Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Anybody shooting 270 - 290 grain 50 Cal Powerbelts and 777?

"PowerBelts are just undersized conicals, measuring .499 dropping down the bore of the .501" land to land 10ML-II. Not truly "jacketed," they have a thin copper cladding. Some Powerbelts remain pure lead.

"Encouraging the use of Powerbelts has several detrimental consequences. While there may be no misfires with the double-based, 20% nitro AA5744-- misfires and unhappy customers are likely with Savage recommended N110 and SR4759, a certainty with the long recommended 4227.

As the copper cladding is thin, it is torn up by the rifling-- not the case in a saboted projectile. Use of the old, unplated Powerbelts (sold as BlackBelts) will coat the bore with lead. A big problem to remove, the classic method being to use liquid mercury.

The Savage 10ML-II manual has long suggested only bullets in sabots by MMP with smokeless. To encourage or allow the use of bore-sized conicals may create some or all of the problems listed above-- bore leading, dramatically increased pressures, bore obstruction, and use of other conicals that are lubed lead also creating misfires due to powder contamination from that lube and also bore leading.

"Use smokeless powder loads with saboted bullets only. When loading and shooting bore-sized lead conical bullets, Savage Arms, Inc. recommends loading with "Pyrodex� RS", "Select", "Pyrodex� Pellets", or "Triple Seven". Maximum recommended charge is 150 grains."

I have dug the PB's out of elk and berms on the range, and the clading is still intact except where they mushroom as intened. I also shoot Maxi ball conicals in my Hawkin and not get leading from them ( pure lead)
I also use Bore Buuter as a lube with the maxi balls an do not get powder contamination,nor misfires.

I think some of what is being reported is old wive's tales, or just plain old BS.

TC reccomends PB"s as they are smaller in dia,but only because the newer in lines have tighter, more stringently controlled barrels, diameter wise,where as rifles meant to fire pure lead coniacls have to be such that the lead rifling may be cut as the slug is forced down the barrel ( Per my discussion with TC)

saddle, savage is talking about with smokeless powder, not the black powder subs.

As I mentioned conicals can easily create an obstructed bore condition. There's nothing to hold them in place.

if you dont get the correct fitting sabot or conical, it can come off the charge, you know that.

SorryBB455, I did not catch that

Gosh, I am glad that I didn't know all of this when I was collecting an elk every year with my GPR and T/C Maxi-Balls back in the '80s. I am learning to shoot an inline this year for a mule deer hunt and will undoubtedly shoot something with a propellant/bullet combination that just won't do the job. If so, I will post a mea culpa here for all to see...

You can't load a correct fitting conical. That's not the case with the sabot.

hornady and Thor are sized to your barrel when pushed down the bore. Same with the skirt on the powerbelt.

Does Hornady make a conical? Powerbelt doesn't have a skirt.

If you prefer to dumb yourself down, then by all means, go right a head.