POWER BELT BULLETS

tsr1965

http://www.GunBroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=342042426

tsr1965

I am interested in hearing opinions of the powerbelt bullets. I current use the 45 caliber 195 gr AT, and the 50 cal 245gr AT for white tail deer.

Can any one tell me the pro's and cons they have had?

eastbank

i,m not much of a inline shooter, i like flint locks.but here in pa. they have a early season. so i tried serveral makes and calibures. and settled on a omega Z5 in 50 cal. using 295gr. power belts with 100 grs. 777,it will shoot 2 inche groups from a rest at 100yds. only down side is that i must keep it clean between shots. eastbank.

Odawgp

I used to use the 295 PB w/ 2-50gr 777 pellets

the results where 2 lost deer and one very young casualty, had the deer been older and stronger like the first two there could have been 3 lost.

the 295, i think was to small and going to fast which caused the bullet to explode like a granade and not penatrate.

Elkoholic use the bigger platumun(sp?) one's to harvest a nice elk this year. elkoholics thread

that said your milage will vary, as will most peoples opinion and those vary with experince. in CO it is a powerbelt or a tc maxi ball ot maxi hunter. i am playing with the hunters and have had good results at the range. I hope to draw a ML deer tag next yr and will see if they kill.

ral819

Sorry , I've never been able to get ANY accuracy with Powerbelts...Hornady LNL speed sabot's or TC Shockwaves (250gr) are what I get the best results with.

Guns & Glass

Do a Search, and you'll find a wealth of information.

patchnball

Son shot two deer yesterday using 130 grain loose Jim Shockey Gold and 295 gr. powerbelt bullets. First at 8 yards and second at 85 yards. Both pass thrus. No tracking required. First thru the back of the head, second thru the shoulder and out the ribs on the off side. Have been using Gold for two years and powerbelts for roughly 5 yrs. Have heard all kinds of horror stories, but have had exceptional luck. Approx. 25 kills using powerbelts ...I am happy with both accuracy and performance.

gskyhawk

i have several T/C inlines ie. encore 50cal , omega 45 cal and 50 cal , i get good groups with all of them using powerbelts , since we can't use anything other than a 1x scope or reddot here in WI because of our DNR rules i feel that a 2" group at 100 yards is very good . the last deer i shot was with the 50 cal omega and the 295 gr powerbelt , 1 shot , deer went maybe 40 yards max with a blood trail a blind man could follow , i can't find any thing wrong with that

and i'm not blending my ramrod trying to get the darn bullets down the barrel like you can with some of those other brands

7mmbr

I have tried PB's out of both of my Knights and they didn't like them. I stay with 250 Hornady SST and 100grns loose 777 and they will both group under 1-1/2" at 100yds with 3x9 glass. My 2cents.


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Seen the least, feared the most!!!!

allen griggs

I am a big fan of the Hornady 250 SST.
I can't shoot Powerbelts in the Savage, that skirt won't hold up to smokeless pressure, so I don't have a dog in the fight.

ral819

I believe the Power Belts are undersized in most bores and they don't make enough expansion to grip the lands of the rifling on the shot. A narrow bore size will have better results with PB's, or shooting with fouled bores. Sabot's, like Shockwaves or Hornady SST's, make better contact with the rifling (they'll spin better, similar to a football)...

tsr1965

quote:Originally posted by ral819
I believe the Power Belts are undersized in most bores and they don't make enough expansion to grip the lands of the rifling on the shot. A narrow bore size will have better results with PB's, or shooting with fouled bores. Sabot's, like Shockwaves or Hornady SST's, make better contact with the rifling (they'll spin better, similar to a football)...


The PB bullet is what is actually gripping the rifling, and they are copper plated(not jacketed), soft lead with a plastic gas check base. The base seals and thumps the bottom of the bullet expanding it into the grooves of which it has already partially engraved. The sabot relies on the plastic jacket to grip the bullet to spin. The amount of grip depends totally on the loading technique, and how true the bullet is seated in the sabot, and how much compression is on the sabot. I used to use the knight 200 gr, Red Hots by Barnes, and loved them...untill i tried the power belts.

oldgunner

One more "pro" vote. I use PB's exclusively in my inline. I find them to be accurate, get my deer, and are easy to load. What more could you ask?

Since some of us are disappointed in them however..I expect some guns might not like them.

elkoholic

Check out the link in Odawgp's post for my in depth post. I can't speak highly enough about the PB line. Highly accurate, deep penetration, easy loading...HOWEVER I don't think they are designed to be pushed at "magnum" velocities.

Coltsmoke

I use the 295gr. powerbelt in a Traditions Pursuit Pro with 3ea. 777 pellets. Works great, killed many deer with them, no problems. One and half inch groups at 100yds. Easy to load, couldn't ask for anything better in my rifle.

Guns & Glass

There's a wealth of information in doing a "Search" before creating new topics, and redundancy. Alot of answesr to questions would be answered,

Power Belts can be everything from marginal to great....just like bullets in centerfires.

ALL, and more affect accuracy!!!!!
Every rifle maker does things differnt,
Every barrel material and tension isn't the same.
Every rifling isn't the same.
Every load isn't the same.
Every powder isn't the same.
Every trigger isn't the same.
Every shooter doesn't squeeze the trigger the same.
Flintlock aren't always 'held' the same on pan ignition.
Every tamping down of the ramrod isn't the same.
Every primer isn't the same.
Sabot material
Sabot thickness
Bullet diameter vs. sabot thickness.
Cleaning technique.
Ckleaning frequency.

Try a simple experiment....any three guys shoot exactly the rifle or handgun using the load, same bullet, same target, same day....will result in different groups.

It's alot more than just shooting a particular type bullet.
So....experiment, and have fun.

wwg55

I use the 245 At in front of 120gr pyrdex pellets in a Knight Disc 50 cal with a Leupold 3x9

diver-rig

been shooting them in .45 195 gr and .50 295gr.(150 grns 777 each) my knights accually seem to shoot tighter groups the dirtier they get. don't clean or swab bores til l0 or 11 shots. then have to fowl the barrell to start over. love them.