Good to know about the powerbelts...

spangler · October 9

Bought my wolf at d's. There was no 'selection' for accessories. Grabbed triple7 pellets and the aerotip powerbelts. There were no other options. Guess I'll use the powerbelts to sight the scope in.

I'd like to fine tune it with whatever I'll actually be shooting. Going saturday, so I'll be swinging by BP and will be limited to their selection. Hopefully, I'm not too late and they still have a decent selection ,bc I've noticed they always run out of everything as season starts.

Any other tips about loads, etc?

spangler · October 9

Pinman said:

Ive never shot anything with my ML but based on what ive read and recommendation from those who have used them I stopped loading the Powerbelts and went with Hornady SSTs. You might want to check into it. Powerbelts have lots of bad reviews.

Cracker23 said:

Barnes bullets are hard to beat for accuracy, controlled expansion, and penetration.

CrashDuck said:

I have killed with Powerbeats but they were tough tracks. No blood.

Do yourself a favor and get something better. I have had good results with Thompson super glides with shockwave bullets.

I enjoyed the report.

4WARD · October 9

I shot 4 deer with powerbelts.
None of them had an exit wound( and zero blood trail) Last one I shot twice even. Once at 10 yards and one hail mary at 150. Hit right and He dropped luckily. Zero blood.
I shoot the hornadys now.
I connected 3 yrs ago and it was a clean pass thru and made me feel better. That’s the extent of my pb experience.
other than that: 100 grains is PLENTY, and keep everything you need to reload in your shirt pocket. EVERYTHING ( including a couple extra primers).
Good luck to you.

Pinman · October 9

Amazon can probably, maybe, get what you need dropped at your door before the hunt. BUT... they wont be what you zero'd your gun in with and that can make a difference.

Im no Deer hunting guru or even at the level as high as a wannabe, but it was drilled into my head while I was young - use the same brand, bullet weight, that you have sighted your gun in with while hunting.

Turner River Terror · October 9

You better..
I've sighted my Smoke pole in with Powerbelts..Been using them for years. I tried the TC Maxi Hunters..still got 2 full boxes..but they'd fly all over the Target.
I'd rather hit him and not have a blood trail that flat miss him.
Haven't lost a Buck yet with Powerbelts in 15 years.
Double Lung and they will fall pretty quick.

4WARD · October 10

They are reliably accurate, I will give them that.

FloridaMetalFab · October 10

80 gr. Blackhorn powder and hornady or shockwave 250 gr. works for me out of that gun. Should have all that at bass pro and some wal-marts.

Turner River Terror · October 10

Total Pass Thru ?
In Theory a Round should expend all it's Energy in the Target..Not the Stump 20 ft.' behind it.
Them Power belts certainly do that.
Shotgun Slugs are about the same...No Pass thru a lot of times... But they hit you like a Mack Truck.

publichunter · October 10

Powerbelts break into pieces. Bullets aren't supposed to do that. That makes for a gut shot deer that wasn't gut shot.

publichunter · October 10

And tore up meat.

ANUMBER1 · October 10

shot 7 deer with powerbelts, all dropped pretty quick, didn't lose any.

I shot my first ml deer with barnes, dropped that 7 poiny like he had been hit with a train, 15 yards.

Then he got up and ran off, blood all over where he fell but none after, had to get a friend with a dog, buck ran almost 200 yards into a pond..
I punched it into his heart, no pass thru but he still got up and ran..

I like shoulder shots for a reason.

James243 · October 10

I'm glad all of you aren't buying up the bullet I like to use, the hornady 385gr Great Plains. I has worked great on everything from elk and sambar to armadillo. Do I get penetration, expansion, accuracy? Yes, yes, and yes. I'm only trying to shoot up to a hundred yards with open sights though, it is "primitive weapon" season after all.

4WARD · October 10

I had the aerotips completely explode at least twice.
Sure will kill them quickly but boy what a mess.
Never tried the HP’s ,maybe they are better .

swampwalker · October 10

Everyone is different. I’m still killing them with Powerbelts (Wolf) and round balls (Hawkin). I like accuracy with the PBs. A heart or lung shot has worked very well over the years. Furthest tracking was about 60 yds. I may pick up some of the other brands so I can speak with experience on them down the road. Good luck!

BowtechGen3 · October 10

For what it is worth an easy place to keep 2 primers in quick reach is in the screw holes on the butt stock of the gun. Easy to find in the heat of the moment

Sixth Generation · October 10

I havent used Powerbelts, but have shot a lot of deer with the 250 grain Shockwave. They are super accurate in my gun and have never lost one. Always get pass through and their lungs are turned to jello. Accuracy and taking a good shot is most important. Good luck and hope you kill a big one!

binellishtr · October 10

Never had a problem w my Hornady .45 cal round balls, its just the smoke ploom I've got issues with

Cracker23 · October 10

binellishtr said:

Never had a problem w my Hornady .45 cal round balls, its just the smoke ploom I've got issues with

If you can use the Blackhorn powder it eliminates a lot of smoke. I think it has used with a closed breech rifle

binellishtr · October 10

I still own and use an old school Hawkens, but won a brand new Hi tech one w a scope and all the latest advancements and havent fired it 1x.. however the shotgun muzzleoaders are unreal. Reached out on a doe one day with one at about 50yds and rolled her

meateater · October 10

over 10 years using powerbelts with 2 50 grain pellets very accurate and don,t remember ever losing a deer couple hogs lost but no deer last buck i shot with muzzleloader was 133 yds ran less than 50yds.

osprey11 · October 10

Lost too many hogs with powerbelts. Not a fan! Sometimes they hold toghether and sometimes shatter and ruin allot of meat..

publichunter · October 10

On the same note I had a 150 grain 7mm Federal Premium round fragment last year and open up the stomach on a well placed double lung shot deer. I killed 3 with powerbelts with no issues before one fragmented and failed to exit. Last year was the first time I've had a rifle round do it, but I ain't taking my chances with powerbelts anymore. 1 out of 4 isn't worth it, and I had a couple I thought missed with iron sights on my ML using powerbelts that may have been hits for all I know.

doghunter · October 10

I don't think I've ever seen such inconsistent reviews of anything as I have muzzle loading bullets. Here's my inconsistent review for what it's worth.

I've shot several deer with shockwaves (which I'm 99% sure is the same as the Hornady SST) I found them all, but there wasn't much blood to follow. I don't think I've ever shot a ML that shot them bad. I went to the Barnes TMZ a few years ago. They shoot just as good as the Shockwaves, but both deer I have shot with them left a good blood trail.

bowhunter4life · October 10

Just got mine out and made sure it was still on...t/c omega, 100 grains triple 7, 250 grain shockwave at 100yards....👌

osprey11 · October 10

Anybody tried the new Hornady FPB? Picked some up. haven't shot em yet

Big Mak · October 10

bowhunter4life said:

Just got mine out and made sure it was still on...t/c omega, 100 grains triple 7, 250 grain shockwave at 100yards....👌

I think you're ready.

4WARD · October 10

Iron sights, right??

bowhunter4life · October 10

These eyes wouldn’t work with open sights at that distance anymore....Nikon 3-9x40.

Turner River Terror · October 11

I single lunged a 7 point last year at 15 feet. 5 Feet in front of my Ladder Stand....Straight Down , just a brown spot in my Scope.
Powerbelts. He went about 150 yards with some blood and it was all foamy so I knew I had him..just had to Track him a bit and I kinda like that anyways.
Found him in knee deep water with his head laying on a log..Head and Horns was what I saw...
Powerbelts did their job and I did mine...

doghunter · October 11

bowhunter4life said:

Just got mine out and made sure it was still on...t/c omega, 100 grains triple 7, 250 grain shockwave at 100yards....👌

I love my Omega. It sure does shoot good. I went from 777 to blackhorn this year. It's a little cleaner, but the real reason I swapped is Walmart had cans of blackhorn marked down to $18 so I bought a couple. I also put a leupold vx2 on it with a custom CDS dial. I haven't played with it much, but I zeroed it at 100 then moved a target to 200 and cranked the dial to 2. It produced a 2.5" group just to the right of the bulls eye about 3 inches. There was a steady cross wind from left to right , so I called it good.

zimmy4209 · October 13

bowhunter4life said:

These eyes wouldn’t work with open sights at that distance anymore....Nikon 3-9x40.

For the price especially and quality my opinion those scopes are hard to beat. I have a couple other higher powered scopes that cost significantly more and have had all of them on each barrel at one time or another. Now those higher powered ones collect dust and I just use my Nikon 3×9 -40 for all of them.

Good to know about the powerbelts...

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