Elk bullets

[A-con]

After reading the post on Power Belts, I was wondering about bullets for elk.
I'm new to in lines & BP hunting, but I just submitted apps for New Mexico muzzleloader elk (bull).
I want pass throughs, an exit hole.  I'm going out next weekend to test some 460 No Excuses, 300 XTPs and 295 Power Belts in a CVA Wolf that I won in a raffel.
What have you had luck with on elk ?

[sabotloader]

A-con

To honest with you for elk I am still stuck on the old stand-by - Nosler Partitions.  IF you can shoot sabots in New Mexico - that you will have to check.

I shoot a .458 (45-70) 300 grain Nosler Partition (protected point) in an MMP .458 Orange sabot.  If you are unable to load the .458 - then Nosler makes a .451 300 grain HP - Partition.

There are a lot of bullets out there but you'll need to find one that both you and your gun like.

Good luck... & have fun

[Busta]

The 460 grain No Excuses for the bullets you mentioned if your Wolf will handle them. Thought I heard CVA didn't reccommend a bullet over 400 gr to be safe in their rifles though. Check your owners manual for maximum bullet weights and powder charges.

The 460 grain No excuses with 80 grains of Triple Se7en FFFG shoots excellent in my 1-28" rifles. I killed my elk last year with a obsolete 430 grain White Super Slug sitting on 80 grains 777 FFFG and a .518 dia x .060 thick vegetable fiber wad (looks alot like a cork gasket). Went through the front shoulder ball & socket, got both lungs and top of the heart, went 56 yards and was dead on arrival. Lead is sticky and likes to stay together when by itself, but when you put a candy coating of copper (PowerBelt) over it, it takes on a whole new property, and not for the better IMHO.

Don't use the 295 grain PowerBelt on Elk, trust me I have witnessed a failure on a monster bull by my hunting partner at 28 yards. If you want to use a PowerBelt, use the 405 or 444 grain bullets. The company don't even claim the 295 grainer to be a big game bullet, and I personally wouldn't even use the 348 grainer for elk and the 405 would be questionable for me. Scroll down and read, they should know their bullets capablility, I personally wouldn't reccommend anything less than the 444 grain flat point in their bullets for elk. The hollow points are too deep and act like a varmint bullet when contacting heavy bone. If you look close the 295 grain bullt is also classified as a varmint and deer bullet by the company that makes them, ever wonder why? Read this, use a bullet that is designed for big game only and you should have nothing to worry about except how you are going to get all that meat bact to the truck. :grin:

The key to the black circles, triangles, squares and X's are in the bottom of the 54 caliber block, but make sure you read the bullets capability in the .50 caliber block. They are different for each caliber.

Circle = varmint
triangle = deer
square = large game
X = dangerous game

http://www.powerbeltbullets.com/products.htm

[A-con]

Thanks Busta, I re read the manual and sure enough, no cronicals over 400 grains, and no sabots over 300.  I've got a few 370 T/C maxis to try.  Do you have an opinion on a 405 gr Power Belt Areo tip for elk ?

[Busta]

I have an opinion about all hollow pointed PowerBelts, none good and there are much better all lead conicals out there. Just remember this, you need penetration way more than you need expansion when hunting truly BIG GAME such as elk. There are several much lighter saboted bullets (if legal to hunt with) that I would reccommend before I would ever reccommend a hollow pointed PowerBelt that is under 400 grains.

[Redhawk1]

Power belts will work, but start at the 348 gr.  

AC1596 348 Grain, Hollow Point, Copper  
AC1596AT 348 Grain, AeroTip, Copper  
AC1572 348 Grain, Hollow Point, Lead  
AC1570 405 Grain, Hollow Point, Copper  
AC1570AT 405 Grain, Aero Tip, Copper  
AC1571 405 Grain, Hollow Point, Lead  
AC1573 444 Grain, Flat Point, Copper  
AC1574 444 Grain, Flat Point, Lead

[elkstalkr]

I have an opinion about all hollow pointed PowerBelts, none good and there are much better all lead conicals out there. Just remember this, you need penetration way more than you need expansion when hunting truly BIG GAME such as elk. There are several much lighter saboted bullets (if legal to hunt with) that I would reccommend before I would ever reccommend a hollow pointed PowerBelt that is under 400 grains.

From my experience I agree with this totally.

[A-con]

Thanks to everybody.
I went out and shot the CVA Wolf Sunday afternoon.  I had a hodge podge of different bullets, along with some loose & pelleted Pyrodex, all left over from 98-99 when I played with a side lock for a while.
Accuracy was bad,  like 8” groups at 25 yards.  I tried some 330 Harvester sabots, 300 Hornadys in the old “Break Away” sabots, 400 PR hollow point and 370 T/C cronicals with 80 & 90 Gr loose, and 2, 50 gr pellets.  Nothing worked.  
Then I tried the 295 Power belt HPs and bingo, three holes almost touching at 25 yds.  Back to 50 and the Power Belts were grouping about 2-3” with 90 gr loose, and/or 2 (50 grain) pellets.  Not TOO bad considering the sights on this thing are plastic doggy do-do.  I think with a scope, it would do 3” at 100 yards.
Clean up was fairly easy, plumbers tape on the breech plug and it unscrewed with ease.
Next up I need to try some 348 Power belt Aro-tips, and mabey some 777.

[Redhawk1]

A-con, sounds like them power belts worked.  

[Busta]

Alot of bullets work well....................on paper! We owe the animals we persue better than that.

[Redhawk1]

Busta, all the power belts listed below will work great on Elk. Shot placement with most M/L bullets will work just fine.

AC1596 348 Grain, Hollow Point, Copper
AC1596AT 348 Grain, AeroTip, Copper
AC1572 348 Grain, Hollow Point, Lead
AC1570 405 Grain, Hollow Point, Copper
AC1570AT 405 Grain, Aero Tip, Copper
AC1571 405 Grain, Hollow Point, Lead
AC1573 444 Grain, Flat Point, Copper
AC1574 444 Grain, Flat Point, Lead

[elkstalkr]

Oh powerbelts will shoot fantastic groups out of some guns.  They are very accurate.

Just make sure you don't shoot that big bull elk in the shoulder with one.

You could easily kill and elk with a 175 grain 45 cal. bullet as long as you hit him perfectly BEHIND the shoulder.  As we know, not all shots are perfect.  Especially in the field.

[quickdtoo]

Here's some on Powerbelt performance...

Powerbelt terminal performance

Petersen's Hunting

[A-con]

I just happened to have the 295 HPs because someone gave them to me.  I will not use HPs on elk, or anything under 300 grains.
But the bottem line is, if Power Belts are the most accurate, then  Power Belts (348+ areo tips) it is.  I'm not TOO worried about mushrooms, if I can punch a .50 cal. hole all the way through the boiler room, I don't think he will go far.

? If I devlope a load useing Pyrodex, should I expect similer results with the same charge of 777 ?

I'm going on a family vacation next week to the Boise area, and it just so happens, Power Belt is located just a few miles away.  Maby I'll stop by and check em out in person.

[quickdtoo]

You'll want to reduce the load by 15%, maybe a bit more and work back up if you're not using pellets. I shoot 110grs loose T7 FFG with the 405gr all lead in my TC Black Diamond for elk, but haven't had a shot opportunity yet, so I can't vouch for their terminal performance personally, but they're very accurate.

Tim

http://www.hodgdon.com/tripleseven/loadnote.php

[coop2564]

Shoot this with 90gr T7 3F loose and you wont have to worry about any of the above. Rap the steaks and take the head to the taxidermy.

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0003545154