50 Beowulf Ballistic Gel Block Testing the Powerbelt 295gr Aerotip muzzle loader bullet 50cal

[@damonbradshaw28]

Would love to see you load one with the Hornady eld x 340 grain 50 cal.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@damonbradshaw28 let me check. Some of them don’t have enough bearing surface to seat in a brass case. 😉

[@sniper12589]

This was awesome to see. The reason powerbelt lists these as 295 gr as just the bullet is bc they have a standard hollow point 295gr bullet that is identical just without the polymer tip. It’s the same across the board between all powerbelt bullets. When shopping around you can usually find these bullets in bulk packs usually 50 bullets for $50-55. I harvested a 110# doe this season with the hollow point version out of a hawkens rifle. Running them about 1750fps. Shot was at 25 yards and I will say it did one heck of a job. Full pass through and exit hole was easily about an inch in diameter. You have to keep the impact velocity reasonable and I believe that’s where powerbelts get a bad reputation is guys push them to fast and take shots that are so close that the impact velocity just rips the bullets clean apart. Essentially turning it into a varmint bullet.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@sniper12589 if you watch my 245gr .50cal muzzleloader test, that’s exactly what happened at 15’! 😂. They just Granades with the 3 pellet load.

[@carltrano1325]

Only bullet I trust in my muzzle loader, only difference is I use the 295 hollow point.

[@jeffhuntley2921]

Great wound cavity. Cool test

[@GB-fq3cc]

“One good test is worth a thousand expert opinions.” - Werhner von Braun

[@lens7859]

Good job! Happy New Year Matt and thanks for putting in the work this year. As a newly retired guy and new to reloading, your videos have helped me along.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@lens7859 Very welcome, and glad the content helps. Tomorrow I’ll start my 365 day countdown for retirement. Not sure I’ll actually quit but I can pull my union pension and have more options. Lol. Happy New Year!!

[@lens7859]

@ terrific, I figured we were close in age. I sold our business two years ago. Had a deli for 27 years and a restaurant for 7.

[@lens7859]

@ good luck

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@lens7859 I’m 54. I’ll have my 30 years in as an IBEW electrician next year. 😉

[@bubbanater1984]

I have done similar test with 45 cal muzzle loader bullets in 460 s&w if you can pull the tip and try it as a hollow point great test great video

[@tombraley3212]

Cool video! Happy New Year to you and yours.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@tombraley3212 Happy New Year!!

[@Fatboybart]

Be interested to see you try some other 50 cal muzzle loader bullets. Maybe see if you could run maxi balle or something.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@Fatboybart I hope to add more bullets to that series later on too. This first set was what I could find in stock at my local shops.

[@garrettschienschang7898]

I wanted to try something similar with a 400 legend and a 200 grain saboted sst meant for a .45 muzzleloader.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@garrettschienschang7898 as long as the bullet diameter is correct they should work.

[@garrettschienschang7898]

@ both .400” other thing I’m looking into that you may like is bear creek ballistics. They make solid copper expanding projectiles for 35, 40, 41, 43, and 45 caliber cartridges that I’ve heard nothing but good things about. I’m going to try their 165 grain .400 and 225 grain .430 in a 400 legend and 444 marlin next year. Would love to see some of their stuff through your tests if you have the time and resources.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@ I’ve got an early gel block test with the 225 out of my .44mag single shot Rossi. I’m tinking with some other .44 mag loads with that bullet too. I have one loaded in .44spl brass and another with the polymer tip clipped that will fit in my Super Redhawk. Not got to test them yet though. 😉

[@chrishensley33]

The . 45 cal muzzleloader bullets work well in 45 Long Colt ammunition. I have loaded them for my Judge pistol.

[@jimeddpelham5244]

i like watching these 500 Bwolfe vids and seeing how you are doing with all these different calibre 50 bullets, i have a 500 sw mag rifle with a 22 inch barrel, so i feel i can match or exceed your velocities.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@jimeddpelham5244 I’m absolutely sure you can. Lol .50 Beowulf max pressure is 33,000psi, 500S&W is 60,000psi 😉

[@tylertapp131]

Damn, thats very interesting, dont know why ive never thought of that. In a pinch those would definitely work, especially if youre a reloader. Ive always liked 50 beowolf, but i only had one for a very short time, never actually got to hunt with it. I have used 450 bushmaster to great effect and 45 colt, honestly i like the 45 colt better. I love it in a lever gun to hunt with, not the cheapest by any means but very effective. I killed a doe earlier this season with a 300 grain jacketed hollow point with my 20 inch lever gun. She dropped on the spot, never knew what hit her, god bless from ole Carolina.

[@rangetime6779]

Interesting my comment didn't post. Cens...sh.p is alive. Glad you tested this. I've used this with primitive devises (you get what I mean) to great effect with deer. We'll see if this post makes it?

[@rangetime6779]

No rely necessary

[@GreasyStool]

I've shot these, and have looked everywhere for some of the Aerotip muzzleloader bullet 50 cal dangerous game bullets with no luck. I have 20 rounds of the Alexander Arms .50 Beowulf 350g Brass Spitzer Ammo but that isn't made anymore. The Aerotip look just like Rainer HP's after you remove the little plastic tip.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@GreasyStool Muzzle loader bullet selection in my area is pretty limited too. I pretty much have to look online to find new stuff.

[@corybrown8422]

I always wondered about this. I shoot back powder some times and thought about it.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@corybrown8422 First time for me too, just not sure about grouping at distance. I’ll test that later on. I want to find some heavier bullets to try too. 😉

[@corybrown8422]

@@kentuckyrangetime I mainly shoot Sabot hornady xtps out of my muzzleloader now. But I took my first hog with a powerbelt at 70 yards. 185lbs and it dropped in it's tracks. It was not the aerotip though but same grain weight.

[@curlymaple42]

If close shots on game are expected, I would suggest a true jacketed bullet. I run the 385gr Rem CLHP for hunting. That's from experience there. Been shooting the 50B since the beginning!

[@bkb5668]

The lead alloy looks a lot like shot gun slug lead.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@bkb5668 it’s pretty soft. You’re probably right. Wish I had a lead hardness test kit to check it out

[@tcburgess2939]

They are very soft..they tend to grenade on game even at mild muzzlelaoder velocities.. probably one of the worst bullets you could use on game..good for plinking if you wanted to pay the price for them I suppose lol

[@bowhuntrrl]

Next time, why not pull the polymer tip to see if that slows down expansion and penetrates more?

[@scottpaulsen2649]

Should expand faster

[@Mbartel500]

I'm curious if hard cast gas checked bullets will feed through the AR action. My concern would be bullet lube and or lead build-up in the gas port. Maybe a lead powder coated bullet would work better, if it will feed through the action.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@Mbartel500 They will feed. They also will shave off materials as they pass the gas port, especially if the hole cuts through the lands, and that material/lead will collect in the gas rings on the bolt and lock up the action. I proved that running my own cast 230gr bullets in my .300blk several years back. Completely destroyed the gas rings. I did powder coat a few and it seemed to help but I just quit running them entirely instead of risking more damage to the bolt/gas rings.

[@Snailz5]

If muzzleloader bullets are on the table then I think it could be interesting to do Thor bullets and the ELD-X.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@Snailz5 I’ll be looking at more muzzle loader bullets for future test. Some of the ones I had on hand didn’t have enough bearing surface to seat in the brass.

[@damonbradshaw28]

This!

[@yomomma107]

Very interesting test How's the accuracy on that BCA barrel? because I was thinking about getting one of their uppers but had been hesitant to do so

[@Normjohanson]

I’d like to suppress a 500+ grain flat point at about 12bhn. If I’m still going to be able to get a can for a reasonable price.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@Normjohanson 😍👍🏻 that would be a fun project.

[@Ray-ro2jj]

Can I ask why my hornady manual say to use WLP primers ? But every video I watch peps are using LPM primers I can see if running hot loads with heavy rounds thanks

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@Ray-ro2jj It really doesn’t matter as long as you work your loads up. Don’t sub magnum for standard on a max load or it can take you over. I like more ignition with big columns of powder. As far as the actual difference in standard vs magnum primers, some magnum primers burn hotter, others just burn longer. Either insure better burn for larger charges.

[@Ray-ro2jj]

@ that what I figured I just wanted to make sure what my info was correct thank you !

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@ It’s the same primer scenario with 458socom too.

[@Ray-ro2jj]

@@kentuckyrangetime right but I did read have to be careful with the socom cause of psi rating are low 😳💥

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@ 458 is about 35,000. That’s 2,000 higher than the .50 Beowulf. Standard or magnum is all in material if you start working up your loads with either of them. If I’m switching from standard to magnum primers on a load I’ve already confirmed, I cut my powder charge by 10% and then work back up. If going from magnum to standard I make the primer swap then immediately start working the load back up.

[@independentthinker8930]

Thier load info online has a recipe for it. Lymans latest manual has beowulf loads. For lyman I was kind disappointed in them though

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@independentthinker8930 good to know. I’ll have to check it out.

[@independentthinker8930]

Love my wilf, I cast a 440 gr flat point, gonna get with machine shop, turn one cavity into a hp

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@independentthinker8930 I need to source some heavier bullets. The 500gr FP-XTP (test video coming later this week) is one of my favorites but Hornady discontinued it and I can’t find them anymore. 😢

[@independentthinker8930]

@kentuckyrangetime my lgs keeps a decent selection of .500 bullets on hand

[@Jrh-rp7np]

I have a .50 Beowulf upper,, you’ll never find ammo at any gun store or at least I haven’t and the shite you order online is really expensive… Never the less it’s a fun round to shoot.. oh and most ranges won’t let you shoot it either.. So you better have some private land or .50 cal ranges

[@michaelrocole7174]

Interesting design velocity but I have not had great success on close shots on deer with these very very destructive and in two cases didn’t exit. Not a huge fan with higher velocities. Fun test but the cost of these doesn’t make sense unless it’s all you can get. But I do a bunch of cast bullets so I am “cheap” that way…..

[@slimjimmy229]

If you cast your own, you should try shooting your cast through a sabot in your muzzleloader. I use a .431 rnfp bullet cast of 93.5% pure lead, 1.5% antimony, and 5% tin. This composition of lead is outstanding on game with a muzzle velocity around 1800 fps. I heat treat the bullets to harden them up, then I place the bullet in a tub of water up to the crimping groove and anneal the nose to soften it back up. This allows me to get good upset of the nose while maintaining good sectional density for penetration. I did find that I needed to put a bevel on the base of the bullet for proper fit in the sabot and better accuracy. If you're velocities are closer to the average shooter with a. "2 pellet" charge, around 1600 fps, you will be better suited with a straight 20 to 1 alloy (95% lead 5% tin). It's a bit softer for better expansion at lower velocities. The 20:1 alloy did well for me at 75-100 yards, but over expanded on 20-30 yard shots, with my muzzle velocity. That's why I added the antimony. I wanted to be able to heat treat the shank for better penetration, you can't do that without antimony in the mix.

[@kentuckyrangetime]

@@michaelrocole7174 true. 😉

[@michaelrocole7174]

@@slimjimmy229 i do this for sure but play around with commercial ML bullets to compare to my cast. I am huge fan of the Great Plains bullet with a little tin to make it more malleable. Awesome information.

[@curlymaple42]

I got my PB bullets on sale at Walmart. LOL! End of season blowout. But I agree, no plated HP bullets for hunting. I run 385gr Rem CLHP for hunting. Way better performance.