Question about Powerbelts and Triple 7

[Yoyak]

So I'm picking up my muzzloader this fall for the first time in 8 years. I used to shoot the 295 gr aero-tip with Pyrodex pellets, both of which are now illegal in my state.

So this year I'm switching to loose powder and I friend of mine suggested Triple 7. The only legal powerbelt I can shoot is the pure lead series and I'm going with the 348 gr.

Question: I was told that the Triple 7 burns hotter than the pyrodex powder I used to shoot and that it will melt the plastic skirt too fast and that I need to stuff a little wonder wad up inside the skirt. Does this sound right to anyone?

Thanks in advance for any response.


Jason

 

[exMember]

Triple 7 is 2f is Aprox. 15 % hotter than pyrodex RS - Select. Triple 7 will not melt the gas seal on the powerbelt. Never stuff a wonder wad up there! I've experimented with them and they hurt the accuracy BADLY.

I would max your load out to 80 grains T7 with the 348gr Lead Powerbelt. They are very very soft lead and have a large hollow point which will cause the bullet to over expand / fragment if pushed to fast. 80gr 2f triple 7 = roughly equal to 92 grains Pyrodex RS - Select. Spend some time reading on our forums, especially under the Tested Powerbelt area and you'll learn a good deal of what kind of Powder charge limits you'll be looking at.

 

[Yoyak]

Thank you for the advice, will do.

 

[Yoyak]

If I went with the 80 gr. like you are suggesting....Any idea what that will do for my down range trajectory? Will it be the pretty close to the numbers for 100 grains that comes with the Powerbelt bullets?

Also I shoot a Knight Bighorn with a 26" green moutain barrell, in case that sparks any other bits of advice. You seem to be the authority on this stuff.

Thanks again,

Jason

 

[exMember]

You'll want to be around 2" high @ 50 yards and you could be a little high @ 100. I know with my rifle im dead on but in another rifle i have 2" high @ 50 puts be about 1 1/2" high @ 100. 80gr triple t7 is actually pretty close to a 100 gr ( 2 pellet) load.

 

[Yoyak]

I just wanted to say thanks for you help with selecting how much powder to use. After some experimenting I ended up shooting the 295 pure lead series with 90 grains of powder. My last time out I was getting a pretty good group at 100 yards with open sights.

I ended up killing this great buck at 115 yards with one fantastic shot in the lungs.

He's 33 wide and 218 3/8 gross.

Thanks again for the help

Jason

 

[Marty1]

What a beauty Yoyak!!! :cheers: To me a 115 yard shot with a ML earns braggin' rights.

Super nice pics too. That will certainly be a memory that will stay with you.

 

[Minnesota]

Congrats! That thing is a toad!

 

[exMember]

:shock: holy mule deer! Im going to take a couple of these pictures and move them into the trophy room! That is one hell of a buck!

How did the bullet perform with that load?

 

[Yoyak]

Thanks guys. I was getting about a 3 inch group at 100 yards with sand bags off of a bench and iron sites.

As far as how the bullet performed its kinda fragmented. The deer was facing away and uphill slight quarting and looking back over his shoulder. The bullet entered back in the rib cage just to the side of the back strap and never exited the chest. I never found the bullet, it might have been lodged in the destroyed lungs. But I did find a sliver of lead right at the point of entry stuck to a rib. Thats the only reason I said it fragmented. I think those pure lead series are pretty damn soft. I assume the rest of the bullet mushroomed pretty hard since it never left the chest. The shot didn't knock him down in fact it was more like a double lung bow shot where the deer runs about 40 yards and does the cross legged dance and dies in 20 seconds.

I watched this deer for 48 days and lost him for the last 26 days and found him on the 2nd day of the hunt miles from where I watched him all summer. Mature mule sure are hard to figure out sometimes. But I guess I got lucky and learned to never give up.

Jason

 

[exMember]

yeah it sounds pretty much like the bullet exploded. Hopefully muledeercountry will have some success. I sent them a bunch of my custom tip inserts for the lead series powerbelt for them to test out.

I shot the 295 lead series before with 70gr RS and that sucker pretty much just went Splat.

The bullet exploding im sure pretty much just destroyed the internals!