The problem people have with power belt bullets is that they want to shoot them with 150 grains of powder. These are soft lead bullets and they will disintegrate at those kinds of velocities when they strike a solid object. Shooting at 90 to 100 grains they mushroom perfectly and kill deer perfectly over and over and over again. I've been using power belts for decades. Pretty much since they hit the scene. I've killed dozens of and dozens of deer with these bullets pushing them with 90 grains of triple 7 and before that 90 grains of Pyrodex
I have shot multiple styles of bullets from my 50 Cal. Remington 700ML and I dont care if its a Powerbelt or Sabot round, hollow points have never passed through the deer because they are meant for maximum expansion. The best round I have found for expansion, accuracy, and price are shooting a 44 Mag. Speer 240 grain SP bullets in combination with the plastic Sabot jackets. I can tell you every bullet type is a little different on accuracy, with the combination I use, 90 grains of triple F loose power works the best. If I use anything less or anything more, the bullets start to fly all over the place. If you find a good bullet you like but the accuracy is an issue, switch to loose powder to fine tune what grain load the gun/bullet combination react's best with.
I've been shooting the aero green tips in 245 gr, with two 777 pellets and have never lost a deer or hog. Longest hog shot was 184 yards with only 100 gr, 777. Fell in his tracks!
I tend to agree. I’ve owned 3 muzzle loaders now. None of them could group a power belt bullet. I only tried a couple different versions. I then switched to Honady SST sabots. What a huge improvement and have never looked back. As far as penetration it was sort of a mute point if I couldn’t get them to group.
@@kennycrawford8740 out of my older Remington muzzle loader 45 caliber I tried everything from 100-150 grains triple 7. Ended up with 120 grains pushing the hornady sabots. Best I found for my gun.
They do suck!!! Parker extreme, Hornady SST, T/C Shockwaves are some good choices. Depends on what kind of muzzleloader you have get some Blackhorn 209 powder best thing since slice bread.
The first time I shot the 50 cal. ELR I thought my shoulder was coming off. You will need to re-sight in the heavier bullet drops faster. I have killed 6 Elk with my Optima, one at 325 yards shooting 250 gr. SST Hornady 150 gr. Pyrodex pellets.
Those ELR's may not stabilize in your muzzle loader. Those bullets were specifically designed to work with the CVA paramount long range muzzleloader which has a faster twist than your traditional muzzle loader barrels.
I've got a Hunterbolt Magnum, 1 in 28 twist. I hope it will stabilize them I've got 40 of the 330 grainers. They'd make pretty expensive fishing sinkers. It sure shoots the regular 290 grain Powerbelt's fine.
@@jacobmullins3644VA has an ELR loading tip to attach to your loading rod. That way you won’t damage your tip. That’s what I use for my Accura LR-X. It easy for me as my Accura has a free floating barrel with no ramrod underneath the barrel.
Iv killed a few bucks with my 45 cal. different brand bullets and have yet to have one pass through. Still gonna keep looking for the one that does. Not sure if it's the size of the deer. Northern minn has some big bodied bucks.
Curious as to if you used magnum charges with the PB aerolites? My first time out I used 150 grains of whitehots and didn't have pass thru(still a dead deer though). Then I realized the aerolites are meant to be used with no more than 100 grains of powder and have had total pass through on several deer since then. The soft material of the bullet causes the bullet to pancake if used with magnum load. I think it says on the instructions to use no standard loads. Cheers
Those exact green powerbelts I’ve shot probably 10 deer and have never recovered the bullet I had always thought that they were not expanding My dad and I have even taken a couple cow elk with those and they seemed to work but Santana swapped over the Barnes tmz
I haven't shot 4 deer this year with them I recovered 2 frist doe was a bad quarter shot hit went through the stomach hit the spin and disappeared droped dead then shot another doe the next day front quarter shot didn't even have fur wid till 30yrds out didn't find her 2 days later shot a buck about 15ft from me had no blood or hair fond him 40 yards piled up the bullet blow his whole front shoulder apart and never made it into the chest cavity last one by this time I know that the bullets are shit so was looking only for head or neck shots so this doe comes out about 100yrds aimed for a mid neck shot no fur there was blood about 50yrds out follow the trail another 50yrd then grid search for 4-5 hours never did find her I'll never use them powerbelts again. Those ELR powerbelts look good probably going to try them this upcoming season
I have nothing against PowerBelts. But I have a Thompson Omega...And when I first bought the gun years ago, I tried five or six different brands and styles of projectiles, and powder combinations. And the PowerBelts shot TERRIBLY out of my gun!...they produced the worst groupings of the bunch. The 250 grain Spire Point TC Shockwave shot the best...Half inch at 100 yds! No...Not kidding. And I’ve shot plenty of deer with them and had no problem putting them down. Other peoples guns might have different results…But that’s been my experience with my particular gun.
Exact gun and load I shoot. Not sure if I’m getting much expansion with the shockwaves though? I’ve never recovered a bullet and haven’t been over impressed with blood trails. Don’t think I’ve lost an animal yet though.
Hey Jim, I have a Thompson Omega in stainless steel barrel , they are a great muzzleioader rifle!!! I too had bad results with power belt, no two shots ever in a group!!! But my favorite bullets are Barnes Expander Spit-Fire T-EZ 50 cal 250 GR T-EZ FB they were made for the Omega's for the tight bore and why they are so accurate. I have never lost a deer and shot many bucks and does.
@@jameshutton2587 Mine is the stainless as well. Is the stainless barrel with the gray laminated wood stock. Beautiful looking gun! I call her “old faithful“, because she hasn’t failed me yet Deadly accurate with the shockwave bullets! She’s been good to me.
We here in NW Florida hunt some really large hogs. We tested the Hornady Bore Drivers on a a solid 200+ boar out of a CVA Acura-X MR using 80gr of 209 (by weight). We purposely hit the front shoulder. The shot was just over 130 yards and the bullet went through both shoulders. The entrance and exit wound were not very large (very little meat loss) but the internals were completely destroyed and the hog never made it 40 yards. You may want to give these a try.
The only power belt made to shoot a 150 grain load is the platinum power belt. I have killed 7 bull elk with the platinum power belt and not one of them went over 20 yards and fell over dead. The bull I shot last year was at 180 yards. I shoot a T/C omega and at 100 yards it will shoot 1 1/4” group. I love them
So in your comment you said that it went through the shoulder on one side and stopped against the ribs on the other side??? Thats not penetration? My thoughts are, if you went through from one side to the other, you should have hit vitals in between right? Unless you made bad shots. Just curious.
I got a cva wolf 50cal and i use the white hot 100 grain i think that's 2 pellets correct me if in wrong with a 245g hollow point powberbelt with a 3x9x40 golden antler scope and back in 2020 i shot a buck and a doe at about 40 yards buck was hit in spine didn't move of course doe was lungs all the way through she did a 180 and didn't move and also got a buck at about 200 to 250 couldn't really tell but he was out there don't know where he was hit exactly i think lower neck near chest he dropped and didn't move so from my experience with the gun and ammunition i haven't had a problem not talking crap or anything just my experience with them
Have you tried the 405grain flat point? You won't get the range you'd like to but they should penetrate clean through out to 100yds with 125 grains of Pyrodex rs .
I use 250 grain aerolites in a CVA Optima pistol (80 gr. charge of loose powder) with excellent accuracy and devastating performance on deer at 30 to 50 yards. Right on the packaging it says not to use magnum loads with these unless all your shots will be at long ranges.
I’ve had my aerolite package for a few years now and it DOES NOT say that anywhere! If you open it up it gives you projected performance with 100 or 150 grain powder loads. I’d hope it would do good under 50 yards! On paper they were accurate. Just terrible bullet retention.
@@EveryonesOutdoors Yea. the information was on an included spec. sheet loose in the package. They were suggested for handgun velocities when CVA was marketing the Optima pistol. When they dropped the pistol, it looks like they dropped the spec. sheet. If you are shooting them at velocities above 1800 fps I'd expect poor performance. They weren't designed for that.
On the bor lock you can't shoot 150 gr of powder I got them after power belt platinum started blowing up on impact the ones to get are the hornady bore driver
I’d like to try the bore driver at some point , I contacted federal last August about weather the bor lock can handle 150gr an they said yes. For now I’m going to stick with the Federal’s and 150 and test them out this year some more . I drop a deer last year with that combo
I hunt in a location that has houses around. I use powerbelt because they breakup just to ensure not hitting a house. Are there other bullets on the market that will have the knockdown power needed but do fragment when hitting a tree
Been shooting the powerbelt 50 cal. 270 grain aerotip platinum bullet with 100 grains of pyrodex 50/50 pellets. Never had a problem with killing a deer. May not get a pass through everytime, may not drop em everytime, but it's an ethical shot up to 150 yards. My only thing with em is the blood trail doesn't start for 20 or 30 yards from point of impact sometimes. Never lost 1 though. I'll still shoot them.
Power belts work well as long as you don’t push them to fast the lead is soft I found if u load much more than 80 grains of triple 7 they come apart the copper pb ones are not jacketed just a thin copper wash that does nothing but prevent leading in the bore I am interested in the federal though
I shot my mule deer (220lb) this year(2021) with federal bor locks 270gr with 100gbv 777 2f out of a cva wolf. 158yd shot, hit just behind shoulder, shattered the rib and shattered a rib on exit. One petal went through the heart and the wound channel was devastating. Bonus is I can hold all shots inside a vitals gong at 200yds.
Please try Hornady XTP 240 grain or Sierra sabot. Never lost a deer over 25 years of using. Shot them from 10-210 yds. I’d change, but I’ve never found anything as deadly. They’re a little bit more difficult to load, but it’s negligible. Thanks. Good video
If you like those, try the hornady FTX 265 gn .430s. They perform wonderfully for me. I took my first elk using a CVA optima v2 magnum with 165 gn volumetric of Swiss fffg. Full penetration through the shoulders, 85-95 yards out. Single shot hunt.
Shot a deer at 15 yrds with the 245 aero tip. Blew Hair off its chest and I even found the plastic bullet tip. Don’t really know what happened , might have hit a twig and the bullet might have blown up fraging the deer. Powerbelts load and shoot great, but deer don’t die instantly from my observations requiring a second shot. I’m talking good chest hits. Maybe the lead is too soft
How much powder were you using? Those aero tips are not designed to shoot at high velocities and close range. I suspect that, if your velocity exceeded the optimal penetration velocity, your bullet disintegrated on impact.
Hornady xtp 240 gr100 grains of white hots plenty of penetration and perfect expansion on mule deer and elk out to 200 yards try them the shoot really well also iv had same with powbelts
you have valid points!! My experience, im a hunting guide where my specialty is big night time wild hogs. alot of those powerbelts are not suitable for magnum charges of 150 grains. Like you stated the arolights disingrate they are a light jacket lightweight at magnum velocities. for a 50 caliber 250 gra powerbelt and such may perform better with 100 gr and less. The platinum series 338 grain are designed for heavy game and magnum charges and is the only powerbelt i use. your opinions are worthwhile especially if a person understands bullet weight jacket thickness etc. Now those Maxiballs i love those penetration expansion. Ive killed bear Elk huge hogs big rams and moose my go to bullet is a heavy lead conical. a solid copper bullet is good they dont break up and penetrate. i for one like your video
It's mainly due to the jacket thickness, or lack their off, and soft lead. I have never been a powerbelt fan and if I'm going to shoot a 45 cal bullet to bore I'm going to shoot Parkers, Alcos, Pittman's, etc.
As someone who always punches shoulder into spine I will never again use on game used pb last year shot placement was perfect but didn't punch through shoulder thankfully deer was moving slowly enough to reload and get another shot into the heart only time I've never insta dropped a deer in over 20 years
I also have had issues with Powerbelts. I shot the aerolites and had issues with blood trails so I switched to 295gr hollow points. Both pattern extremely well out of my optima at 100 but my experience with the hollows was similar to yours. I shot a doe this year at 20 yards and had it not exit. I shoot 100 grains of powder and would expect it to pass through at that range. Deer didn’t go 50 yards but blood trail wasn’t great with only one hole.
I gave up on the PBs many seasons ago. To many times I had mixed results on game in my .45 and .50 and I never got a pass thru. I guess I am old school because I want a hole going in and a hole going out and I don’t shoot magnum loads. Years ago I switched to Harvester in my .50 and TC Shockwaves in my .45 and its been lights out ever since and I have never recovered a bullet but never had any problems recovering my game. I also ditched the pellets and went to BH 209 Best ML decision I have ever made. Best of luck too everyone!
Shoot them to test. I have just tried the 50cal elr and accuracy is awesome. Will be trying on a deer to see how terminal performance is. I also am running blackhorn 209.
@@EveryonesOutdoors I'm running 90grns by weight which is 6grns over blackhorn recommended max. I'm pushing that 50 cal elr at 1935ish fps from a 26in barrel.
@@charleycrawford2857 I know that new paramount has a 1/22 twist barrel, I guess with your load the tighter twist isn’t necessary or is that what MZ you are shooting?
You're basing your opinion off a bad shot placement? Holy shit i thought i heard it all. Not sure any company make a bullet catered to people who suck and don't want to practice...
@@EveryonesOutdoors So does your shooting according to you but hey heck all bullets made are suppose to just sail through the the shoulders yeah. lmao!
Maybe try a different powder I’m not one to judge just got one have never shot a muzzle loader before and heard good things about black horn 209 with ELR and thanks for the info might have to do some more research
Good luck with the federals I had issues with those also. They wouldn't seal in the barrel so they were all over and I was even able to recover one that had just barely depressed the tip. I assume the velocity was so it couldn’t even start to expand. Some people seem to like them but they don’t seem to seal correctly in a lot of barrels.
Let me know if you experiance problems with the BOR locks. I have had some inconsistancy issues. I have at least for now gone back to sabots that i bought years ago because they are consistant for me.
Shot 4 deer with power belts with no blood trail, they all pencil holed and expanded instantly. At least this was the case with the 245 grain hollow points and 100 grain 777. I expected good expansion given the nature of the bullet. Instant expansion isn’t bad, but in every deer killed, I didn’t get much penetration. None of the shots were further than 75 yds. I only recovered fragments of 1/4 bullets, the rest were tiny pieces of shrapnel. I think from my recoveries they grenaded on impact after an inch or two. I too think power belts suck, but I think it’s the nature of the soft copper bullet itself. If I got em I guess I’ll use em, just makes tracking difficult when they don’t bleed from lack of a pass thru. Accurate but accuracy doesn’t mean anything if the bullet is inconsistent in the penetration department.
Great info! Thank you. However, I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that the Powerbelt Aerolite is not designed for some of the things you talked about in both videos. No secret that it will fail with 150g of powder at close range because that is well outside of its designed optimal penetration velocity. It's specifically designed for thin skinned animals and lower velocities. 100g & 75-100yds on a typical deer and it seems to work as advertised. Wouldn't be my choice for a charging Griz. Might just piss him off. lol. All that said, I'd rather use Federal.
Same, The bullet was coming apart, I shot one just about under my stand just behind the shoulder blades expecting it to go through the back and into the chest cavity. It did not.
I have the CVA Wolf. The owners manual recommended power belts and there was a coupon. I've been using the 250 grain hollow points every deer I have shot died and was recovered I did have one run about 100 yards. They have always passed through the deer for me. I used 90 grains of loose XXX always. I quit buying them because the price is ridiculous. I started molding my own Muzzleloader bullets. This season will be my first season using my own bullets. Wish me luck
The aero-lites were made for lighter powder charges and to expand at slower speeds. That's why you're not getting the penetration you're looking for. I use those with 80 grains of pyrodex in a pistol and they penetrate just fine because they aren't pushed beyond their limits. For your 150 load you should try the platinum 270 trainers. Just my own observation & research.
I've had miserable failures with powder belts ,lost my biggest buck to a aro tip . They are to soft period only entrance no exit? With a 350 grain bullet? Lol you should be able to cleanly kill a elk with that kind of weight and energy. Love the federal full bore , love the new bore loks by hornady , sst sabot rounds are good as well as tc shockwaves.
I use 245gr aero tip with 150 gr and if you read about the power belt they are designed not to pass through they want the hydraulic pressure to create mass damage internally I’ve drop just about all my deer in their tracks only a couple have run no further then 30yrds
Let me know when u try the elr 280 bullets for your 45 caliber debating on picking up a cva accura v2 long range in 45 caliber and would use the elr bullet with 120 grains of black horn powder
I just ordered accura v2 in .45 caliber with the new cerokote finish with new camo pattern hope is shoot as good as it look... and got some 280 grain elr bullet for it
Bud I've got one. I haven't upgraded to 209 yet just use 150 grain loads of 777. Every rifle is different but mine loves them. .5" difference over 100 yards. Crazy stuff.
Love the accuracy of power belts can get 1 inch groups at 100 yards. Shot my buck at 120 yards this year right above heart. No pass thru. Glad I saw him fall. No blood trail. Going to try Federal next year to see how they group.
Not for nothing if you do your homework, powerbelts tell you the aero lite are made for 100 grains of powder or less. The platinum ones are made for 150.
Barns 250gr spitfire tmz 50cal projectile, 100grains IMR white hots, CVA Accura v2 stainless, federal 209 primers, 100yrd zero 1moa 3 shot groups, 2.25”moa @200yrd. 2 dead deer with that combo this season, dropped in their tracks.
I got power belt 265 grain or lead ball with 50 grains pyrodex and 60 grains triple 7 pellet on #11 primers in my traditions inline 50 cal for my hunts during muzzle loader wish me luck.
I have never used them, I’ve been having great success with the federal BOR lock! I do think the SSTs would be worth a try if you are just trying to see what works best for you. What type of muzzleloader are you using ? Let me know how they perform if you do try them out.
@EveryonesOutdoors little update I shot both and they are great, I hunt public land in louisiana and will not shoot passed 50yd, so I will be using the federal ammo with 100gr 777 , I'm shooting a 23 year old CVA hunterbolt magnum my uncle gave me
Yeah if you want a full bore diameter muzzleloader bullet I would say Thor lightning bullets are your best bet they work amazing. But to be fair the only powerbelt bullet that has worked for me successfully is their ELR bullet that works just fine and it drops them in their tracks. That being said I only use the powerbelt ELR bullet in my 45 Cal muzzleloader because they're the only full bore diameter bullets available in 45 Cal that I am aware of. But I did talk to Thor bullets and they said they're working on getting a 45 Cal produced it's just taking a long time. They said that they should have more information on it by 2025 at the latest so I'm excited for that.
I bought a new CVA Optima V2 50 cal LR nitride rifle. Only bullets they had was powerbelts. I Didnt buy any. Went down to another gun shop. And bought hornady 250gr sst sabot. Glad i did i like them. They are very accurate and deadly. I shot a deer this morning. Dropped right in front of me. Exit hole bigger than a golf ball. With alot of blood where it went down. Broke both shoulders. The sst destroyed the vital too. I am using 84 grs of blackhorn. The shot was less than 65 yrds. Thats the 3rd deer i have shot with sst. After the 2nd deer. I went back and bought 3 more boxes of the hornady 250gr sst. I bought 3 boxes the first time . When i bought the gun.
I have developed a new cartridge for muzzleloading rifles which is loaded from the muzzle but ejects itself from the barrel after use and is non-corrosive. This product sets a new standard in safety and reliability for muzzleloader ammunition in the same way shotgun shells are standardized for use in shotguns. Shotshells have a load of shot and powder which produce a safe pressure in shotguns manufactured by many different companies. The pressure produced by this cartridge can be designed to work safely in the muzzleloaders produced by the various manufacturers. It would also greatly help new muzzleloader shooters with safety, and it would also give them a product which will not destroy the barrel of their muzzleloader due to corrosive residue. Those who say smokeless powder cannot be used in a muzzleloader may not know “Blackhorn 209” is 83% smokeless powder, based on the MSD sheet for the product. Therefore, the claim that smokeless powder cannot be used safely in a muzzleloader falls apart very quickly. (blackhorn209.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-Blackhorn-209-SDS.pdf) I am now looking for a company willing to mass produce this new cartridge for the market. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pass this information along to those you know who may be interested in this new product. A link is found below which demonstrates this new product. TH-cam video link: th-cam.com/video/CH5KVOgPRUo/w-d-xo.html Joe Teeter Teeter's Gunsmithing
I've used the 200gr with a 100gr of paradox pellets an shock wave with excellent performance thank you for your truth about power belt was considering trying them in my new v2 long range only because they should shoot cleaner with no Sabo
The powerbelt shot extremely well for me, but on game performance sucked. I switched to federal bor-lock too. Accuracy is just as good as the powerbelt and on game performance is exceptional.
Now I 100% agree the load I use with 150gr of hodgen triple 7 and powerbelt 270gr platinum they never exit the deer. I disagree however because that load dumps 100% of the bullets energy inside the deer causing massive damage. I killed 2 bucks with a quartering to me shot I hit the main part of the shoulder blade and it just disintegrated everything in it's path. With a perfect broadside shot the bullet is just underneath the hair on the opposite entry side flattened out like a quarter. I've never lost a deer shot with this load. The farthest they run is 80 yards and most don't make it 30. If you prefer to have an exit wound than powerbelt bullets aren't for you. I will say one thing though if you take a 200+ yard shot with a similar magnum load with the powerbelt it's still going to expand at lower velocities. The other bullets are probably just going to poke a hole like a fmj and not expand properly.
All muzzle loaders shoot different,I use the powerbelt 245 aero tip in my Optima,but they go all over the paper in my thompson center omega,that's muzzle loading shooting.I have never lost a deer with the aero tip 245gr.
Illinois Hunter here. I shoot slug guns and muzzleloaders and I swear by all copper. I shoot heavy and slow slugs. Muzzleloader I shoot Barnes expander mz... All copper is the way to go!
from a 64 yr. old deer hunter love how powerbelts blow all the way though deer..... shoot 2 50gr. white hots with 245 gr. powerbelt out of cva optima muzzleloader. with D.O.A. BUSHNELL 3X9 SCOPE .HIT QUARTERS AT 100.YDS........P.S. CAN SHOOT 9 TIMES BEFORE I HAVE TO CLEAN BARREL...BEAT THAT>>>>>
The copper jacket hollow points go thru and thru use triple seven powder 100 grain and u will drop deer every time The federal 270 grain will blow a deers head off
You are correct about powerboats being shit. I am 63 and I have shot black powder since I was 12 years old. When these power belts came out I tried them in a rifle that is sub-MOA at 100 yards. At 50 yards they failed to hold a 6 inch group. I have shot competition all my life. It was not me or the rifle.
I use power belts and I've never had a complete pass through, next to no blood trail, i think there super accurate, easy to load, on the hole I've killed and found every deer I've shot with power belt, but I also think they could improve the design
Also you don't want it to penetrate all the way through the animal you talking about the red tip ones if it goes through one-sided and stops at the ribs on the other side that means you had all that energy dump into the animal and that animal is dead obviously. cuz you know it didn't go through the other side well how would u know that if u didnt open the animal up now if it was a jackrabbit thats diff. ideally you don't want it to go all the way through you wanted to stop in the hide or at the ribs on the other side if you have a round that's going right through an animal then you have to worry about injuring other animals or people or you don't know where you're bullet is going or going to end up at. So i dont understand ur issue with that part of it.
I killed my very first deer with a muzzleloader and powerbelts I wasn’t able to get them to group as tight as I wanted.. I wasn’t super impressed with the damage it made on that doe either... I switched to hornaday sst sabot and I got 1” group at 100 yards.. took a doe with that setup this past season in ny and it really put the hurtin on her! Shooting a CVA accura MR... waiting for my woodman arms to show up
What your saying, is why I got the federal trophy coppers. So should my remaining curiosity just be put to rest? I feel the aeros, platinums and elrs would work. Not to criticize, but I feel like your kind of bashing them from no particular angle. I don't doubt your field results, but there are no details that put me there. Saying they suck because they don't penetrate only critiques one side of the story as they are not designed to do so. The first projectile I got with my Modern front stuffer was The maxi ball. The federal coppers work in a similar fashion, even after opening up like other hollows. But the powerbelts seem to only be humble hollows, where shot placement will be less forgiving and the object will be to get that hydraulic action as close to lungs or heart. The elr, I am more worried about its long range capabilities. If the bullet design is flawed like you say then it's ability to kill at long range would also be diminished. I like to know about capabilities, things that are considered weak in one element can be viewed as powerful in another. My gut led me to get the federals, though, like you. The powerbelts were the first to be seen, though so the allure was always there. It Has always been a little hazy as to what niche they exactly fill.
The issue is the title of your videos "powerbelts suck". They are designed NOT TO PASS THROUGH. they do make ones that are meant for a pass through but none of those are. The aero lights are meant for light charges. So you are calling a product junk because it does exactly what it is supposed to do but you didn't bother to check on it first. And FYI, I'm not a fan of them either but only because they don't shoot well for me. Pencils are crap!! The pink thing on the back takes your writing off the paper!! Who would build such a thing...
I used federal for the last 5 yrs accurate and dead on .opens up and never loose it's weight I have shot deer up to 150 to 180 yards with 100 grain of 777 loose powder never had a deer run over 30 yards federal is the best
Funny how we all have vastly different experience’s with muzzle loader bullets. I used honady 250 g sst 150g of 777 for a long time .after chasing 5 out of the 7 deer I shot with them across hell and back . No blood trail and Absolutely zero bullet expansion after finding a deer small hole in small hole out I said F it I’m done with these things. Started using 295 HP power belts with 100g of 777 and most deer never left my sight after the shot.when fed. Bor-lock came out I switched to this bullet it’s a no Brainer for me. Since switching over to the Bor-lock Michigan has decided to destroy muzzleloading season so I have no factual data on how this bullet performs on a deer. Ps just want to say thanks again to the Michigan DNR for turning muzzleloader season into a complete clown show 🤦♂️ Just change the name to rifle season 2.0
Just got the 50cal elr 325gr massive round 😳 but I have killed deer with the aerolites and they dropped in tracks but that was with 150gr and at 50yd away to blowed a massive hole but yea I’m going with the elr 50cal
Waiting to set the .50 for the elrs. But damn the .45s are nasty bud. My .45 is an accura lr with the fast twist. The .50 is a short barrel wolf so may not like them. In the right rifle they are deadly.
Powerbelt 295 HP have worked great for me for about 15 years. I shoot deer in the low neck with them at about 35 yards. They all just fall over. It's not the Arrow, it's the Indian! Hopefully you aren't shooting deer in the shoulder at close range using an Aerolite? It's a pointy long distance bullet. I also shoot .452 Speer Deep Curls, and XTP's in sabots, but they don't do any better than an HP PowerBelt. - Joe
I have the new 45 Acura never could get those power belts shoot right .shot 45 times and couldn't get it center .I went with Hornady SST 45 sabots easy load 95 grains of 777 loose powder had it in 3 shots . kissing same hole 4 times at a 100 yards very accurate bullet. It's only 200 grain but the impact is in real does a good job .power belt is junk won't hold a pattern at all . The federal is the best
I love Thompson Center Shockwaves. 5/7 deer I've shot with the Shockwaves have dropped in their tracks. I will say, you need to try different ammunition in your guns. Every gun performs very differently with most every bullet. Figure out what works for your gun.
I shoot the 295 grain jacketed hollow point power belts and I swear by them. Not only have I had clean pass through on everything I’ve hit with them it leaves a wound channel the size of a half dollar on the exit. Shooting with 100 grain triple seven as well as 82 grains of Blackhorn Out of my 2 Thompson Center omega’s. Have tried Hornady as well as Barnes 45 Cal Sabot 300 grain and went straight back to the power belt. The last five hogs I’ve killed have been with a power belt as well as the last three deer. All five hogs dropped in the tracks all three deer or shoulder and doubleShots and made it less than 50 yards with a paint trail of blood. Maybe you’re doing it wrong
@@EveryonesOutdoors I agree man for being Walmart distributed they’re pretty pricey for only 15. Think it’s 20 bucks or so. You’re not the only one I’ve heard questionable results for. I think bullet expansion really is an anecdotal thing that it’s hard to get a grasp on. Tried the HornadySXT’s and although it put him down within 40 to 50 yards zero blood and no pass through. After going back to power belt I could send you some videos that are absolute crazy blood trails or just dropped in tracks. That being said I never shoot more than 100 grains and I only shoot the 295s. Personally have had real issues on accuracy on the 250 grain or less. And refused to put the airowlites through my firearm. The success I’ve had Has only been with the heavier bullets
@@EveryonesOutdoors Also anytime I try to go over 100 grains of triple seven or 82 of Blackhorn accuracy goes out the window Especially with the 250 or less
The problem people have with power belt bullets is that they want to shoot them with 150 grains of powder. These are soft lead bullets and they will disintegrate at those kinds of velocities when they strike a solid object. Shooting at 90 to 100 grains they mushroom perfectly and kill deer perfectly over and over and over again. I've been using power belts for decades. Pretty much since they hit the scene. I've killed dozens of and dozens of deer with these bullets pushing them with 90 grains of triple 7 and before that 90 grains of Pyrodex
2 or 3 ff?
@@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL FFg equivalent.
@@razor1962 Got it.
I have shot multiple styles of bullets from my 50 Cal. Remington 700ML and I dont care if its a Powerbelt or Sabot round, hollow points have never passed through the deer because they are meant for maximum expansion. The best round I have found for expansion, accuracy, and price are shooting a 44 Mag. Speer 240 grain SP bullets in combination with the plastic Sabot jackets. I can tell you every bullet type is a little different on accuracy, with the combination I use, 90 grains of triple F loose power works the best. If I use anything less or anything more, the bullets start to fly all over the place. If you find a good bullet you like but the accuracy is an issue, switch to loose powder to fine tune what grain load the gun/bullet combination react's best with.
I've been shooting the aero green tips in 245 gr, with two 777 pellets and have never lost a deer or hog. Longest hog shot was 184 yards with only 100 gr, 777. Fell in his tracks!
I shoot the same load 100gr of 777,I don't use the pellts just the loose powder,and have never had a problem taking deer with them.
I tend to agree. I’ve owned 3 muzzle loaders now. None of them could group a power belt bullet. I only tried a couple different versions. I then switched to Honady SST sabots. What a huge improvement and have never looked back. As far as penetration it was sort of a mute point if I couldn’t get them to group.
Different powder loads?
Some aerodynamic stabilization is more speed related finding sweet spot on powder loads mine seems to shot better at 90 grains
@@kennycrawford8740 out of my older Remington muzzle loader 45 caliber I tried everything from 100-150 grains triple 7. Ended up with 120 grains pushing the hornady sabots. Best I found for my gun.
They do suck!!! Parker extreme, Hornady SST, T/C Shockwaves are some good choices. Depends on what kind of muzzleloader you have get some Blackhorn 209 powder best thing since slice bread.
I like Parker’s as well
The first time I shot the 50 cal. ELR I thought my shoulder was coming off. You will need to re-sight in the heavier bullet drops faster. I have killed 6 Elk with my Optima, one at 325 yards shooting 250 gr. SST Hornady 150 gr. Pyrodex pellets.
54 caliber patch and ball works for me 😎👍. It hits a deer like a big rock 🪨.
Those ELR's may not stabilize in your muzzle loader. Those bullets were specifically designed to work with the CVA paramount long range muzzleloader which has a faster twist than your traditional muzzle loader barrels.
They flew straight for me the only problem was the tips got stuck in the cleaning rod
I've got a Hunterbolt Magnum, 1 in 28 twist. I hope it will stabilize them I've got 40 of the 330 grainers. They'd make pretty expensive fishing sinkers. It sure shoots the regular 290 grain Powerbelt's fine.
@@jacobmullins3644VA has an ELR loading tip to attach to your loading rod. That way you won’t damage your tip. That’s what I use for my Accura LR-X. It easy for me as my Accura has a free floating barrel with no ramrod underneath the barrel.
Iv killed a few bucks with my 45 cal. different brand bullets and have yet to have one pass through. Still gonna keep looking for the one that does. Not sure if it's the size of the deer. Northern minn has some big bodied bucks.
Thanks for the comment!
Curious as to if you used magnum charges with the PB aerolites? My first time out I used 150 grains of whitehots and didn't have pass thru(still a dead deer though). Then I realized the aerolites are meant to be used with no more than 100 grains of powder and have had total pass through on several deer since then. The soft material of the bullet causes the bullet to pancake if used with magnum load. I think it says on the instructions to use no standard loads.
Cheers
to use only standard charges(sorry for the typo)
Bingo!
That’s funny I’ve shot a lot of deer through the front shoulder with the aero lite powerbelt bullets and had them go through both front shoulders
Those exact green powerbelts I’ve shot probably 10 deer and have never recovered the bullet I had always thought that they were not expanding My dad and I have even taken a couple cow elk with those and they seemed to work but Santana swapped over the Barnes tmz
I have never lost a deer most drop in tracks with hallow points. They are far more accurate then sabots out of my cva.
I haven't shot 4 deer this year with them I recovered 2 frist doe was a bad quarter shot hit went through the stomach hit the spin and disappeared droped dead then shot another doe the next day front quarter shot didn't even have fur wid till 30yrds out didn't find her 2 days later shot a buck about 15ft from me had no blood or hair fond him 40 yards piled up the bullet blow his whole front shoulder apart and never made it into the chest cavity last one by this time I know that the bullets are shit so was looking only for head or neck shots so this doe comes out about 100yrds aimed for a mid neck shot no fur there was blood about 50yrds out follow the trail another 50yrd then grid search for 4-5 hours never did find her I'll never use them powerbelts again. Those ELR powerbelts look good probably going to try them this upcoming season
And I have shot a fair few with just a round ball. Pepole overcomplicate hunting. A hole is a hole
Elk and bear hunt in Colorado No Sabbots allowed switching to muzzleloader any suggestions on a bullet? Using an Accura lr-x, BH209, and 209A primers
I’d use Thor or federal projectiles Thor is custom fitted to your barrel
My favorite in my wolf or optima are the federal bor loc copper please! over 90 grs of black horn by weight!
I have nothing against PowerBelts. But I have a Thompson Omega...And when I first bought the gun years ago, I tried five or six different brands and styles of projectiles, and powder combinations. And the PowerBelts shot TERRIBLY out of my gun!...they produced the worst groupings of the bunch. The 250 grain Spire Point TC Shockwave shot the best...Half inch at 100 yds! No...Not kidding. And I’ve shot plenty of deer with them and had no problem putting them down. Other peoples guns might have different results…But that’s been my experience with my particular gun.
Exact gun and load I shoot. Not sure if I’m getting much expansion with the shockwaves though? I’ve never recovered a bullet and haven’t been over impressed with blood trails. Don’t think I’ve lost an animal yet though.
Hey Jim, I have a Thompson Omega in stainless steel barrel , they are a great muzzleioader rifle!!! I too had bad results with power belt, no two shots ever in a group!!! But my favorite bullets are Barnes Expander Spit-Fire T-EZ 50 cal 250 GR T-EZ FB they were made for the Omega's for the tight bore and why they are so accurate. I have never lost a deer and shot many bucks and does.
@@jameshutton2587
Mine is the stainless as well. Is the stainless barrel with the gray laminated wood stock. Beautiful looking gun! I call her “old faithful“, because she hasn’t failed me yet Deadly accurate with the shockwave bullets! She’s been good to me.
In my c.v.a I used Hornady xtp hunters and they worked very well
We here in NW Florida hunt some really large hogs. We tested the Hornady Bore Drivers on a a solid 200+ boar out of a CVA Acura-X MR using 80gr of 209 (by weight). We purposely hit the front shoulder. The shot was just over 130 yards and the bullet went through both shoulders. The entrance and exit wound were not very large (very little meat loss) but the internals were completely destroyed and the hog never made it 40 yards. You may want to give these a try.
Thanks for the comment, looking forward to try the bore drivers
The only power belt made to shoot a 150 grain load is the platinum power belt. I have killed 7 bull elk with the platinum power belt and not one of them went over 20 yards and fell over dead. The bull I shot last year was at 180 yards. I shoot a T/C omega and at 100 yards it will shoot 1 1/4” group. I love them
So in your comment you said that it went through the shoulder on one side and stopped against the ribs on the other side??? Thats not penetration? My thoughts are, if you went through from one side to the other, you should have hit vitals in between right? Unless you made bad shots. Just curious.
I got a cva wolf 50cal and i use the white hot 100 grain i think that's 2 pellets correct me if in wrong with a 245g hollow point powberbelt with a 3x9x40 golden antler scope and back in 2020 i shot a buck and a doe at about 40 yards buck was hit in spine didn't move of course doe was lungs all the way through she did a 180 and didn't move and also got a buck at about 200 to 250 couldn't really tell but he was out there don't know where he was hit exactly i think lower neck near chest he dropped and didn't move so from my experience with the gun and ammunition i haven't had a problem not talking crap or anything just my experience with them
Fed BORE Locks look pretty good. Im new to muzzleloader shooting, so all the info on good bullets would be great. Ill be hunting elk sooo...
Have you tried the 405grain flat point? You won't get the range you'd like to but they should penetrate clean through out to 100yds with 125 grains of Pyrodex rs .
I use 250 grain aerolites in a CVA Optima pistol (80 gr. charge of loose powder) with excellent accuracy and devastating performance on deer at 30 to 50 yards. Right on the packaging it says not to use magnum loads with these unless all your shots will be at long ranges.
I’ve had my aerolite package for a few years now and it DOES NOT say that anywhere! If you open it up it gives you projected performance with 100 or 150 grain powder loads. I’d hope it would do good under 50 yards! On paper they were accurate. Just terrible bullet retention.
@@EveryonesOutdoors Yea. the information was on an included spec. sheet loose in the package. They were suggested for handgun velocities when CVA was marketing the Optima pistol. When they dropped the pistol, it looks like they dropped the spec. sheet. If you are shooting them at velocities above 1800 fps I'd expect poor performance. They weren't designed for that.
@@davidjenson4512 thanks for the comment I would like to have a MZ pistol!
On the bor lock you can't shoot 150 gr of powder I got them after power belt platinum started blowing up on impact the ones to get are the hornady bore driver
I’d like to try the bore driver at some point , I contacted federal last August about weather the bor lock can handle 150gr an they said yes. For now I’m going to stick with the Federal’s and 150 and test them out this year some more . I drop a deer last year with that combo
Powerbelt aerolite recommendation 100gr charge
I hunt in a location that has houses around. I use powerbelt because they breakup just to ensure not hitting a house. Are there other bullets on the market that will have the knockdown power needed but do fragment when hitting a tree
Been shooting the powerbelt 50 cal. 270 grain aerotip platinum bullet with 100 grains of pyrodex 50/50 pellets. Never had a problem with killing a deer. May not get a pass through everytime, may not drop em everytime, but it's an ethical shot up to 150 yards. My only thing with em is the blood trail doesn't start for 20 or 30 yards from point of impact sometimes. Never lost 1 though. I'll still shoot them.
Power belts work well as long as you don’t push them to fast the lead is soft I found if u load much more than 80 grains of triple 7 they come apart the copper pb ones are not jacketed just a thin copper wash that does nothing but prevent leading in the bore I am interested in the federal though
Yep, most of the problem with Powerbelt's is people pushing them to hard. Keep the powder down to 100 grains or less and they work great.
I shot my mule deer (220lb) this year(2021) with federal bor locks 270gr with 100gbv 777 2f out of a cva wolf. 158yd shot, hit just behind shoulder, shattered the rib and shattered a rib on exit. One petal went through the heart and the wound channel was devastating. Bonus is I can hold all shots inside a vitals gong at 200yds.
The hollow point 50 cal leaves a ring in the barrel on my CVA Optima. The rifle is new and it’s the only bullet I have tried
Please try Hornady XTP 240 grain or Sierra sabot. Never lost a deer over 25 years of using. Shot them from 10-210 yds. I’d change, but I’ve never found anything as deadly. They’re a little bit more difficult to load, but it’s negligible. Thanks. Good video
If you like those, try the hornady FTX 265 gn .430s. They perform wonderfully for me. I took my first elk using a CVA optima v2 magnum with 165 gn volumetric of Swiss fffg. Full penetration through the shoulders, 85-95 yards out. Single shot hunt.
I've never seen a muzzleloader that wouldn't shoot the XTP 240s! They are devastating on deer! The knockdown power of the XTPs is amazing!
Shot a deer at 15 yrds with the 245 aero tip. Blew Hair off its chest and I even found the plastic bullet tip. Don’t really know what happened , might have hit a twig and the bullet might have blown up fraging the deer. Powerbelts load and shoot great, but deer don’t die instantly from my observations requiring a second shot. I’m talking good chest hits. Maybe the lead is too soft
How much powder were you using? Those aero tips are not designed to shoot at high velocities and close range. I suspect that, if your velocity exceeded the optimal penetration velocity, your bullet disintegrated on impact.
Hornady xtp 240 gr100 grains of white hots plenty of penetration and perfect expansion on mule deer and elk out to 200 yards try them the shoot really well also iv had same with powbelts
Thanks for the comment
you have valid points!! My experience, im a hunting guide where my specialty is big night time wild hogs. alot of those powerbelts are not suitable for magnum charges of 150 grains. Like you stated the arolights disingrate they are a light jacket lightweight at magnum velocities. for a 50 caliber 250 gra powerbelt and such may perform better with 100 gr and less. The platinum series 338 grain are designed for heavy game and magnum charges and is the only powerbelt i use. your opinions are worthwhile especially if a person understands bullet weight jacket thickness etc. Now those Maxiballs i love those penetration expansion. Ive killed bear Elk huge hogs big rams and moose my go to bullet is a heavy lead conical. a solid copper bullet is good they dont break up and penetrate. i for one like your video
It's mainly due to the jacket thickness, or lack their off, and soft lead. I have never been a powerbelt fan and if I'm going to shoot a 45 cal bullet to bore I'm going to shoot Parkers, Alcos, Pittman's, etc.
As someone who always punches shoulder into spine I will never again use on game used pb last year shot placement was perfect but didn't punch through shoulder thankfully deer was moving slowly enough to reload and get another shot into the heart only time I've never insta dropped a deer in over 20 years
I also have had issues with Powerbelts. I shot the aerolites and had issues with blood trails so I switched to 295gr hollow points. Both pattern extremely well out of my optima at 100 but my experience with the hollows was similar to yours. I shot a doe this year at 20 yards and had it not exit. I shoot 100 grains of powder and would expect it to pass through at that range. Deer didn’t go 50 yards but blood trail wasn’t great with only one hole.
Thanks for the comment! I switched to federal and I’m already seeing better results out of my CVA
So you drink alcohol before you shoot?
The NRA frowns against alcohol and shooting, I’d never go against the NRAs rules
I gave up on the PBs many seasons ago. To many times I had mixed results on game in my .45 and .50 and I never got a pass thru. I guess I am old school because I want a hole going in and a hole going out and I don’t shoot magnum loads. Years ago I switched to Harvester in my .50 and TC Shockwaves in my .45 and its been lights out ever since and I have never recovered a bullet but never had any problems recovering my game. I also ditched the pellets and went to BH 209 Best ML decision I have ever made. Best of luck too everyone!
I've hunted and shot deer for almost 30 yrs with muzzleloader and my worst experiences with penetration have been with power belts fishing sinkers
Shoot them to test. I have just tried the 50cal elr and accuracy is awesome. Will be trying on a deer to see how terminal performance is. I also am running blackhorn 209.
Thanks for the comment, how many grains of buckhorn powder ? That is what I use in my TC
@@EveryonesOutdoors I'm running 90grns by weight which is 6grns over blackhorn recommended max. I'm pushing that 50 cal elr at 1935ish fps from a 26in barrel.
@@charleycrawford2857 I know that new paramount has a 1/22 twist barrel, I guess with your load the tighter twist isn’t necessary or is that what MZ you are shooting?
@@EveryonesOutdoors I'm running a cva optima v2 1/28 twist. Shoots them really good. I also have used the 300grn Shockwave.
You're basing your opinion off a bad shot placement? Holy shit i thought i heard it all. Not sure any company make a bullet catered to people who suck and don't want to practice...
Thanks for the comment! Powerbelts suck!
@@EveryonesOutdoors So does your shooting according to you but hey heck all bullets made are suppose to just sail through the the shoulders yeah. lmao!
Maybe try a different powder I’m not one to judge just got one have never shot a muzzle loader before and heard good things about black horn 209 with ELR and thanks for the info might have to do some more research
I shot the elrs in my Optima v2 yesterday and the tips got stuck in the cleaning rod but they did fly straight
I wondered if they might keyhole
@@EveryonesOutdoors you might get a different result then me that's gonna be a good vid to make
Elr's require a special seating tip to due to the longer point.
Try some harvester scorpion pt gold with black crushed ribbed sabots.
Good luck with the federals I had issues with those also. They wouldn't seal in the barrel so they were all over and I was even able to recover one that had just barely depressed the tip. I assume the velocity was so it couldn’t even start to expand. Some people seem to like them but they don’t seem to seal correctly in a lot of barrels.
Thanks for the comment please like and subscribe
Any comments on Powerbelt 270 Grn Platinums with 150 Whitehots???????
Let me know if you experiance problems with the BOR locks. I have had some inconsistancy issues. I have at least for now gone back to sabots that i bought years ago because they are consistant for me.
Shot 4 deer with power belts with no blood trail, they all pencil holed and expanded instantly. At least this was the case with the 245 grain hollow points and 100 grain 777. I expected good expansion given the nature of the bullet. Instant expansion isn’t bad, but in every deer killed, I didn’t get much penetration. None of the shots were further than 75 yds. I only recovered fragments of 1/4 bullets, the rest were tiny pieces of shrapnel. I think from my recoveries they grenaded on impact after an inch or two. I too think power belts suck, but I think it’s the nature of the soft copper bullet itself. If I got em I guess I’ll use em, just makes tracking difficult when they don’t bleed from lack of a pass thru. Accurate but accuracy doesn’t mean anything if the bullet is inconsistent in the penetration department.
Thanks for the comment. What type of muzzleloader are you using
@@EveryonesOutdoors CVA optima V2
Great info! Thank you. However, I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that the Powerbelt Aerolite is not designed for some of the things you talked about in both videos. No secret that it will fail with 150g of powder at close range because that is well outside of its designed optimal penetration velocity. It's specifically designed for thin skinned animals and lower velocities. 100g & 75-100yds on a typical deer and it seems to work as advertised. Wouldn't be my choice for a charging Griz. Might just piss him off. lol. All that said, I'd rather use Federal.
I love the 295gr hollowpoints they shoot great at 125 yds from my Cva wolf. Never had a problem.
I've had first hand experience with both of the PB .50cal bullets shown in the video.
My experiences matched those shown by "Everyone's Outdoors."
Same,
The bullet was coming apart, I shot one just about under my stand just behind the shoulder blades expecting it to go through the back and into the chest cavity.
It did not.
I have the CVA Wolf. The owners manual recommended power belts and there was a coupon. I've been using the 250 grain hollow points every deer I have shot died and was recovered I did have one run about 100 yards. They have always passed through the deer for me. I used 90 grains of loose XXX always. I quit buying them because the price is ridiculous. I started molding my own Muzzleloader bullets. This season will be my first season using my own bullets. Wish me luck
The aero-lites were made for lighter powder charges and to expand at slower speeds. That's why you're not getting the penetration you're looking for. I use those with 80 grains of pyrodex in a pistol and they penetrate just fine because they aren't pushed beyond their limits. For your 150 load you should try the platinum 270 trainers. Just my own observation & research.
I've had miserable failures with powder belts ,lost my biggest buck to a aro tip . They are to soft period only entrance no exit? With a 350 grain bullet? Lol you should be able to cleanly kill a elk with that kind of weight and energy. Love the federal full bore , love the new bore loks by hornady , sst sabot rounds are good as well as tc shockwaves.
Just wondering if you ever chronographed 100 to 150 grain charge? Your not getting that much more performance.sometimes less is more.
I use 245gr aero tip with 150 gr and if you read about the power belt they are designed not to pass through they want the hydraulic pressure to create mass damage internally I’ve drop just about all my deer in their tracks only a couple have run no further then 30yrds
Send me those 175 great powerbelt work good in my omega
Let me know when u try the elr 280 bullets for your 45 caliber debating on picking up a cva accura v2 long range in 45 caliber and would use the elr bullet with 120 grains of black horn powder
I just ordered accura v2 in .45 caliber with the new cerokote finish with new camo pattern hope is shoot as good as it look... and got some 280 grain elr bullet for it
Bud I've got one. I haven't upgraded to 209 yet just use 150 grain loads of 777. Every rifle is different but mine loves them. .5" difference over 100 yards. Crazy stuff.
Love the accuracy of power belts can get 1 inch groups at 100 yards. Shot my buck at 120 yards this year right above heart. No pass thru. Glad I saw him fall. No blood trail. Going to try Federal next year to see how they group.
Not for nothing if you do your homework, powerbelts tell you the aero lite are made for 100 grains of powder or less. The platinum ones are made for 150.
Barns 250gr spitfire tmz 50cal projectile, 100grains IMR white hots, CVA Accura v2 stainless, federal 209 primers, 100yrd zero 1moa 3 shot groups, 2.25”moa @200yrd. 2 dead deer with that combo this season, dropped in their tracks.
I got power belt 265 grain or lead ball with 50 grains pyrodex and 60 grains triple 7 pellet on #11 primers in my traditions inline 50 cal for my hunts during muzzle loader wish me luck.
Im getting into muzzleloaders, and wondering if anyone had success with traditions smackdown sst 250gr with whitetail
I have never used them, I’ve been having great success with the federal BOR lock! I do think the SSTs would be worth a try if you are just trying to see what works best for you. What type of muzzleloader are you using ? Let me know how they perform if you do try them out.
@EveryonesOutdoors little update I shot both and they are great, I hunt public land in louisiana and will not shoot passed 50yd, so I will be using the federal ammo with 100gr 777 , I'm shooting a 23 year old CVA hunterbolt magnum my uncle gave me
Screw Powerbelts, just use Barnes, Hornady, Shockwaves or Federal muzzle loader bullets. I've destroyed deer with bullets from these companies.
Yeah if you want a full bore diameter muzzleloader bullet I would say Thor lightning bullets are your best bet they work amazing. But to be fair the only powerbelt bullet that has worked for me successfully is their ELR bullet that works just fine and it drops them in their tracks.
That being said I only use the powerbelt ELR bullet in my 45 Cal muzzleloader because they're the only full bore diameter bullets available in 45 Cal that I am aware of. But I did talk to Thor bullets and they said they're working on getting a 45 Cal produced it's just taking a long time.
They said that they should have more information on it by 2025 at the latest so I'm excited for that.
The round balls I shoot out of my .50 cal. are 190 grains. I have never had one fail to pass through an elk.
I bought a new CVA Optima V2 50 cal LR nitride rifle. Only bullets they had was powerbelts. I Didnt buy any. Went down to another gun shop. And bought hornady 250gr sst sabot. Glad i did i like them. They are very accurate and deadly. I shot a deer this morning. Dropped right in front of me. Exit hole bigger than a golf ball. With alot of blood where it went down. Broke both shoulders. The sst destroyed the vital too. I am using 84 grs of blackhorn. The shot was less than 65 yrds. Thats the 3rd deer i have shot with sst. After the 2nd deer. I went back and bought 3 more boxes of the hornady 250gr sst. I bought 3 boxes the first time . When i bought the gun.
I use pure lead bullets 348 gr. And it works great
Also 80-90 grams of loose powder pyrodex
I shoot dead in shoulder and have no problem
Passing through
I have developed a new cartridge for muzzleloading rifles which is loaded from the muzzle but ejects itself from the barrel after use and is non-corrosive. This product sets a new standard in safety and reliability for muzzleloader ammunition in the same way shotgun shells are standardized for use in shotguns. Shotshells have a load of shot and powder which produce a safe pressure in shotguns manufactured by many different companies. The pressure produced by this cartridge can be designed to work safely in the muzzleloaders produced by the various manufacturers. It would also greatly help new muzzleloader shooters with safety, and it would also give them a product which will not destroy the barrel of their muzzleloader due to corrosive residue.
Those who say smokeless powder cannot be used in a muzzleloader may not know “Blackhorn 209” is 83% smokeless powder, based on the MSD sheet for the product. Therefore, the claim that smokeless powder cannot be used safely in a muzzleloader falls apart very quickly.
(blackhorn209.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-Blackhorn-209-SDS.pdf)
I am now looking for a company willing to mass produce this new cartridge for the market. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pass this information along to those you know who may be interested in this new product.
A link is found below which demonstrates this new product.
TH-cam video link: th-cam.com/video/CH5KVOgPRUo/w-d-xo.html
Joe Teeter
Teeter's Gunsmithing
I've used the 200gr with a 100gr of paradox pellets an shock wave with excellent performance thank you for your truth about power belt was considering trying them in my new v2 long range only because they should shoot cleaner with no Sabo
The powerbelt shot extremely well for me, but on game performance sucked. I switched to federal bor-lock too. Accuracy is just as good as the powerbelt and on game performance is exceptional.
Now I 100% agree the load I use with 150gr of hodgen triple 7 and powerbelt 270gr platinum they never exit the deer. I disagree however because that load dumps 100% of the bullets energy inside the deer causing massive damage. I killed 2 bucks with a quartering to me shot I hit the main part of the shoulder blade and it just disintegrated everything in it's path. With a perfect broadside shot the bullet is just underneath the hair on the opposite entry side flattened out like a quarter. I've never lost a deer shot with this load. The farthest they run is 80 yards and most don't make it 30. If you prefer to have an exit wound than powerbelt bullets aren't for you. I will say one thing though if you take a 200+ yard shot with a similar magnum load with the powerbelt it's still going to expand at lower velocities. The other bullets are probably just going to poke a hole like a fmj and not expand properly.
Thanks for the response !
you are 100% correct power belts suck. I hit 2 deer, no blood. I shot and found the one deer went in but there was no exit hole. They suck.
I had killed a shit load with 245 hp copper powerbelts , out of my old side lock WITH 110 LOSE GRAIN , and in line T/C IMPACT , WITH 2 WHITEHOTS
All muzzle loaders shoot different,I use the powerbelt 245 aero tip in my Optima,but they go all over the paper in my thompson center omega,that's muzzle loading shooting.I have never lost a deer with the aero tip 245gr.
I use Hornady XTP’s and have had great success out of them!!!
Illinois Hunter here. I shoot slug guns and muzzleloaders and I swear by all copper. I shoot heavy and slow slugs. Muzzleloader I shoot Barnes expander mz... All copper is the way to go!
Thanks for the comment I’m with you on the copper !
from a 64 yr. old deer hunter love how powerbelts blow all the way though deer..... shoot 2 50gr. white hots with 245 gr. powerbelt out of cva optima muzzleloader. with D.O.A. BUSHNELL 3X9 SCOPE .HIT QUARTERS AT 100.YDS........P.S. CAN SHOOT 9 TIMES BEFORE I HAVE TO CLEAN BARREL...BEAT THAT>>>>>
The copper jacket hollow points go thru and thru use triple seven powder 100 grain and u will drop deer every time
The federal 270 grain will blow a deers head off
You are correct about powerboats being shit. I am 63 and I have shot black powder since I was 12 years old. When these power belts came out I tried them in a rifle that is sub-MOA at 100 yards. At 50 yards they failed to hold a 6 inch group. I have shot competition all my life. It was not me or the rifle.
Power belts
If you want a good shooting bullet, try Barnes bullets.
I don't use powerbelt but my friend loves them ready the back of packaging it says 70 to 100gr pellet again you can't ready man .
I use power belts and I've never had a complete pass through, next to no blood trail, i think there super accurate, easy to load, on the hole I've killed and found every deer I've shot with power belt, but I also think they could improve the design
shot a doe today 70 yards with 100 grain in my nitrofire with the 295 grain hollow copper. The bullet passed thru she went 40 yards
I love everything about them, they load easier then sabot bullets, they are accurate and they have killed every deer I have shot with them.
They are still making the ELR power belt in 45 so obviously this man was correct.
Also you don't want it to penetrate all the way through the animal you talking about the red tip ones if it goes through one-sided and stops at the ribs on the other side that means you had all that energy dump into the animal and that animal is dead obviously. cuz you know it didn't go through the other side well how would u know that if u didnt open the animal up now if it was a jackrabbit thats diff. ideally you don't want it to go all the way through you wanted to stop in the hide or at the ribs on the other side if you have a round that's going right through an animal then you have to worry about injuring other animals or people or you don't know where you're bullet is going or going to end up at. So i dont understand ur issue with that part of it.
Hornady is coming out with a bullet called Bore Driver if they ever get them on the market.
I killed my very first deer with a muzzleloader and powerbelts I wasn’t able to get them to group as tight as I wanted.. I wasn’t super impressed with the damage it made on that doe either... I switched to hornaday sst sabot and I got 1” group at 100 yards.. took a doe with that setup this past season in ny and it really put the hurtin on her! Shooting a CVA accura MR... waiting for my woodman arms to show up
What your saying, is why I got the federal trophy coppers. So should my remaining curiosity just be put to rest? I feel the aeros, platinums and elrs would work. Not to criticize, but I feel like your kind of bashing them from no particular angle. I don't doubt your field results, but there are no details that put me there. Saying they suck because they don't penetrate only critiques one side of the story as they are not designed to do so. The first projectile I got with my Modern front stuffer was The maxi ball. The federal coppers work in a similar fashion, even after opening up like other hollows. But the powerbelts seem to only be humble hollows, where shot placement will be less forgiving and the object will be to get that hydraulic action as close to lungs or heart. The elr, I am more worried about its long range capabilities. If the bullet design is flawed like you say then it's ability to kill at long range would also be diminished. I like to know about capabilities, things that are considered weak in one element can be viewed as powerful in another. My gut led me to get the federals, though, like you. The powerbelts were the first to be seen, though so the allure was always there. It Has always been a little hazy as to what niche they exactly fill.
Thanks for the comment
The issue is the title of your videos "powerbelts suck". They are designed NOT TO PASS THROUGH. they do make ones that are meant for a pass through but none of those are. The aero lights are meant for light charges.
So you are calling a product junk because it does exactly what it is supposed to do but you didn't bother to check on it first. And FYI, I'm not a fan of them either but only because they don't shoot well for me.
Pencils are crap!! The pink thing on the back takes your writing off the paper!! Who would build such a thing...
I believe the Platinums are more of a pass through bullet, than the original PBs.
Those ELR bullets are for the CVA paramount. I'm not sure that your gun will stabilize that bullet unfortunately..
Every ones got there own opinions I’ve have good luck with them but thanks for the video
I used federal for the last 5 yrs accurate and dead on .opens up and never loose it's weight I have shot deer up to 150 to 180 yards with 100 grain of 777 loose powder never had a deer run over 30 yards federal is the best
I don’t think you can beat the federal
Funny how we all have vastly different experience’s with muzzle loader bullets. I used honady 250 g sst 150g of 777 for a long time .after chasing 5 out of the 7 deer I shot with them across hell and back . No blood trail and Absolutely zero bullet expansion after finding a deer small hole in small hole out I said F it I’m done with these things. Started using 295 HP power belts with 100g of 777 and most deer never left my sight after the shot.when fed. Bor-lock came out I switched to this bullet it’s a no Brainer for me. Since switching over to the Bor-lock Michigan has decided to destroy muzzleloading season so I have no factual data on how this bullet performs on a deer. Ps just want to say thanks again to the Michigan DNR for turning muzzleloader season into a complete clown show 🤦♂️ Just change the name to rifle season 2.0
Just got the 50cal elr 325gr massive round 😳 but I have killed deer with the aerolites and they dropped in tracks but that was with 150gr and at 50yd away to blowed a massive hole but yea I’m going with the elr 50cal
Waiting to set the .50 for the elrs. But damn the .45s are nasty bud. My .45 is an accura lr with the fast twist. The .50 is a short barrel wolf so may not like them. In the right rifle they are deadly.
Aero lite are to be shot with like 80 grain ..
I had problems killing Elk with them. But the powerbelt ELR bullets are as good as parker.
Powerbelt 295 HP have worked great for me for about 15 years. I shoot deer in the low neck with them at about 35 yards. They all just fall over. It's not the Arrow, it's the Indian! Hopefully you aren't shooting deer in the shoulder at close range using an Aerolite? It's a pointy long distance bullet. I also shoot .452 Speer Deep Curls, and XTP's in sabots, but they don't do any better than an HP PowerBelt.
- Joe
Thanks for the comment good luck this season
I have the new 45 Acura never could get those power belts shoot right .shot 45 times and couldn't get it center .I went with Hornady SST 45 sabots easy load 95 grains of 777 loose powder had it in 3 shots . kissing same hole 4 times at a 100 yards very accurate bullet. It's only 200 grain but the impact is in real does a good job .power belt is junk won't hold a pattern at all . The federal is the best
I love Thompson Center Shockwaves. 5/7 deer I've shot with the Shockwaves have dropped in their tracks.
I will say, you need to try different ammunition in your guns. Every gun performs very differently with most every bullet. Figure out what works for your gun.
On their website it told me to use 100gr powder with aero lite and the deer I’ve shot never had to track I like em
I shoot the 295 grain jacketed hollow point power belts and I swear by them. Not only have I had clean pass through on everything I’ve hit with them it leaves a wound channel the size of a half dollar on the exit. Shooting with 100 grain triple seven as well as 82 grains of Blackhorn Out of my 2 Thompson Center omega’s. Have tried Hornady as well as Barnes 45 Cal Sabot 300 grain and went straight back to the power belt. The last five hogs I’ve killed have been with a power belt as well as the last three deer. All five hogs dropped in the tracks all three deer or shoulder and doubleShots and made it less than 50 yards with a paint trail of blood. Maybe you’re doing it wrong
Glad you’ve had good luck with them! I’ve recovered animals with powerbelts I just don’t think they are worth the money
@@EveryonesOutdoors I agree man for being Walmart distributed they’re pretty pricey for only 15. Think it’s 20 bucks or so. You’re not the only one I’ve heard questionable results for. I think bullet expansion really is an anecdotal thing that it’s hard to get a grasp on. Tried the HornadySXT’s and although it put him down within 40 to 50 yards zero blood and no pass through. After going back to power belt I could send you some videos that are absolute crazy blood trails or just dropped in tracks. That being said I never shoot more than 100 grains and I only shoot the 295s. Personally have had real issues on accuracy on the 250 grain or less. And refused to put the airowlites through my firearm. The success I’ve had Has only been with the heavier bullets
@@EveryonesOutdoors Also anytime I try to go over 100 grains of triple seven or 82 of Blackhorn accuracy goes out the window Especially with the 250 or less