turkeyfoot
Old Mossy Horns
They grouped great on paper in my CVA them tips touched each other frequently then I bout lost a nice 8 due to no blood luckily I went to creek found him poeerbelt under hide
Bullet not exiting
- Thread starter Andrewd
- Start date
Andrewd
Six Pointer
Same here they shoot paper real well for me. The buck I shoot Monday no blood bullet under hide on far side.
turkeyfoot
Old Mossy Horns
Believe this or not but I shot one where bullet was under hide right near heart on THE NEAR SIDE that was end of Powerbelts for me. It did kill deer still not sure how wouldn't believed it unless seen with my own eyes
It probably shocked the deers heart and damaged it to the point of failure.
Possibly similar to someone hitting you in the chest with a golf club or ball bat.
Dan Apple
Old Mossy Horns
^^^exactly
When a bullet hits a deer in the vital area, the bullet in many cases travels a long ways towards the other side of a deer before the skin actually breaks.
Think about how far the skin has to stretch before it breaks.
Think about how far the skin has to stretch before it breaks.
georgeeebuck
Ten Pointer
Powerbelt, baaaaaaadd,,,, Barnes gooooooood. I have killed a lot of deer with barnes ML bullets and never recovered one in a deer. Always good blood trail or drt.
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Lee
Six Pointer
Another vote for Hornady XTP's. 240's or 300's is the question.
Redneck Rocker Dude
Old Mossy Horns
gremcat
Twelve Pointer
I know a few guys shooting saboted Powerbelts in Flintlocks here and love them. My Uncle I learned to hunt with loves them in his inline or always did. I tried them in my inline and same as others have seen without exit. I run XTPs and have had good results. I’ve never tried Barnes or Shockwaves. I did start with Pyrodex and starter strips then when they disappeared went to Triple 7 and haven’t seen anything unique with bullet performance but they are probably similar. IIRC the starter strip was real black.
FishHunt
Old Mossy Horns
Powerbelts work awesome if you drill a hole all the way through the center and use them for fishing weights.
I've never had a problem shooting through or recovering deer shot with 240-300gr Hornady XTP bullets using pellets or Blackhorn 209.
<>< Fish
I've never had a problem shooting through or recovering deer shot with 240-300gr Hornady XTP bullets using pellets or Blackhorn 209.
<>< Fish
Crazyhunter
Button Buck
Shot a buck this evening with a powerbelt. Entrance, exit and into a tree. Deer went a total of 5 yards from impact. I'm shooting 295 grain aerotip with 70 grains of powder. Powerbelts do good with lower charges. Think of them like a miniball just soft lead.
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I must be doing something wrong. I’ve killed at least this many and probably had less than 10% pass thrus. But also have tracked less than 10%
Son dropped one in spot today. No pass thru
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DFisher
Eight Pointer
Shot a buck this morning with a powerbelt, 75 yards, 100 yard recovery, no blood, had to search for an hour. Found bullet inside. Powerbelts gone before next season.
Thutty-thutty
Eight Pointer
Hornady xtp 180,240,or 300gr
Knight Bloodline bullets nothing better in my opinion and I’ve killed deer with everything listed except Powerbelts. 110 grains Blackhorn 209 behind it.
Shot a big nanny doe and a button buck that I thought was a doe. Both at 60 yards with a 300 gr hornady sst pushed by 100gr blackhorn 209. Both hit right behind the shoulder and both DRT. Nice exits on both deer also.
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drhunter1
Four Pointer
That's what I've been using the last few yew years. With 90 grains of Pyrodex. I've had pass throughs because I accidentally shot a little further back than I intended. Yesterday I was able to get a good, high shoulder shot that I prefer. He was coming up hill toward me and started quartering away. I shot him at about 35 yards in the right shoulder. I found the bullet under the skin on his left rear shank! It had traveled all the way through him and lodged there. I haven't weighed it but all of the main base is there and some of the mushroom. I think I'll keep using them
klim
Twelve Pointer
I shot 245 grain hollow point power belts out of a CVA Kodak for years and the groups where about cloverleaf groups. All the deer I shot with them, fell with sight but no exit wound whatsoever. Imho they are too soft of a bullet. I was fortunate enough to buy me a smokeless muzzleloader and start shooting and hunting with it, to me a 250 or 300 grain Hornady XTP bullet is just hard to beat for what it is.
Homebrewale
Old Mossy Horns
For the buck I shot on Saturday, I hit it poorly the first time - through the spine on lower back. Second shot was through heart. Both Barnes TEZ bullets passed through.
Barnes all the way for me. I have killed deer with 3 different style Barnes bullets and they all performed the same. I have NEVER had to track a deer shot with a Barnes, as the farthest I've had one run is 30 yards, but all bullets exited and would have left a good blood trail.
hayco10
Eight Pointer
Shoot smaller deer... lol, used Powerbelts and were accurate but lost first 2 deer I shot and went to Barnes 300 gr hollowpounts.
kilerhamilton
Old Mossy Horns
I’m not much of a gun hunter. But I’ve never thought a bullet exiting was a big deal. Means to me that the bullet dumped all the energy in the animal. Dead animal
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Exactly, unless the shot doesn't anchor the deer and there is a need to track, especially in clear cuts or other thick areas. That's when the exit is important to me.
bb1970
Six Pointer
power belts always shot well for me but never had a pass thru ........thats why I no longer shoot them !
adkarcher
Six Pointer
It is strange to me all the bad reports on Powerbelts. Used for years and never lost a deer, never even tracked one. If they took a step, that was a lot. Now I hunt woods and my ranges were woods ranges, I never stretched out what a muzzleloader to be something marginal. Hit them in the boiler room and they collapsed. I used the hollow points.
Sounds like the Barnes and other bullets are great, but always had success with Powerbelts.
I have mostly switched to traditional muzzleloaders now, but did have a complete passthrough opening weekend with a patched round ball. No tracking. Took a step or 2, turned around and laid down, that was all.
Sounds like the Barnes and other bullets are great, but always had success with Powerbelts.
I have mostly switched to traditional muzzleloaders now, but did have a complete passthrough opening weekend with a patched round ball. No tracking. Took a step or 2, turned around and laid down, that was all.
greenoakl
Six Pointer
greenoakl
Six Pointer
450 grain lead conical 80 grains 777 . They can’t take much of that