i was wondering what loads work best for you? i'm currently using 240gr powerbelts with 100gr pyrodex hitting about 2" high at 50 yards. is that where i should be hitting? first season with a ML.
I'm hunting with a CVA Buckhorn .50, so i can speak to this. I'm currently using 90gr of Pyrodex RS topped with a 240gr Hornady bullet/sabot. Lately, I've been shooting TC's 'CheapShot' pure lead sabots on top of 90gr RS. Why? They're $4/box of 20, and very accurate in my rifle - and they're lethal on deer. Killed a spike with one of the 'CheapShots' last night... hit him between the shoulder blades, bullet exited base of throat, deer went a grand total of three feet (straight down). Until that deer... I'd shot all of them with Hornady XTP sabots, but I'm becoming a fan of the CheapShot. Both are effective; CheapShots are cheaper. Either is superior, performance-wise, to a Powerbelt - whose sole advantage is easy loading, IMO.
That 240gr Powerbelt you're shooting, at +2" @ 50, should be dead-on at a little over 100yards, and will kill the deer. You're set. A thought, though: that 240gr Powerbelt is a relatively inefficient projectile as distances stretch... the loaded I mentioned above will be flatter, hit harder, and perform as well (or better) on game. My $.02
Unless you're stretching ranges past what most should be shooting, the old ~90-100gr power (less if 777) and a 240-300gr sabot is all you'll ever need.
