Opinions on ELDX for mule deer?

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schoolhousegrizz

Very Active Member
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What's everyone's opinion on the eldx. List the caliber you use if you don't mind. I've always leaned towards accubonds and Barnes bullets. I tend to like the more sturdier build. I know some people don't like that. I have used eldx and like them for the most part but I have heard of several people losing animals just this year that have been using the eldx
 
If you lose a deer shooting just about any expanding bullet, it's not the bullets fault. We've been using the old Amax for years in my Daughters gun, and it's racked up one shot kill after one shot kill. Big Bucks, little Bucks, neck shots, shoulder shots, rib shots, not-so-great shots, everything has died quickly.

The Amax is even less "tough" than the ELD-X, it's more like the ELD-M.
 
I am a fan of them so far. We've shot several deer and a few elk with them. The deer was too close. 40 yards, as we walked through the pines opening weekend with the wind and storm coming in. It did some damage. The big hole was impact, the smaller hole was exit, through the neck, down into the shoulder.
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30-06 178g is what i have used and i don’t like it at close range( with in 200 yards) . killed really well but to much blood shot tissue damage. it’s my longer shot bullet and groups very well out of my cheap rifle.

for closer shots is used a 180 barns tsx non plastic tip and had perfect results on a close range shot
 
They have worked on elk for me too, this year on my step dads elk hunt. 400 yards. We had to road hunt for him. And found this one close enough for him to get out of the SxS, sit in a chair with sticks, and the rest of us packed it out for him.

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The ELD-x is pretty equivalent to a Barnes tipped TSX. I have never had reason to fault either. Generally there is a better BC from the ELD-x, so I often use it in long range combinations, especially if case capacity is an issue. Probably doesn't matter inside 300 yards, and I suspect placement is more likely the issue than any type of bullet "failure".

I have had great experience with the following:

6MM Creedmoor with 103 gr ELD-x accounted for 3 pronghorn this year.
6.5x 284 has killed several deer with a 142gr ELD-x.
280 AI has killed both deer and elk, I forget the bullet weight

In 270 Win I still use a Barnes 140 gr TSX mostly for deer
In 300 Win I still use the 180 gr TSX mostly for elk
30.06 I use the 168 gr TTSX for many deer and elk
and in 300 WSM I use the 150 gr TTSX for deer and bear

In .375 H+H I use 300 gr TSX for big bears and African game.
In .416 Rigby I use 400 gr TSX for Buffalo and other large dangerous game.

Bill
 
I've shot allot of stuff with a 200 grain eldx hornady out of a 300 wm. It kills em quick but really doesn't knock the piss out of em like you would think for a 200 grain bullet
 
Bookhead said:
I've shot allot of stuff with a 200 grain eldx hornady out of a 300 wm. It kills em quick but really doesn't knock the piss out of em like you would think for a 200 grain bullet
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I had the same experience with my 300 Weatherby. I went to bonded bullets. I think the ELDX is a great deer bullet, especially if it’s pushed at moderate velocity, or it’s far enough away that the bullet has slowed down a bit.
 
I've heard a ton of on and off about them. I personally haven't shot them, but I've heard that some guys have experienced them just "blowing up" on contact with the animals skin. And I've also heard tons of guys saying that they were like a grenade going off in the chest cavity.
 
No personal experience, but I help a old fellow hunt, and his 143 gr , 6.5cm has explosive meat damage on shots under 150 yards, i personlly wouldn’t shoot any elk with them unless it’s a perfect shot placement
 
MountainSqwabler said:
I've heard a ton of on and off about them. I personally haven't shot them, but I've heard that some guys have experienced them just "blowing up" on contact with the animals skin. And I've also heard tons of guys saying that they were like a grenade going off in the chest cavity.
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that’s my experience. i think it’s more of a distance round.
 
schoolhousegrizz said:
What's everyone's opinion on the eldx. List the caliber you use if you don't mind. I've always leaned towards accubonds and Barnes bullets. I tend to like the more sturdier build. I know some people don't like that. I have used eldx and like them for the most part but I have heard of several people losing animals just this year that have been using the eldx
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I’ve tried the eldx in four different rifles for load development. I’m very particular as far as achieving sub MOA accuracy. I have had a very hard time hand loading this bullet. I have tried from jamming into the lands to 120,000 Off and everything in between. Of the four rifles only one shoots this bullet 1/2 moa accurately , and it likes a big jump as far as seating depth goes. But again if I can’t get same hole groups / clover groups I move on to another bullet. That being said the one rifle I have that will shoot the eldx accurately hammered a mule deer last year and preformed very well.
 
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7mm 162gr eldx- 30yrds-810yrds 8 elk 11 deer all 1 shot.

300 win mag- 178 eldx 150 yards- 640 yards. 4 deer 3 elk all 1 shot

6.5 needsmoor- 143gr eldx 170yrds-610yrds 2 deer 1 elk all 1 shot.

I will also say….. always had pass throughs with large wound channels.
 
6.5 creed 143 eldx on antelope x 2. Dumped both.
300 wm 200 eldx on 6 deer between 200-389 yards total feet after shot is about 30' for 6 bucks.
300 wm 200 eldx on 3 elk from 180-400 yards total feet moved about 60'.

Very pleased with eldx..shoot great out of my tikkas..looking forward to shooting my 6.5 prc 143eldx in Christiansen Arms.
 
I killed a 4x4 in Wyoming last year with 143 ELDX at 453 yards from 6.5PRC.
Buck took two jumps and was stone dead.
I was concerned when I got up to where he was standing at Impact to find zero blood.
Bullet stayed inside the hide on opposite side.
I do like a blood trail if they don't drop immediately, but he was lying dead just over the rise.
 
My boy killed an antelope yesterday with the 178 gr eldx out of the 300 wsm. 270 yards, slightly quartering to us. He hit a touch far back for that angle. Took him behind the front shoulder, through the middle, exited the rear ham. Not ideal at all, but the bullet went through 2' of goat. Dropped him dead.
 
To be fair, shooting through a speed beef is like shooting a medium sized dog. Their hides aren't thick at all or tough, and their bones are pretty small and not super hard.

Still, congrats to your son
 
Can’t complain with the bullet, first 2 elk dropped in their tracks, most recent one went 30 yards. But all my shots have been very close which isn’t where the bullet is designed for. 175 yard cow elk DRT, 70 yard bull DRT, and most recent 45 yard spike ran 30 yards. Can’t complain but not one exit hole
 
MountainSqwabler said:
I've heard a ton of on and off about them. I personally haven't shot them, but I've heard that some guys have experienced them just "blowing up" on contact with the animals skin. And I've also heard tons of guys saying that they were like a grenade going off in the chest cavity.
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Sounds like my 7WSM with 168 gr Bergers. Friend calls it a killer bullet, not a meat saving bullet. Also terrible at close range, practically explodes on impact.
 
Seemed to work on this little buck, this is the exit wound, 162 gr eldx out of a 280 Ackley Improved, only a 40 yard shot though

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Lots of positive feedback on eldx. My son lost a nice bull elk this year shooting it with 143 eldx 6.5prc. Not enough not down power when hit in the shoulder.
 
162 gr ELDX 7mm

Never had an issue for deer and the one elk I’ve seen it hit died within 5 seconds right where it was after a 611 yard shot.

I have always shot Barnes in everything, including muzzy bullets, but availability these days is next to nothing. Very disappointed in that. If I can’t get the bullet, it can’t perform well in the field. ELD-x has been a great replacement thus far.
 
I have killed 9 deer, 3 cow elk, and 2 pronghorn with my 28 Nosler shooting 162 ELDX at 3250 fps. If the range is short and I don't hit the right spot, these are absolute grenades at this velocity. I choose to shoot them because they are bench-rest accurate out of my hunting-weight rifle.

I've learned to place my shots with these aiming for the soft spot near the middle of the lungs well behind the shoulder. Even on elk, I have had full pass-throughs with large exit holes on the off side. No animal has made it more than 25 yards after being hit with these.

If you hit the point of the shoulder with these, you would likely lose half the animal but I believe it would still result in a very quick kill.

I shoot Barnes and Nosler E-tips in the rest of my rifles and will likely do the same in my next 28 from the start. I just don't have the heart to abandon such an accurate load combination. Plus I like shooting extreme range for fun even though I seldom shoot past 300 yards on animals.

Here is the exit hole from the rib cage of this years muley at 329 yards. Zero good meat lost and a very quick, clean kill. -----SS

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nmhntr said:
Lots of positive feedback on eldx. My son lost a nice bull elk this year shooting it with 143 eldx 6.5prc. Not enough not down power when hit in the shoulder.
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I would bet your son didn't hit the bull squarely in the shoulder if he lost it because if he would have hit it in the shoulder it would have been dead where he stood. I shot a cow two years ago in the shoulder at 609 yards with that same bullet out of my 6.5x47 and she was dead before she knew what hit her.
 
nmhntr said:
Lots of positive feedback on eldx. My son lost a nice bull elk this year shooting it with 143 eldx 6.5prc. Not enough not down power when hit in the shoulder.
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Not exactly sure what happened with your son's bull and I'm sorry to hear that he ended up losing it.
I don't know what you mean by not enough knock down power? If you mean energy transfer from bullet to animal, I don't think there is a much better bullet design than the cup/core boat tail, secant ogive, polymer tip style such as the ELDX. If you mentioned lack of penetration, I might be able to understand that.

Either way, I sincerely don't believe that it is possible to hit a bull elk in the vitals, including point of shoulder, with a 143 ELDX at PRC velocities and not have sufficient penetration, expansion, tissue damage, etc to very quickly kill the animal. My observation has been that a direct shot to the shoulder of an elk causes near instant disablement with death quickly following. I would also expect that you would lose a considerable amount of meat from both front shoulders due to bullet/bone fragmentation and resultant blood shot tissue damage.

My guess is that the shot placement on your son's elk was less than perfect, likely low, resulting in an elk with a single broken leg and no damage to vitals organs.------SS
 
I strongly agree that when people lose an animal 99.9% of the time it's because it was not a well placed shot.

I have a deer hunt coming up. I have a 6.5 creedmoor shooting 143 eldx. When I am shooting off a solid rest my groups are almost always 3/4 inch group or under. I also have a 300 short mag with 200 grain eldx. Groups are an inch or slightly under.

After much debate I think I'm going to go with the 300 WSM. I plan on making an excellent shot. However, I feel like the 300 gives me a slightly bigger margin of error should the shot not be ideal. Feel free to share your thoughts. I always like discussion.
 
Bulls are tough as nails at times, and other times the fold as easily as deer.


My first bull I shot at roughly 250 yards with a 160gr accubond out of a 270 win. I hit that bull 3 times total, 2 in the lungs, perfect broadside center body right behind the shoulder, he stood and walked around for roughly 3 Mins before I got another shot and that one hit the heart. He stood there for about 15 seconds and then ran about 50 yards and flipped over.

Moral of the story, elk are tough as HE$$! Even with perfectly placed shots, they can soak up a ton of lead.
 
pauns08 said:
I would bet your son didn't hit the bull squarely in the shoulder if he lost it because if he would have hit it in the shoulder it would have been dead where he stood. I shot a cow two years ago in the shoulder at 609 yards with that same bullet out of my 6.5x47 and she was dead before she knew what hit her.
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Not necessarily. Depends on how far the shot was. It does make a difference.

I once watched a hunt on Youtube (I think) where a guy shot an off range oryx in NM at 900 something yds with the famed 143 gr ELDX and 6.5 CM. He hit it and had to do a follow up 200 yd shot to kill it, animal was still on its feet. Just not enough there for the bullet to perform, and the rapid deceleration at impact on an already decelerating bullet.

And, oryx are supposed to be the toughest animal in NA. Anyone who has killed at least only one will tell you that...
 
MountainSqwabler said:
Bulls are tough as nails at times, and other times the fold as easily as deer.


My first bull I shot at roughly 250 yards with a 160gr accubond out of a 270 win. I hit that bull 3 times total, 2 in the lungs, perfect broadside center body right behind the shoulder, he stood and walked around for roughly 3 Mins before I got another shot and that one hit the heart. He stood there for about 15 seconds and then ran about 50 yards and flipped over.

Moral of the story, elk are tough as HE$$! Even with perfectly placed shots, they can soak up a ton of lead.
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160 grain accubond in a 270? Might want to check your numbers there. But sounds like a typical accubond story
 
150 gr. Fat fingered it. The regular accubonds have been nothing but amazing, this was the only bull that soaked up more than 1 round from the same gun. Every other animal got absolutely wrecked by the round.
 
Sparks Shooter said:
Not exactly sure what happened with your son's bull and I'm sorry to hear that he ended up losing it.
I don't know what you mean by not enough knock down power? If you mean energy transfer from bullet to animal, I don't think there is a much better bullet design than the cup/core boat tail, secant ogive, polymer tip style such as the ELDX. If you mentioned lack of penetration, I might be able to understand that.

Either way, I sincerely don't believe that it is possible to hit a bull elk in the vitals, including point of shoulder, with a 143 ELDX at PRC velocities and not have sufficient penetration, expansion, tissue damage, etc to very quickly kill the animal. My observation has been that a direct shot to the shoulder of an elk causes near instant disablement with death quickly following. I would also expect that you would lose a considerable amount of meat from both front shoulders due to bullet/bone fragmentation and resultant blood shot tissue damage.

My guess is that the shot placement on your son's elk was less than perfect, likely low, resulting in an elk with a single broken leg and no damage to vitals organs.------SS
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Exactly my thoughts as well
 
roadrunner said:
Not necessarily. Depends on how far the shot was. It does make a difference.

I once watched a hunt on Youtube (I think) where a guy shot an off range oryx in NM at 900 something yds with the famed 143 gr ELDX and 6.5 CM. He hit it and had to do a follow up 200 yd shot to kill it, animal was still on its feet. Just not enough there for the bullet to perform, and the rapid deceleration at impact on an already decelerating bullet.

And, oryx are supposed to be the toughest animal in NA. Anyone who has killed at least only one will tell you that...
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Ya you aren't wrong he didn't specify a range but I would dare say if it was under 900-1000 yards he didn't hit it in the shoulder and lose it, if it was a hail mary 1500 yard shot then yes it may not have had the velocity or energy required.
 
mtmuley said:
Bullet threads are great. Speculating what a bullet did in a lost animal is even greater. mtmuley
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Speculation is part of the troubleshooting process. It's when we ask "what if...". If you don't try to figure out what happened, you are doomed to make the same mistake.

Only fools do that...
 
roadrunner said:
Speculation is part of the troubleshooting process. It's when we ask "what if...". If you don't try to figure out what happened, you are doomed to make the same mistake.

Only fools do that...
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If you don't recover the animal, you have zero idea what happened. Only fools speculate. mtmuley
 
mtmuley said:
If you don't recover the animal, you have zero idea what happened. Only fools speculate. mtmuley
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mtmuley:

A clarification on the last sentence (Only fools speculate) please.

Are you referring all speculation in general, or only on bullet performance on unrecovered animals.

ClearCreek
 
ClearCreek said:
mtmuley:

A clarification on the last sentence (Only fools speculate) please.

Are you referring all speculation in general, or only on bullet performance on unrecovered animals.

ClearCreek
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What do you mean about all speculation?
How can you make a determination about a bullets performance if you do not recover the animal? Yeah. Speculation about bullet performance is foolish. mtmuley
 
If I shoot an animal and see it days later walking around.....pretty sure I CAN speculate that the bullet failed....even when I watched the bullet hit it right behind the shoulder.....but you seemingly know all about speculations and what people can do to determine whether a bullet failed or not.
 
mtmuley said:
What do you mean about all speculation?
How can you make a determination about a bullets performance if you do not recover the animal? Yeah. Speculation about bullet performance is foolish. mtmuley
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mtmuley:
I agree wholeheartedly that you can not determine a bullets performance on an unrecovered animal.

Speculating on issues is human nature, right, wrong or foolish.

ClearCreek
 
mtmuley said:
If you don't recover the animal, you have zero idea what happened. Only fools speculate. mtmuley
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I don't have to speculate your understanding of what speculation is relative to what may have happened with an animals loss after a shot was made.

We're talking about what events may have happened to cause the loss. Bullet deflection, not enough energy at impact, mechanical failure/flaw.

If any speculative circumstances are the result of taking a shot beyond what is prudent for the setup, then you are a fool to think that next time it won't be an issue.

The data you do have is something happened you can't explain, only surmise what did. It's interpretive and qualitative in nature.

Again, I don't have to speculate your understanding of its application in context...
 
roadrunner said:
I don't have to speculate your understanding of what speculation is relative to what may have happened with an animals loss after a shot was made.

We're talking about what events may have happened to cause the loss. Bullet deflection, not enough energy at impact, mechanical failure/flaw.

If any speculative circumstances are the result of taking a shot beyond what is prudent for the setup, then you are a fool to think that next time it won't be an issue.

The data you do have is something happened you can't explain, only surmise what did. It's interpretive and qualitative in nature.

Again, I don't have to speculate your understanding of its application in context...
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Ok. Thanks. mtmuley
 
MountainSqwabler said:
If I shoot an animal and see it days later walking around.....pretty sure I CAN speculate that the bullet failed....even when I watched the bullet hit it right behind the shoulder.....but you seemingly know all about speculations and what people can do to determine whether a bullet failed or not.
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Lol if you truly hit an animal right behind the front shoulder you're not going to see it walking around days later
 
Arrowed a buck once. Looked like I slipped the Muzzy right where I should of. Tracked him until dark with very little blood. Kept coming back looking for crows/buzzards/etc. Two weeks latter he returned. Took me 3 more weeks and 6 stalks to get a second chance at him. When I skinned him he had a scar (X) right where my arrow went over the lungs and under the spine. Not the broad head or arrow’s fault. All mine. I shot was a little high.
 
Last week I shot a buck with my .270 with 145 eldx. Straight up hill approximately 125 yds. The bullet exploded on it's brisket and he dropped like a rock. Massive chest damage to say the least
 
My son shot a buck at 600 yards last weekend with a 143 ELDX out of a 6.5 PRC. Perfect lung shot. Buck ran about 20 yards and tipped over dead. Bullet exited, but one interesting thing was there were two exit holes when we skinned him out, one higher mid body and the other coming out through the off shoulder. Guessing the lead core separated from the jacket and when it did each went a different direction, with the copper jacket going high (small copper fragment in hole) and the lead core exiting low in the opposing shoulder. I prefer shooting bonded bullets so I haven't seen this happen before, but will say the ELDX worked on the one deer we've used them on.
 
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sandbagger said:
My son shot a buck at 600 yards last weekend with a 143 ELDX out of a 6.5 PRC. Perfect lung shot. Buck ran about 20 yards and tipped over dead. Bullet exited, but one interesting thing was there were two exit holes when we skinned him out, one higher mid body and the other coming out through the off shoulder. Guessing the lead core separated from the jacket and when it did each went a different direction, with the copper jacket going high (small copper fragment in hole) and the lead core exiting low in the opposing shoulder. I prefer shooting bonded bullets so I haven't seen this happen before, but will say the ELDX worked on the one deer we've used them on.
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Now your speculating. Some say you're not supposed to do that ;)
 
I can’t believe people are comparing the Barnes TSX/TTSX bullets to the ELDX. Fundamentally a completely different bullet, that perform completely different.

The ELDX could be compared to the SST, or MAYBE an Accubond. The Barnes need plenty of velocity to open and perform. When pushed fast, they’re unbeatable IMO.

The ELDX really needs a modest impact velocity to perform as designed. I think that’s why the Creedmore guys like them. They’ve been great, on shots at 400+ in my rifles, but have the tendency to pancake, on shots closer than that.
 
One deer I killed at 327 yards with 162 gr ELDX, I have never seen so much blood in my life. It was an absolute murder scene. The buck ran about 15 yards and died, and blood was EVERYWHERE! Put it in the pumphouse and sometimes that happens.

I prefer Barnes, but again, they just aren't available. Very disappointing.
 
roadrunner said:
Now your speculating. Some say you're not supposed to do that ;)
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LOL....Fortunately not using speculation within this thread was limited to animals that were lost/not recovered. Since the deer was in fact found dead I took the liberty to use this exception and speculated to the best of my ability.
 
schoolhousegrizz said:
No penetration?
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No great penetration. It hit directly on the sternum and came out mid chest left side at a weird angle. With the damage it must have come a part a bit or I suppose bone fragments could have contributed to the chest damage. I expected an exit wound closer to the spine but as it was both backstraps are fully intact so that's a win.
 
I have not experienced a penetration or recovery issue with a Barnes at any range. ELDX is a fine bullet yet is questioned by quite few. Yet is part of most bullet comparison discussions.
 
My wife and son have used the 143 grain in the 6.5 Creedmoor and have taken 2 elk, four mule deer and 1 antelope. My son added a 7mm last year and took an antelope, mule deer and elk with it. We have been very pleased with the performance. Blood trailing has not been required at all, as they have all gone down instantly, or in sight.
 
COLO3D said:
My wife and son have used the 143 grain in the 6.5 Creedmoor and have taken 2 elk, four mule deer and 1 antelope. My son added a 7mm last year and took an antelope, mule deer and elk with it. We have been very pleased with the performance. Blood trailing has not been required at all, as they have all gone down instantly, or in sight.
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Did the elk happen to be bulls?
 
I can't believe grown men are on MM showing their faces after saying they shoot a Creedmore. I guess it's true, masculinity is not what it once was.

I have had great luck with 162 ELDX out of my 28. Nothing has walked away once shot. I just wish they were easier to come by.
 
grosventrehunter said:
I can't believe grown men are on MM showing their faces after saying they shoot a Creedmore. I guess it's true, masculinity is not what it once was.

I have had great luck with 162 ELDX out of my 28. Nothing has walked away once shot. I just wish they were easier to come by.
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Bryon don't make fun of me on the deer hunt, I may have one, or a 300 wsm, but probably the creedmoor, ?.
 
grosventrehunter said:
I can't believe grown men are on MM showing their faces after saying they shoot a Creedmore. I guess it's true, masculinity is not what it once was.

I have had great luck with 162 ELDX out of my 28. Nothing has walked away once shot. I just wish they were easier to come by.
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I used to shoot a 300 RUM. I prefer the Creedmore.
 
257Tony said:
If you lose a deer shooting just about any expanding bullet, it's not the bullets fault. We've been using the old Amax for years in my Daughters gun, and it's racked up one shot kill after one shot kill. Big Bucks, little Bucks, neck shots, shoulder shots, rib shots, not-so-great shots, everything has died quickly.

The Amax is even less "tough" than the ELD-X, it's more like the ELD-M.
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I agree
 
Well, maybe not completely relevant to this thread about performance on deer, but I just put a 162 ELDX to what I consider the ultimate test on a bull elk at close range. I was hunting in 40-60 mph winds and spotted a herd bedded in a protected pocket. The only game was to get down wind and sneak in close. When I popped over some rocks, the bull was bedded 46 yards in front of me. I pounded him in the shoulder with my 28 Nosler and rolled him over in his bed.

I fully expected a MESS but was surprised that the bullet punctured the onside shoulder blade, destroyed the chest vitals, and punctured the offside shoulder blade leaving a half-dollar sized exit hole with the base of the jacket stuck in the hide. Less than 5 lbs of lost shoulder trim meat.

While this has not consistently been the type of performance I have had with these bullets, this one worked out perfect.

The load is 162 ELDX out of a 28 Nosler at just under 3300 FPS MV. I'll add a pic of the bullet and wound when I get better service. -------SS
IMG_1373 (2).JPG
 
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This was my sons buck this year. The shot was 300 yards with a 143 grain ELDX from my 6.5 SST. The velocity was 2575 FPS at impact.


About three hours later my daughter shot the biggest cow elk I’ve ever seen with the same rifle and bullet. The shot was 436 yards. Cow was perfectly broadside and she shot her perfectly right behind the shoulder. We found the bullet just under the hide on the far side shoulder. She went about 100 yards, shaking her head around for three minutes and then fell over dead. Impact velocity was about 2425 FPS. Bullet mushroomed perfectly.
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2022 Colorado 325 yds! 6.5 PRC 143eldx 2886 fps factory loads. Haven’t had an animal go more than 30 yds! All I can say is awesome bullet! Everyone has been stuck in the hide on the opposite side.
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PRCnut said:
2022 Colorado 325 yds! 6.5 PRC 143eldx 2886 fps factory loads. Haven’t had an animal go more than 30 yds! All I can say is awesome bullet! Everyone has been stuck in the hide on the opposite side.
View attachment 92745View attachment 92746
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I've chronied a lot of factory ELDX's through two different rifles and I've never had one in the 2800's, everything have been high 29's to low 3000's from the Hornady Precision Hunters.
 
slamdunk said:
I've chronied a lot of factory ELDX's through two different rifles and I've never had one in the 2800's, everything have been high 29's to low 3000's from the Hornady Precision Hunters.
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short barrel maybe? My 6.5 SST with a 24" barrel will push the 143s over 3100 fps but I have a 20" barrel on my rifle which is pushing my 143s at 2935 fps.
 
slamdunk said:
I've chronied a lot of factory ELDX's through two different rifles and I've never had one in the 2800's, everything have been high 29's to low 3000's from the Hornady Precision Hunters.
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I did it with a magneto speed chrono and had a .4 difference with 24” barrel 1/7 twist browning speed
 
marley said:
This was my sons buck this year. The shot was 300 yards with a 143 grain ELDX from my 6.5 SST. The velocity was 2575 FPS at impact.


About three hours later my daughter shot the biggest cow elk I’ve ever seen with the same rifle and bullet. The shot was 436 yards. Cow was perfectly broadside and she shot her perfectly right behind the shoulder. We found the bullet just under the hide on the far side shoulder. She went about 100 yards, shaking her head around for three minutes and then fell over dead. Impact velocity was about 2425 FPS. Bullet mushroomed perfectly.
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Dang, that deer was done QUICK
 
DBLung said:
wounding
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This rifle was specifically built to shoot the Berger 168 VLD. It’s killed about two dozen critters. Every one has dropped where they stood. Cept for an antelope that took two steps and an elk that rolled 50 yards down hill ?
Ive shot a lot of different bullets over the years. Didn’t like how some performed, but the critters are still dead. Shot sierras for years. Killed a lot of animals from gophers to elk with them at distances from 20 yards to Hail Mary yards. The only two animals I lost were shot with sierras. Those I know were bad shots.
When I was guiding, guys shot every bullet manufactured. What I noticed was all bullets placed in the vitals will kill. Place any bullet outside the vitals and you could be in for a long day.
Wes

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Wes said:
This rifle was specifically built to shoot the Berger 168 VLD. It’s killed about two dozen critters. Every one has dropped where they stood. Cept for an antelope that took two steps and an elk that rolled 50 yards down hill ?
Ive shot a lot of different bullets over the years. Didn’t like how some performed, but the critters are still dead. Shot sierras for years. Killed a lot of animals from gophers to elk with them at distances from 20 yards to Hail Mary yards. The only two animals I lost were shot with sierras. Those I know were bad shots.
When I was guiding, guys shot every bullet manufactured. What I noticed was all bullets placed in the vitals will kill. Place any bullet outside the vitals and you could be in for a long day.
Wes

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Exactly it’s all about shot placement in the end!
 
schoolhousegrizz said:
What's everyone's opinion on the eldx. List the caliber you use if you don't mind. I've always leaned towards accubonds and Barnes bullets. I tend to like the more sturdier build. I know some people don't like that. I have used eldx and like them for the most part but I have heard of several people losing animals just this year that have been using the eldx
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Shot a Bull elk with 200gr eldx in a 300 win mag didnt take a step, shot a muley with a 270 330 yards 143greldx never took a step , my favorite ammo!!
 

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