Hunting with Powerbelt Bullets - What you NEED to know!

 With everyone buying gear and loading up for the upcoming Elk hunts this year, lets take a look at the Powerbelt Bullet and what Powerbelt you should consider, as well as powder charges for that bullet.

My personal suggestion is the 338gr Powerbelt Platinum.

Why?

The Powerbelt Platinum is simply a tougher bullet due to its more aerodynamic shape, but most importantly, it has a much smaller hollow point cavity which allows deeper penetration into the vitals before it starts to open up. I have seen a lot of folks online comment that the bullet has a Platinum coating and guys, that's not the case! If it were Platinum coated, you would really cry at the check out isle!

Over the years of testing the 338 grain Powerbelt Platinum, I have found it to perform greatly in my torture tests that range from dry sand, wet sand, sloppy wet sand, to soaking wet news paper with a 1 gallon plastic bag of water in the middle of the news paper stack.

The powder charges I have tested with this bullet range from 80 grains Pyrodex RS, to 100 grains Blackhorn209. If you know the area you are hunting very well and have a good idea on the ranges you will be shooting, you'll be able to settle for less powder and get better penetration at shorter distances. 

It's better to use a heavy bullet with less powder, than a light bullet that's pushed beyond its limits.

Note hollow point size in the Copper series VS Platinum

Powerbelts are pure lead and like all pure lead conical bullets, pure lead plus high velocity plus close distance shots, often result in an over expanded bullet that has limited penetration due to over expansion/fragmentation, especially once it makes contact with heavy bone. 

Ideal loads for this bullet and shots of 50 yards + I would suggest 90 grains volume Triple 7 ffg or  Blackhorn209. 

Shots of  75 yards and beyond, you can up the charge to 100 grains +. Once you find the load that shoots best for you, go with it and just remember to avoid heavy bone, frontal shots, on elk. Lung shots will always do the job. Never ever rush a shot! It's hunting, shit happens, I understand that, But a lazy, rush placed shot is never the answer.

This Idaho elk survive a hunters pure lead( non copper coating ) Powerbelt. The hunter that shot this elk, posted pictures of what he found while skinning it. This elk had survived an unknown amount of year"s" before another harvested it to find this...... Bullet failed to even enter the rib cage.

Shot Placement is ALWAYS the most important part when harvesting any big game animal. I always hear of poor blood trails with everything from a bow to a muzzle loader. Poor shot placement is never made up with using any kind of bullet or broad head. When shooting big game, I like to hit them a little lower in the heart area so blood begins to flow faster rather than a mid way up lung shot which takes longer for the cavity to fill with blood before it starts to spew out and leave a trail.

Light weight Powerbelt Bullets such as the 223, 245 and 295gr Aerotip should never be considered an elk bullet simply due to their large over sized hollow point and the lack of weight behind them. Light weight, huge follow point, high velocity, is an absolute recipe for disaster.

These lighter Powerbelts have a track record for poor performance on smaller big game such as Whitetail & Mule deer. Sure, folks that do use them and have taken big game with  them have had success and as much as I love Powerbelt bullets, I will persuade folks from using these little bullets every chance I get. Big game deserves better bullet performance for a quick clean kill. They do not deserve a bullet that shreds apart quickly and does not enter the vitals. You as a hunter should also be researching bullet performance issues online and making the best attempt to use a strong, sturdy bullet to put that animal down.

MORE TO COME