My guess is that you need to concentrate on and learn what proper "shot placement" is instead of being so concerned about bullet penetration. These self same Powerbelts have killed every deer which I have ever hit with one of them.
They are by no means garbage. Every deer I have shot it has went through or stuck in between the hide and meat on opposite side. Plenty of penetration for me.
I love them they are great, they load fast and easy and shoot great. No fighting to try to push a sabot down the barrel. Don’t aim at the shoulder! Clean kills every time.
I have been using a ball and patch 50 caliber with a 100 grain charge for decades and haven't had any problem. But last year I bought an in-line CVA Wolf in 50 caliber and even with the shorter barrel, I have No problem dropping deer last year. I used the recommended products CVA recommended. I used an Aerotip 245 grain Powerbelt with 2-50 grain Pyrodex pellets. No problem with a pass through. Maybe the real problem is the shooter and how he shoots. Maybe before you go and bad mouth something, make sure your not the problem to begin with. It's always easier to blame someone else for your bad shooting.
The cva wolf is a great rifle. My father in law just got one and it will be killing deer in short order next month. I just inherited a Kentucky rifle from my father and am looking forward to trying patch and ball. Any pointers for a young guy?
I drew an elk tag and deer tag in Colorado so I had to use powerbelts. Elk took 4 shots 290 grain platinums under 90 yards. All shots were behind the shoulder. Bullets looked like tin foil only went in 6 inches. Deer was shot right behind the front shoulder at 100 yards with the green ones 250 grain. Took the deer over an hour to die.
Seahawksl1969 my CVA wolf works great! I’m going g to be using that and a CVA 150 bolt mag .45 this season. I’m going to try the powerbelt ELR for the .45 hopefully the perform better then the Aerolites.
@@EveryonesOutdoors I haven't found much info at all about the 150. That would be the Buckhorn model? That on was priced really well, but I think it was discontinued. I want to get back into hunting and teach my young son all the ways to hunt. I have to buy everything and start from scratch. I haven't hunted in 30 years. I buy when I find good deals.
I’ve shot deer with Powerbelt the old Hornady XTP sabots and I’ve also shot a number of deer with the XTP out of handguns and the last few years I’ve been using Hornady SST. I have noticed the Powerbelts do tend to come apart on heavy bone hits and lack penetration. Lot of comments here from world class marksmen. I get the importance of shot placement but hunting isn’t punching paper and we don’t always have the perfect shot. Sometimes you have to punch through a shoulder or sometimes we just pull a shot. There are tons of great bullets but I tend to steer towards people who have been making bullets for many many years whether that be Barnes Hornady or others. I get tired of the name calling and criticism in the comment sections. Let’s keep it civil and pass along our experience and knowledge so we can all learn. On a side note if you haven’t tried Blackhorn 209 give it a shot. It’s great stuff and much more friendly to you rifle and your nose. I sighted in yesterday and my rifle has been sitting on the bench in my reloading room and you can’t smell or tell it’s been shot. It is also much much less corrosive and cleans easily
I shoot a CVA Accura PR. I ignored the negative reviews on powerbelts and purchased the 270 grain platinums. Very good group when testing. However, here is what happened during the actual muzzleloader season. One of the days I went out in sprinkled some. I was mindful of keeping my barrel down. Side note, I lost my private ground so I had been hunting very hard on public. On my 10th hunt I finally get a shot. Primer goes off and no powder burn. My friends rifle who also was out with me on the day of some rain had no problem igniting the powder. He was using SST’s. I couldn’t figure out why I had an issue until later. Let me continue… After the powder didn’t burn, I took out the breech plug and everything out, and even shot some primers to make sure the breech plug was in good shape. I loaded up and two hunts later I finally get another opportunity at a deer. I pull the trigger and all I hear is the primer. I go home and remove the breech plug to find there is no powder and no bullet in the barrel! On that hunt, I walked out to the timber with the barrel down and the powerbelt worked its way out of the barrel along with the powder. I cleaned the gun and reloaded for the next hunt. I finally get another opportunity 4 hunts later at a doe at 45 yards. I was very careful keeping the barrel in the up position at all times. I take the shot and there was powder burn but no recoil! It was like the bullet barely made it out of the barrel. The deer just looked around to see what the noise was. I took the breech plug out again to make sure there was nothing in the barrel. There wasn’t. I reloaded again and fired at a stump to test it. Again, barely any recoil. It was then that I realized that the gas from the powder was getting around the base of the powerbelt. The very cold weather must have shrunk the plastic cup of the base of the bullet so it would not expand from the powder ignition. I believe that the fit was so loose that it allowed rain droplets passed the bullet causing a miss fire. I put in my friends SST’s and the recoil was as it should be. When I first tested these powerbelts there was no problem, but it was not as cold that day. I know the work for many guns but they certainly don’t work for mine. No bullet should fit so loosely that falls out of the barrel. I have had three opportunities to shoot a deer and this bullet has caused failures on all three occasions. I do have to admit the 270 platinums suck in my gun!
I shoot CVA LR Optima using both Areo lite & areo light Cooper using white hot powder 100gr. Zero issues, ever deer from 100 yards to 50 yards no track just drop. So ignore the negative. This bullets work great
Shot placement is key. 50 yards or 500 yards. Shot placement is key. I have been shooting powerbelt for the last 6 years. 5 shots taken. 5 dead deer. You are full of crap.
20 years of using the 295gr hollow point powerbelts with 150gr of powder never had any issue with them at all. Probably 90% of the time I have had complete pass threws and great blood trails.
Every deer I have shot with a Hornady SST Low Drag ML bullet (250 grainers).. I have seen them all drop. From 15 yards to 175. Two Triple 7 pellets give me great groups and dead deer.
CVA tech told me these are all lead, with a copper wash over them. These are NOT bonded, and will NOT stay together. I have noticed most people say the have to track the deer. My Hornady XTP's will drop any deer. Just my opinion.
Last year i killed two does with hollow point powerbelt with triple7 pellets out of a cva optima and i shot one at 70 yards complete pass through huge blood trail. I dont what primer your using i used federal. Hope that helps you.
Had same exact experience with my cva mr and white hots. The copper seemed to get a little better penatration but not impressed. aero light are complete garbage. Trying to decide between barns and the federal.
The areo lights were designed to get maximum expansion at 80 grain powder charge,thats why when you shoot a 100 grains or more the just detonate when they hit something and get 0 penetration..i found this out after making two good shots on deer and i had to track n shoot them both again. I switched to barnes tmz spitfire all copper 👌100% weight retention and fly beautiful
Last year I sighted in 250 grain aerolites with 100 grains of white hots. As a backstop I was using a pile of hard maple blocks. Today I split those blocks by axe. I found all 3 bullets. All 3 had penetrated the blocks about 7-8”. I thought that was great. What I was concerned about is that none of them appeared to show any expansion and even they poly tips were still intact. I’ve been rifle hunting and bow hunting deer for 30 years, reloading for hunting and varmit rounds and just picked a muzzle loader last year so I’m not exactly sure what to expect for expansion with a muzzle loader
I’ve shot 10 deer with Power belts and found 4. The 4 I found were in snow, easy to track without a blood trail. Context, muzzleloader season in Massachusetts (where I live) is after bow and shotgun season so seeing a deer is rare so 10 deer is since power belts came out. The federal bore locks are amazing for white tail! I’m 3 for 3 with them. There’s probably better ammo out there but they’re the best I’ve used.
I hunt florida and cover is thick here. You need a good blood trail or you're not going to find your deer. Its incredibly rare to see them go dow here. Powerbelts completely disintegrate and don't exit the other side of the deer. A.k.a no exit hole. Shot from a treestand, that equates to a high hit on one side, no exit on the lowside..-no bueno. In that regard, he's absolutely correct. I found all 4 deer i shot with them, but was on all fours following pinhead bllo drops and tracks, and one I found by just dumb luck while gridsearching. Switched to federal sabots. No more issues.
More expansion equals less penetration. That's why hard cast lead Penetrates so well and why people prefer them hunting very large game because they don't expand they just penetrate.
not sure what you are doing,...I've killed several large deer with the powerbelt Platinum and Aerolites...all clean pass-throughs except the platinum which was in the off hide, blood trail?...stevie wonder could follow the trail.
Shot an elk last year with 100grains of pyrodex and one of those areolite bullets. It’s true, I hit it in the spine and the bullet fragmented on the bone and I found pieces of it everywhere. It did drop it, but the spine was still intact.
7footfury one of my thoughts are if you don’t get Expansion and pass through you’re not doing it quite enough damage. If it’s just fragmentation it’s doing damage but it’s still not creating the wound cavity that should be happening
Everyone's Outdoors I agree,. My buddy took a mule deer a week before with a 300grain hornady sst sabot round and it went clean through. Unfortunately I tried to sight in those bullets on my CVA optima and they shoot about 2 feet low at 100yds with 150 grains of powder and my sight was maxed out in elevation. I had to go back to the powerbelts to get my shot to come up. The CVA’s front sight is waaaaaaaay to tall, all my friends who have them have the same problem. I do have aftermarket ghost ring sights and ramp, but it shouldn’t be the case. 🤞that the powerbelts will do the job until I can get a new lower front sight.
Thanks for the comment! I think the aero tips are the biggest issue, they do group well and will kill deer I just think the copper federals are better. JMO
wawheeler21 was that in ballistic gel ? I figured the platinum version would have been better then that. I’ve never tried them because I can’t find them in store where I live
They have killed a few Michigan whitetail out my CVA Optima Magnum using Powerbelts. That being said, I have never found a bullet intact. I think they work great at slower velocities. The problem with plated soft lead, it flatens out too fast at higher velocities. I use 100gr Triple 7. I believe with today's higher velocity BP substitutes (Triple 7, Blackhorn 209), these bullets don't fare well. With 80-90gr of Goex or Swiss BP, Powerbelts would probably hold up better.
I can vouch for that , I shot a deer at 35 yards , it flipped onto its back then got up and ran away . As far as blood trail we tracked it for 100yards and lost all signs .
I disagree with the expansion on these bullets. Hit a shoulder or leg bone and there is some expansion. A clean straight thru shot has no expansion at all. Gel test them like I did with and without bone. They will kill almost anything but they ultimately suck as a good bullet. Hornady, Barnes, Thor or Parker are far superior.
So I do agree about not much for penetration out of the arrow tips I just shot the biggest buck of my life last weekend with a 300 grain power belt aerotip and barely made it past the front shoulder no exit hole and barely any blood it killed a deer and I found him the next morning but no thanks for the blood trail and that was at 20 yds and I use 150 grains of powder 3 pellets what you think would be plenty of stopping power I'll probably stop using the arrow tips but I shot a double a few years ago with the power belt platinums 295 grain and that blew right through complete pass through she only went 20 yards so I may go back to those cuz the platinums do shoot better with 150 grains but the Platinum will most likely be the only power belt bullet I use if I use them again
I'd use these for target and small game definitely should get the smackdown series hollow point are for small game what gun you shooting to if your using a magnum you need to up your bullet size
Why are you shooting deer in the shoulder? Simply draw a vertical line straight up the deer’s front leg. Then draw a horizontal line across the body splitting it in half. Where those lines cross is your aim point. This spot is at the top of the heart and through both lungs. Hit it and collect your deer.
Only thing I can think of is the powder charge I’ve been using them for a while now and they say the aerolites are made for 100gr powder and that you wouldn’t get as happy results with 150gr of powder unless they are over 100yrds or more because they are made for the lighter 100gr powder charge but I can’t say for a fact because I only use a powder charge of 100gr that’s just what I have read
They are not design to pass through its hydraulic shock I use 150 grain powder and 245 PowerBelt arrow tip and I have never had a deer run more then 30 yards and I use a tc encore
I use arrow lite 250 trample 7 pellets 2 shot a 6point 150pound drop in it track pass trout shoulder brook spline out the outer shoulder I like them this was at 90yards
I was at my local gun shop today and I asked them if they sold Powerbelts and if they liked using these bullets. They said that they sold these bullets and that they loaded great, shot off great........but there was no penetration. They recommended Hornady.
shot first deer this yr 150gr powder fed bor lock copper shoulder shot deer dropped didnt move; clean pass through, and being copper didnt destroy the shoulder meat like lead would, super accurate also! i wouldnt even give those power belts away, throw them in garbage!!!!
Sounds like the lead is too soft. I’d try hornady saboted SST. They stay together from what I’ve seen in testing. I don’t hunt but they have a decent reputation. I just use mine for predator defense
I know it is just an opinion but, I've been using powerbelts ever since I was a kid. I'm 25 now and I've been hunting ever since I was big enough to tote a gun. I've killed many deer with a muzzleloader using power belt bullets and I've only lost one deer only because I made a bad shot. To me they are great bullets but, that is just my opinion. They may shoot differently in other muzzleloaders.
Thanks for the comment! Glad you have had good luck with them, I think they punch holes in paper pretty good. I’ve just had issues with the aerolite mostly
Just watched your video on these power belt bullets! And I agree with everything you said they do not penetrate for shit! Been looking for some of them Federal bore locks, can’t find them! Can’t even order them from Federal because they don’t have any! So this year I guess we’re going to try the platinum ones and give that a whirl!
I think there is room to experiment with a hotter grain load, I’ve literally shot almost every deer I’ve killed at quartering to, hits the shoulder, exits behind the opposite shoulder and they usually drop. I’ve had to track 2 deer with this shot angle, had a perfectly fine blood trail, both deer expired within 50 yds. My grain load was 78 grains bu weight of 777, 295 gr hollow point, out of a TC Omega Z5
@@pecosray there’s a lot of variables now too, my Muzzleloader is an OG 28” barrel, Non Bergara. Most are 26” Bergara’s now. Not sure if 2” makes that much difference or not. But my load has worked perfectly for me
You don't know what you are talking about. The hollow points aren't designed for maximum penetration to begin with. That there shows you know nothing about bullet design or probably hunting at that point.
Wonder if I cast a few linotype lead bullets for the ole guy. He’d trade those “terrible” “shit fuck” Powerbelt rounds he hates so much? All kidding aside, I get it they’re not bonded, but a little forethought on your part and you would have discovered on their website….. these don’t penetrate like a hard cast 458 Lott😂
if you studied about the bullet. 150 grains of power is a waist with these bullets. Number one if it is accurate then shot placement is your problem. Sight your rifle learn shot placement and use 100 grains witch is what is suggested.
If you read up on the powerbelt areolite the 250 grain bullet performs best with 100 grains of powder. If you shoot 150 grains of powder you need the 300 grain bullet
Not questioning you, as I have never shot a deer with Powerbelt Platinums 270 gr, but I do have a package of them. Can you please describe how these performed on deer? Good exit hole? I always aim for the lungs so I don't care if it can punch through shoulders or not. Thanks.
@@nathanhileman3848 I usually have complete pass through. The deer always has some bloodshot from the energy expelled. I have not hit a deer with them that did not ride in the truck yet. Knock on wood.
Man from wrong with you no offense I am wheelchair-bound and the power belt then go our way through but devastated the heart and lungs I didn’t need a blood trail I fell in the track
Thanks for the comment, I think they are great on paper and with Persision shots will work but we don’t live in a perfect world and sometimes don’t always hit a perfect heart shot. Those aerolites don’t always get the job done
Are you aiming for the legs and shoulders ? Aim further back. Good luck forcing a sabot down the barrel. The first one is hard enough the subsequent loads are near impossible.
Naw, I don’t aim for the shoulder but if it were to hit the shoulder a solid projectile should still penetrate. I don’t plan on using sabots, federal B O R lock
I had the copper 295 grains quartering away went through the guts destroyed the liver and both lungs clipped the heart and out the shoulder strait through the shoulder man
Stop aiming for the shoulder blade. I’ve killed 3 mule deer and 2 elk with 250 grain PowerBelt bullets. The problem you are gonna have with the copper slug is they don’t expand nearly as well as a lead bullet.
I run 100 grains of Hodges 777 with the power belt green tip and have blown the brakes off of every va whitetail I’ve shot at so far. I have 3 bucks on the wall because of power belt.
Dude the powder pellets are 50 grains each, if you want to shoot 100 grains it takes two, 150 grains is three of them.. I have killed a pile of deer with PowerBelts and other game with these! You are light loading or not holding your mouth right! ROTF I will give you $5 dollars for all that junk! ;)
I have to agree with the powerbelt issues, at least from my experience. The only time i got a pass thru on a deer was with a shot that was literally 12 ft away. I shot a buck in 2012 at 70 yds, double lung, with the same 295 hp. Absolutely no blood. Not a single drop. And no exit. Still have the bullet i found in the hide on the opposite side. Only reason i found the deer was bc i saw water splash over some trees from him falling in the creek. I tried the 250 aerolites and could not get them to group consistently at all. Flyers all over. Could be a number of reasons why but i got so frustrated to the point that i will never shoot powerbelts again. Lots of really bad stories and reviews on powerbelts. But some people have good luck with them. My dad is one of them. Im trying barnes 250 t-ez at the moment and that is proving to be a real pain as well. Im certain its a just a matter of finding the right powder combo with that bullet.
My son and I have dropped all 4 deer we have shot using Powerbelt Aerolite and platinum with zero issues. Used with the load of 777 100gr and 150gr. Great performance, huge wound channel and tracking was less that 25 yards on each deer. So I guess they suck in your gun. But not ours
I actually tried some 245grn today, they shot great on paper, but my buddy said he had same problem of not penetrating, apparently they can't handle the speed
I have always wanted my bullets to loose their velocity inside of the animal, because they cause more low velocity destruction than a fast bullet that never mushrooms and gets full penetration. Worry about wound cavity and the difference in permanent cavitation and temporary cavitation benefits
I shoot the aero lite bullets and have killed two deer both shoulder shots one was over 100yds and dropped them both where they stood! Amazing detestation and knock down using 100 grains of 777
If you new how to read the back of packaging you would no that you shouldn't go over a 100gr my friend shoots 90gr in pellet form gets pass though ever time blood every where I have never used them but I no how to read
When you open the pamphlet that comes with the Aerolite projectiles it says “Designed for standard loads (80 to 100 grain equivalent) at under 100 yards, Magnum loads (110 to 150 grain equivalent)at over 100 yards”. Maybe you should know your stuff before you comment
I use the Aerolites in a Optima pistol. When I first got the pistol 250 gr. Aerolites were what was recommended at 80 to 100 grains charge. Originally nothing was said about using a 150 grain load. I was quite surprised later to see the magnum (150 gr. charge) had been added. As a hunting bullet, I think it's too light for the heftier charge.
I’ve used Powerbeats with no issues at all. Fine most the time under the skin on the other side of the deer and there about the size of a nickel or quarter. I love them ... easy to load, shoot accurate, kill great for me.. lost zero game ... besides the fowl language is totally unnecessary and unacceptable...
They are design not to do a pass through I’ve been using them for years now and never had a deer run more then 30 yards. I use 150 grains of powder and the 245 aerolights n I shoot a tc encore
Everyone's Outdoors I wanted to try them but my local shop didn’t have them so I decided to go with the powerbelt and they have not let me die with two 50gr triple 7 pellets.
3 50 grain imr white hots and 250 gr power belts knock white tail dead as shit what kind of penetration are looking for are there dinos where you are or armor plate game
I have a 7 year old daughter that I'm going to start teaching how to shoot this year. If you'd like to join us, you're more than welcome to tag along. The gift of the outdoors is the greatest gift God gave us.
Powerbelts are not copper bullets, they are soft lead bullets with a copper plating on them. As with any soft lead bullet you cannot push them with 150 grain loads. If you want to shoot magnum loads, you will be much better off with those solid copper Federal bullets. They are also very accurate bullets and load as easy as the Powerbelts and are hard enough to take your magnum load. Powerbelts do not suck, you just have to know how to use them. Powerbelt used to list a solid, why they no longer list it I do not know, but I'd think they would be better off to get away from the hollow point design. The hollow points just work TO good with heavy loads. You'll like the Federal copper. Happy Hunting.
You don't want an exit with a bullet, that's called OVER penetration. This isn't archery.... this is firearms..... You need to learn about how bullets and firearms kill... You want the bullet to deposit 100% of it's energy into the animal. If you over penetrate, any energy after the bullet exits the animal is lost and waisted as opposed to causing trauma within the animal. Archery kills via hemorrhaging. You want an exit (2 holes) Bullets kill via trauma, you want energy deposit, NOT AN EXIT. Also, the AeroLites are designed to be used with standard 100-grain loads. You're using 150-grain magnum loads, so you're not even using the correct bullet for the load.
I’ve also used the “copper” variant and they suck also. When it comes to game animals you DO want pass through its NOT over penetration. On humans you DON’T want over penetration due to accidental harm to another bystander. Sounds like you may never have hunted thicker skinned game that require deep penetration!
@@EveryonesOutdoors Yep! I know guys who hit deer and never found them. Gotta hit vital spots like lung/heart area and they won't run very far. Good luck!
I love when kid’s first learn to cuss.
My guess is that you need to concentrate on and learn what proper "shot placement" is instead of being so concerned about bullet penetration. These self same Powerbelts have killed every deer which I have ever hit with one of them.
I got a bear and a moose with them never had any problems
They are by no means garbage. Every deer I have shot it has went through or stuck in between the hide and meat on opposite side. Plenty of penetration for me.
I love them they are great, they load fast and easy and shoot great. No fighting to try to push a sabot down the barrel. Don’t aim at the shoulder! Clean kills every time.
That’s what separates the men from the boys.
I learned that they hard way I blew up my first deers shoulder so I need to aim further back. The bullet still blew the leg apart
I have been using a ball and patch 50 caliber with a 100 grain charge for decades and haven't had any problem. But last year I bought an in-line CVA Wolf in 50 caliber and even with the shorter barrel, I have No problem dropping deer last year. I used the recommended products CVA recommended. I used an Aerotip 245 grain Powerbelt with 2-50 grain Pyrodex pellets. No problem with a pass through. Maybe the real problem is the shooter and how he shoots. Maybe before you go and bad mouth something, make sure your not the problem to begin with. It's always easier to blame someone else for your bad shooting.
The cva wolf is a great rifle. My father in law just got one and it will be killing deer in short order next month. I just inherited a Kentucky rifle from my father and am looking forward to trying patch and ball. Any pointers for a young guy?
I drew an elk tag and deer tag in Colorado so I had to use powerbelts. Elk took 4 shots 290 grain platinums under 90 yards. All shots were behind the shoulder. Bullets looked like tin foil only went in 6 inches. Deer was shot right behind the front shoulder at 100 yards with the green ones 250 grain. Took the deer over an hour to die.
The bull elk I shot with the green aero tip only went 30 yards and died.
I've been thinking of trying black powder and thinking of getting a CVA Wolf. It seems to be everything I would want and not too pricey.
Seahawksl1969 my CVA wolf works great! I’m going g to be using that and a CVA 150 bolt mag .45 this season. I’m going to try the powerbelt ELR for the .45 hopefully the perform better then the Aerolites.
@@EveryonesOutdoors I haven't found much info at all about the 150. That would be the Buckhorn model? That on was priced really well, but I think it was discontinued. I want to get back into hunting and teach my young son all the ways to hunt. I have to buy everything and start from scratch. I haven't hunted in 30 years. I buy when I find good deals.
Seahawksl1969 you can probably find a used MZ for less then $100. Try pawn shops or armslist
@@EveryonesOutdoors Yeah I try to keep an eye out on armslist. I haven't tried pawnshops for anything yet.
I’ve shot deer with Powerbelt the old Hornady XTP sabots and I’ve also shot a number of deer with the XTP out of handguns and the last few years I’ve been using Hornady SST. I have noticed the Powerbelts do tend to come apart on heavy bone hits and lack penetration. Lot of comments here from world class marksmen. I get the importance of shot placement but hunting isn’t punching paper and we don’t always have the perfect shot. Sometimes you have to punch through a shoulder or sometimes we just pull a shot. There are tons of great bullets but I tend to steer towards people who have been making bullets for many many years whether that be Barnes Hornady or others. I get tired of the name calling and criticism in the comment sections. Let’s keep it civil and pass along our experience and knowledge so we can all learn.
On a side note if you haven’t tried Blackhorn 209 give it a shot. It’s great stuff and much more friendly to you rifle and your nose. I sighted in yesterday and my rifle has been sitting on the bench in my reloading room and you can’t smell or tell it’s been shot. It is also much much less corrosive and cleans easily
I use 100 gr. (2 White hots) 245 gr. powerless. No problems. 2 deer
I used to use 100 grains of pyrodex and 270 grain sabertooth bullet, but the sabertooths aren't available so I switched to the 245 grain powerbelt
I shoot a CVA Accura PR. I ignored the negative reviews on powerbelts and purchased the 270 grain platinums. Very good group when testing. However, here is what happened during the actual muzzleloader season. One of the days I went out in sprinkled some. I was mindful of keeping my barrel down. Side note, I lost my private ground so I had been hunting very hard on public. On my 10th hunt I finally get a shot. Primer goes off and no powder burn. My friends rifle who also was out with me on the day of some rain had no problem igniting the powder. He was using SST’s. I couldn’t figure out why I had an issue until later. Let me continue… After the powder didn’t burn, I took out the breech plug and everything out, and even shot some primers to make sure the breech plug was in good shape. I loaded up and two hunts later I finally get another opportunity at a deer. I pull the trigger and all I hear is the primer. I go home and remove the breech plug to find there is no powder and no bullet in the barrel! On that hunt, I walked out to the timber with the barrel down and the powerbelt worked its way out of the barrel along with the powder. I cleaned the gun and reloaded for the next hunt. I finally get another opportunity 4 hunts later at a doe at 45 yards. I was very careful keeping the barrel in the up position at all times. I take the shot and there was powder burn but no recoil! It was like the bullet barely made it out of the barrel. The deer just looked around to see what the noise was. I took the breech plug out again to make sure there was nothing in the barrel. There wasn’t. I reloaded again and fired at a stump to test it. Again, barely any recoil. It was then that I realized that the gas from the powder was getting around the base of the powerbelt. The very cold weather must have shrunk the plastic cup of the base of the bullet so it would not expand from the powder ignition. I believe that the fit was so loose that it allowed rain droplets passed the bullet causing a miss fire. I put in my friends SST’s and the recoil was as it should be. When I first tested these powerbelts there was no problem, but it was not as cold that day. I know the work for many guns but they certainly don’t work for mine. No bullet should fit so loosely that falls out of the barrel. I have had three opportunities to shoot a deer and this bullet has caused failures on all three occasions. I do have to admit the 270 platinums suck in my gun!
I’ve taken several deer further than 100 yards with 100 grain white hot and 250 grain areolites no issues ever wonder why you have such bad luck?
he is over powering it would do better to drop back to a 100 grain of powder
@@scottrainbolt8533 your right. 100%
I shoot CVA LR Optima using both Areo lite & areo light Cooper using white hot powder 100gr. Zero issues, ever deer from 100 yards to 50 yards no track just drop. So ignore the negative. This bullets work great
Shot placement is key. 50 yards or 500 yards. Shot placement is key. I have been shooting powerbelt for the last 6 years. 5 shots taken. 5 dead deer. You are full of crap.
20 yards don’t count.
@@jamesjamison4005 If there's a deer standing there at 20 yards it counts.
20 years of using the 295gr hollow point powerbelts with 150gr of powder never had any issue with them at all. Probably 90% of the time I have had complete pass threws and great blood trails.
Every deer I have shot with a Hornady SST Low Drag ML bullet (250 grainers).. I have seen them all drop. From 15 yards to 175. Two Triple 7 pellets give me great groups and dead deer.
CVA tech told me these are all lead, with a copper wash over them. These are NOT bonded, and will NOT stay together. I have noticed most people say the have to track the deer. My Hornady XTP's will drop any deer. Just my opinion.
Last year i killed two does with hollow point powerbelt with triple7 pellets out of a cva optima and i shot one at 70 yards complete pass through huge blood trail. I dont what primer your using i used federal. Hope that helps you.
Had same exact experience with my cva mr and white hots. The copper seemed to get a little better penatration but not impressed. aero light are complete garbage. Trying to decide between barns and the federal.
The areo lights were designed to get maximum expansion at 80 grain powder charge,thats why when you shoot a 100 grains or more the just detonate when they hit something and get 0 penetration..i found this out after making two good shots on deer and i had to track n shoot them both again. I switched to barnes tmz spitfire all copper 👌100% weight retention and fly beautiful
Last year I sighted in 250 grain aerolites with 100 grains of white hots. As a backstop I was using a pile of hard maple blocks. Today I split those blocks by axe. I found all 3 bullets. All 3 had penetrated the blocks about 7-8”. I thought that was great. What I was concerned about is that none of them appeared to show any expansion and even they poly tips were still intact.
I’ve been rifle hunting and bow hunting deer for 30 years, reloading for hunting and varmit rounds and just picked a muzzle loader last year so I’m not exactly sure what to expect for expansion with a muzzle loader
I’ve shot 10 deer with Power belts and found 4. The 4 I found were in snow, easy to track without a blood trail. Context, muzzleloader season in Massachusetts (where I live) is after bow and shotgun season so seeing a deer is rare so 10 deer is since power belts came out. The federal bore locks are amazing for white tail! I’m 3 for 3 with them. There’s probably better ammo out there but they’re the best I’ve used.
I hunt florida and cover is thick here. You need a good blood trail or you're not going to find your deer. Its incredibly rare to see them go dow here. Powerbelts completely disintegrate and don't exit the other side of the deer. A.k.a no exit hole. Shot from a treestand, that equates to a high hit on one side, no exit on the lowside..-no bueno. In that regard, he's absolutely correct. I found all 4 deer i shot with them, but was on all fours following pinhead bllo drops and tracks, and one I found by just dumb luck while gridsearching. Switched to federal sabots. No more issues.
You need to know where to shoot a deer
More expansion equals less penetration. That's why hard cast lead Penetrates so well and why people prefer them hunting very large game because they don't expand they just penetrate.
not sure what you are doing,...I've killed several large deer with the powerbelt Platinum and Aerolites...all clean pass-throughs except the platinum which was in the off hide, blood trail?...stevie wonder could follow the trail.
He keeps talking about "hitting it in the shoulder." You can hit something in the shoulder with a 300 WIN MAG and not gaurentee a kill.
The only problem you might have with the federal bullets is getting them to shoot worth a shit
How are you liking the federal if you’re still shooting them?
Still using them and they work flawlessly. Now I use them in my nitrofire it’s so darn sweet!!
Shot an elk last year with 100grains of pyrodex and one of those areolite bullets. It’s true, I hit it in the spine and the bullet fragmented on the bone and I found pieces of it everywhere. It did drop it, but the spine was still intact.
7footfury one of my thoughts are if you don’t get Expansion and pass through you’re not doing it quite enough damage. If it’s just fragmentation it’s doing damage but it’s still not creating the wound cavity that should be happening
Everyone's Outdoors I agree,. My buddy took a mule deer a week before with a 300grain hornady sst sabot round and it went clean through. Unfortunately I tried to sight in those bullets on my CVA optima and they shoot about 2 feet low at 100yds with 150 grains of powder and my sight was maxed out in elevation. I had to go back to the powerbelts to get my shot to come up. The CVA’s front sight is waaaaaaaay to tall, all my friends who have them have the same problem. I do have aftermarket ghost ring sights and ramp, but it shouldn’t be the case. 🤞that the powerbelts will do the job until I can get a new lower front sight.
7footfury if you have any with the copper jacket they will perform better then the black aerolite with red tip
Are the white hots really less corrosive
Yes
Never had a problem with the powerbelt hollow points, the plastic tip ones do not mushroom unless you hit bone.
Thanks for the comment! I think the aero tips are the biggest issue, they do group well and will kill deer I just think the copper federals are better. JMO
Powerbelts are soft but they've killed every deer I've shot with them
wawheeler21 I think the aerolites are to soft I will be trying the ELRs for my .45 magbolt this year.
@@EveryonesOutdoors I just tested the 270gr platinum and it retained less than 50% of its weight.
wawheeler21 was that in ballistic gel ? I figured the platinum version would have been better then that. I’ve never tried them because I can’t find them in store where I live
They have killed a few Michigan whitetail out my CVA Optima Magnum using Powerbelts. That being said, I have never found a bullet intact. I think they work great at slower velocities. The problem with plated soft lead, it flatens out too fast at higher velocities. I use 100gr Triple 7. I believe with today's higher velocity BP substitutes (Triple 7, Blackhorn 209), these bullets don't fare well. With 80-90gr of Goex or Swiss BP, Powerbelts would probably hold up better.
Thanks for the comment
I can vouch for that , I shot a deer at 35 yards , it flipped onto its back then got up and ran away . As far as blood trail we tracked it for 100yards and lost all signs .
I disagree with the expansion on these bullets. Hit a shoulder or leg bone and there is some expansion. A clean straight thru shot has no expansion at all. Gel test them like I did with and without bone. They will kill almost anything but they ultimately suck as a good bullet. Hornady, Barnes, Thor or Parker are far superior.
So I do agree about not much for penetration out of the arrow tips I just shot the biggest buck of my life last weekend with a 300 grain power belt aerotip and barely made it past the front shoulder no exit hole and barely any blood it killed a deer and I found him the next morning but no thanks for the blood trail and that was at 20 yds and I use 150 grains of powder 3 pellets what you think would be plenty of stopping power I'll probably stop using the arrow tips but I shot a double a few years ago with the power belt platinums 295 grain and that blew right through complete pass through she only went 20 yards so I may go back to those cuz the platinums do shoot better with 150 grains but the Platinum will most likely be the only power belt bullet I use if I use them again
I'd use these for target and small game definitely should get the smackdown series hollow point are for small game what gun you shooting to if your using a magnum you need to up your bullet size
Why are you shooting deer in the shoulder? Simply draw a vertical line straight up the deer’s front leg. Then draw a horizontal line across the body splitting it in half. Where those lines cross is your aim point. This spot is at the top of the heart and through both lungs. Hit it and collect your deer.
Great tip!
Only thing I can think of is the powder charge I’ve been using them for a while now and they say the aerolites are made for 100gr powder and that you wouldn’t get as happy results with 150gr of powder unless they are over 100yrds or more because they are made for the lighter 100gr powder charge but I can’t say for a fact because I only use a powder charge of 100gr that’s just what I have read
They are not design to pass through its hydraulic shock I use 150 grain powder and 245 PowerBelt arrow tip and I have never had a deer run more then 30 yards and I use a tc encore
I use arrow lite 250 trample 7 pellets 2 shot a 6point 150pound drop in it track pass trout shoulder brook spline out the outer shoulder I like them this was at 90yards
I was at my local gun shop today and I asked them if they sold Powerbelts and if they liked using these bullets. They said that they sold these bullets and that they loaded great, shot off great........but there was no penetration. They recommended Hornady.
shot first deer this yr 150gr powder fed bor lock copper shoulder shot deer dropped didnt move; clean pass through, and being copper didnt destroy the shoulder meat like lead would, super accurate also! i wouldnt even give those power belts away, throw them in garbage!!!!
I killed two this year with the federal bor lock and they both just dropped! Thanks for watching!
Sounds like the lead is too soft. I’d try hornady saboted SST. They stay together from what I’ve seen in testing. I don’t hunt but they have a decent reputation. I just use mine for predator defense
I know it is just an opinion but, I've been using powerbelts ever since I was a kid. I'm 25 now and I've been hunting ever since I was big enough to tote a gun. I've killed many deer with a muzzleloader using power belt bullets and I've only lost one deer only because I made a bad shot. To me they are great bullets but, that is just my opinion. They may shoot differently in other muzzleloaders.
Thanks for the comment! Glad you have had good luck with them, I think they punch holes in paper pretty good. I’ve just had issues with the aerolite mostly
Seems operator error is the issue
Just watched your video on these power belt bullets! And I agree with everything you said they do not penetrate for shit! Been looking for some of them Federal bore locks, can’t find them! Can’t even order them from Federal because they don’t have any! So this year I guess we’re going to try the platinum ones and give that a whirl!
I think there is room to experiment with a hotter grain load, I’ve literally shot almost every deer I’ve killed at quartering to, hits the shoulder, exits behind the opposite shoulder and they usually drop. I’ve had to track 2 deer with this shot angle, had a perfectly fine blood trail, both deer expired within 50 yds. My grain load was 78 grains bu weight of 777, 295 gr hollow point, out of a TC Omega Z5
Hotter powder load***
New to Boomstick, so what your saying is More powder is not really the answer.
@@pecosray I think for Whitetails in the woods, not really.
@@pecosray there’s a lot of variables now too, my Muzzleloader is an OG 28” barrel, Non Bergara. Most are 26” Bergara’s now. Not sure if 2” makes that much difference or not. But my load has worked perfectly for me
@@lshankle19 not much room for simplification, just get out and shoot sounds like.
Thank you for your expertise
Just got a muzzleloader looking for recommendations on what to use…note to self don’t listen to this video
Use Thor or federal borlok
So you target practice on a tree. Thats hillarious.
You don't know what you are talking about. The hollow points aren't designed for maximum penetration to begin with. That there shows you know nothing about bullet design or probably hunting at that point.
Honestly I don't use anything with plastic on it at all. Not sabots, not these. I use bullets or round balls most of the time
Wonder if I cast a few linotype lead bullets for the ole guy. He’d trade those “terrible” “shit fuck” Powerbelt rounds he hates so much?
All kidding aside, I get it they’re not bonded, but a little forethought on your part and you would have discovered on their website….. these don’t penetrate like a hard cast 458 Lott😂
if you studied about the bullet. 150 grains of power is a waist with these bullets. Number one if it is accurate then shot placement is your problem. Sight your rifle learn shot placement and use 100 grains witch is what is suggested.
Get rid of the pellets and try blackhorn 209 powder
Barnes .458 300gr TSXFB in a MMP orange sabot. You're welcomed :)
Try using 100gr.
If you read up on the powerbelt areolite the 250 grain bullet performs best with 100 grains of powder. If you shoot 150 grains of powder you need the 300 grain bullet
Yeah, I think that is one more reason for them sucking
150 grains (3 pellets)with powerbelt platinums 270 grain will get the job done everytime.
Not questioning you, as I have never shot a deer with Powerbelt Platinums 270 gr, but I do have a package of them.
Can you please describe how these performed on deer? Good exit hole? I always aim for the lungs so I don't care if it can punch through shoulders or not.
Thanks.
@@nathanhileman3848 I usually have complete pass through. The deer always has some bloodshot from the energy expelled. I have not hit a deer with them that did not ride in the truck yet. Knock on wood.
@@plottchaser Oh wow, very good performance indeed! Thank you for replying.
Man from wrong with you no offense I am wheelchair-bound and the power belt then go our way through but devastated the heart and lungs I didn’t need a blood trail I fell in the track
Thanks for the comment, I think they are great on paper and with Persision shots will work but we don’t live in a perfect world and sometimes don’t always hit a perfect heart shot. Those aerolites don’t always get the job done
Are you aiming for the legs and shoulders ? Aim further back. Good luck forcing a sabot down the barrel.
The first one is hard enough the subsequent loads are near impossible.
Naw, I don’t aim for the shoulder but if it were to hit the shoulder a solid projectile should still penetrate. I don’t plan on using sabots, federal B O R lock
Yeah, I wounded a small buck, because of me aiming the shoulder
I had the copper 295 grains quartering away went through the guts destroyed the liver and both lungs clipped the heart and out the shoulder strait through the shoulder man
Glad they worked for you. Thanks for the comment
Stop aiming for the shoulder blade. I’ve killed 3 mule deer and 2 elk with 250 grain PowerBelt bullets. The problem you are gonna have with the copper slug is they don’t expand nearly as well as a lead bullet.
I run 100 grains of Hodges 777 with the power belt green tip and have blown the brakes off of every va whitetail I’ve shot at so far. I have 3 bucks on the wall because of power belt.
2 white hots and hornady sst hollowpoint
Dude the powder pellets are 50 grains each, if you want to shoot 100 grains it takes two, 150 grains is three of them.. I have killed a pile of deer with PowerBelts and other game with these! You are light loading or not holding your mouth right! ROTF I will give you $5 dollars for all that junk! ;)
Expanding bullets should not pass through so there's that.
I have to agree with the powerbelt issues, at least from my experience. The only time i got a pass thru on a deer was with a shot that was literally 12 ft away. I shot a buck in 2012 at 70 yds, double lung, with the same 295 hp. Absolutely no blood. Not a single drop. And no exit. Still have the bullet i found in the hide on the opposite side. Only reason i found the deer was bc i saw water splash over some trees from him falling in the creek. I tried the 250 aerolites and could not get them to group consistently at all. Flyers all over. Could be a number of reasons why but i got so frustrated to the point that i will never shoot powerbelts again. Lots of really bad stories and reviews on powerbelts. But some people have good luck with them. My dad is one of them. Im trying barnes 250 t-ez at the moment and that is proving to be a real pain as well. Im certain its a just a matter of finding the right powder combo with that bullet.
I've seen plenty of deer go down with powerbelts
My son and I have dropped all 4 deer we have shot using Powerbelt Aerolite and platinum with zero issues. Used with the load of 777 100gr and 150gr. Great performance, huge wound channel and tracking was less that 25 yards on each deer. So I guess they suck in your gun. But not ours
I've seen some real idiot's in my lifetime, but you win first prize!
Aww, I bet you say that to all the ladies.
Wow, you said you were gonna give to buddy that doesn't know any better ? Just use em for target practice
At this point I wouldn’t even give them away, I still have the projectiles
I actually tried some 245grn today, they shot great on paper, but my buddy said he had same problem of not penetrating, apparently they can't handle the speed
I miss the original Barn's expanders, with the big hollow point, they were awesome
Totally agree!!!
You will have better luck with Hornady or Barnes
Hit them in the right place... Down for the count.
If you want to say, they suck make a video of u hunting with them it is probably ur powder
I have always wanted my bullets to loose their velocity inside of the animal, because they cause more low velocity destruction than a fast bullet that never mushrooms and gets full penetration. Worry about wound cavity and the difference in permanent cavitation and temporary cavitation benefits
I shoot the aero lite bullets and have killed two deer both shoulder shots one was over 100yds and dropped them both where they stood! Amazing detestation and knock down using 100 grains of 777
If you new how to read the back of packaging you would no that you shouldn't go over a 100gr my friend shoots 90gr in pellet form gets pass though ever time blood every where I have never used them but I no how to read
When you open the pamphlet that comes with the Aerolite projectiles it says “Designed for standard loads (80 to 100 grain equivalent) at under 100 yards, Magnum loads (110 to 150 grain equivalent)at over 100 yards”. Maybe you should know your stuff before you comment
I use the Aerolites in a Optima pistol. When I first got the pistol 250 gr. Aerolites were what was recommended at 80 to 100 grains charge. Originally nothing was said about using a 150 grain load. I was quite surprised later to see the magnum (150 gr. charge) had been added. As a hunting bullet, I think it's too light for the heftier charge.
Barnes T EZ w BH209> powerbelts... 100%.
Arrow light for long range target shoots lol
I’ve used Powerbeats with no issues at all. Fine most the time under the skin on the other side of the deer and there about the size of a nickel or quarter. I love them ... easy to load, shoot accurate, kill great for me.. lost zero game ... besides the fowl language is totally unnecessary and unacceptable...
Thanks for the comment
They are design not to do a pass through I’ve been using them for years now and never had a deer run more then 30 yards. I use 150 grains of powder and the 245 aerolights n I shoot a tc encore
Thank for the comment
You a 100 go load and it should do better.
Tanner Oakley thanks for the comment. I do believe the would perform better with a 100 grain but I’m going to use federal from now on
Everyone's Outdoors I wanted to try them but my local shop didn’t have them so I decided to go with the powerbelt and they have not let me die with two 50gr triple 7 pellets.
3 50 grain imr white hots and 250 gr power belts knock white tail dead as shit what kind of penetration are looking for are there dinos where you are or armor plate game
I have a 7 year old daughter that I'm going to start teaching how to shoot this year. If you'd like to join us, you're more than welcome to tag along. The gift of the outdoors is the greatest gift God gave us.
Powerbelts ar garbage ! I can dent the copper jacket with my fingernail.
I agree
Somebody cant shoot
Sorry brother! Ive dropped several elk at different yardage, and all have fallen where they stood, and pronghorn @190 yrds. Maybe it's your cva.
Powerbelts are not copper bullets, they are soft lead bullets with a copper plating on them. As with any soft lead bullet you cannot push them with 150 grain loads. If you want to shoot magnum loads, you will be much better off with those solid copper Federal bullets. They are also very accurate bullets and load as easy as the Powerbelts and are hard enough to take your magnum load. Powerbelts do not suck, you just have to know how to use them. Powerbelt used to list a solid, why they no longer list it I do not know, but I'd think they would be better off to get away from the hollow point design. The hollow points just work TO good with heavy loads. You'll like the Federal copper. Happy Hunting.
You don't sound like a very Competent with your just rambling on should pick a new hobby you Obviously not meant to be a hunter!
You don’t know shit !
Is no 1
You don't want an exit with a bullet, that's called OVER penetration. This isn't archery.... this is firearms..... You need to learn about how bullets and firearms kill... You want the bullet to deposit 100% of it's energy into the animal. If you over penetrate, any energy after the bullet exits the animal is lost and waisted as opposed to causing trauma within the animal.
Archery kills via hemorrhaging. You want an exit (2 holes)
Bullets kill via trauma, you want energy deposit, NOT AN EXIT.
Also, the AeroLites are designed to be used with standard 100-grain loads. You're using 150-grain magnum loads, so you're not even using the correct bullet for the load.
I’ve also used the “copper” variant and they suck also. When it comes to game animals you DO want pass through its NOT over penetration. On humans you DON’T want over penetration due to accidental harm to another bystander. Sounds like you may never have hunted thicker skinned game that require deep penetration!
What the hell are you even talking about.
Your mom ! 😂
@@EveryonesOutdoors bet you wouldn't say it to my face.
Powerbelt bullets do suck, so does the BOR Locks
Go to the solid copper problems
Both of them are shit quality bullets and not worth the money
You never mention shot placement on the animal....Well, it's your fault.
Shot placement key, thanks for the comment
@@EveryonesOutdoors Yep! I know guys who hit deer and never found them. Gotta hit vital spots like lung/heart area and they won't run very far. Good luck!
Aero lights are made for a 100 gains of power lol you should know what your talking about before you make a video! Lol