Muzzleloader
CVA PowerBelt Bullet Weight Retention
Jeff Smith
December 2003
Daily, I get a quite a few hunting related emails from visitors to my website. Several hunters have asked questions about muzzleloader bullets and how the CVA PowerBelt Bullets perform with both accuracy and in the field. I put this article together to address those questions.
The following photos show bullet weight (in grains) before and after recovery from an animal. The two bullets were removed from a 145 lb. buck.
Bullet: CVA PowerBelt 245 grain AeroTip
Firearm: Thompson Omega 50 Cal. Muzzleloader
Muzzle Velocity: 1900 ft/s
Deer: 145 lb. Buck
Shot #1
Range: 75 Yards
Location: Quartering away - hit behind diaphragm and lodged in opposite
hide
Shot #2
Range: 20 Yards
Location: broadside - hit in front shoulder
2 bullets extracted from deer
CVA Bullet with Sabot Attached - 254.7 grains
CVA Bullet with Sabot Removed - 248.0 grains
Bullet #1 - Extracted from deer - 178.9 grains
Bullet #2 - Extracted from deer - 161.6 grains
In the chart below, the CVA bullets average a weight retention percentage of 69.5%.
| CVA PowerBelt 245 grain Aero Tip | ||
| Original Weight | Retention Weight | Retention % |
| 245 grains | 178.8 grains | 73% |
| 245 grains | 161.6 grains | 66% |
In my opinion, the bullets performed well on the deer. They completely mushroomed and caused massive internal damage.
Comparing the CVA bullet to other bullets I've extracted from deer:
Bullet: Hornady 300 grain XTP 44 caliber bullet
Firearm: Pedersoli 50 Cal. Muzzleloader
Muzzle Velocity: 1600 ft/s
Deer: 120 lb. Doe
Range: 35 Yards
Location: Quartering toward - hit in front shoulder and lodged in
opposite hide
Hornady 300 grain XTP 44 caliber bullet
Hornady 300 grain XTP 44 caliber bullet extracted from deer - 287.9 grains
It's almost impossible to retrieve a Nosler partition from a deer while shooting a high power rifle. I shot these two bucks broadside and they turned to run - while running I shot them again in the hip area and the bullets lodged in the brisket.
Bullet: Nosler Partition .284 Caliber (7mm) 150 grain
Firearm: Ruger 7mm Rem Mag
Muzzle Velocity: 3200 ft/s
Deer: 180 lb. Buck
Range: 100 Yards
Location: Hip area going away
Nosler 7mm 150 grain bullet extracted from deer - 89.5 grains
New Compared to Shot
Bullet: Nosler Partition .277 Caliber 130 grain
Firearm: Remington 270 Win
Muzzle Velocity: 3000 ft/s
Deer: 175 lb. Buck
Range: 85 Yards
Location: Hip area going away
Nosler .277 Caliber 130 grain bullet extracted from deer - 72.2 grains
New Compared to Shot
In the chart below, the bullets weight retention is listed:
| Hornady 300 grain XTP 44 caliber bullet | ||
| Original Weight | Retention Weight | Retention % |
| 300 grains | 287.9 grains | 96% |
| Nosler Partition .284 Caliber (7mm) 150 grain | ||
| Original Weight | Retention Weight | Retention % |
| 150 grains | 89.5 grains | 60% |
| Nosler Partition .277 Caliber 130 grain | ||
| Original Weight | Retention Weight | Retention % |
| 130 grains | 72.2 grains | 56% |
Conclusion
The CVA PowerBelt bullets are accurate and stayed together very well. The Weight Loss Percentage is in line with other bullets. They load easily and did a good job on the deer. I hope to shoot several more deer with them this season to get a better feel for how they perform on deer but feel confident in the bullets.