Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Muzzleloader Elk Load (Colorado)

Quick question. Assuming we get drawn for Colorado Cow tag this year I am trying to get an elk load put together. I have a new T/C Triumph Bone Collector in .50 Cal that has yet to be fired. Obviously no sabots and loose powder required. I think I am going to try the Hornady FPB's in both 300 and 350 grain, Blackhorn 209 powder, and Federal 209A primers. Will probably start at 90 grains and go up form there.

Anyone have a go to load that is legal in Colorado? Thanks

We've been finding Powerbelts, which are legal, to shoot better than anything else we've trying. I tend to load em up to max.

i've used 348 gr hp powerbelts to take several elk in co. some loads w/90gr, others w/100 gr 777 did the trick. ymmv.

Get You some heavyweight No Excuse's bullets, some FFFG swiss, a good peep sight and You'll be all set.

Gunner

I shoot a Triumph also. The 348 grain Powerbelts should shoot well in it, they do in mine. I'd start at 80 grains of BH209 and not go above 95 or so. Powerbelts are soft bullets (relatively speaking) and you don't want to push them too fast. I've recovered a few from elk that were flat as a pancake and on the verge of coming apart. Never recovered any from deer though, they've blown right through.

I'd be interested to hear how the FPBs work for you, I'm gonna try some this year also, just haven't gotten around to shooting 'em.

PS, T/Cs are known to be a little finicky with conicals in general, but Powerbelts seem to shoot well in them. Sometimes they group better if you shoot with a partially-fouled bore by running a single moist (not wet) "spit patch" between shots.

I have killed a few elk with 295 gr Powerbelts. Never had a complaint . One went DRT,another went a little further,but I had put the shot lower than intened.They may be a little soft,but there are a lot of ML's out there that shoot pure lead and kill a lot of elk ,which I have done also with a max-ball in a TC Hawkin.
I use 100gr of 777 with the 295 gr PB, std 209 primers in a TC Black Diamond in line

Just curious, did you recover any of the 295's from elk? What'd they look like?

anybody ever tried the 444 grain flat point from Powerbelt?

I shot them out of my Thunderhawk and Omega prior to my muzzy hunt and neither gun liked them even though the 295 gr version shot well out of the Omega. I ended up using a 370 gr Maxi-ball in front of 105 gr of 777 2f and got excellent accuracy and plenty of penetration with that bullet.

the 300 gr. platinum powerbelt will (just about) out perform anything on the market- (in my opinion) it is one of the best!

100 grns - pellets is fine but will hold up under the pressures of 150 gr easily/ Truly one of the easiest bullets to load!

Superior accuracy!

I use the aero tip - take one out of package - snap spin it with your fingers - it will spin like a top - no other bullet will do that!!!

http://www.powerbeltbullets.com/powerbeltbullets/platinum-series-bullets.html

Never recovered a PB, but I usually don't go digging around for bullets.

Last year,the elk fell in a beaver pond and I had enough work getting her out and cleaned off.

I don't dig around either, but I get 'em when I can, it's instructive. The one's I've recovered have been just under the off-side hide.

Shot one bull with that bullet. Went through lung, heart, lung, and out the other side without hitting a bone. 0.5 inch hole going in, 0.5 inch hold coming out. Was glad it went through the heart, because he didn't take two steps.

Bottom line is with powerbelts it is sometimes too much and sometimes too little.

That why my go to bullet for elk the last 3 years has been the FPB 350 gr. Two shots taken and two elk down.

The two bullets I would recommend would be the 350 FPB or the 300 gr Thor. Both will do you a great job under any conditions. I can't say the same for powerbelts.

Most flat based big lead conicals like the No Excuses won't shoot well out of the T/C QLA

I use 90-95 gr of BH 209 for elk.

Two shots, two kills don't make for statistics.I have shot the last two elk with the 295 gr PB and they went down.About all that can be said is eithter bullet works

One raghorn bull at 50 yards took a 295gr powerbelt through the lungs, ran 30 yards and tipped over. I found pieces of jacket in the offside ribs but the actual bullet stayed in the chest cavity. Just a sample of one.

Try some Thors............

Do Thors hammer 'em, like the Hammer of Thor?

From what I hear.

I took my bull with a 348gr PB.

My Story w/ pics.
My Bull Hunt

If I were starting,I would opt for the heavier PB.Just by the very nature of CO laws, shots are going to be close.Probably within 100yards. I have always subscibed to heavy bullets,but arthritic shoulders make recoil a problem for me, henc ethe295 gr. Any decent bullet that makes a 1/2" diameter hole thru an elk , put in the right place is going to kill them.