Need lead bullet opinions

[Naches Sportsman]

I finally found 5 days in December to elk hunt so picked up an elk tag....

I haven't shot a big game animal with anything except the shockwaves, so am looking at opinions on power belts, T/C maxi-hunter, and other lead bullets you may have.


I have one muzzleloader sighted in with power belts and the other with the Maxi-hunter's but any info you all have on any other lead bullet performance would be appreciated.


Last thing I want to do is shoot an elk and lose it due to shooting underperforming bullets.

[Dan-o]

Personally, I love the Harvester 400 grain lead bullet.

Are you in sabot legal area, as long as the bullet is lead?

[bobcat]

I'd go with the Maxi Hunters over the Power Belts. I'm sure Power Belts would work most of the time but I believe the Maxi Hunters are more reliable. Although I haven't shot Maxi Hunters in many years. I don't think there's any need to try anything else. The Power Belts are known for being really soft and I wouldn't trust them to penetrate if you hit a shoulder.

[Naches Sportsman]

Personally, I love the Harvester 400 grain lead bullet.

Are you in sabot legal area, as long as the bullet is lead?

No sabots allowed in Idaho

[jdb]

I never shot the maxi hunters but I killed several elk and one deer with maxi balls and they worked exceptionally well. They were plenty accurate and penetrated like no tomorrow. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to them

[High Climber]

I’m bringing 348 grain all lead Powerbelts with 100 grains of pyrodex select to Idaho for elk and deer.  I’m new to muzzy game and kinda nervous about the reviews on powerbelts.  I’ll be aiming for archery style shots and angles.  That being said I know a gal that has shot 5 elk with the 295 all lead powerbelts with no problems.?  Anybody had issues with the heavy powerbelts or just the lighter ones?

[Naches Sportsman]

I've been reading way too many negative things about power belts from people I know and on all kinds of forums to a point I really would only shoot coyotes with them. I guess people think they're a good product if they are still sold in stores. Mine were given to me.

I never shot the maxi hunters but I killed several elk and one deer with maxi balls and they worked exceptionally well. They were plenty accurate and penetrated like no tomorrow. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to them

I have upwards of 100 of the maxi balls. I'll have to shoot some of those next time I get a chance.

[Dan-o]

I've been reading way too many negative things about power belts from people I know and on all kinds of forums to a point I really would only shoot coyotes with them. I guess people think they're a good product if they are still sold in stores. Mine were given to me.

I never shot the maxi hunters but I killed several elk and one deer with maxi balls and they worked exceptionally well. They were plenty accurate and penetrated like no tomorrow. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to them

I have upwards of 100 of the maxi balls. I'll have to shoot some of those next time I get a chance.

Pretty sure I remember the manufacturer saying maxi-hunters have more penetration than maxiballs?

If true, I'd want them for elk.

[Dan-o]

Snipped from this article:
https://www.chuckhawks.com/muzzleloading_bullets.htm


Thompson/Center's cast conicals, Maxi-Ball for penetration and Maxi-Hunter for expansion, have proven to be excellent for hunting throughout North America. I have consistently gained my best Thompson/Center gun testing results using Thompson/Center projectiles. For exceptionally large and potentially dangerous game I have experienced superior performance from the 555-grain .58 caliber Maxi-Ball. Both projectiles are pretreated with Natural Lube 1000 Bore Butter, one of the best muzzleloading bullet lubricants on the market

[Jharstad7182]

  hey I have a 58 and dont hunt with it very often or at all actually cause I can’t find any maxi balls or maxi hunters I really want to start shooting it again where can I find them everywhere I looked on the internet only sells Lyman casts or accessories never projectiles. I’m not very computer savvy so might not be looking in the right spot . Can’t find anything in stores Help

[lazydrifter]

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/129/1

[Lead ball 54]

What twist is your 58 if it is a a slower twist than  patched round ball will take care of any north American big game out to 75 yards or a little farther provided you put the ball in the vitals a patched round ball kills better than it should so even if you have a 1in48 twist try a PRB it should be more than accurate enough for hunting

[Jharstad7182]

Yes it is a 1and 48 twist I’ll try shooting more patch and ball. I don’t hunt with them right now cause I’ve heard horror stories of the round ball glancing off elk at any quarting shot. Have not experienced this myself but u know how stories go and I want every advantage I can get when it comes to traditional muzzy hunting

[Lead ball 54]

Go to American Long Rifle and talk with those guys that's a more traditional site not that this site is not good for info but the more information the better

[Reidus]

I shot the 420gr No excuses lead conical out of my knight bighorn. I would check out the 420 or 460gr. I'd have no problem shooting an elk with one.

I used 90gr of t7 3f with a ballistic sub base.

[The scout]

I have killed a bunch of critters with the 348 grn powerbelts. They are easy to load they shoot great and they kill stuff

[Randysonia]

Precision Rifle "340 gr. Dead Center" bullets I think are the best! Especially for Elk. They shoot great in my Remington 700 M/L.  Let me know what you think. Sorry this is so late. Google "Precision Rifle Bullets or www.prbullet.com

[Apples]

I too use the all lead  dead centers in my .54 cal T/C thunder hawk and have always liked the performance!

[duckmen1]

I used to shoot 348 gr all lead power belts with 100 grains of loose powder for years. My gun loved them. On a good day 2inch groups at the range. Bad day would be 4" at 100 and 125 yards. But I can't say I'm  confident in performance on animals after extensive use and that's why I don't use them anymore. I've shot mule deer, blacktails and whitetails with them. And had several times the bullets fail me. They had a few kills that were dead in seconds. Some that required extensive tracking and finishing jobs. And some never recovered. Some may say shots may not have been good from across the internet. But in my honest opinion that's not the case. After reviewing what has happened with these bullets and there terminal performance they have been all over the board. They flatten out like a pancake and sometimes penetrate through both shoulders and exit and sometimes don't make it past front shoulder. Lost a solid buck that I hit at 50 yards in the front shoulder. Had 2 people see the impact as well as me. Lost a doe at 30 yards. Had 3 other deer that just would not die but recovered but after follow up shots. I've shot 4 deer from 15 yards to 130 that went down quick. Never had issues with running bloodlines, Xtps/xtp mags, or Barnes bullets. All shots from those bullets from me as well as close friends have been quick recoveries.

I have heard great things from harvester lead bullets.