power belt bullets on Elk?

[bouldersmith]

We plan on hunting Elk next year here in colorado and my Dad has a .50 austin halleck that shoots hornady hollow points great. But thats not going to work for this hunt. No sabots in Colorado and hollow points are not what I want for Elk. I'm looking at the power belt 444 bullets. They look great, but does anyone have any exp? Thanks,
Steve

 

[BrownBear]

I've seen two Colorado elk shot with Powerbelts, but I don't remember which one. Both required second shots, one due to a shot too far back and one from a shot too high. Not the fault of the bullets certainly, but dead is dead.

 

[Greenmtnboy]

We plan on hunting Elk next year here in colorado and my Dad has a .50 austin halleck that shoots hornady hollow points great. But thats not going to work for this hunt. No sabots in Colorado and hollow points are not what I want for Elk. I'm looking at the power belt 444 bullets. They look great, but does anyone have any exp? Thanks,
Steve

This is going to sound really mean but power belts suck!!! I won't guide somone using them.
Yes here in CO we can't use sabots. So if you want good pentration and have your heart set on using a inline with a fast twist do the elk a favor and use TC maxie balls. They will lead your barrel. but they are far more accurate than powerbelts and more humane.
I have on vidio a 6x6 I called in for a client. at 30yrd He hit it in the sholder blade and knocked the elk down. The elk jumped up and ran off. After tracking for two days I found it still alive but very wounded. I got my hunter and we went bach and dispached it. The power belt was in the ribcage flat as a pancake. I killed my elk with a roundball at 100yrds. I hit the sholder blade. The roundball went through the sholder both lungs and lodged in the hide on the oppisite side. This is not the first time I have wittnessed The powerbelt hitting game and expanding so fast that it doesen't allow for pentration. Also like I said I have helped friends who just gotta use a inline sight in their rifle. Powerbelts are so inaccurate that out of 5 shots you may get as many as 3 flyers. that is after testing all the power belts and many powder loades. I will not!!! guide sombody using them :nono:
Sorry if this sounds harsh. I inomeans want to offend anyone but in my eyes the Elk comes first.
I have talked to our local Game officers many times on this issue. And it always falls on deaf ears. They are worried about losing revinue and thats all.
Before I got into roundball huckin I used maxieballs for 20yrs so if you have any questions give me a jingle
:thumbsup:

 

[Turtle2]

I have to agree with Greenmtnboy. I would strongly recommend staying away from Powerbelts. For my .54 cal Hawken (1:48 twist), I settled on a Horndady Great Plains .390 grain hollow point.

I was determined to hunt elk with a patched round ball but after all summer of trying to get an accurate load figured out, the week before opening day, I switched to the above mentioned bullets and the accuracy was right there and consistent too. So, that's what I took into the field.

The afternoon of the 3rd day, I called in 4 spikes with a 5 point bringing up the rear. They crossed about 50 yds in front of me and I had to wait for the 5 point. I finally got a shot and hit him right behind the front shoulder. He ran about 40 yds and that was it. Skinning him out in the dark, I found my bullet nesteled against the inside of the opposite side hide. It mushroomed great and sure did the job. It took out the lungs.

I'm more of a patch and roundball shooter but I didn't want to go into the field with charge that I wasn't sure of.

-Turtle2-

 

[bouldersmith]

was it the 444 bullet that performed so poorly or one the models designed for rapid exspansion on thin skinned game? Your comments are not harsh at....I'm looking for what folks have seen in the field. The gun has a fast rate of twist, but I wouldn't let the old man hunt w a inline :nono: :nono: Thanks for the input.
Steve

 

[cayugad]

If the traditional rifle has a fast twist and you do not trust the powerbelt, have you considered a 460 grain No Excuse Conical? No Excuse Conicals are made in Utah. People are finding them very accurate and very hard hitting. Even a simple load of 85 grains of Goex 3f and them will really do some impressive penetration test results...

I shoot them in a couple of my fast twist rifles. Some like that, and some don't. All you could do is try them. And they are a lot more cost effective then the 444 powerbelts.

 

[Greenmtnboy]

was it the 444 bullet that performed so poorly or one the models designed for rapid exspansion on thin skinned game? Your comments are not harsh at....I'm looking for what folks have seen in the field. The gun has a fast rate of twist, but I wouldn't let the old man hunt w a inline :nono: :nono: Thanks for the input.
Steve

We ( my friend Pat ) spent all one day shooting every powerbelt made in 50cal. He shoots a TC Encore. one in 22 twist I think. Not one power belt grouped worth a darn :cursing: Pat has won many long range comp he is one of the best shots I know.
I have recovered both the hollow point and v point ( like a plastic cone ) from game. both bullets expanded to rapidly and flatened out about the size of a quarter, with very little pentration. I have never recovered one from soft skin deer size game. I mean I have never seen a deer shot with one. Just Elk. I liked TC Maxie balls, but there are many good all lead bullets out there. You need to figure out what your gun likes. Oh ya I was checking out your fathers? rifle last night in Muzzleblast, very nice.
I am very adiment about the flaws of this bullet and wish they were outlawed. Until enough attention is brought to it unfourtinally it will stay legal for elk in CO.
If you choose a lead bullet you will have to clean between shots with a brush than a patch for leading that will affect accuracy. There are lots of cleaning solutions that combat lead fouling . Also I melted out the TC lube from my bullets.( I feel it's a inferior lube ) and replaced it with SPG lube, It helped with leading.
It's what all the long range blackpowder centerfire shooters use. ie 45-70, 45 -90, 45-110
38-55 you get my point.
I bought a 270 gr mold for hunting and thought it quite effective on elk. I woulden't go any bigger than the a 360 bullet. You will lose down range ballistics very rapidly with a bigger bullet. And you don't really need one any bigger. If you go big ( bullet ) get a creedmore sight so you can ajust your elevation from 50 yrds 100yrds 150yrd :rotf: A big bullet will rainbow on you under 100yrds. Also I only used Maxi balls because they were less affected by wind than maxie hunters. When you double lung a elk with a 360grn projectile, even if it doesen't expand that elk is dead in under two min. I will put my stamp of guarantee on that.
Take it easy
Greenmtnboy :hatsoff:

 

[CoyoteJoe]

This man knows what he is talking about! He is a professional guide, a serious hunter and a serious shooter who doesn't settle for "good enough".
Greenmtnboy put me on to my elk last season. I just went where he said to go and there stood my cow. It was a longer shot than I like but was able to settle into a good kneeling position and the front sight settled down real nice so I touched off. The .490 round ball over 80gr. 3f did the job and kept on going. I think it exited only because it had flattened on entrance, then hit a rib offcenter on the far side. That tipped it edgewise and the exit was a slot, not a round hole, but it had already done its' job by then. :grin:
I plan to work some more with conicals this summer as I do believe the better penetration makes a more certain outcome on elk, but if I can't get the accuracy I'm looking for from the Lyman 48" twist, well, it will be round ball again.