Editor’s Note: Michael McMichael of Idaho, president of PowerBelt Bullets, helped design, create and develop the PowerBelt Bullet. Here’s what CVA has learned about why and how the PowerBelt Bullet has been developed, and what makes it a superior bullet for muzzleloader hunters.
Question: Michael, can you please look at each of the bullets PowerBelt offers and tell us what they’re designed to do, and how they’re different.
McMichael: The very-first PowerBelt bullet we made had no copper coating. It was a pure-lead bullet, which in a few western states is the only bullet you can use. The disadvantage to this bullet is if you’re shooting higher velocities, you’ll have some leading of the barrel. So, we developed the copper-coated bullet to eliminate the lead fouling. Our original copper-coated bullet is the most-popular PowerBelt bullet. It’s very reliable and accurate.
But as the industry began to go more toward the magnum charges, like 150 grains, we found in a few instances that the bullet didn’t seem to be tough enough or hold together well enough with the higher velocities, especially at close range, like shooting a deer or an elk at 35 yards. Hunters weren’t getting the penetration they wanted with those magnum charges. That’s when we developed the PowerBelt Platinum Series bullets, which were still copper-coated bullets but also had another proprietary coating that turned the outer surface of the bullet to silver. This extra coating lowers our variance between shots. This bullet gives us more accuracy and consistency. The bullet also has a much-tighter and smaller hollow point inside, so the nose of the bullet is tougher and will hold together better under the higher velocities produced by a magnum charge. We’ve designed a different gas check on the base of this bullet for the magnum charge. Instead of a gas check that stays fully intact as one piece as it comes out the end of the barrel, we’ve developed a gas check that under the super-high pressures of the magnum charge begins to disintegrate as it comes out of the barrel. Then you won’t have any uneven tears in the gas check under those extreme pressures. As the Muzzleloader market has begun to demand high pressures and magnum charges, we’ve started developing bullets to fit those new criteria – without giving up accuracy and/or weight. The Platinum Series bullet has been specifically designed to meet this new need of the blackpowder hunter.
Question: What are the advantages shooting of the AeroTip?
McMichael: As Muzzleloader hunters began to take longer shots with higher velocities, we created the AeroTip for a much-more stable bullet for downrange and longer shooting. When this bullet breaks through the sound barrier, it stays much-more stable and provides more accuracy at greater distances. The AeroTip also makes the bullet tougher, so the elk hunter in Colorado can use the AeroTip not only to take elk but also to take deer. If you’ll be shooting elk, you’ll get much-more penetration with the AeroTip than with other bullets.
Question: What’s the primary function of the PowerBelt AeroTip?
McMichael: It stabilizes the bullet at higher velocities, makes the bullet tougher on impact and gives the bullet much-more controlled expansion.
Question: Tell me when to use which bullet.
McMichael: If you’re hunting white-tailed deer, the 245-grain PowerBelt Bullet works great. Some hunters don’t want the bullet to create an exit wound. They want the deer to absorb all the energy of the bullet. If you’re one of these types of hunters, I’d suggest one of the Hollow Point bullets. Now, if you’re more intent on having an exit wound, which may make blood trailing easier, I suggest either the AeroTip or the Platinum bullet. Then there are different weights you can select. I personally am more in favor of the heavier-weighted bullets.
Question: What bullet do you prefer for elk?
McMichael: I like the 338-grain Platinum bullet for elk and bears. This bullet performs well under almost any conditions. It has more weight than the 245- or the 295-grain bullet, and it transfers more energy to the animal and gives more penetration when punching-through a shoulder.
Question: How many grains of powder do you usually shoot with this bullet?
McMichael: I generally shoot a magnum charge, which is 150 grains.
Question: What’s the biggest animal you’ve ever taken with a PowerBelt Bullet?
McMichael: In Zimbabwe, I took an elephant with 130 grains of Pyrodex Select loose powder, with a 530-grain Special Edition Dangerous Game bullet. We haven’t made this bullet for a while, because it wasn’t a big seller, but there a quite a few still around at some places. Not many people take muzzleloaders to Africa. The Dangerous Game bullet was specifically designed as a two-piece bullet with a special steel tip, which made the bullet extremely tough, allowing it to penetrate a great deal of bone. The bullet also had a lot of mass, which helped with penetration. The full-steel tip actually prevented the bullet from expanding on impact.
Question: Where did you hit the elephant, and how quickly did he go down?
McMichael: The elephant was charging, so I had to shoot him in the head. He went down instantly. The elephant was coming at me and was at about 125 yards when I squeezed the trigger. This hunt was very exciting, as you can imagine. When you’re in this type of a situation, you want to be able to know for sure that if you put the bullet where it’s supposed to be on the animal, the bullet will do its job and do it quickly. In this case, I couldn’t have asked for better performance out of a Dangerous Game PowerBelt bullet.