PowerBelt vs THOR vs Federal | 100 Yard 50 cal Muzzleloader Bullet Penetration Testing
Every year as hunting season comes around, facebook groups and forums are swarmed with hunters with their first or a new muzzleloader wanting to find the holy grail of bullets, a bullet that will stop their dream buck in it’s tracks. Everyone has their favorites for their rifles and it’s really hard to tell if a bullet in one person’s muzzleloader will work in yours.
The best thing any of us can do is buy a variety of bullets and spend a few days at the range testing them out, but that can be hard to do, and expensive. Now, you still need to go to the range and sight in your rifle to make sure you are taking the most ethical shot possible, but this new series may help you pick the kind of bullet you’ll like, without breaking the bank.
The rifle and bullets being used in this test. All shots are taken with 80 grains of Blackhorn 209 measured by weight
All summer I’ve been picking up a pack of bullets of different brands each time I see them available, leaving plenty for other shooters out there, with the hopes of doing a test like this and it working. Until I took the first shot, I wasn’t sure it was going to work but it did and I’m happy to share the results with you.
Test Parameters
The Gear
I’m using my CVA Accura LR V2 with a Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40 scope. The Rifle does have the CVA Blackhorn 209 rated breechplug.
For a charge I’m using 80 grains (measured by weight) of blackhorn 209
My primers are Federal Premium 209 Shotgun Primers - notably not the best for Blackhorn but they have been working for me.
I’m shooting from the bench using a Caldwell shooting rest
The Bullets
Powerbelt Aero Tip 295 GR
PowerBelt ELR 330 GR
Federal Bor-Lock 270 GR
Thor Hammer 247 GR (Note: THOR Bullets are a supporter of the podcast, this does not have and sway over the test results)
Author at shooting bench with slow motion camera in the lower right
The Targets
To test our bullet penetration, I’ve lined up 15 1 gallon jugs, filled with water at 100 yards. It’s important to note that these targets don’t perfectly replicate or even get close to emulating a deer, elk, hog, bear, or other muzzleloader hunting target, but we do get to see the expansion in a controlled environment.
Bullet 1: Powerbelt Copper Aerotip 295 GR
The first bullet flew down range and I was a little awstuck, it was great to be able to hit dead on at 100 yards. A milkjug isn’t a small target, but its always fun to see something blow up like this.
The Aerotip penetrated 3 jugs, coming to a full stop in jug 3 (Seen below). Jugs 1 and 2 were destroyed, jug 3 walked away with a clean split in the center of the front of the jug.
Above you’ll find several stills of the impact, taken at 120 frames per second. Take note of how the jugs behind the penetrated jugs flex and distort with the force.
PowerBelt Aero Tip Penetration Test Results
Bullet 2: Powerbelt ELR 330GR
The Powerbelt ELR was the largest bullet tested. Coming in at 330 grains, the ELR penetrated 5 jugs before exiting through the back corner of the 5th jug. The ELR fragmented sometime during the impact, I was only able to recover the base.
PowerBelt ELR 330 Grain Penetration Results
Bullet 3: Federal Bor-Lock 270 GR
The Federal Bor Lock is a fan favorite from what I hear and while it is lighter than the Powerbelts, it had decent performance in comparison. The 270 Grain bullet busted through 2 jugs before stopping in jug number 3, just like the Powerbelt Aerotip. The bullet was recovered from jug 3
Federal BorLok 270 Grain Penetration Test Results
Bullet 4: THOR Hammer 247 GR
The THOR Hammer Bullet is the only bullet we’re testing today without plastic, something we’re seeing a lot of in the high performance muzzleloading market. At 247 grains, it’s the lightest bullet on the roster.
The THOR Hammer bullet mimiked the performance of the Powerbelt Aerotip and the Federal Bor-Lock by penetrating 2 jugs and stopping in jug 3. The THOR bullet did however, split the 4th jug without exiting jug 3.
It should be noted that the 4th jug was exposed to the force of the Federal Bor-Lock test, which could have contributed to it splitting. If I were to do the test again, I would replace or rotate the non penetrated jugs.
Thor Hammer 247 Grain Penetration Results
Penetration Scoreboard
Powerbelt Aero Tip 295 GR - 3 Jugs, Recovered weight 277.78 GR
PowerBelt ELR 330 GR - 5 Jugs, Recovered weight 185.18 GR
Federal Bor-Lock 270 GR - 3 Jugs, Recovered weight 262.35 GR
Thor Hammer 247 GR - 3 Jugs (Possible split on jug 4), Recovered weight 246.91 GR
When starting the test, I didn’t expect I would be able to recover the bullets. I hoped I would be able to, but didn’t know until I started shooting. Thankfully, I was able to recover, at least parts of every bullet so we can see how the expand in this environment.
The Aerotip bullet flattened out, revealing it’s soft lead interior, Similar performance we’d see in a slug or minie ball.
The ELR bullet looks like it fragmented, leaving us with the base.
The Federal Bor-Lock retained it’s plastic base, which hardened after shooting, and opened up upon hitting the jugs.
The THOR Hammer bullet expanded at the front after hitting the jugs. It should be noted that the base of the bullet expanded to fit the bore, leaving rifling marks engraved into the copper.
All in all, I had a great time doing this shooting and will be making a few changes for the next round, mainly the addition of a chronograph to begin getting some data for the bullets as they head down range.
I’ll be ordering some more bullets here soon, from some of the smaller manufacturers to test out in this same format. If you have any ideas, tips, or critiques about this test feel free to let me know via email. I’m happy to learn and do better with the next video.