# powerbelt Hp Copper 300 grain



## michigandeerslayer (Oct 24, 2004)

Has any one ever used these, I just aquired some and was wondering if anyone shot them


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## walleyechaser (Jan 12, 2001)

There have been numerous threads regarding Powerbelt bullets with many of them negative.Do a search and you'll find enough reading for a week but in my opinion I wouldn't bother with them!

You won't go wrong with 300 grain SSTs and Harvesters crushed rib sabots but you'll have to try them in your ML for yourself.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Agreed, lots of reading material on the PB....i had terrible luck with them too...Hornady SST 45-250 gr. works for me


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## jim sasser (Feb 19, 2007)

300gr. is a bit heavy for me,but i use pb 245 poly tip's and group very well.less than in. at 100yrd's...good luck


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

Garbage


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

I personaly would not use them on deer. Varmints maybe, deer never. So many better bullets out there that there's no need to take a chance with these.


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

They make AWESOME paperweights!


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

Junk. Why would you want to use such a questionable bullet? Again, the search option is easy to use and there are dozens of threads about how crappy PB's are. The only advantage that they used to have is that they are easy to load in some tight barreled inlines. But now that shockwaves are available in an easy glide sabot they are just as easy to load as PB's and are a heck of a lot better constructed bullet.


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## trailwart (Mar 20, 2004)

i have only shot PB and i love em, good tight groups, shoot great out of both my inlines. im now shooting the 223 gr. aero tips. i wouldnt second guess PB after seeing what they can do. 1 well placed shot with a 295 gr power belt on this little 65incher


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

trailwart said:


> i have only shot PB and i love em, good tight groups, shoot great out of both my inlines. im now shooting the 223 gr. aero tips. i wouldnt second guess PB after seeing what they can do. 1 well placed shot with a 295 gr power belt on this little 65incher


Here we go!!! Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.


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## michigander88 (Aug 15, 2000)

Here we go...............Last year between my neighbor, his 2 boys, my 2 hunting buddies and myself, we found 8 nuts last year using the 245 grain aerotips. Never lost a nut and didn't have one roll more than 80 or 100 yards

MI88


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

trailwart said:


> i have only shot PB and i love em, good tight groups, shoot great out of both my inlines. im now shooting the 223 gr. aero tips. i wouldnt second guess PB after seeing what they can do. 1 well placed shot with a 295 gr power belt on this little 65incher


Great Moose! Congrats!! I wish you continued luck with the powerbelts. Unfortunately, I've seen enough ugly with them to never look back. Most I know have had similar experiences. I know they will kill, no question, but their performance, even when killing is less than satisfactory for most. I know dead is all that matters but bullet performance is the single most important factor next to shot placement, and it's a factor that we can control. Too many better built tools for the job on the market today.


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

michigander88 said:


> Here we go...............Last year between my neighbor, his 2 boys, my 2 hunting buddies and myself, we found 8 nuts last year using the 245 grain aerotips. Never lost a nut and didn't have one roll more than 80 or 100 yards
> 
> MI88


A patch and ball kills effectively also. But with a better design available, why not use it?


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## trailwart (Mar 20, 2004)

what are the problems you guys are experiencing. accuracy? bullet disitergration on impact? or? just currious on your negative experiences.


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

trailwart said:


> what are the problems you guys are experiencing. accuracy? bullet disitergration on impact? or? just currious on your negative experiences.


Do a search for powerbelt. There are literally pages of threads on them.


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

michigander88 said:


> Here we go...............Last year between my neighbor, his 2 boys, my 2 hunting buddies and myself, we found 8 nuts last year using the 245 grain aerotips. Never lost a nut and didn't have one roll more than 80 or 100 yards
> 
> MI88





trailwart said:


> i have only shot PB and i love em, good tight groups, shoot great out of both my inlines. im now shooting the 223 gr. aero tips. i wouldnt second guess PB after seeing what they can do. 1 well placed shot with a 295 gr power belt on this little 65incher


it would be rather difficult to find a 250 - 300 grain bullet that _wouldn't_ kill big game, don't you think? 

i'm glad you've had success. 

i'm simply unwilling to purchase a bullet at those prices, that are nothing more than guilded lead. will they kill animals? certainly, as any lead projectile will. however, there are better options, certainly for the price being paid.

incidentally, the sabot has been generally accepted throughout the industry as superior to the full bore conical in accuracy.


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## Shop Rat (Apr 8, 2006)

I have said my thoughts on those before. I will say that some Southern states websites praise the really heavy ones, like 350 grain and over and they don't like any of these below 300 grains.

They are pretty much banned where I hunt, the property owners will make you resight in with a sabot. SST's, Dead Centers, Barnes, and any of the TC bullets are o.k.

There are tons of reports of over expansion, desintegration (sp), to just going through with no expansion. 

My friends used them for a while and their experience with them is the bullet breaking apart, no blood trail, and a deer running very far. They had to track without blood for up to 300 yards to find their deer.

On about 10 deer that sums up what happened. Their insides were jelly, but they ran far and dropped very little blood. One deer my buddy shot ( I was with him in the U.P. dropped, got up and ran 200 yards with no blood trail. It was hard to stay on the track without blood. We found the deer, but now he wants a through hole.

Good luck this year Michigandeerslayer.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Heres some reading on the subject.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1433149#post1433149

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=159869

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138373&highlight=Power+Belt

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=121211&highlight=Power+Belt

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118342&highlight=Power+Belt


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## michigandeerslayer (Oct 24, 2004)

I wish I would have never asked the question. that is the problem today, you ask for a opinion and if you get a opinion thats not what everyone likes it turns in to a bashing thread....:rant::rant:


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

adam bomb said:


> Heres some reading on the subject.
> 
> http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1433149#post1433149
> 
> ...


I liked this one. http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=159869


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

michigandeerslayer said:


> I wish I would have never asked the question. that is the problem today, you ask for a opinion and if you get a opinion thats not what everyone likes it turns in to a bashing thread....:rant::rant:



I don't think anybody is bashing anybody in this thread to be honest. And really this thread makes a solid point. The powerbelt is a very controversial bullet. Why is that? Some like em, some hate em. Why do some hate them? There experiences have been poor with them. Too me, why would anybody want to take a chance with a poor bullet when better choices abound? Do people think the negative experiences with these bullets are made up? Sorry, too many issues to think they are made up. And those that have had these negatvie experiences with them, have for the most part been experienced rifleman and muzzleloader shooters. Like em or not, with all the question marks surrounding powerbelts, using them is questionable as well.


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

Swamp Monster said:


> I don't think anybody is bashing anybody in this thread to be honest. And really this thread makes a solid point. The powerbelt is a very controversial bullet. Why is that? Some like em, some hate em. Why do some hate them? There experiences have been poor with them. Too me, why would anybody want to take a chance with a poor bullet when better choices abound? Do people think the negative experiences with these bullets are made up? Sorry, too many issues to think they are made up. And those that have had these negatvie experiences with them, have for the most part been experienced rifleman and muzzleloader shooters. Like em or not, with all the question marks surrounding powerbelts, using them is questionable as well.


Nice catch Swamp. I don't understand why people get so upset defending these things? I made up my mind by my personal experience with them. I have nothing good to say about them.


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## michigandeerslayer (Oct 24, 2004)

It just I wanted to here what people thought and I have got pms from people because they were afraid to post because they would get bashed.

Im glad everyone has a opinion and some people like them and some don't. I have decide not to use them, from what I have read. If some one choose to use them well more power to them, it comes down to what they fell most confident in. Good to those who use them

Im going to stick with hornady xtp 250 grain


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## trailwart (Mar 20, 2004)

im not upset, im not defending this product either. i originally was stateing my experience and my brothers experiences(its his moose not mine). ive heard people talk of disintigration before(shrapnal effect). im still using them because i havnt seen this yet, i am still going to use them this year, but will be looking in to other options next year. i have about 20 left to use up, so i will have to do some more target shooting to dispose of them i guess. ive just stuck with them because they shoot great and are effective.

and quakrtrakr's response to my opinion for my first post on this thread, i looked at it as sarcasm, not bashing. but it was a useless response, and there is alot of useless posts that have no helpfull insight or usefull information.

1 problem with asking questions on these forums is it turns into bashing/sarasm, and the people that continue to do so is only hurting MS.com because eventually all the civilized people will go elsewhere and only the knuckleheads will be left to bash each other.


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

Here's why my buddy threw the rest of his in the trash. He hit a doe at 120 yards. No blood at all. No exit wound. We looked for 1 1/2 hours in the dark and never found any blood. We figured he missed. The next morning after our hunt, we decided to look some more. 100 yards or so away we found blood. Just a little bit. 50 yards further there she lied. The bullet went in ahead of the front leg, took out the heart, and never exited. It was between the ribs and the hide, almost fully intact. That's not how a bullet is supposed to expand. Now for GOOD ML bullets, Barnes MZ, Hornady XTP or SST, are great bullets, expand consistantly, and are just as accurate, maybe evn more so. The powerbelt is just a buffalo bullet with a very thin copper jacket. If the belt is so advanced, why doesn't the military use it? They do use sabots.


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## trailwart (Mar 20, 2004)

""Here's why my buddy threw the rest of his in the trash. He hit a doe at 120 yards. No blood at all. No exit wound. We looked for 1 1/2 hours in the dark and never found any blood. We figured he missed. The next morning after our hunt, we decided to look some more. 100 yards or so away we found blood. Just a little bit. 50 yards further there she lied. The bullet went in ahead of the front leg, took out the heart, and never exited. It was between the ribs and the hide, almost fully intact. That's not how a bullet is supposed to expand. Now for GOOD ML bullets, Barnes MZ, Hornady XTP or SST, are great bullets, expand consistantly, and are just as accurate, maybe evn more so. The powerbelt is just a buffalo bullet with a very thin copper jacket. If the belt is so advanced, why doesn't the military use it? They do use sabots.""


thats the kind of response/post that is helpfull/usefull information. no useless reference to squirals or nuts. with informative responses/posts like quakrtrakr's last 1 it will help others with a decision, and thats what these forums are all about now right(helping).


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

Trail-Did you read any of the other threads? In all seriousness, this has been covered many, many, many times over. I even explained my reason in one or more. But! They do make a good paperweight


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

By posting those links there was no intent to ruffle feathers or bash PB's. I just took the time to look up the threads so whoever was interested in discussion about these projectiles could draw from a long list of experiences, either good or bad, and make their own assumptions. This was to avoid yet another long drawn out thread about a topic that has been thoroughly worked several times over.....and in those threads there is useful information like what QuakrTrakr has just posted. Experiences like that resonate throughout those threads.

...But, if after reading all the threads you are still unsure what to think, i suggest that you pick some up and find out for yourself. Then you can form an opinion of your own. Then noones feelings get hurt when someone posts an opinion other than what they want to hear...This is a public forum for cripes sake.


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## michigandeerslayer (Oct 24, 2004)

Adam

I hope you didnt take my post personal I think it was great that you listed all those links, I was just saying that it seems like no matter what we ask now days, it turns in to (this is no good and thats no good)...I got teh information I was looking for and Like I said Im sticking with xtp's


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

trailwart said:


> 1 problem with asking questions on these forums is it turns into bashing/sarasm, and the people that continue to do so is only hurting MS.com because eventually all the civilized people will go elsewhere and only the knuckleheads will be left to bash each other.



michigan sportsman is about as tame as it gets.. threads are monitored and get closed quickly. other boards, are 10 times as vocal when it comes to product critique.

quakr - i don't even think its fair to call the PB a buffalo bullet with a jacket. buffalo bullets are high quality, consistently made cold swaged lead bullet. i believe the erradic performance of the PB's can be attributed to voids in the lead, different hardness of lead, etc.

yes, the subject has been covered in detail many many times. i'll back up what others have said - powerbelts tend to either shatter, or not expand at all. for a 45 cal bullet, i'd rather have no expansion. i've always found accuracy lacking, because the sabot makes a much more consistent and tight fit in the bore, creating a consistent back-pressure. full bore conicals must be slightly smaller than bore to get it loaded, and tend to have a "sloppy" fit, imo, which results in poor engagement of the rifling. this is less of an issue when using pure lead, because the lead obturates to engage rifling, something that doesn't occur as much with power belts.

the difficult aspect in evaluating bullets is how they are employed. one guy might take very short, high percentage shots, and have great performance. another might want long range shots, and be able to shoot through an animal at any angle. another might have his charge very hot, while another shoots a very mild powder charge. some hunt in adverse weather conditions, some do not. and so on. so it becomes very difficult to ascertain how well a bullet really performs, without considering the hunter and the conditions.

i take relatively short shots (inside 150 yards), but i want a bullet that will not break apart no matter what it hits. i also want a bullet that can be driven fast (2000-2100 fps). tough, hard, straight line penetration. for me, the XTP's/Barnes bullets meet those requirements. I'm trying the SST's this year. there are others - the nosler partitions, the winchester platinums, swifts, etc. the power belt simply does not fit the bill for me.

with that said, if i were shooting deer inside of 75 yards, only broadside shots, etc., i might kill a great many deer with PB's. i just find them greatly over-priced for what you're getting. $18 for 20 of them? i can buy 100 XTP's for the same price, plus $7 for a bag of sabots, and know that i have a bullet that simply will not fail.


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## michigandeerslayer (Oct 24, 2004)

should I use the powerbelts that I have in My sling shot that Im going to hunt deer with:lol::lol:


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

michigandeerslayer said:


> Adam
> 
> I hope you didnt take my post personal I think it was great that you listed all those links, I was just saying that it seems like no matter what we ask now days, it turns in to (this is no good and thats no good)...I got teh information I was looking for and Like I said Im sticking with xtp's


No, i didnt...I just think its sad that people would PM you and say theyre afraid to post since theyd be bashed, thats all. Noones bashing, just giving their opinion....Like i said, its a public forum, there ARE gonna be allot of different opinons. We need to agree to disagree instead of getting all in a hissy.

Heres my experiences as posted in one of those threads. But before i do, i would like to elaborate on those and say they were all broadside shots with the PB's. My rifle is a T/C Thunderhawk Shadow Inline ML. It was loaded using two 777 pellets (100 gr), 245 gr AT PB's w/musket cap ignition...When i switched to the SST's all that changed was the the projectile. Same gun powder charge and ignition.

With those set ups, my experiences are as followed:

Powerbelt AT's

5 deer-4 lung shots, 1 heart shot...all complete pass throughs, all 30 yd-80 yd shots, no expansion, terrible blood trails as well as long(75-100 yds), thank god for snow.

This year with 45-250 SST's
2 deer-shot range 40 yds & 75 yds. 1 pass through, other was quartering away-found uniformly mushroomed bullet just inside hide on the opposite side. this after hitting ribs on both sides as well as the heavy shoulder bone, outstading blood trail from the word "go". both deer down within 50 yds. easy tracking snow or no snow...its clear where i stand.


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## Michigan Mike (May 21, 2004)

Man, it just wouldn't be deer season without a good powerbelt thread, cougar thread ect. lol
They sure are purdy though.

I don't know if they still do but over the last couple of years quite a few of the cva guns sold as kits came with Powerbelts, a cd of sorts and even the cva manuals highly reccomended them.
I wonder if they are of the same parent company?

Mike


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

good question.. 

the most backwards logic i've ever heard on the subject of powerbelts was at the range one day last year.. a guy was telling another guy how good they were. i'm at this particular range quite often shooting my muzzleloaders, and the range officer asked my opinion of the power belts.. i politely told them that i thought there were better options, and why.. the other guy's response was, "well, i work at a sporting goods shop, and we sell 10 times more power belts than any other bullet, so they must be good."


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## Shop Rat (Apr 8, 2006)

michigandeerslayer said:


> It just I wanted to here what people thought and I have got pms from people because they were afraid to post because they would get bashed.
> 
> Im glad everyone has a opinion and some people like them and some don't. I have decide not to use them, from what I have read. If some one choose to use them well more power to them, it comes down to what they fell most confident in. Good to those who use them
> 
> Im going to stick with hornady xtp 250 grain


Michigandeerslayer. I did not see any bashing here. If you used or witnessed a product used for hunting that you really thought was borderline ethical or ineffective, wouldn't you let someone know. I am not going to sugar coat what I saw multiple times. Hunters can handle gutting a deer and dragging it a half mile, they can handle an honest opinion.

There are only a few things I get excited about as far as hunting products, powerbelts are one of them. I equate using them to hunting with a dull broad head on your arrow. There is a good reason that some of us feel this strongly about these.


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

Shop Rat said:


> Michigandeerslayer. I did not see any bashing here. If you used or witnessed a product used for hunting that you really thought was borderline ethical or ineffective, wouldn't you let someone know. I am not going to sugar coat what I saw multiple times. Hunters can handle gutting a deer and dragging it a half mile, they can handle an honest opinion.
> 
> There are only a few things I get excited about as far as hunting products, powerbelts are one of them. I equate using them to hunting with a dull broad head on your arrow. There is a good reason that some of us feel this strongly about these.


Perfectly said SR. My comments were never meant to bash, only expresss my opinion. Exactly why this forum is here. I still think someone who uses PB's just didn't like hearing negative feedback. I can't blame him. You should hear the bs I get on other forums for me using aluminum arrows!  BTW- I want to say thanks to the mods for letting this thread ride. It almost went bad.


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## michigandeerslayer (Oct 24, 2004)

thanks again guys for the input. again I just was looking for input..

I will now look for the topic i can get a argument going:evil:


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

michigandeerslayer said:


> thanks again guys for the input. again I just was looking for input..
> 
> I will now look for the topic i can get a argument going:evil:


Quick, go to the archery forum! I hear some guy is still using aluminim arrows. Some people.....why they make themselves an easy target I'll never know!

:lol::lol:


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## SwiftHntr.17 (Jul 23, 2007)

I/ve killed two deer with PB's AT, both were under 75 yard shots and using 100 grains 777 pellets and 209 primers. Both bullets entered lung area and completely fell apart, no exit wounds, bullets did not strike any bones upon entering. Deer were recovered in less than 100 yards, luckily deer were blowing blood from nose and mouth. Bullets did kill deer, but imo, they failed on the terminal performance end. If the shot wouldn't have been as precise or had gone thru bone or thick muscle tissue, I believe I would have lost both deer. IMO there are much better choices out there.


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## michigandeerslayer (Oct 24, 2004)

I was thinking more like should I use rubber boot's of gym shoes to hunt in? Or maybe should I use powder or pellets..Maybe should I stop why im ahead


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