Best Bullet

What do you guys use for bullets? I hav shot about 5 deer over 20 years w my muzzleloader - never get much of blood trail. Just bought 250 grain hollow point. The 250 grain poly tip was not doing it

Buck I shot last year - only ran maybe 70 yards - looked very hard - found one minuscule drop and I hit him right behind shoulder. He ran into a thicket - did not find until next day. I hav done that with does - shot one at 45 yards (same range buck was last year) and found 0 blood. Doe ran into thicket maybe 60 yards - took me hour & 1/2 to 2 to find her

What do you guys shoot ?

I try to keep my shots on my 50 cal to 80 yards and in - longest shot I hav taken has been about 50 yards - w 100 grains powder. Should I go to like 300 grain bullet? Should I try to shoot right then the shoulders instead of just behind ?

If all my shots were within 80 yards I'd probably use hollow points.

For modern muzzleloaders I use sabots with XTP pistol bullets. They hold up well to the velocity and drop deer quick with good blood. For traditional I use mostly Lee REAL bullets (good penetration, usually a pass through do good blood) or patched round ball.

My Prohunter has alway shot the TC Shockwave 200 gr extremely well over 100 gr of 777 or 110 gr of BH209. Flat shooting and good penetration. Every deer I've shot with it has fallen within 50 yards, including a good 8 point shot slightly quartering to at ~80 yards. Bullet hit junction of front shoulder and neck, came out around next to last rib. Back in the day, dropped many a deer using saboted 240 gr XTP over 100 gr of pyrodex. Have also shot numerous deer using the POWERBELT 245gr .50cal Copper Aerotip. Accurate but penetration was spotty and would often break up.

Sometimes it's hit or miss on a blood trail even with modern firearms. Always helps to have an entrance and exit hole. Would hypothesize the larger the holes are, the less likely is it of getting plugged w/ fat, hair, skin, etc..

Thanks guys

Barnes Expanders!!! Best bullet period.

TDog93, I was kinda in the same boat last year and decided to give the power powerbelt aerolite 250 grain a try to see how it does in my gun. Still haven't tried it yet so may have to go back to the drawing board if it doesn't work out. I wanted to try the new hornady bore driver but couldn't find them anywhere online or in stores.

Let me no how they work

I was hoping the hollow point i just got would do better - thanks

I needed some bullets this year, and decided to try some Aerolites myself. These come as one piece, with what they call a gas check on the tail end. (Poly)
These load great. Even after a couple shots. The bullet itself is supposed to be .001 smaller than the barrel. It is also longer and made of alloy.
Lets see if I can bury one in the ribs of a Kansas buck next week. That's what really counts.

I kept enough old Hornady's to get by if the Powerbelts wouldn't fly. Still early, but they did OK.

Good luck in KS tree dweller - turkey hunted here lot - never deer - that would b awesome

Let me no what u do

Will do if I get to try them out in a couple months.

Tree Dweller, good luck in Kansas. Would love to go there someday. If you get to try the aerolite out on a Kansas buck let us know how it performs.

250 grain hollow point power belt

This.

Barnes expanders have never let me down.

If you read about the Barnes Expanders - sounds good - ordered some

Reviews on stuff I been shooting said same thing - very weak blood trail. Reviews on expander sound good - thanks for tip

Thank you Guys. I'll respond if I make it home in one piece.

You can’t beat Barnes Expanders IF they will shoot in you gun. A Hornady XTP would be my second choice.

That's half the fun playing with MLs, looking for the right bullet/powder/primer combination. I will say this, it took very little time finding the sweetspot with BH209. Just picked up a discontinued CVA Plains rifle in black nitride while they were available. Hope to get it out shortly and start the process. Not messing with anything but BH209. Hoping the TC 200gr Shockwaves shoot as well out of it as they do my Prohunter.

Barnes for me too.. Great blood trails.

Yes it is! I have shot and killed deer with over a dozen different bullets in the many years I have hunted with a front stuffer. Some folks have a hard time believing you can kill a deer with a patched round ball made from soft lead! IMHO and experience you have to match the velocity to the specific bullet. Some people hate powerbelts because they say they don't penetrate or leave blood trails. I used them one season and shot 5 deer and recovered all 5 of them, only one went over 50 yards, and he was quartering to uphill. I have never shot the Barnes, but they are next on my list to try. My standard recommendation is Hornady XTP in a crush rib sabot, but know that they make the bullet in a magnum version that is meant for higher velocities. They are very cheap, usually available and just flat out work at standard muzzle loader velocities.

Power belts fly straight in my knight and hit like Thor’s Hammer. I’ve killed a good many deer with them. I don’t always get a pass through, but I don’t mind because the deer seems to have to absorb all the energy when that happens.

Shot many a deer in PA late season ML with flintlock and patched round ball. Remember my father making patches from pillow ticking and taking calipers to measure thickness before soaking them in lubricant.

I'll forego a pass through for watching them drop any day.