290g ELR -- Added Energy

[ronlaughlin]

Possibly if you have any left, test with 80gr.

Set is located out 25 yard from rifle. Powder charge is 80g Blackhorn.

VIDEO

The first bottle was destroyed. Bottom of second bottle blown off; bottle tossed over horse, bottom of third bottle blown out, fourth bottle holed, and fifth bottle has entry hole, and the bullet. Sixth bottle undamaged. Small pieces of bullet held by fourth bottle.

 

[sabotloader]

Ron, what would you estimate the velocity of that shot might be?

 

[52Bore]

That’s what we expect.
Although the base attached it not good...
BH209 data suggest your 80grV load is 1650-1700fps.

Thanks for your efforts - again!

 

[ENCORE50A]

Got to remember that the bullet is designed to be shot with a muzzle velocity of 2,400fps +

 

[MrTom]

Got to remember that the bullet is designed to be shot with a muzzle velocity of 2,400fps +

I'll buy into "up to" 2400fps. Looking at what's left with an 80 grain charge makes me think there'd be little left at 2400 fps. It does appear that the bullet is jacketed with thin copper, not plated like so many other of the power belt ilk. This 80 grain charge has some good looking expansion on the bullet and may be a half decent hunting charge using it. But the price per poke.....that's a real hang up for me.

 

[52Bore]

It’s copper plated, you can see the plating at the bottom of the HP in Ron’s recovered bullet photo.
It was also dissected last year.
https://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/...mount-powerbelt-elr-bullet.33797/#post-276372

 

[ronlaughlin]

Ron, what would you estimate the velocity of that shot might be?

Around 1600 fps

 

[ronlaughlin]

Made a couple photo of the bullet hitting the bottles 0.2 second after impact. Lucky the camera didn't get wet.

 

[sabotloader]

Around 1600 fps

That confirms what I was thinking also. Your shot has confirmed the bullet functions down to 1600 fps. Which for me shooting a normal muzzleloader could require an effective range reduction from the bullets that I am currently using.

The two that I rely on heavily during our rifle season, while using a ML are the 300 grain Bloodline and the 265 grain Lehigh Copper CF. Both of these are listed by Lehigh as functioning down to 1200 fps although in my personal testing they easily function to and under 1100 fps. With this I can feel quite comfortable shooting elk at 200+ yards.

The 265 extends the range somewhat before dropping to 1200 fps and under

Thanks Ron for the follow up information...

 

[like.2.fly]

So are we concluding that the 45 cal PowerBelt ELR 280gr may not reliably expand below 1600 fps?

If so, and if I'm reading the charts right; then hunting with it out of a rifle than can't handle magnum charges or produce muzzle velocity > 2200 fps is probably not recommended. At least not for large game at ranges beyond about 150 yards. Right? Lower velocities might result in no expansion, a small exit hole (if any), and not as much internal damage as one would hope for.

 

[sabotloader]

Now these are just my thoughts... and really do not mean much... I at this point would not use it with out doing some additional testing. The 80 grain load produce excellent results a 25 yards at somewhere near 1600 fps. The 50 grain load, and I am estimating 1200 fps did not produce the results I would like to see. So really all I know is that if the velocity remains above 1600 fps the bullet would perform. I would continue the test reducing the the load from 80 to 70 then 60 to find out where the bullet failed to function again. What I do know is with the rifles I use and 120 gr. vol. BH loads I am current using I would have reliability out to only 150 yards with this bullet, which would be for a lot of hunters would probably be adequate shooting a ML in hunting conditions.

 

[01Foreman400]

Works for me around 250 yards is as far as I’ll shoot at an animal with it anyway.

 

[ronlaughlin]

Works for me around 250 yards

How much powder?

 

[01Foreman400]

How much powder?

105 weighted.

 

[ronlaughlin]

Thank you

 

[sabotloader]

105 weighted.

Wow! that will certainly get the velocity of the bullet up there in the charts!

 

[like.2.fly]

Yeah, that's like what, 150 grains by volume? What rifle? Paramount?

 

[ENCORE50A]

Yeah, that's like what, 150 grains by volume? What rifle? Paramount?

Paramount................. ONLY............