# powerbelt question?



## huntfishhurt (Jul 9, 2010)

I know there are a ton of people that dont like them,but I picked up a muzzle loader and it came with some.

My question,if the powerbelt goes thru the heart or lungs,it is a hole and the deer would die.

So why is there so much bad info on them?


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## wally-eye (Oct 27, 2004)

Because with 245s you usually won't get a pass through......although I have had great luck with the 295s......pass through on three different deer using them.........with my Kodiak Magnum 50 cal......

And yes there will be lots of trouncing them in a few minutes...:lol:


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## bmd1023 (Apr 25, 2007)

powerbelts work great for me!!


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## turkey bob (Apr 30, 2005)

I ve used 223 245 an 295 and killed deer with all of them. i now prefer to use the 295 aerotip with loose 110 grains of triple seven. ive killed ten deer with them and the only one i didnt kill was cause i was stupid. u can say they suck but is it the bullet or the guy. i think some people try to shoot them to fast. slow it down and let the load work


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

There is an interesting test in either Field & Stream or Outdoor life last month. You'll see the PB results and how pathetic their performance was. A bullet that ends up in pieces when shot into ballistic gelatin is not a quality deer bullet period. I do agree, people do try to drive them to fast...they are not a bullet that is well suited for anything other than moderate speeds at best. But yes, a hole in the lungs and heart means a dead deer....the PB just has to make it that and their in lies one of the problems. 

I believe the test was in F&S by David Petzel


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## Sam22 (Jan 22, 2003)

Don't waste the powder shooting those things. I do a ML camp each year and have witnessed how lame they are!! Go with Shockwave Sabots and don't look back.


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I shot a couple deer with pwerbelts.....Poor penetraction and weight retention was even worse.

Do yourself a favor and throw them away before you regret it.


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

turkey bob said:


> I ve used 223 245 an 295 and killed deer with all of them. i now prefer to use the 295 aerotip with loose 110 grains of triple seven. ive killed ten deer with them and the only one i didnt kill was cause i was stupid. u can say they suck but is it *the bullet* or the guy. i think some people try to shoot them to fast. *slow it down and let the load work*


Yup, throw it like a rock and just knock em' out. Better yet, just shoot a rock.


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## Gooseanator26 (Mar 9, 2010)

These guys are crazy with 90 grains out of my black knight i drop does like rain they are the bomb:coolgleam


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## Newcub (May 26, 2010)

Use them to at least get yourself on target,then switch to something else..As they say shot placement is EVERYTHING..Hit them just behind the front shoulder & it meat on the table..


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## turkey bob (Apr 30, 2005)

What i like about powerbelts is u either really like them or u hate them. there is no middle ground with guys. i figure i've gotten good results with them . my gun like them and why try to find a different combo. its just like shooting 12 awg sabots. we all like something different thats why there are so many option. and thanks for the rock idea. gonna keep a couple in the blind for those up close and personal shots. every bullets comes down to shot placement . u hit bone with these they flatten down and tear the crap out of organs. meat in the freezer until they prove me otherwise. just in case keep the 12 for them oh crap moments. good hunting boys


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

My mistake, the test was in Outdoor Life by Bryce Towsley. The junk PB's started at 295 grains and after hitting ballistic gelatin, ended up weighing about 125 grains....this after breaking into many small pieces. There are just too many good bullets available to waste any time with PB's.


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## Alan454 (Sep 20, 2010)

Hey guys first post here, I just like to browse but this topic is near and dear to my heart. I used to shoot powerbelts and loved them, they loaded easy, shot great and weren't overly expensive. However about 3 seasons ago I shot two deer with them, and both bullets fragmented into literally dozens of pieces. After doing some of my own testing with them and a few other bullets I have decided to stay far far away from Power belts. Did they kill the deer, yes. Did they kill them as quickly and humanely as possible, no. My testing showed the best bullet you can shoot at an animal is the Barnes expander. Will your gun and load combo shoot it well? I don't know, but either way you owe it to the animal to use a decent bullet. Barnes, Hornaday and T/C all make a great bullet that will preform with great results on deer, just find the one your guns shoots best.


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

Every year........:lol:

The following picture is of a recovered PB that went right through the "boiler room" and buried itself in the dirt. Nuff said......









Here's an example of a couple bullets, that were recovered after doing the same exact thing, from the same field.


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## awfulpotent (Oct 14, 2003)

bodkin broadheads kill deer shot a few in my lifetime with them they glue to a insert and fly like a frying pan, powerbelts are the bodkin of muzzleloading projectiles shoot a dozen thru thin paper and look at the pattern my guess if you know what you are looking at you will see 50% of them at 50 yrds went thru the paper sideways but if "Thats what the gun come with" is okay for you good luck 
I will shoot My XTP's at the same cost of your powerbelts and know when the time comes and I pull the trigger it will fly straight and kill


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## GrtWhtHntr (Dec 2, 2003)

I hunted with the Powerbelts for a couple years. I killed 2 does with them, shooting 150 grains of Pyrodex pellets. Both shots were behind the shoulder, broadside. Neither bullet exited the deer. Both deer died and didn't go far, but there was hardly any blood trail at all to follow. I have switched to the Barnes Expanders this year and am very impressed with their accuracy. Hopefully I'll get to find out how they perform on deer this season!!!


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

GrtWhtHntr said:


> I hunted with the Powerbelts for a couple years. I killed 2 does with them, shooting 150 grains of Pyrodex pellets. Both shots were behind the shoulder, broadside. Neither bullet exited the deer. Both deer died and didn't go far, but there was hardly any blood trail at all to follow. I have switched to the *Barnes Expanders* this year and am very impressed with their accuracy. Hopefully I'll get to find out how they perform on deer this season!!!


Check out the bottom picture in post #14 and you'll see exactly what the *Expander* does. Shoot one broadside and unless you're lucky, you won't find it after it passes thru. I was lucky with both of those, as both deer stood in a valley in a picked corn field.

I've pulled enough TMZ's out of my back stop, to know they do the same thing......


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## frontier gander (Aug 26, 2006)

Swamp Monster said:


> There is an interesting test in either Field & Stream or Outdoor life last month. You'll see the PB results and how pathetic their performance was. A bullet that ends up in pieces when shot into ballistic gelatin is not a quality deer bullet period. I do agree, people do try to drive them to fast...they are not a bullet that is well suited for anything other than moderate speeds at best. But yes, a hole in the lungs and heart means a dead deer....the PB just has to make it that and their in lies one of the problems.
> 
> I believe the test was in F&S by David Petzel


Yeah powerbelts are very pathetic and their accuracy in my muzzle loaders are horrible as well at 100 yards.









A very poor blood trail that only lasted 5 yards,









Mainly because the deer hit dirt when she fell over dead, see the smudge?









80gr T7 with a 225gr Aerotip Powerbelt,









Very poor accuracy at 100 yards with 150gr american pioneer super sticks and the 245gr powerbelts,










But the answer the posters question.
*
Shoot it in the lungs or heart, will they do the job?

Answer:  Yes*


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

frontier gander said:


> Yeah powerbelts are very pathetic and their accuracy in my muzzle loaders are horrible as well at 100 yards.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile.........


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

frontier gander said:


> Very poor accuracy at 100 yards with 150gr american pioneer super sticks and the 245gr powerbelts,


Although you're getting good groups, some of the younger or inexperienced shooters need to know that you're using a $300 rifle rest to obtain these groups. Most people just don't have that kind of money to stick into a rest that basically "locks on" to the target, holds the rifle there, absorbs 95% of the recoil and the shooter just basically pulls the trigger.

_The *Fire Control mechanism* on this *Caldwell Shooting Accessory* has an advanced *rest alignment system* that is actuated by a "joystick" style control arm. *The Control Arm can be moved in any direction to perfectly align the crosshairs and when it is released it holds the rifle in that exact position.* This precision alignment of *crosshairs* to *target* allows the shooter to be perfectly relaxed when pulling the trigger, unlike conventional *shooting rests* that require pushing, pulling or leaning into the gun to gain that final bit of alignment. _

However, that is a good rest to prove that a rifle or load is consistent. http://www.opticsplanet.net/caldwell-lead-sled-fcx-shooting-rest-820444.html

Good shoot'n


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## langkg (Oct 26, 2004)

I think someone stated it quite well before me.....too many good sabots out there to take a chance on PB's.

I pulled my hair out for a few years with very, very poor blood trails like many others here before I switched to something else. In my case it was a Hornady XTP which is light years better than a PB. 

I'm going to try a Barnes Spitfire this year as I think it will be even better than the XTP. Might be a little crude but my feelings are strong on this subject and I wouldn't $%!+ hard for a PB. I would have offered up my old stock of PB's for free but I wouldn't wish that on a good whitetail and did the proper thing with them....


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## jayzbird (May 19, 2005)

huntfishhurt said:


> I know there are a ton of people that dont like them,but I picked up a muzzle loader and it came with some.
> 
> My question,if the powerbelt goes thru the heart or lungs,it is a hole and the deer would die.
> 
> So why is there so much bad info on them?


The answer to your question is a simple one without the need of lots of explanation. Is it worth $25.00 and a little bit of your time to make sure you kill a deer ethically and with little effort on tracking it after the shot? IF SO, THROW THOSE THINGS AWAY AND BUY A BETTER BULLET. Problem solved. BTW, the dead deer in the post above this obviously tripped and broke it's neck in all those darned rocks. It sure wasn't a powerbelt that killed it, especially if it was ignited by that "white" powder. Honestly who uses either one of those products, let alone both at the same time? Go get some Barnes bullets and some Blackhorn 209 powder and don't look back and enjoy all the success you'll have after you start using both of them.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Please Oh Please can we start the SST/Shockwave core jacket seperation thread next..


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## frontier gander (Aug 26, 2006)

ENCORE said:


> Although you're getting good groups, some of the younger or inexperienced shooters need to know that you're using a $300 rifle rest to obtain these groups. Most people just don't have that kind of money to stick into a rest that basically "locks on" to the target, holds the rifle there, absorbs 95% of the recoil and the shooter just basically pulls the trigger.
> 
> _The *Fire Control mechanism* on this *Caldwell Shooting Accessory* has an advanced *rest alignment system* that is actuated by a "joystick" style control arm. *The Control Arm can be moved in any direction to perfectly align the crosshairs and when it is released it holds the rifle in that exact position.* This precision alignment of *crosshairs* to *target* allows the shooter to be perfectly relaxed when pulling the trigger, unlike conventional *shooting rests* that require pushing, pulling or leaning into the gun to gain that final bit of alignment. _
> 
> ...


That was with sand bags. Long before i got the Caldwell.


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

I don't care how accurate they are to be honest. The 348 grain PB shot very well in my Remington 700...never wasted any powder on them in my Encore, nor will I. After enough tracking jobs involving well hit deer with "accurate" power belts it was easy to come to a solid conclusion regarding the quality of their perfromance on game. They pretty much just suck. Look back at the test I mentioned in this thread....anyone with a shred of common sense about bullet construction and performance would toss PB's in the trash where they belong. 


Performance on the bench is one thing, performance in the field is entirely different. I prefer a bullet that peformes well in both!


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## Cpt.Chaos (May 28, 2006)

Yes, throw them out or melt them down...ooh, what was the question?

Get some Barnes Expander MZ's, never look back.


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