knight uses the Sabbots out of his 50 cal and backs them up with 130 grains of Goex...his deer he shot in the early muzzleloader season didn't show all that much expantion but it was a thru and thru shot, thru both shoulders....

Now, my powerbelt had left 1 nasty hole when it exited and mine was lower neck hit and other side shoulder exit and left 1 nasty hole on the exit side....All my shots with powerbelts have been either with 2 pellts of 50 grains of 90 grains of BP and the distruction they have done is very nasty!

 

[jun1or]

I use 295grain powerbelts backed with 100grains of pellets. never had a deer move after getting shot. my experiences have been great, other than all the meat destroyed. my cousin uses the 345grains, I tell him he's stupid, were not shooting elephants.

 

[Woodywoodduck]

2 years ago, I shot a doe with a 295 grain backed with 2 50 grain pellets... that 295 grain did Not Exit...hit her on an angle and it went thru from 1 side at the shoulder all the way back to the hip joint and stopped..I recovered that 295 grain powerbelt and it looked like a silver dollar!
Flattened right out at that hip joint and stayed there...Wish I had kept it and not tossed it... guys that got to see it could not believe it had flattened that much!

 

[Over The Hill]

I heard nothing but good things about powerbelts, but my Encore wouldn't shoot them. My groups looked like a shotgun patterns at 100 yards. The same gun will shoot 3" groups at 200 yards with T/C shockwaves.
I would suggest buying small quantities of several different bullets and determining what your gun likes.

 

[Shippinit]

I've shot 5 deer and my Dad has shot 6 deer with the 295 grain powerbelts with 2 50 grain pellets and we've never had 1 exit. Although only 1 has gone more than 30 yards, which is why we still use them. That and they're very consistent out of the TC Omega.

 

[10der222]

I have shot 4 deer with Powerbelts (245 gr).I have never had to look for any blood trail because the deer were DRT.I do have a few that I did some expansion tests on and they look like thick quarters,expansion was very good.BTW,I never use a magnum charge in anything I shoot.100 gr of Shockeys Gold in the inline and 85 gr of Black in the flinter is all it ever took.

 

[sdwlucas]

I tried the Powerbelts out (1 was 250 gr and the other I believe was 295) of my PA Pellet, I couldn't get them to group like I could the Hornady 350 gr. FPB's with 2 50 gr. pellets of 777. My friend has the exact same gun and uses 250 gr. Powerbelts with 2 50 gr. Pyrodex pellets and shoots about the same.

The Hornady's are a pain trying to get down the barrel compared to the Powerbelts.

My two inlines (T/C Triumph & Knight Wolverine) likes 250 gr. shockwave with 2 777 pellets and 290 gr. Barnes with 2 777 pellets respectively.

Like Over The Hill says try different types of pellets and bullets.

 

[410-er]

When I used to use an inline in the early season,I used them.They grouped very well out of my NEF Huntsman.Buddy recomended NOT to use the Hollow pts as it gave too much meat damage.Here is what I got with the 295gr aero tips and 80grs of FFg Goex at 50 yds.

 

[rflktrman]

I shot one doe with the 295 gr hollowpoints. It flipped over and down at 30 yards with a complete pass-thru. I also shoot them out of my T/C Pa. Hunter flinter and with 90 gr of 2f they shoot really well at 50 yards. Use 2 50 gr pyrodex pellets in the inline.

 

[octagon]

When I used to use an inline in the early season,I used them.They grouped very well out of my NEF Huntsman.Buddy recomended NOT to use the Hollow pts as it gave too much meat damage.Here is what I got with the 295gr aero tips and 80grs of FFg Goex at 50 yds.

Dude, the NEF Sidekick and Huntsman will shoot pretty much anything you stuff down the pipe well

They were the best muzzleloader for the dollar ever made. Thanks Big Green for getting rid of them

 

[frontier gander]

Okay heres a little collection of deer taken with powerbelts from the members on my forum.
These are 2 seperate deer, The last doe, thats the exit hole from a 295gr HP powerbelt.

245gr powerbelt,

295gr HP,

223gr Aerotip,

Hold onto your pants with this one!! 295gr Lead powerbelt,

In January we have a guy thats going to go hunt Bison with the 405gr powerbelt with between 80-90gr Powder. Its supposed to be a cow in the range of 800-900lbs. Im looking forward to this one!

 

[Q2XL12]

I use 2 50 gr pellets and a 245 gr powerbelt. Never had a problem

 

[Q2XL12]

frontier thats an awesome mulie!

 

[Treestand]

i use 245gr hollow points and have no complaints. shot a buck last season it went 35 yds and piled up. shot a doe also it dropped in its tracks. just like any thing hit them in the right spot and its always a good result.

 

[great white hunter]

I use the 295 HP with 2 pyrodex pellets!Work very well for me!

 

[bowhunterjac]

Same exact experience here.... My brother uses the powerbelts in his old Hawken though and has good success. I ended up with the Shockwaves. They shoot well for me and seem to do a number on the deer....

 

[tfabarcher35]

I have had great success with the 295 aero and hp powerbelts. I have only had one deer run after being shot and there was so much blood a blind man could have followed it. It went about 30 yds.