Bullets for muzzleloaders

[typhoon916]

Looking for ideas for my muzzleloader . I used powerbelt .50 cal 295 gr hollow point last year for my mule deer and it didn't take 2 steps . Would those work for elk ? I'm researching bullets for elk , Ive saw no excuse , fury bullets on here , are the eld x any good ? Also how do I get my bore size if I wanna go the custom bullet way ? I'll be using a optima v2 with bh209 powder . I'll post a pic of my bullet from my deer

 

[Matthew57]

What state are you in?

 

[perma]

I suggest Hornady bore drivers.

 

[44hunter45]

What state are you in?

... or intend to hunt in.

 

[typhoon916]

What state are you i

Ks but I'll be hunting in New Mexico

 

[typhoon916]

... or intend to hunt in.

Nm

 

[44hunter45]

Nm

295 Grain Powerbelts work great in T/C twist Hawken guns.

New Mexico has no projectile limitations in their regs. For elk, heavier would be better. I would look for heavier Powerbelts and see if they shoot well in your Optima.

You might look at the Parker Productions website too. Bob is a great guy and if you call him he will be happy to advise you..

 

[typhoon916]

295 Grain Powerbelts work great in T/C twist Hawken guns.

New Mexico has no projectile limitations in their regs. For elk, heavier would be better. I would look for heavier Powerbelts and see if they shoot well in your Optima.

You might look at the Parker Productions website too. Bob is a great guy and if you call him he will be happy to advise you..

Thanks sir

 

[WildWill]

I wasn't happy with the grouping I got with the powerbelts. I've been using Thors in both 300gr and 250gr for two years now. Amazing accuracy and everything I've shot (a few deer, and a pronghorn and elk each) has dropped immediately or after a short death run with a pass through.

 

[Addicting]

I used Hornday Bore Drivers on my elk and a deer. I’ve been at this for 20+ years and have tried all the bullets mentioned so far. For ease of use, accuracy, and lethality I won’t be changing for anything under 250 yards. They just flat as* work.

 

[elkantlers]

Hornady makes a 340gr Bore driver.

50 Cal .499 Bore Driver® ELD‑X® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc

Loads Fast and Easy Without a sabot, the Bore Driver® seats quickly and easily for shot-after-shot performance. Maximum Lethality FTX® and ELD-X® bullets incorporate an InterLock® ring that helps retain bullet weight upon impact that when coupled wi...

www.hornady.com

 

[JohnCushman]

I use great plains maxi balls in all of my muzzleloaders. Not only are the Colorado legal, but they are just brutal in general. With the last deer I shot, the bulled mushroomed to the size of nearly a silver dollar. The antelope I shot with powerbelts, the bullet fragments so bad I lost a lot of meat and barely penetrated. I wouldn't use them on elk.

 

[blueridge]

I used the 300gr platinum powerbelts on two deer. Heart and lung shot the first and it didn't go 15 yards. But high shouldered a second big buck at 40 yards and didn't have good results: knocked it down immediately (literally flipped it off its feet), but it then got up and ran away with zero blood trail. I assume it fragmented when it hit bone. Regardless, it gave me some cause for doubts on elk and I have now switched to the 300gr Barnes Expander MZ. Results still tbd.

 

[Matthew57]

Hornady makes a 340gr Bore driver.

50 Cal .499 Bore Driver® ELD‑X® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc

Loads Fast and Easy Without a sabot, the Bore Driver® seats quickly and easily for shot-after-shot performance. Maximum Lethality FTX® and ELD-X® bullets incorporate an InterLock® ring that helps retain bullet weight upon impact that when coupled wi...

www.hornady.com

This is what i plan to use the coming season.

 

[EastCoast94]

This past season I had a muzzleloader elk hunt in Arizona and I used Barnes .50 cal 290 grain bullets on the Bull elk I shot. It was only a 70 yard shot but he dropped 5 yards from where I hit him. Ended up being a heart shot. I did not get a full pass thru but the bullet tore him up inside. I was getting good groups out to 200 yards with that bullet

 

[winmag]

I wouldn't shoot a powerbelt at a cardboard box. But go for it. The more bad experiences people have with muzzleloaders, the easier it is for me to draw muzzleloader tags!

 

[Addicting]

Hornady makes a 340gr Bore driver.

50 Cal .499 Bore Driver® ELD‑X® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc

Loads Fast and Easy Without a sabot, the Bore Driver® seats quickly and easily for shot-after-shot performance. Maximum Lethality FTX® and ELD-X® bullets incorporate an InterLock® ring that helps retain bullet weight upon impact that when coupled wi...

www.hornady.com

I would definitely give these a try. The drawback to the 290 is it’s round ball BC. It really drops off rapidly past 200. If you could go up in weight and keep better ballistics out past 200 it would be worth it. Attached is the 290 with BH209.

 

[Sheltowee]

Sample size of only one, but we were pretty disappointed with the Power Belt Platinum's performance on my father's NM bull a few years ago. I'd strongly suggest the Thors or the Hornady Bore Drivers.

 

[typhoon916]

This is what i plan to use the coming season.

I've checked them out and so far there perty decent .

 

[typhoon916]

Sample size of only one, but we were pretty disappointed with the Power Belt Platinum's performance on my father's NM bull a few years ago. I'd strongly suggest the Thors or the Hornady Bore Drivers.

I'm looking at the eld x