Which Bullet for CO Elk
- Thread starter mrklean
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HighDesertSage
Well-known member
348 Grain Powerbelt and 100 grains of Blackhorn 209.
sbhooper
Well-known member
I am not a fan of Powerbelts, as I have seen some poor performance from them. I really like the FPB bullets from Hornady. They are bore-sized and have no plastic but the tip. I have not used them on elk, but they fully penetrate deer from any angle. I would use them on elk any day.
Will the platinum keep their weight better then the standard lead heads? Everything i have been reading thats the biggest down side to the Powerbelt they loose their weight badly
mnbearbaiter
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I just found out via backdoor we drew ml elk so I guess now I can chime in. I will curse Powerjunk bullets till the day I die and yes I have used them to kill deer so I have experience with them. No Excuses, Thor, Hornady FPB, and I really like the new Federal Premium Lead 350gr. CO even has it in their rega as legal. 90-100gr of whatever powder you choose with a 300-400gr conical will but any elk down out to anybody's max range with open sights.
mnbearbaiter
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In retrospect the 348(minimum) and 405 FLAT POINT Powerbelts would kill an elk too according to many. No need for any HP or a fancy tip as these are soft lead anyway. I'd caution on higher than 90gr powder charge with these bullets as it'll hinder penetration.
I killed a whitetail doe with the Powerbelt Platinums a few years ago and will never again shoot an animal with them. Absolutely zero expansion led to no blood trail. Had there not been 8" of fresh powder snow on the ground I would have never even knew I hit the deer, let alone found her. The shot was right centered through the heart and there was not a drop of blood to be found besides the pool under the deer when I moved it. 35 yard shot with 100 grains Pyrodex. I followed her tracks to try to get another shot on her since all signs showed I missed. I almost tripped over her sneaking through some cedars hoping to see her on the far side of them.
It could have been a fluke, but I was not impressed at all.
It could have been a fluke, but I was not impressed at all.
I have shot 3 deer with Powerbelt Platinums. I have recovered all 3 deer. However, they fragment badly and only a small piece of the bullet exited on the last deer I shot, which was small bodied. Using 150 grains of 777 pellets. I would not use them on elk.
I too like the new Federal Bor Lok bullet which is a monolithic bullet. I have not yet had opportunity to test them for accuracy, but I have 2 packages of them and plan to.
I too like the new Federal Bor Lok bullet which is a monolithic bullet. I have not yet had opportunity to test them for accuracy, but I have 2 packages of them and plan to.
FrontierMuzzleloading
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Thor Bullets. 100% copper and prices compare to powerbelts, only the Thor is a better bullet.
FrontierMuzzleloading
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What did you shoot them out of?
CVA Optima and CVA Wolf,also T/C Impact. Just could not get accuracy I could count on. The Powerbelts out of the CVA is very good .When shooting scoped rifle I get consistant groups of under 2.5 inch's at 100 yards.Do not half to wonder Where they will hit.
Walkathon
Well-known member
I had the exact same experience with both of the above. Shot one deer with the FPB and it worked well. Seems like a very solid construction. Have had a couple of power belt bullets fragment on deer. Not sure I'd use them for elk unless they've made some structural changes to the bullet in the last 10 years.
FrontierMuzzleloading
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If you couldnt get them to shoot in an optima or wolf, you were doing something very wrong. The thors shoot excellent in the cva rifles, especially the optima and wolf.
Could be but I will ccontinue shooting Powerbelts as they preform good for me.
Gut Shot
Well-known member
I won't claim extensive knowledge of the terminal effects of ML bullets on elk, however...
The one failure I have seen was with the Hornady FPB. A shot to the shoulder on a youngish cow at under 50 yards dropped her in her tracks. She got up, ran off, and was never recovered. When she fell she fell on the side that was shot. Where she lay was a small pool of blood with copper fragments in it.
IMO you can't beat an old TC Maxi-ball for large game.
The one failure I have seen was with the Hornady FPB. A shot to the shoulder on a youngish cow at under 50 yards dropped her in her tracks. She got up, ran off, and was never recovered. When she fell she fell on the side that was shot. Where she lay was a small pool of blood with copper fragments in it.
IMO you can't beat an old TC Maxi-ball for large game.
Muzzle54
New member
I certainly agree on the TC Maxi-Ball being hard to beat. In the quest to turn muzzleloaders into flat shooting long range deer killers, we've lost sight of just how effective pure lead heavy conical bullets are on heavy game. I am fortunate to get to hunt elk every year, and have taken many bulls with the muzzleloader. Same goes for my friends, my adult son and his friends. I settled on the .54 caliber 430 grain maxi-ball many years ago, and it hasn't failed me yet. I've killed bulls from 15 to 100 yards and the bullet is usually recovered just under the hide on the far side. Sometimes there is complete penetration and they will break both shoulders! They are accurate in my guns. I shoot older Thompson Center guns, a System 1 inline with a 1:38 twist. I also have a Black Mountain Magnum in .54, with a 1:38 twist. TC introduced this side-lock when Colorado temporarily banned inline guns. It looks similar to a New Englander (round barrel), but has the faster twist. My son and his friends have all bought used Fire Hawks in .54 and they are great guns. Maxi-Balls also shoot well in the TC Hawkins and Renegade with their 1:48 twist. I shoot peep sights, can't use a scope here. They shoot as accurately as anything I've tried with the iron sights, and I wouldn't consider shooting over 100 yards at an elk with a muzzleloader. Unfortunately TC doesn't sell the .54 caliber Maxi-Ball anymore. I have a TC mold, and there are still folks casting and selling them.
