Bullet not exiting

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
It's all about impact speed, bullet design and animal shot. Power belts are made to go slow. Speer usta make a 300 grain .451 flat nose that was awsome on deer a 2500 fps.


You wouldn't use the same bullet in a 30-30 and a 300wm and expect the same results.
U wanta be happy match bullet to speed to what you want.
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
I don’t understand all of this stuff about expansion bullets in muzzleloaders. I get it with most rifles.....but with a muzzleloader....come on.....you are punching 1/2” hole if it doesn’t deform at all. If you want reliable exits, I’d get away from bullets that expand a lot. Muzzleloaders are not shooting enough speed...especially that bullets have gotten a bit lighter. Take the 1/2” hole and be happy.

This^^ My 370 grain Maxi Balls behind 90 grain Pyrodex select has not let me down ....Pass throughs and dead deer. shot 50 plus deer with it. My inline I shoot 1oo grains of select with 240 grain XTP sabots but with maybe 2 deer shot with it I dont have the kills with it as the maxiballs but both of those dropped dead right there, i would get away from those bullets and try something else.
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
I agree!
I’ve killed over 50 with the 240 gr Hornady XTP’s in the last 20 some odd years and they’ve never failed to exit, or to give me VERY good blood trails.


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see above...killed lots with 370 grain maxi balls in my old Renegade but only 2 I can remember with my TC inline and both dropped DRT. The Inline I shoot XTP's and 1 was not a pass through but it was awesome penetration. Story - I am in ground blind and 170lb ish 9 pointer steps out in lane 90 yds away. but with a quartering away shot. He is looking back at me. I put crosshairs right in front of right hip(angle had heart /lungs in line) I fire and deer drops DRT. Bullet enters where aimed and going through guts - vital area- then goes though length of neck ands lodges under skin on left side of bucks neck. should of measured penetration but that bullet with through a lot of tissue.
 

Aaron H

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I am a bit surprised by all that I read here. I shoot 348 grain Powerbelts out of my .50 cal TC Pro Hunter using 100 grains of Pyrodex pelleted and rarely have failed to get a pass through shot on whitetails. This year I took 2 bucks, one at 40 yards and one at 110 yards and shot through both of them. Mostly my hunting ranges have been around 50 yards during muzzle loading season and my very longest shot on a deer was 135 yards. Sitting here now I only remember recovering a Powerbelt bulllet while skinning a deer maybe 3 times. NOW......... sometimes I shoot the shoulder but mostly I am hitting them through the ribs and lungs much like I would bow hunting and pass throughs have not been a problem.
 

adkarcher

Six Pointer
I am a bit surprised by all that I read here. I shoot 348 grain Powerbelts out of my .50 cal TC Pro Hunter using 100 grains of Pyrodex pelleted and rarely have failed to get a pass through shot on whitetails. This year I took 2 bucks, one at 40 yards and one at 110 yards and shot through both of them. Mostly my hunting ranges have been around 50 yards during muzzle loading season and my very longest shot on a deer was 135 yards. Sitting here now I only remember recovering a Powerbelt bulllet while skinning a deer maybe 3 times. NOW......... sometimes I shoot the shoulder but mostly I am hitting them through the ribs and lungs much like I would bow hunting and pass throughs have not been a problem.
Me too. Just wondering if trying to make a muzzleloader a rifle. now today's inlines are pretty much a single shot rifle, but still can't stretch them out like a rifle. If you put the bullet in the boiler room.....
 

Scrub

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Me too. Just wondering if trying to make a muzzleloader a rifle. now today's inlines are pretty much a single shot rifle, but still can't stretch them out like a rifle. If you put the bullet in the boiler room.....

Smokeless can stretch them out.
 

adkarcher

Six Pointer
Smokeless can stretch them out.

Yeah I know, that is a whole different animal. I just know that when i used my inlines, they never took a step. Now that I went back to real blackpowder and PRB, they still dont run far if hit in the boiler room - at least in my experience. But for those that dont like those bullets, definitely shoot something else.
 

Lawnscaper

Eight Pointer
Contributor
I'm shooting the Barnes original 300 grain in a smokeless Savage and Blackhorn 209 in a CVA and they leave two holes every time, the only time I ever found one in a deer was a deer facing me and I found the bullet in his ham. Very accurate in both guns also
 

Deep River

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Muzzle loader bullets will always suffer from a lack of sectional density. For a good read on sectional density, go back and read some of the older info on the Chuck Hawks blog. In short, these bullets have a very large diameter. In order to punch that large diameter thru a larger animal, the bullet needs a lot greater mass (weight). Unfortunately, by ramping up the weight you lose velocity and have to deal with a great deal of bullet drop. The Chuck Hawks reads will provide you with some good rules of thumb on sectional density. With some quick math, you will be able to see the problem with typical muzzle loader bullets.
 

Hunting Nut

Old Mossy Horns
I'm just putting this out here now....
If you had bad bullet penetration last year with your M/L....
1. There is a smokeless M/L in the clasdifieds that'l push a .45 cal. Bullet 3,000 ft./sec.
2.DON'T SHOOT POWERBELT BULLETS AT DEER ! You have plenty of time. It's still June. Change to a better bullet and work you up a load and sight it in....plenty of time.
 

ScLowCountry

Six Pointer
Powerbelts are just soft lead bullets with no jacket. That’s why they don’t exit.
I shoot TC cheap shot sabots, which are soft and solid lead, similar to powerbelt. I usually don’t get an exit, but kills just fine.
I can vouch for XTP exiting though. Ive killed several with xtp.
I use them as well. I just ran out of sabots and found the cheap shots for 5 bucks at Walmart on sale.
 

Scrub

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Best muzzleloading bullet I’ve ever used is Knight Bloodline which is made by Leigh.
 

jboi72

Eight Pointer
I shot powerbelts in my .45 up until I got rid of it, I lost one deer with them and still don't know what happened there the deer dropped and was doing a death moan and then got up and staggered off. Never found it but was heck of a blood trail for a good bit. When I went back to a .50cal I switched to the t/c 240 grain xtp because thats what my dad had been using with great success and haven't lost one with it yet,even with a quartering away shot that never expanded or left any sort of blood but deer still only made it a short distance. Actually pulled bullet on offside hide right underneath the hide.
 

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45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Is that the hollow point? Green sabot your talking about in 240. Put new scope on smoke pole and I'm not using the power belts any longer

Green sabot and the 240 gr XTP for 44 mags are ML perfection IMO. I'm still playing with a favorite amount of BH209, but have yet to see a ML that doesn't shoot great with 90 gr Pyrodex select and the above bullet/sabot. Never could get Powerbelts to group well.
 

Hunting Nut

Old Mossy Horns
Is that the hollow point? Green sabot your talking about in 240. Put new scope on smoke pole and I'm not using the power belts any longer

@45/70 hunter is spot on. 90 grains loose is what I shot for years.
A few years back, I got lazy and reconfigured for 2 pellets. (100 grains).
That 240 grain Hornady 44 cal. XTP hollowpoint bullet has killed the biggest bucks on my wall.
And, unlike on TV....I recovered my properly shot animals right then.
 

firedawg60

Twelve Pointer
Green sabot and the 240 gr XTP for 44 mags are ML perfection IMO. I'm still playing with a favorite amount of BH209, but have yet to see a ML that doesn't shoot great with 90 gr Pyrodex select and the above bullet/sabot. Never could get Powerbelts to group well.
I like 80 grains of BH with that bullet, which is probably really close in velocity to 90 grains Pyrodex.
 

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Even though all guns are different, I would be surprised if it didn't shoot well as it does for us in a DISC, Accura, and a TC Impact.

I have an Impact. Been messing with 90-100 gr hadn’t thought to try 80-90 gr. I’m gonna try 80 next outing.


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Clifford66

Button Buck
Exactly why I don’t shoot Powerbelts.

Switch to Hornady XTP
Yes - 300 grain Hornady XTP always expand and always exit. I shoot these from a MMP short black sabot, and 100 grains by volume of Blackhorn 209. Recoil is stiff, and it may be overkill, but terminal performance is never in question!
 

TravisLH

Old Mossy Horns
I’ve had great luck with the tc shockwave 250s with the black sabot plastic, fits extremely tight and works well


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Hunting Nut

Old Mossy Horns
When I run out of 240 grain, 44 cal XTP's, I have entertained the idea of going to black sabots and 45 cal XTP's.

That is, IF we're still allowed to have M/L's by then.
 

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
When I run out of 240 grain, 44 cal XTP's, I have entertained the idea of going to black sabots and 45 cal XTP's.

That is, IF we're still allowed to have M/L's by then.

There's a new sabot out to use .458" bullets I want to try. Turn a 50 cal ML into a 45/70.

 

Hunting Nut

Old Mossy Horns
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