444gr PowerBelt / Blackhorn 209 for Elk

[SmithAC]

My first Elk hunt will be with Encore Muzzleloader and i am planning to use the 444gr flatpoint PB with the Blackhorn 209 powder. I spoke with Don at Western Powder and was assured that the Blackhorn 209 was OK for the 444gr even though the weblink brochure recommends nothing over 350gr. He said the Powerbelts start presssure being less than a typical sabot allows for using a heavier powerbelt but not to go over 100gr of powder with the 444PB. He said 100gr of Blackhorn 209 should give a muzzle velocity of just under 1600fps. I assume thats plenty for an Elk.
Craig

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

Now may have just picked the wrong Powerbelt. In colorado we have the law 'Bullet can not exceed twice the bores diameter" I know the 405g powerbelt is slight under an inch with the Aerotip.  What you'll need to do is measure from the base of the bullet " nipple that the skirt attaches to is not included in the length" to the tip.

Im not sure if you have sighted in with this, but TC's generally are not conical shooters. TC will even tell you that they were made to shoot sabots and not conicals.  So you may not exactly get the accuracy you are looking for.

You did pick a great Powerbelt weight for elk. You couldn't even imagine the fools that go after elk with a 245g powerbelt and then complain about the perfomance! They believe its more than enough because their Aught six shoots only a 160 grain bullet.  Huge difference between the two!

[SmithAC]

Good news, the 444gr powerbelt flatnose is under an inch! (I said flatpoint in my original post, i meant flatnose, sorry)
Being from the Georgia and huntin these whitetail the 295 powerbelts have always worked great. Being unsure and my first Colorado hunt for Elk I called powerbelt and they recommended either the 338 Platinium or the 444gr and they assured me the 444 flatnose was legal in Colorado. I pressed them which they thought was best and whoever i was talking to said the 444. Once i became aware of the 2X bore rule i did put the micrometer to it measuring "from the base of the nipple that the skirt attaches to, to the flat nose" and get 0.975 (close but legal!).

Then I found out about the Blackhorn 209, drove a 3 hr round trip last week for two containers (all they had in stock) and went to the range last Saturday. They seem to shoot fine, my longest distance shooting so far was 80yd and they grouped fine. Everything advertised about the 209 powder seemed true. No cleaning every 2 or 3 shots. I shot about 8 powerbelts in two barrels each and the 8th reload was as easy as the first. Cleanup was a snap. I used a light weight oil on first cleaning patch and it takes the majority of soot from the barrel. My encores will never see pyrodex or T7 again.
It would be interesting to see chronagraph velocities of the 444gr with the 209 powder. Don at Western Powder gave 1597fps with 100gr Blackhorn 209 behind the 444gr flatnose powerbelt and a 26in barrel.
We are hunting south in the conejos area and San Juan National Forest. 

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

If you're getting close to 1600 fps with that bullet, that is amazing! I wouldnt be able to handle the recoil from it but that is going to lay the smack down on an elk!

[pab1]

The 444 gr Powerbelts are very hard bullets. I shot a bull (there is a picture under the "Post Your Elk Pictures" link)a few years back with one and got no expansion. The bullet entered just behind the right shoulder and left a .50 caliber size hole in the left shoulder blade on the way out. The bull showed no sign of being hit and took off down the mountain. The bullet did pass through both lungs and the bull ran about 150 yards and bled out. I prefer some expansion in a hunting bullet for a larger wound channel. I should have tested these for expansion at the range before hunting with them. If I had known how hard they were I would have aimed for the shoulder/bone to begin with.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

flat point is for heavy bone. Thats what that bullet was made for.  Over kill on deer but for elk size + game, its perfect.

[pab1]

There are many flat point bullets that are too soft for shots on bone for elk sized game, yet still expand and penetrate on heart lung shots.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

talk to powerbelt bullets about the 444g flat point then.

[pab1]

That was the reason for my original post, so SmithAC would be aware of that.