# Sabot vs Powerbelt



## specialpatrolgroup

So this year will be my first ML season (MN). I have decided to use power belts mainly because I have heard that sabots make cleaning harder, and you have to run a patch through each shot. I will be using blackhorn powder, and have heared that you can shoot 10+ times without running a patch through, but was wondering if I did use sabots, then maybe I would have to clean each time reguardless. So just wondering what everyone usese and why


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## Savage260

I have used both, and find the Barnes tipped TMZ sabots are more accurate than the powerbelts. I have not noticed any difference in cleaning with the blackhorn.


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## Plainsman

I used powerbelts when they first came out. I don't know if they have changed, but I had problems with the bullet and plastic base separating. It looked problematic to me and after bumping my barrel against a tree limb I checked. The bullet had separated from the base and was half way up the barrel. If I had fired the rifle the bullet would have acted just like a barrel obstruction. 
I don't find the need to clean any greater from a sabot than I do a plastic base and lead bullet.


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## specialpatrolgroup

Maybe CVA has been spreading the rumor about the cleaning is worse to sell more powerbelts.


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## Hunter_58346

http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Cal-300-gr-FPB/

They load easy, are accurate, no plastic sabot or skirt. Power belts are undersized and are designed to shoot out of a dirty bore. The Hornady FPB and Blackhorn 209 are a perfect marriage!!


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## specialpatrolgroup

I am going to have to try those, looks like you get the bennifits fo the powerbelt with no plastic skirt.


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## Hunter_58346

I shot the 350 gr ones last year and picked some 300's up in Devils Lake and they shoot as good if not better. the 350's with 105 grains of Blackhorn were deadly and I don't expect the 300's to be any less lethal.


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## specialpatrolgroup

I bought a 50 pack of power belts, then have been reading review after review of deer walking away, mainly reports of the bullet shattering and not pennitrating, I have yet to shoot at an animal with one, but I will have to cross my fingers until I run out then try somethign differnt, probablyt the hornadays.


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## Mr M.S.Pat

I have been like a few others when it comes to the power belt , i liked the groups it gave and the easy of loading and not having to clean the barrel every 3 times .But this came at a price my biggest disapproval with the power belt .( I shot a 300 grain copper hollow point power belt ) Is that it has no exit wound i shot and lost 2 deer both shoulder shots both lost after a long small blood trail .I have heard others say the same thing nice bullet to shot with and great groups , i would say if you are going to use them keep the shots to the lungs .
The sabot i now use the TMZ 290 grain both bullets i used 100 grains pyrodex .These bullets give a very nice exit wound , and also give nice grouping .So i have to clean the rifle a little more that's not much to ask when you have your deer in the truck .In all i have come to the age i Need a exit wound and a better blood trail to follow .To be fair both can do a nice job getting the deer at the end of the day is what make a good hunt a great hunt .Thank you for your time . M.S.P


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## tikkat3

I couldnt be happier with the powerbelts shot a nice buck wed. night at 150 yds in the shoulder blade dropped him in his tracks blew right through the shoulder and buried itself in the hide on the other side. 245 grain hollow point pushed by 100 grains triple 7


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## dsm16428

For the PA rifle season (when I'm actually not already tagged out in archery), I choose to carry my inline rather than my centerfires most of the time. I like the challange. Also, the NY shotgun season allows the use of inlines in leu of slug guns so again, the inline gets the nod there. Having worked the outdoor retail market and been a buyer for a couple stores in my area, I have been lucky to shoot just about every modern bullet ever made for inline rifles, and most inlines for that matter. Some were good...some just plain sucked. The powerbelt has been an exceptional performer for me from as close as 10 yards to as far as 150 yards+. I have also found that certain manufacturers' bores can be either under or over true .50 cal. or .45 or whatever you shoot ie., TC is usually a touch over bore and CVA is usually just a hair under. My Pro Hunter .50 happens to be very very close to perfect .50, while my CVA Kodiak Mag Pro will fit the exact same bullet just a tad tighter. True the Powerbelt is made SLIGHTLY under whatever bore it is made to fit, but we're talking a couple thousandths of an inch and only small enough to aid in loading. Contrary to popular belief, they ARE NOT designed to be shot from a "dirty" bore, but they do fit and shoot better if your barrel is dirty and happens to be "over bore". The bullet weight I choose is based on the game I'm after and the rate of twist of the rifle I'm carrying. I have even shot the 245gr. powerbelt HP's out of my 1:66 twist PA hunter flintlock with devistating reuslts on whitetails at typical ranges for a flintlock. The best all around weight seems to be the 295 gr. with the hollow point for light game like deer and the aerotip for big stuff like elk. The aerotip is designed to not only increase aerodynamics BUT, to actually ****** expansion, allowing for deeper penetration. EVERY single hunter that took my recommendation of the 295 gr. aerotip when they went out west for elk came back a happy hunter when they actually got to drop the hammer. Colorado I think still requires full bore projectiles for big game there, so the power belt is a no-brainer in that regards. Any body remember the Knight .52 cal inline? It was designed with Colorado specifically in mind and was an awesome performer, if none too popular. As far as the Hornady FPB's...great bullets!! Load easy, hit hard, and are pretty accurate in the right rifle. For sabots my choice is just about anything from Barnes and Hornady. Almost can't go wrong with either, with the Hornady 300 gr. SST sabot being my bullet of choice there.


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## specialpatrolgroup

So just an update, before last season I purchased some powerbelts and went out to the range to figure out a load. I loaded 90gr of blackhorn in my new Accura V2, and a green .50 cal 245gr powerbelt, put in my primer, bring the gun up, pull the hammer back, pull the trigger, and pffffft, a little smoke comes out. after I let it sit for a while before investigating, I tip the gun upside down and a bunch of unburnt powder falls out, no sign of my power belt anywhere, I spent a good amount of time looking for it on the ground, but it disapeared. So I clean all the unburnt powder out of the gun, then reload, the next time I pull the trigger the same thing happens, except this time in the barrel is the green plastic skirt, but no bullet, and a bunch of unburnt powder. I spend 15-20 minutes looking around the ground for the bullet, but its no where to be found, I have no clue where my bullets are going, but something isnt right so I pack up head to the store to pick up some saboted XTP's. I never was able to make it out last season but as soon as some of this snow goes away Ill be back out there.


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## alleyyooper

Sounds like more of a powder issue than a power belt issue. You have to use regular 209 primers to light off BH 209.

 Al


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## specialpatrolgroup

I was using regular primers, but if the bullet isnt there to hold the primer in the back of the barrel, its not going to ignite properly when its laying loose in there.


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## Jig Master

Specialpatrolgroup, I had the same thing happen 4 times in a row using 245 grain Aero Tip PBs sitting on top of two 50 grain sticks of American Pioneer powder in my Knight .50 cal. Disc rifle. I set up an old jug at a ranged 33 yards and fired, and I believe the pellets shot out farther than the bullet, which I could not find. I tried 3 more shots with the same results. If it was the powder, then why upon firing 4 sabot loads, 1 the day before, 2 the day after, and one more 5 days later, did I have perfect ignition? I believe those PBs weren't offering enough resistance in the barrel for the powder to fully ignite. Funny thing is, that the rest of my PBs. before the finale 4 went off without a hitch, but I could not afford to have my gun go fssssssst with a deer in front of it. While PBs. come in different weights, so do bullets that fit into sabots. In addition to that, bullets for sabots come in many different shapes and constructions. Anyone ever hear of an A-Frame, Partition, Copper Solid, XTP or XTP MAG. Powerbelt? Those bullet designs and many more are available to be loaded with a sabot, and they will penetrate, because they have already proven themselves over many years in both hand gun and rifle loads. In the field I have gotten off three rounds before having to swab the bore, using sabots. I know sabots can be a bit tuff to get down the bore, but once the adrenilin starts pumping in the presence of deer, I'm lucky I don't push the breech plug out the other end of the barrel. Besides, a little bore butter around the sabot helps it slide down the barrel a whole lot easier.


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## thedockdoc

I tested many different loads in my traditions pursuit .45 with powerbelts and could never get a good group say within 7-8 " at 100 yds with triple 7 buckhorn or pyrodex powder than gave up and dumped the powerbelt idea and changed to cheap shot sabots and they shot about the same with pyrodex but cheap shot sabots and triple seven tightened up within 1-2" at 100 and havn't changed since. 2 deer and couple squirrels have bit the dust since also. ml season is almost here cant hardly wait. powerbelts are junk!!!


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## striped1

powerbelts are complete junk. Thin jacketing, bad terminal performance and an inability for repeatability.

250 grain shockwave in a sabot over 777 pellets is an awesome load.


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