I finally found a bullet test media that is readily available. I wish it was cheaper but I do not do that much testing anyway. A local supplier has the cases of 12 rolls for $40 a case. I found the brown paper towel rolls used in bathroom dispensers work great. They are just like phone books. I smashed them flat and soaked them in water overnight. The hornady xtp in 44 magnum make perfect mushrooms. My 310 grain wide flat nose bullets penetrated 40" of the paper towels. There is no whitetail walking that is that thick. They may even pass end to end on a deer depending on the amount of bone hit. Each roll is about 5" thick once flattened. I was also able to test some muzzleloader bullets and found the CVA powerbelt hollow point blew up in the towels. Very disappointing.

Personally, I've never had a powerbelt hold together at full velocity loads. Your results mimic what I've seen in the field. I've had them come apart on lung shot even. Never used them again. I switched over to the Barnes spitzer in my ML and have been VERY impressed. They don't stop for anything.

The XTP placed in a sabot works great on hogs and deer. Very accurate too.

Power belts were never that accurate in my dad's muzzleloader. We always used those T/C Shockwave 250 grain bullets. On top of a 3 pellet 777 charge, they were deadly. I don't know how well they held together, but those two bucks I hit with them didn't run far at all.