I have an elk permit for Colorado and need some input on a couple of bullets I'm trying out. I will be using my 50 cal Thompson Center Hawken. In the past, (over 20 years ago), I used the 370gr maxi ball to harvest two elk. I would like to avoid having to use the lubed bullets if I can find a bullet that will hold up to shooting an elk. The two bullets that I have found that shoot very accurate in my rifle are the Hornady 290gr bore driver and the Powerbelt Platinum 338gr. I shot them over the chronograph and the Hornady was 1650 fps. The Platinum was 1570. Has anyone used either of those two bullets on elk? I would like to hear your thoughts.

The PB Platinum 338 gr will do the job, if it will shoot in your Hawkin. The Platinum is suppose to hold up better than the std Powerbelt. I have killed several elk with the Powerbelt 340 gr HP ( I think it is discontinued now) that I pressed a 17 cal. air rifle pellet into the hollow point.

I am down to 80 gr, of BH209 in my inline, but you cannot use the 209 in the Hawkin Side lock. I'd recommend about 90 gr of Black Powder, not over 100. 777 and Pyrodex have habit of degrading. If you use either make sure to take a fresh container when you go hunting .

I used T/C 320gr Maxi-Balls to take 10 elk and one deer in NW Colorado with my 50cal Hawken. All excepting one accidental spine hit ran about 30' and fell stone dead with complete pass throughs. I shot the bullets with 90grs FFG Goex in a 1 in 48" twist barrel with about 1-2" three shot accuracy at 75 yards.

I have no idea, and make no claims that they're the best choice. I bought them and gave them a try mostly on impulse. PBRs shoot more accurately in my rifle using less powder, but I didn't feel confident with them. I was hunting alone with limited time for carcass retrieval, and desired some mass for such big animals.

I'd stick with the Maxi-Balls if it were me since you know they work. Not sure what the issue is with lube. I put them in speedloaders lubed and shove them down the barrel with a starter.

Anyway, here's a report from a few years ago with the Hornady Bore-Driver. Good luck whatever you decide on!

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/16458111/1

Give No Excuses Bullets a try. Puts the T/C products to shame. Thank me later.

https://www.muzzleloading-bullets.com/

I think what I'm going to do is set up a bullet test for myself. The accuracy of the three bullets I am going to test is all about the same. What I need to know is how tuff the bullet is. I plan on shooting them through 1/2 inch plywood into milk jugs filled with water at 50 yards. Not the same as flesh and bone but it should give me an idea how they will hold up. The three bullets will be Hornady 290 gr bore driver, Powerbelt 338 gr Platinum and Maxi-Ball 320 gr. When I'm done I will post up my results. Might be a few weeks before I get enough milk jugs around. I have my two 17 year old boys draining some every week.

I agree!

There re a lot bf fancy and expensive bullets on the market. Unless a person is pushing the upper limits of what powder they stuff behind them about any heavy lead bullet will kill an elk. The same rules apply about using C&C bullets at magnum velocities .

Which is why a lot of people bad mouth Power Belts.They are lead bullets with a flash of copper, not a jacket.

Back in the 1976 time frame a person could buy the TC Maxiball bullet mold. Hard to find now days. Pushing one too fast resulted in a flat piece of lead the size of a half dollar.Tinkering with the load and maybe adding just a bit of linotype or tin a person could get nice expansion, yet good penetration. Now days hunters want the muzzle loaders to preform like center fire rifles.

Elk are not that hard to kill if the shot is placed in the vitals behind the shoulders but I realize that is not always possible. So yes you need a bullet that will break them down as in big bones if the are heading for high ground. I took a large cow years ago with my 20 bore 320 grain dead soft round ball at about 1500 fps. It was a quartering shot from the rear but the ball was found in the front shoulder. It hit the shoulder bone hard enough to put her down. Of course it didn’t contact any rear quarter bones just a couple of ribs but even a big round ball is a killer. Select your bullets for the worst.

Rick

When hunting elk with a muzzle loader, one has to be a little more discerning of shots they take. Which means like archery hunting, sometimes you let the elk walk if a good shot opportunity does not present itself. A poorly hit elk can go a long ways before you can reload.

I would think the 370 Maxi-Ball would penetrate better than the others. They have always been accurate out of my T/C rifles. The first elk I killed was taken with a 370 maxi-ball thru the shoulder at about 75 yards. The bullet went thru the shoulder and one lung and ended up under the hide at the back of the off side ribcage. About 40" of penetration. He went about 60 yards downhill and was propped up against a tree when we found him. He was about done for but struggled to his feet and I shot him again in the back of the ribcage angling into the opposite shoulder. Another 40 something inches of penetration.

I always thought they were harder than other lead bullets but maybe it's just the shape. I was using 110 gr of 777 with a fiber wad under the bullet.

I am glad you posted this. I shoot the 425 gr Buffalo Bullet in my 54 Renegade but haven't been able to find them. I heard they went out of business. I have about 50 left but these sure look like they will fill the void. Gonna fire off an order for their 465 gr bullet to see how they work.

The round ball has killed lots of elk. That's what I use...

The 320 Maxiball will penetrate just fine for elk. I’ve used it on at least 4 cows. I’ve also shot a 5x5 with a PRB from a .54 cal rifle, it works just fine as well

Shawn

If you happen to have some 209 primers and BH 209 on hand, a MagSpark unit is worth looking into. I fired about 20 rounds of mixed Powerbelts and XTPs with sabots from my Renegade before last season and ignition was fast and certain. Cleanup was a snap. Lubed conicals and RBs aren’t going to work due to low bore resistance.

OTOH, BP works with everything, so is always a good choice.

There are warnings to not use BH209 in sidelocks

It’s really not so much about bullets and the right cal muzzle loader. Or the projectile and its terminal velocity instead it’s about marksmanship and where to place your shot . I’ve killed, as I recall, four cows with my 120 gr 257 AI. All shots took out lungs and a piece of heart. No they didn’t drop in their tracks like a magazine article but they couldn’t make the high ground so they were mine. You can shoot any mature bull or cow even with a 460 Weatherby but if it’s a poor bone free hit of the anatomy these ungulates can take off and cover enough ground that if it’s towards sunset you’ll find your game gnawed on without its tongue next day.

Go ahead a play the terminal ballistics game into wet newspaper or gelatin but understand neither of these tests include adrenaline. A wounded elk goes from 120 volts to 440 volts and the longer it takes to succumb the worse it tastes

Rick

My 1 in 30 twist rifles likes shorter bullets.

The LEE 320 Real bullet may work, if not, try the 250 grain.

I just tried powder coating them and it works great for me.

Eastwood light ford blue Powder coat at 400 degrees for 20 min.

For some reason, the fowling seems to be more moist or softer.

Makes cleaning or reloading easier.

the 338gr platinum would do just fine.

Another option, look into the 250-300gr Thor bullets.

Luckily for me, I will be using my 54 hawken with patched round ball this year for my bull hunt.

Tech support at BH told me the pressures are similar to 777 and didn’t warn me against using it. Obviously it requires 209 ignition and projectiles with enough bore resistance to facilitate good ignition. I probably wouldn’t use it in a gun with a drum and bolster, but have no reservations about the TCs with their strong breechplugs.

“Not Recommended” isn’t necessarily a safety warning, but can also mean it’s not suitable. That’s why I checked with BH before I invested in the Mag Spark. My test proved that it worked very well as tested. Someone that stuffs heavy charges under heavy bullets is probably pushing the envelope, and is on their own.

Correction, nipple and drum.

The only warning is about not being able to clean out the powder channel on a sidelock. Its perfectly safe to use in a sidelock. Years ago, Western Powders even Ok'd me on using 5g 3fg down the bore first to light it off with a #11 cap. A 209 adapter is even better.

I only hunted a half day or two of our Mountaineer Heritage season. Removed the 209 primer from the Mag Spark, then some days (weeks?) later took it to my club along with my clays shotgun, replaced the primer, pointed it downrange and let ‘er rip. Much easier than pulling the bullet and digging the powder out, and a couple of patches with solvent had it clean. I check it now and then and it remains spotless.

Oh yeah, that emptying shot was just as fast and strong as the ones I fired to sight in pre-season. For me, the concept is proven sound, and gives me another choice in these troubled times of hit and miss supplies.

Lyman gph flintlock, using the platinum 300 (1650fps) and 338 (1630fps) exclusively about 15yrs. Interchangeable for deer because for practical purposes point of impact is the same, never change the sight between them. Elk was with the 338, bullet found as a bump under hide on far shoulder.

Thank you for the information. Just what I was looking for.

I had a chance to shoot the Hornady 290gr Bore Driver and the Powerbelt 338 platinum this morning for my bullet test. I shot both into 1/2" plywood backed up by gallon jugs filled with water. The Hornady at 1650 fps was caught in the 4th jug. The jacket had curled back onto itself and lost the lead core. There was two small pieces of lead and a third that was about 40 gr. The powerbelt went through the plywood and the five jugs of water. Didn't catch anything. I guess I should have had a few more jugs of water. The target was a 50 yards away.

How did the elk hunt go?

Prying minds.....

LHS