If the powerbelts shoot good in your gun then they are a good option. But with CO restrictions I'll give another vote for the dumb old TC maxiballs, 90-100 grn powder. They seem to shoot well in every gun I have, whereas powerbelts, sabots, etc. can all be very finicky.
Which Bullet for CO Elk
- Thread starter mrklean
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If the powerbelts shoot good in your gun then they are a good option. But with CO restrictions I'll give another vote for the dumb old TC maxiballs, 90-100 grn powder. They seem to shoot well in every gun I have, whereas powerbelts, sabots, etc. can all be very finicky.
windymtnman
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In reading the reviews for the Powerbelt bullets on Cabela's website, the comments seem to go from one extreme to the other. Common complaints are failure to pattern satisfactorily, fragmentation and then poor blood trails due to lack of proper expansion.
Yet, I may buy some for this Fall's Elk hunt. In my .54 cal. rifle, I'm wondering if I should stick with the .348 grain or .405 grain bullet? I don't expect shot opportunities (?) at long yardages. Probably 80 or less?
Which grain bullet would you go for?
Yet, I may buy some for this Fall's Elk hunt. In my .54 cal. rifle, I'm wondering if I should stick with the .348 grain or .405 grain bullet? I don't expect shot opportunities (?) at long yardages. Probably 80 or less?
Which grain bullet would you go for?
FrontierMuzzleloading
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348gr is more than enough.
windymtnman
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I read over a lot of bullet reviews, and then went on Cabela's, to read more reviews there. Thing is, a lot of the bullets that many think are superior to the Powerbelts , aren't marketed in .54 caliber. So, your choices appear to be more limited. At least I can buy .54 cal. Powerbelts, even if they're performance is debatable.
FrontierMuzzleloading
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You can read all the reviews you can possibly stomach. Reviews don't show peoples skills nor their shot placement.
Couldn't agree more.
In my limited experience - 3 muzzy elk - the Thors have been excellent in my CVA Acurra.
knobbytire
Member
I'm hunting CO with .50 cal 385 gr Hornady Great Plains bullets in a TC Hawken flintlock. I used to use PRB in it for whitetail when I lived in PA. I'm thinking that the Great Plains bullet will put some more lead and knockdown power when striking the chest cavity of a bull elk.
Either that, or I'll just enjoy the scenery while walking the flintlock all over the mountain and it won't matter what bullet I use.
Either that, or I'll just enjoy the scenery while walking the flintlock all over the mountain and it won't matter what bullet I use.
Aussie_hunter_JD
Well-known member
I've shot 5 deer with my muzzleloader in Australia and four went down on the spot, the one that ran went 30 yards. I use and love hornady 240gn xtp magnums behind 110gn loose alliant MZ out of my Tc bonecollector 50. Mean combo
Gut Shot
Well-known member
But he can't use a sabot in Colorado.
Aussie_hunter_JD
Well-known member
Well that sucks, normally it's us with the stupid laws.
I've also got hornady 300gn fpb's haven't used them on game but they shoot well at the range.
knobbytire
Member
Rules in Colorado for Muzzleloader season are: round ball or conical bullets only, minimum of .50 caliber, sabots are prohibited, scopes or electronic sights are prohibited. During rifle season, the prohibitions aren't there, though.
In some states, you are limited to iron sights, round ball and flintlock only for muzzleloader.
Dandy deer, by the way.
Gut Shot
Well-known member
Loose powder too, no pelleted powder.
elkduds
Well-known member
I'm used to TC maxiballs and Hornady Great Plains in my Lyman .54. I went to CVA Optima .50 this year, and am trying FPBs. They don't start down the muzzle until I pass them through the bore from the breech. After that "sizing" they load with some effort, I'm getting 3" groups @ 100 yds w ghost ring open sights, over 90 gr. T7.
I have used Powerbelt Platinums in 50 caliber with 150 grains of 777 pellets. They shot accurate, 1.5" at 100 yds, but I think they performed poorly on deer. Yes, they killed them, but fragment and no pass through on small deer. I would not recommend them on elk.
I live in NYS and am not restricted on sabots. Many sabots though are very hard to seat, some even with a clean barrel! That was my reason for going to the Powerbelts in the first place. I am now looking for another bullet. My requirements (not necessarily in order of importance) are 1) good accuracy; 2) work with 150 grains; 3) be able to shoot 3 times before cleaning is required; 4) hold together on game.
I have tried Black Horn 209 and compared it to 777 Pellets. I used 3 bullets with both powders, with 120 grains of 209 and 150 grains (3 pellets) of 777. I discerned no verifiable difference between the 2 powders in terms of bullet seating or ease of cleaning after 3 shots. The gun was grungy when cleaned and both powders required additional "oomph" to seat bullets after the first shot.
Bullets used were a Barnes (tipped, don't remember the exact name), a TC Easy Load sabot and a Hornady easy load. Of the 3, the Hornady loaded the easiest on a dirty barrel, but didn't give the best accuracy. The Barnes was arguably THE best designed bullet; however, the sabots required 2 men and a small boy to seat - even difficult on a clean barrel! The TC was the most accurate with the 777 at 150 grains.
All 6 loads tested were accurate for 150 yard hunting, but when one shoots 2.5" and another is 1.5", there's not much contest there. So, I hunted with the TC for a few years then tried the Powerbelt for a few, killing 3 deer. Now, I plan to try the new Federal belted bullet. Unsure if that would qualify as a sabot or not for CO guys. Its not monolithic, but is one piece....
I live in NYS and am not restricted on sabots. Many sabots though are very hard to seat, some even with a clean barrel! That was my reason for going to the Powerbelts in the first place. I am now looking for another bullet. My requirements (not necessarily in order of importance) are 1) good accuracy; 2) work with 150 grains; 3) be able to shoot 3 times before cleaning is required; 4) hold together on game.
I have tried Black Horn 209 and compared it to 777 Pellets. I used 3 bullets with both powders, with 120 grains of 209 and 150 grains (3 pellets) of 777. I discerned no verifiable difference between the 2 powders in terms of bullet seating or ease of cleaning after 3 shots. The gun was grungy when cleaned and both powders required additional "oomph" to seat bullets after the first shot.
Bullets used were a Barnes (tipped, don't remember the exact name), a TC Easy Load sabot and a Hornady easy load. Of the 3, the Hornady loaded the easiest on a dirty barrel, but didn't give the best accuracy. The Barnes was arguably THE best designed bullet; however, the sabots required 2 men and a small boy to seat - even difficult on a clean barrel! The TC was the most accurate with the 777 at 150 grains.
All 6 loads tested were accurate for 150 yard hunting, but when one shoots 2.5" and another is 1.5", there's not much contest there. So, I hunted with the TC for a few years then tried the Powerbelt for a few, killing 3 deer. Now, I plan to try the new Federal belted bullet. Unsure if that would qualify as a sabot or not for CO guys. Its not monolithic, but is one piece....
windymtnman
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I'm far from an expert on shooting muzzleloaders.
That said, here's what my experience has been this Summer, as I prepare for my soon upcoming Colorado Elk hunt in about 10 days. I have a CVA inline, 54 caliber rifle. I had some 348 gr. Powerbelt bullets from a season 3 years ago, but thought as long as I needed more Powerbelt bullets, I'd opt to go up to the 405 grain Powerbelts. I shot the rifle on and off for the last couple months, and couldn't get those 405 gr. bullets to pattern. I only shoot 4 times/day, as I go clean the rifle when it gets hard to reload it.
After fiddling with the rear sight. I decided to put the rifle in a Lead Sled, and shoot at 50 yards. I decided to shoot a couple of the 348 grain Powerbelts, as I was concerned about my diminishing bullet inventory. Well, the two fired 348 grain rounds grouped at 1 1/2" at the Bullseye. I was pretty amazed at my accuracy!
I followed that up with 2 shots, using the 405 grain bullets. First round was 10" from the Bull, low and right. The second round was also about 10" low, directly below the Bull. Now I expect a different point of impact with the difference in bullets, but why didn't they group like the 348 grains did? I'm trying to allow for my own errors here too, but the Lead Sled ought to minimize my errors.
I went in the house and ordered more 348 gr. Powerbelts. I'm thinking they may just shoot better out of my rifle? Anyway, I want to have a confidence in the rifle when out hunting, so I'm going to shoot the lighter bullets this year.
That said, here's what my experience has been this Summer, as I prepare for my soon upcoming Colorado Elk hunt in about 10 days. I have a CVA inline, 54 caliber rifle. I had some 348 gr. Powerbelt bullets from a season 3 years ago, but thought as long as I needed more Powerbelt bullets, I'd opt to go up to the 405 grain Powerbelts. I shot the rifle on and off for the last couple months, and couldn't get those 405 gr. bullets to pattern. I only shoot 4 times/day, as I go clean the rifle when it gets hard to reload it.
After fiddling with the rear sight. I decided to put the rifle in a Lead Sled, and shoot at 50 yards. I decided to shoot a couple of the 348 grain Powerbelts, as I was concerned about my diminishing bullet inventory. Well, the two fired 348 grain rounds grouped at 1 1/2" at the Bullseye. I was pretty amazed at my accuracy!
I followed that up with 2 shots, using the 405 grain bullets. First round was 10" from the Bull, low and right. The second round was also about 10" low, directly below the Bull. Now I expect a different point of impact with the difference in bullets, but why didn't they group like the 348 grains did? I'm trying to allow for my own errors here too, but the Lead Sled ought to minimize my errors.
I went in the house and ordered more 348 gr. Powerbelts. I'm thinking they may just shoot better out of my rifle? Anyway, I want to have a confidence in the rifle when out hunting, so I'm going to shoot the lighter bullets this year.
