powerbelt bullets?

Anyone have any experience with the lead and copper 295 grain hollow points? How they perform on game such as black bear? I'm worried they will open to much and not retain there weight. I'm shooting 90 grains of powder and shots will be under 75 yards.

I use 295 grain Areotips. Was told the Hollow points fragment. Shot a doe with one yesterday.

Thanks for the info. This is a spur of the moment deal and hollow points are all that is to be had in my area.

Aero tips are just hollow points with a plastic plug in the hollow point. Its the same bullet. Personally, I never had a single issue with Powerbelts and used them for 15 years or so. Some people say they tumble in flight, but I never noticed. They killed everything I shot with them. Only reason I switched was trying to light load for my sons and realized they fly HORRIBLE if they don’t have enough charge behind them. 90 grains and they shoot great, 60 grains and they’re all over the place.

Thanks for the input Magis. I'm gonna use one or the other. It will give me something to think of while trying to sleep tonight. Lead or jacketed?? I'll be up all night, lol.

I have been using them on whitetails for years. MANY people absolutely hate them. Personally, I think they shoot good and they are WAY easier to load than sabots.

I have loaded them down to 50 grain for my son when he was younger. It was a quarter size chunk resting against the hide on the off side. Done all that could be ask of it at that speed. I have shot them and all I hunt with have shot them for years. I shoot 90 to 100 grains of powder. The only time I had problems was when shooting 150 grains, I think they are too soft for that. Did not get an exit, but it was very dead when I walked up to it. So I say shoot then and keep you loads under a 100 grain and get ready to skin griz.

I shoot an old Hawken 50 cal and use maxis. Killed every bear I have shot at with it, all ran less than 50 yards. It is a super accurate gun. My Dad has an inline and shoots powerbelts. He killed one bear on the spot and the other I tracked for several hundred yards til it went into a rock cave that was too small for us to get into. Died in there as when I went by a week later there was a possem trail in the snow going in and out of the cave with bloody tracks. Don't know where he hit the bear, perhaps too far back.

Junk. Use barnes.

I've used them.
Did not like them.

I have shot a couple dozen deer with the 295 Areotips. They work great I wouldn’t worry about over expansion. In my opinion they could expand a little more.

Heck, they never expanded at all for me?

I shot 245 grain bullets with 90 grains of Pyrodex for years. Wife and I killed a couple dozen deer with them, don’t recall wounding any deer Last season I switched to the Barnes sabots. Used them last season and one day ( yesterday ) this season. I went and bought a pack of Powerbelt 295s this morning and sighted in this afternoon ( 100 grain Pyrodex) . It’ll shoot tennis ball size 3 shot groups at 100 yards..some would say that’s inadequate, but most of my deer are shot at under 50 yards in our one week Pa. early muzzleloader season. Much easier to load than the Barnes sabots, and have more than enough stopping power.

100gr pyrodex, 295 gr hollowpoint, cloverleaf at 100 yards. Best shooters I've found.

This for me too!

I have an old Mossberg inline 54 caliber. The lead power belts are the only ones that I can get to shoot straight out of that rifle. I've tried everything else. Use what works for you.

Go with Thor lightning bullets, them power belts dont hold up and fall apart

I use a 50 cal Knight Disc Extreme. The 295 worked ok at a 100 but the 348 was somewhat better and the 300 grain Barnes was absolutely the best at an inch or less. Interesting is that the gun is zeroed at 150 yards with the Barnes using 100 grains by volume of Triple 7, 3f, Federal 209A, and for a hurry up quick second shot the 348 Power Belt is absolutely perfect zero at 100 using the same charge. IMHO it's a perfect scenario. I have never gotten a Power Belt bullet back. Always two holes and never any sign of fragmentation. For several years all I used were the Power Belt, both the 295 and 348. Both worked and worked well, never had to shoot one twice. If I couldn't get or use a Barnes I wouldn't hesitate a bit to use the Power Belt. If your gun likes them, by all means use them.

Went with the all lead ones. They shoot really well out of my gun. I guess we'll find out if it quits raining and I see that bear again.

Shot a doe this morning with a 245 grain hollow point Powerbelt. Double lunged it, went about 40 yards. Lots of blood.