Powerbelts - thoughts?

[Bow Hunter Derek]

While I mostly bowhunt, I enjoy getting the smoke pole out a couple times per year. In doing so, I've fallen in love with the way the 245 gr. aero tip Powerbelts fly out of my gun, but I'm not impressed with their ability to down game.

I've now taken 3 deer with the 245 gr. aero tips. All three were double lung shots. Granted, they killed each deer in short order, but the blood trails have been next to nothing. The exit holes on all three deer are no larger than the entrance holes. I'm wondering if that might have been different if I'd hit something more solid like a shoulder. Hitting a rib on each side and tissue in between seemed to do little in opening up large wound channels on any of my downed deer.

It's scary because my buck I shot this year never left any blood trail. If he had not dropped 50 yards away in the open field, finding him would have been a night mare. I had similar experiences with another doe.

I shot a doe last year in the fresh snow. Double lung, she acted like she was not even hit. Pretty soon I saw her walk off and go down, not 40 yards from the shot. When I got up there to where she was standing all I found were small pin head size drops and hardly any where she walked until she expired. If it were not for the fresh snow, it would have been scary trying to find blood.

I know that my luck is going to run out soon at this rate and at some point. One of these times I'm going to shoot a deer that is going to run into thick cover and either be a night mare to find, or worse ... lost.

I guess I'm looking for thoughts from others on the Powerbelts. I had a guy around here tell me he had the same problem until he switched to the 295 gr. He said that those flew just about as good and provided a much more devistating wound.

Any opinions out there?

[BuckNrut]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

I have not shot a deer w/ the 295 that I have loaded now. But, I can tell you a patched round ball out of a .54 (double lung) was devastating internally. There was not much if any blood trail either.

[robk]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

i haven't had any problems with the bullet doing it's job and as for a blood trail i can't really complain about it but sometimes it happens that deer won't leave a great trail but i think the bullets are excellent and if you keep using them you should be able to take any animal you want. just my 2 cents as i have seen the same thing happen with broadheads i have used and there are certain ones i don't like either so i understand your concern

rob k

[tedicast]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

I'm shooting the 295 grain hollow points. They are more accurate out of my gun than i can shoot. Haven't used them on game yet. hope to be able to tell you how they work in the next week. My season starts the 8th, but I won't get out untill the 11th.

[WABS]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

I've shot 295 hollow points for 3 or 4 years now and have taken a number of deer with it both whitetail and muley. I've had a number of bullets deflect off of ribs at 70+ yards that did not pass completely through. However the internal damage was significant and the animals did not go far after the shot. I've found a number of slugs in the outer skin that were approximately 1/5 the size of the original slug. I didn't weight the slug, so it may have been compressed, but it appeared more that the upper 4/5ths of the slug was gone. I'll continue to use Powerbelts, easy to load, good accuracy and they enable me to fill my freezer each year.

[Guest MarylandQDMA]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

I shot pb's in a 295 hollow point. they flew so so (6" group at 100 yards. I have shot 3 or 4 deer with them. all droped with in 40 yards. I can't tell you what the trail was like cause did not need to follow it. but I have herd horror stories about them, so I switched to Precision Rifle qt's. but now I think I'm in the same boat as you are, but with the qt's. any ideas?

I just thought of something one doe I shot last year left no blood, I found her the next day 40 yards away in a thicket. the shot was just a bit back liver and one lung. but no blood.

Frank

[too_pointer]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

I use the pb 295 grn. and so far satisfied with the expansion. I have shot the 245 grn just at targets, no animals. I would give the 295 a try if you want to stay with the powerbelts.

too_pointer

[RangerClay]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

I use the .348 hollow points. I like the knockdown power. Every deer I have shot with them has dropped in it's tracks. I plan to use them forever.

Ranger

[carbonhunter]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

I used them in my .45 cal x-150 ahead of 100 grains of powder. First doe i shot at 75 yards fell right over in her tracks. took a buck three dyas later, same result but much closer...maybe 20 yards the exit wounds on both deer where decent. I have since switched to shockwaves in a differant gun. I didnt have a problem with PB's but i was shooting 275grain .45's

so i cant say much about the .50's

[too_pointer]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

Hello oldsnow The powerbelts have some advantage over sabots because they only have a plastic cup behind the bullet, thus less plastic fouling.

This doesn't mean that they will group better in your rifle though. You still have to clean in between shots, some between 2-3 shots depending on what muzzleloader and what powder you are using. I can get good accuracy in my TC Encore with only cleaning after every 3 shots, this doesn't mean every rifle will do the same, only shooting will tell you. Alot has to do with how hard it becomes loading the bullet.

too_pointer

[Guest RandyWakeman]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

[ QUOTE ]

While I mostly bowhunt, I enjoy getting the smoke pole out a couple times per year. In doing so, I've fallen in love with the way the 245 gr. aero tip Powerbelts fly out of my gun, but I'm not impressed with their ability to down game.

[/ QUOTE ]

They are just conicals, and the 348s and 405s are the best performers within range. The HP is identical on the lighter bullets, same on a 245 as a 405. The heavier bullets do the best job, like most all conicals.

[Guest DaHunter]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

Well i just took a doe this morning with my 348 grain hallow point, the deer dropped on the spot. So theres no complaints from me cant wait until the morning.

[Randyman]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

I harvested two deer with the 295gr. Aerotips earlier this fall and got good expansion and penetration on both animals. The first was a buck that was dropped in his tracks with a high shoulder shot, so a blood trail was not an issue. Upon dressing this deer i found expansion on both entrance and exit was good, and the spine was devastated to say the least. The second was a doe that i shot at 25 yards on a slightly quartering to shot that caught both lungs but no major bones. She promptly disappeared into a thicket i was hunting the edge of as if she hadn't been hit. Upon inspecting the spot where she had been when i shot, i found good blood which indicated a lung shot. The blood trail remained good for the entire 75 yards she ran after the shot, which i was grateful for, as the going was tough in the thicket. Without the blood, finding her would have been tough. Once again, expansion on both entry and exit was good, even without any major bone being hit. Admittedly, my experience is relatively little at this point, and neither deer was real big, but so far it is positive. My understanding is that the Aerotips are actually designed for larger game such as Elk and such and the Hollow points for deer sized game. The Aerotips shot better out of my gun, so i went with them. Perhaps Powerbelt has improved the design and / or construction of their bullets in the recent past.

[bwlacy]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

I had the same problem Saturday evening. I shot a doe at about 90 yards. This was my first deer with a ML. She was a fairly large old doe about 150 pounds. Any way her leg was back when I shot, I hit the leg bone just below the shoulder blade. We tracked her all over the place and finally put another shot in her neck while she was bedded. The first shot never entered the chest cavity. The bullet just exploded and blew up the leg. I am all done with the PB Aerotips!! I may try the Hornady SST. My cousin shoots these and hasn't had any problems with them.

Matt

[njbowhntr]

Re: Powerbelts - thoughts?

Here is a pic of the hole that I left in a doe at 25 yards with a 295 gr hollow point. Next to the hole is a 3" shotgun shell that has been fired already.

BTW, this is the entry hole. It was at the base of the neck just in front of her right shoulder.