Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Colorado Muzzleloader Elk Load

I know this has been discussed before but I figured why not bring it up again. What is your GO TO load for Colorado muzzleloader elk hunting?

Father in law sprung it on me that he would like to go again. Usually he can get a line on land owner vouchers without much trouble. We both would have a 50/50 shot in the draw. Either way, it is probable that we will be elk hunting near Cotopaxi come September. Last time around he it a bull broadside at 100yards with a powerbelt over 90 grains of 777. We did not recover his bull. That gun shoots the PBs well but I am contemplating trying out some other bullets at the range. Perhaps something a little harder or heavier. I was not present when he shot said bull last year so I do not know whether it was a “good hit” or not. In my opinion, if it were a good hit he would have more elk in the freezer than he currently does.

Not saying it wasn't a good hit, but a lot of bullet failures are blamed on the bullet and not the shooter.

I have killed more than a few elk,bulls and cows with the Powerbelts, using both 295 gr and 348,but I do prefer the 348's .I have used 777, Black Powder (90 gr each) and BH209.I was using 100 gr of theBH 209 , but cut back to 90.

I have also killed elk with the Maxiball in a side lock using BP, Pyrodex, and 777. The Powerbelt is just a fancy Maxiball.ie, pure lead.Push it too fast and it will expand to much just like a C&C bulletin a center fire rifle.

I am sure others will chime in about the Powerbelt being not adequate though

I'd go heavy conical, whatever one your rifle shoots best. I never had penetration issues with maxiballs.

I use the 348 grain Powerbelt ahead of 80 grains Blackhorn 209 because it's an accurate load. Haven't lost one yet. I wouldn't go smaller for elk and like SS said, they don't need to be pushed hard.

In my experience maxiballs do penetrate but don’t expand much and kind of pencil through. The cow I shot this fall with a 370 grain maxiball lived for ~1.5 hours after I shot her through the lungs. I’m switching to Parker Hydra-con ( https://parker-productions-llc.myshopify.com/collections/hydra-con ). A friend has been shooting them for a few years with better success. For a state that restricts to all lead there aren’t a lot of bullet options that result in quick kills. The only one I’ve seen shot with a powerbelt was hit behind the ear. He didn’t go anywhere but down.

Colorado does not restrict to all lead bullets, bullets just have to be bore-sized, (no sabots) which eliminates a lot of solid copper bullets (but not all as in Thor). The PBs I shoot are copper plated.

Thanks for the correction. I was mistaken and thought CO had similar laws to ID

You're welcome nimrod.

My go-to load for everything nowadays is the Thor 250 gr. bullet, ahead of 120 gr. of Blackhorn 209 powder and ignited with 209M primers. Rifle is a TC Omega .50 cal. This all-copper bullet simply takes problems of lead bullets out of play.

How does the Thor shoot for you and was it much of a chore to find the right diameter?

Also, how easy are they to load, resistance-wise? Thanks.

I am going to be experimenting with the Federal BOR Lock https://federalpremium.com/muzzlelo...loader-bullet-with-b-o-r-lock-mz-system/ and the Hornady FPB https://www.hornady.com/muzzleloading/fpb-muzzleloading

I noticed in the literature it depicts a deer in the use column for both. I wonder if they are saying they are not suitable for elk. Also have you run the bor-lock bullet past CPW( Colorado ) to see if they are acceptable for use? They may interpret it as a sabot

The Power Belts have a very poor reputation- just look at the reviews for them. Your dad's story is typical of the powerbelt reviews. They are an extremely soft bullet that will flatten out like a pancake and not create an exit. Try something besides a Powerbelt.

No different than pure lead bullets. As I mentioned earlier, most that complain push them too fast.

Never been a problem for the dozen or so I've seen killed with PBs.

Legal with DOW

I shoot Thor and Blackhorn too. You can get a sizing pack of bullets for free to figure out what fits your gun. I use the .502 in my Vortek.

Thanks. How hard are they to ram down the bore? Never messed with solid copper ML bullets.

I read somewhere that they are coming out with a one size fits all bullet.I have not seen or heard of it since though

i've killed several colorado elk with a 50 cal muzzle loader and 348gr powerbelts. i've used hollow points for all but one elk. 777 powder in 90 or 100grs has been deadly for me, as has pyrodex. i think powerbelts have a long record for killing elk. they've always worked for myself and a couple buds i hunt with. thor bullets are equally good. hope you find a combo that works for you.