With everyone buying gear and loading up for the upcoming Elk hunts this year, lets take a look at the Powerbelt Bullet and what Powerbelt you should consider, as well as powder charges for that bullet.
My personal suggestion is the 338gr Powerbelt Platinum.
Why?: The Powerbelt Platinum is simply a tougher bullet due to its more aerodynamic shape, but most importantly, it has a much smaller hollow point cavity which allows deeper penetration into the vitals before it starts to open up. I have seen a lot of folks online comment that the bullet has a Platinum coating and guys, that's not the case! If it were Platinum coated, you would really cry at the check out isle!
Over the years of testing the 338 grain Powerbelt Platinum, I have found it to perform greatly in my torture tests that range from dry sand, wet sand, sloppy wet sand, to soaking wet news paper with a 1 gallon plastic bag of water in the middle of the news paper stack.
The powder charges I have tested with this bullet range from 80 grains Pyrodex RS, to 100 grains Blackhorn209. If you know the area you are hunting very well and have a good idea on the ranges you will be shooting, you'll be able to settle for less powder and get better penetration at shorter distances.
Powerbelts are pure lead and like all pure lead conical bullets, pure lead plus high velocity plus close distance shots, often result in an over expanded bullet that has limited penetration, especially once it makes contact with heavy bone. Remember this and try to avoid hard heavy bone shots if the animal is a lot closer than you had planned on it being!
Ideal loads for this bullet and shots of 50 yards + I would suggest 90 grains volume Triple 7 ffg or Blackhorn209. Shots of 100 yards and beyond, you can up the charge to 100 grains +. Once you find the load that shoots best for you, go with it and just remember to avoid heavy bone frontal shots on elk and shoulder shots.
Shot Placement is ALWAYS the most important part when harvesting any big game animal. I always hear of poor blood trails with everything from a bow to a muzzle loader. Poor shot placement is never made up with using any kind of bullet or broad head. When shooting big game, I like to hit them a little lower in the heart area so blood begins to flow faster rather than a mid way up lung shot which takes longer for the cavity to fill with blood before it starts to spew out and leave a trail.
