300grn Hornady SST for Elk?

[SkookumHntr]

-Is the 300 grn Hornady big enough for elk or the 348 powerbelts?

[Blsum]

Personally I don't like the powerbelt bullets. The only part that touches the barrel is the plastic piece at the end. I have had great accuracy with the 300 grn sst bullets. I've heard some rumor that they don't preform that well on an elk. I don't have any personal experience with shooting an animal with them. I do know a couple of my buddies both got there deer with the sst's. We never recovered any of there bullets. I did a test not to long ago with some milk jugs and some old laundry det. jugs. I set up four milk jugs and four l.d. jugs all in a row. I shot from 100 yards with my bighorn using 100 grns of 777. The sst cleared the four milk jugs (6" each) and the first l.d. jug (7-1/4"), and stopped between the 1st and second l.d. jug. Giving it a total of aprox. 31" of penetration. The bullet pierced the second l.d. jug but didn't enter it. I video taped the whole thing with our flip camera. If I can figure out how to download it and post it I will. 

[dawhunt]

The power belts expand when fired to meet the rifling.I used power belts for yrs and had very good success and accuracy with them.
I did switch to 300 gr ssts when the law was changed and was very impressed with the accuracy.
Bob

[Blsum]

The powerbelts might expand to touch the rifling when fired. But what's to say that you don't bump your gun just right and have the bullet fall off the plactic piece and drop out the end of your barrel. Then your just shooting a small piece of plastic at the animal. I don't think that's gonna kill anything. Sorry I'm not a fan but to each his own. Just my    I'll stick with a bullet that touches the rifling from the begining. That way there is no worries.

[SkookumHntr]

-Accuracy is nice but will the 300grn be enough thump on a Big Rosey Bull?

[fishcrazy]

 I used a 300 grn Precision Rifle bullet to take my bull this year. They are a lead bullet but the wieght is the same. I don't see why the 300 SST wouldn't work. I will be shooting them in the future. I thought I seen something about a 400 SST


Kris

[colockumelk]

If you look up the stats on the two bullets the 300 grn SST has a higher velocity, more Kenetic energy and holds all of this better down range.

http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Cal-LNL-Low-Drag-with-45-Cal-300-gr-SST-Bullet/
Hornady 300grain SST. w/ 150grains Pyrodex
Distance (yards)        Muzzle    50        100        150        200         250
Velocity (fps)              2130    1974     1826       1686      1554       1433
Kinetic Energy (ft lb)    3022     2597     2221      1893       1609      1368
Trajectory                  -1.5      1.9       3.0         2.0         -2.9      -11.0
Balistic Coeficient .250
Sectional Density  .210

http://www.powerbeltbullets.com/skin/frontend/default/powerbeltbullets2010/docs/PBB26inchballistics.pdf
Powerbelt 348g w/ 150grains Pyrodex
Distance (yards)        Muzzle     50         100       150        200      250
 Velocity (fps)           1820      1647      1491      1349      1229      1135
Kinetic Engery (ft lb)   2560      2097     1718      1407      1167      996
Trajectory                 -1.5       2.38     3.12         0        -7.7     -21.23
Balistic Coeficient .220

[fishcrazy]

WOW!!! I like those numbers!!

made my decision easy!!

Look how flat that SST shoots
Kris

[Blsum]

One thing I'm noticing in the numbers is the sst is 2" high at 150 yards, and the powerbelt's are zeroed at 150. I'm wondering if these numbers where generated for a sales pitch or what. If you want a side by side comparison then pick a zero for both that's the same.  Now I don't claim to be any where near a balistics expert but if memory serves me correctly. Wouldn't the 200 and 250 yard numbers show a little more drop if they had zeroed the gun at 150 and not 2" high.  Don't get me wrong I shoot the sst bullets out of both my gun's and love them. 

[bobcat]

One thing I'm noticing in the numbers is the sst is 2" high at 150 yards, and the powerbelt's are zeroed at 150. I'm wondering if these numbers where generated for a sales pitch or what. If you want a side by side comparison then pick a zero for both that's the same.  Now I don't claim to be any where near a balistics expert but if memory serves me correctly. Wouldn't the 200 and 250 yard numbers show a little more drop if they had zeroed the gun at 150 and not 2" high.  Don't get me wrong I shoot the sst bullets out of both my gun's and love them. 

That's a completely unfair comparison. You can't have one sighted in 2 inches high at 150 yards and the other dead on at 150 yards, and then claim that one drops less at 200 and 300 yards!  The numbers would be a LOT closer if they were both zeroed at the same distance. Besides, nobody should be shooting game farther than 150 yards with a muzzleloader anyway!

[Curly]

I'm going to have to disagree w/ you Bobcat......at least a little bit.  The ballistics show approximately a 3" high sight in at 100 yards for both bullets.  If you were to sight in the powerbelt to be 2" high at 150, then it would probably be 4 or 5" high at 100 yards, wouldn't it?  That's getting to be a little bit high IMO at 100yrds.  So, I think it is a fair comparison.

[whacker1]

I am going to agree with Curl & Bobcat both on this one to some degree.  It would have been better had they picked the same zero point.  But they did pick some consistent points mainly that 3 inch mark.  It is a marketing piece.

And keep in mind bobcat, many states shoot these bullets using 209 ignitions and scopes.  little more velocity and more accurate ability.  Would I shoot 250 yards with a scope, well that is a whole different equation.  What I do know is that my groups get a lot tighter when shooting with a scope at 100.

[colockumelk]

Who cares where the zero was set at.  Both companies would use a zero that will make their bullet look the best.  From the trajectories you can tell that the SST shoots far flatter than the Powerbelt. The powerbelt has a stubbier nose and is 48 grains heavier than the SST.

In any case look at the difference in KE.  The powerbelt doesn't even come close to the SST.

[bobcat]

Doesn't really matter. Nobody should be shooting much past 100 yards with a muzzleloader anyway. Unless you're in a state that allows scopes, or you've got much better eyesight than the average joe.

[colockumelk]

I somewhat agree with you Bobcat.  However,  I hunt alot of open country for deer and 150yd shots are very common.  So all summer I practise out to 200 yds.  I also have 20/15 eyesight and use a peep sight which helps out alot.

I was also a Marine Infantryman and was trained to shoot out to 500meters with a peep sight.  So shooting out to 150yds or 200yds with a MZ with a good rest and a range finder and knowing your ballistics is not a big deal for me. 

But your right for your average joe that just shoots off of a bench at 100yds a couple times a year then yes, they should definately not shoot passed 100yds. 

[bobcat]

And I also agree that the Hornady is a better bullet than the Powerbelt, at least ballistically, not necessarily performance wise on game, because I wouldn't know that without more information, or by testing them myself.

Anyway, it looks like the Powerbelt is capable out to 150 yards, by those numbers. Of course they are using 150 grains of Pyrodex, which is more than I would use. I don't like to go over 100 grains. But then I also am not comfortable shooting much farther than 100 yards with open sights.

[CP]

I doubt if anyone is going to get 2130 fps MV from the 300gr SST without using 209 primers.

I’ve chronographed the 300gr SST and other 300gr bullets out of my Knight Bighorn and 1850 fps is a more likely neighborhood.  But even so it is an accurate bullet.  I sight in at 150y and it is 10” low at 200y. 

[colockumelk]

I agree Bobcat.  I think one thing that neither of them showed and I couldn't find it was weight retention which to me means more than the trajectory.  I want to know what's gonna happen to my bullet as it passes through an animal. 

Obviously either one will do the job as long as the shot is correctly placed.  I'm with you on amounts of powder.  I shoot two 50grain pellets of Pyrodex.  I tried 150 grains one time just to see.  And it was not worth it.  I have better groups with 100grains anyways.