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POWER BELTS
Odawgp
Member Posts: 5,380 ✭✭
I have been trying to keep up on bullet technology but there are so many new bullets out there to use/try a guy could go broke before he finds one that holds a group and performs well on big game.
I had previously use a saboted 295gr barnes Expander bullet. I found that they where a bear to load in My T/C Encore and also in my uncle's blackdiamond. they paterned fine. we never had the chance to shoot anything with them.
Then came along the PB, we thought we'd giv'em a try. We finally settled on the 250PB. they loaded easily held a 1" patern @150yds consistantly.
So My uncle and I where hunting deer in utah both of our guns where set up the same. 2-50gr 777 pellets behind a 250 PB. First morning out im sneeking through the pines and come around a tree and there is a buck standing about 80yds away. it was a quartering broadside shot. i pull the trigger heard the bullet whomp! him. He vanished in the smoke. as the cloud lifted so did the buck. he jumped to his feet bewilderd as to what had just knocked him off his feet and bolted off into never see again land. I reloaded and then went to where he had stood/fell only to find a little hair no blood nothing i tried to track him for about an hour didn't even see another piece of hair. WTH
two days later we where bouncing down a dirt road in the truck and around a corner we came and off to the left side of the road about 100yds out, there were 3 deer one of them had horns. uncle jumps out pulls the trigger. and had i not seen it i wouldn't have belived it. he hit that deer right in the left front shoulder and it looked like he had been shot with a shootgun hair,dust,and crap lifted off the buck. he bolts off into the tree's. same thing we go to where the buck had stood only to find hair. no blood to track nothing. now i know there is something going on. are the bullets traveling to fast at that distance that they exploding on impacted
last day of the hunt, unlce finally hits one @120yds it ran another 100yds before laying down under a tree only to die bye unlce's skining knife. while skining the deer out we found the bullet had barely penetrated the hide and then exploded like a hand grenade. What A POS. bullet.
So as you can see im off the PB wagon and Back to square 1 ANYONE have suggestions,
-Barnes has new splitfire bullets, are they easier to load?
-T/C has their shockwave bullet with "superglide" sabots.
I just want a bullet that is easier to load than the Barnes expander was, and before i go droping a 100bucks on two or three different kinds of sabot/bullet
I want know what you all have experimented with and what seems to be somewhat easy to load. and also performs well on Big game. Because the Power Belt sure didnt do the job. great for plinking and targets bad for hunting big game.
I had previously use a saboted 295gr barnes Expander bullet. I found that they where a bear to load in My T/C Encore and also in my uncle's blackdiamond. they paterned fine. we never had the chance to shoot anything with them.
Then came along the PB, we thought we'd giv'em a try. We finally settled on the 250PB. they loaded easily held a 1" patern @150yds consistantly.
So My uncle and I where hunting deer in utah both of our guns where set up the same. 2-50gr 777 pellets behind a 250 PB. First morning out im sneeking through the pines and come around a tree and there is a buck standing about 80yds away. it was a quartering broadside shot. i pull the trigger heard the bullet whomp! him. He vanished in the smoke. as the cloud lifted so did the buck. he jumped to his feet bewilderd as to what had just knocked him off his feet and bolted off into never see again land. I reloaded and then went to where he had stood/fell only to find a little hair no blood nothing i tried to track him for about an hour didn't even see another piece of hair. WTH
two days later we where bouncing down a dirt road in the truck and around a corner we came and off to the left side of the road about 100yds out, there were 3 deer one of them had horns. uncle jumps out pulls the trigger. and had i not seen it i wouldn't have belived it. he hit that deer right in the left front shoulder and it looked like he had been shot with a shootgun hair,dust,and crap lifted off the buck. he bolts off into the tree's. same thing we go to where the buck had stood only to find hair. no blood to track nothing. now i know there is something going on. are the bullets traveling to fast at that distance that they exploding on impacted
last day of the hunt, unlce finally hits one @120yds it ran another 100yds before laying down under a tree only to die bye unlce's skining knife. while skining the deer out we found the bullet had barely penetrated the hide and then exploded like a hand grenade. What A POS. bullet.
So as you can see im off the PB wagon and Back to square 1 ANYONE have suggestions,
-Barnes has new splitfire bullets, are they easier to load?
-T/C has their shockwave bullet with "superglide" sabots.
I just want a bullet that is easier to load than the Barnes expander was, and before i go droping a 100bucks on two or three different kinds of sabot/bullet
I want know what you all have experimented with and what seems to be somewhat easy to load. and also performs well on Big game. Because the Power Belt sure didnt do the job. great for plinking and targets bad for hunting big game.
Comments
The bigger Powerbelts are giving good results.
When you have time you might like to experiment with powder loads etc, see if it makes a difference.
I hope you figure it out. Let us know if you do.
This is a very common complaint about the pbs. They are junk.
The only way you can use them is with very reduced powder loads. If you use the 295 grain pb, you really need to use about 80 grains of so of pyrodex to avoid the exploding bullet thing.
I use 250 grain shockwaves and have killed two deer at 175 yards. Many more in closer. With 110 grains of 777 loose powder, it is 3 inches high at 100 yards and 6 inches low at 200. I don't care if they are hard to load, one inch groups at 100 yards and ballistics like that are worth it.
Hank
True performace is measured when you try to take a tuff skinned big game animal and unfortunatly for the animal how am I to know what that bullet is going to do or not do in my case.
I should have known that the easy way 9/10 is never the best way.
"YES power belts are junk."
thanks "ahankster" i'll give the shockwave bullets a go and let you know what happens. do you use the yellow 2 petel "superglide" sabots or the standard 4 petel black sabot.
It is a proven deer slayer. It will penetrate, rest assured, and good chance it will also exit.
I was going to try both of these.
.50 CALIBER / 444 GRAIN / FLAT POINT COPPER
.50 CALIBER / 338 GRAIN / AEROTIPT PLATINUM
So if I don't use a PB and sabots are illegal, what next?
well that sucks, I Now live in colorado. When I purchased My Encore (some yrs ago now) it was by definition illegal in the state of colorado and utah. the wording in the UT/CO proc still states that the gun may only have one barrel Encore's have multiple barrels "by definition" only one at a time. I had not had a warden give me grief about it yet.
This yr will be the first yr I hunt BP and I will be talking to the neighbor (fish cop) about that one I havn't heard that yet.
Note: if saboted bullets are illegal in CO. 90% of hunters have to be doing it every sporting goods store in the state of CO will/does carry Saboted bullets as well as sell you a possible illegal Encore rifle.
I know ignorance is no excuse.[:I]
Go with the biggest pb you can find, 444 will probably work and just don't push it too fast. Probably 100 grains of pyrodex would do ok. Problem with these bullets is that people push them too fast and they blow up. I have heard that some elk camps have banned them though.
You might want to give T/C maxihunters a try if you can't use sabots.
R
Hank
elkoholic..you might want to try the T/C Maxi-Ball not the T/C Maxi-Hunter ..the T/C Maxi-Hunter is for deer size game and the T/C maxiball is for elk size game. The ball comes in a 370 grain bullet and I have had good results on elk using 100 grains of 777...just my .02...Bull..[8D]
What is your penetration like with this load? Double lung with no bone except a rib or two 50 yds...will it go out the otherside?
Sorry elkoholic I didn't respond sooner but yes they performed well. The first elk I took with the Ball was at about 75 yards double lung shot and the elk ( 5x6 ) went about 25 yards and dropped. I highly recommend them and yes it was a complete pass through although it hit just one rib....Bull[8D]
Thanks Bull...When it comes to elk I really like two holes. The PB look like a great concept but they need to toughen up the bullets before I feel confident with them on anything other than deer.
Have you tried "dead center"bullets? I have used them for 5 or 6 years, on whitetails they have excellent pentration.
got monday off if the weather is good im going to give the maxi hunters a, go see if i can work up a load, some have said the bigger pb are better i just dont care to take the chance again.
You just cannot go wrong with the T/C Maxi Hunters or Maxi balls. They kick *! I have been using them for years and never had a problem. Awesome bullets that perform! Everyone seems to be going with all the newest fancy bullets and that is fine, but I will stick with what works!
I found a box of bowling pins whooohooo. working on getting a good load worked up. had to change to ironsights from red dot so its going to take some getting use to. before i know if it the load or me. i should have worked up the load with the dot and then gone to the IS
owell once i get a load im going to give those pins hell and see the penetration. shot one with a 295PB 100gr 777 and it barly knocked the paint of. shattered like glass. @ 100 yds i have the pin if i can get a pick up i will