.270 Elk bullet choice - 145 ELD-X or 130 GMX?

[3325]

Factory ammo is my only option, both Precision Hunter 145 grain ELD-X and Full Boar 130 grain GMX are in hand and it's hard/impossible to find anything else at this point.

I have no experience with those particular bullets but if your choice was mine to make I’d likely use the 130 GMX because I've done well on elk using 130s in both Barnes TSX and Nosler Partitions. I killed one cow using a 150 boat tail (GameKing, I think?) and went back to 130s. It worked fine but overall heavier bullets in a .270 fall into “the juice ain’t worth the squeeze” category for me.

If it counts for anything, the Precision Hunter flies tremendously for me at the range well past my hunting limit on a windy day.

Then you may have more confidence using what has flown tremendously for you at the range. But the GMX might fly just as good in a shot on an elk in the field. Because even if the Precision Hunter shoots better from the bench can you really capitalize on that accuracy in a hunting situation shooting from a field position?

I know I'm overthinking it, but how much?

I believe you are overthinking it considerable. We all do at times.

Am I risking a slow demise on a bull with a boiler room shot?

I believe that is unlikely if it truly is a "boiler room" shot. An old style bullet will do the job if it's in the boiler room. I believe better bullet technology provides an edge in getting to the boiler room because of weight retention and better penetration.

Or am I just trying to sabotage my confidence in the ammo, despite its accuracy, at the worst possible time?

I suspect you have answered your own question. Go find and elk and put one in the boiler room. Good luck and let us know how you do.

 

[TAGPUNCHER]

Eld-x I killed a bull with a 200gr eld-x 300win. I know you said 270 but speaking on the bullet only. It was a pass through double lung with decent exit. ABSOLUTELY would have killed him with my 270Wsm with a 145 eld-x without question. Especially at an imposed 350yards. I have only killed one whitetail with a Gmx in a 270wsm and it BLEW THE OFFSIDE TO HELL. never used one again. Switched to a partition and never looked back.

 

[Gooseslayer]

I shoot 130 grain speers that were reloaded before I was born by my grandfather. They seem to do the trick, harvested 15+ elk with the setup

 

[specneeds]

I’m a fan of more rugged bullets for elk - I load the Barnes TTSX in 4 calibers for elk because it breaks bones & keeps going, If I have to go through the front shoulder from 80 yards to get to vitals I’m confident taking the shot. I had a 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip 7mm RM blow up on the ribs of a big bull leaving a palm sized entry wound & it killed him with shrapnel in the lungs. 600 yards later I found him - blood spray from lungs on the breaths - No snow could easily have been a lost animal. After that tougher bullets for me.

 

[jthreeidaho]

We must live in the same kind of area. These are the only two rounds I have found in stock for a few months. ELD-X did well for me at 200 yards on a cow elk.

 

[Ono]

Considering your max range if 350yds. I’d go with the GMX for sure. The ELD-X becomes a real killer at ranges beyond your max. I’ve seen very poor performance on close shots the the ELD-X.

You mind expanding (get it) on that. Considering moving to the eldx from 140 accubonds. Only reason is eldx factory loads perform a lttle better at the range for me. No complaints on performance of accubonds on elk (180gr 30/06) deer (140 .270), etc.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Interesting how varied experiences are with monos and the ELD-X.

Below are two examples from two hunts; one with a 300 WM and another with a 308 Win.

300 WM shooting commercial 180 gr TTSX
* Hammered large whitetail buck at 625 yards in the lungs. DRT.
* Shot monster-bodied mule deer less than 50 yards (lungs). He ran couple of hundred yards. He couldn’t get up but was still alive so I shot him in the lungs at 10 yards. He still would not die so I shot him in the lungs literally at point blank range. Had to shoot him again, in the lungs, to end his suffering.

So the TTSX did amazing when going about 1825 FPS but did “horrible”when going between 2850-2900 FPS. All pass throughs and no bullets recovered.

308 Win shooting commercial 178 gr ELD-X
* Shot huge bodied axis buck in the lungs at 325 yards. DRT.
* Shot nice sized axis doe (was fairly close and don’t recall yardage) in the lungs. Short run and she died.
* (Unexpected encounter) Shot water buffalo in the lungs under 50 yards. Turned to charge so I put another round through the sternum. It walked a few yards, laid down, and died moments later.

The ELD-X did exceptionally well up close on an animal that easily dwarfed my 370” bull elk. For a size comparison, it’s shoulder mount is about 50% wider than my 370” bull elk shoulder mount.

Summary
No idea why a mono going “slow” had significantly better results than when it was hauling butt. Seems the opposite of what it should be. Wouldn’t hesitate to use a mono on any game if it met my requirements.

No idea why the ELD-X did so well up close on a water buffalo when just about everything states it should not have. But I wouldn’t hesitate to use the ELD-X on any game if it met my requirements.

So who knows. You never know what will happen once a bullet hits an animal. This is why you should always be ready for a follow up shot.

Here is a crazy example:
Was hunting jackrabbits with a 6.5 CM using commercial ELD-X. Shot one in the lower chest at about 25 yards. Sucker showed zero signs of being hit. A few moments later his guts went flying; looked like a delayed reaction.

Using some folks’ logic… A 143 gr ELD-X is insufficient for a jackrabbit.

 

[Dark timber]

You mind expanding (get it) on that. Considering moving to the eldx from 140 accubonds. Only reason is eldx factory loads perform a lttle better at the range for me. No complaints on performance of accubonds on elk (180gr 30/06) deer (140 .270), etc.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

If you plan shooting at any kind of distance, the ELD-X will be great. That’s where I’ve seen it really do work. I’ve had a couple buddies shoot blacktails with 6.5cm 143gr around 100yds and they required multiple shots (up to 3) but the longer shots have given devastating terminal performance. Except for the bull my buddy’s GF shot in the neck at 300yds with a 220gr ELD-X from a 300RUM. It required a finishing shot but did disable it. Personally, I wouldn’t switch from the AB’s unless it’s really not accurate, maybe play with the seating depth or something. 140gr AB is my favorite 270win bullet, but I have yet to kill anything with the 150gr AB’s that came out recently, so the jury is still out.

 

[PsRpOiGrRiAtM]

@dingle how did the hunt go, and what did you use?

 

[dingle]

@dingle how did the hunt go, and what did you use?

Thanks for checking in. The hunt was great but set a PR for the most worthless weather conditions I'd ever experienced, and opportunities were nearly nil. Long story short, 140 Accubonds provided on short notice by Unknown Munitions, adjusted for a slight POI change at the range beforehand, confirmed 200 yard zero, and when it counted on the one moment of a break in the weather over 13 days in the field, I lobbed one over the raghorn's shoulder at 140 yards on a steep (35-40 degree) downward angle.

I had a friend watching from across the canyon and I successfully tracked the bull's exit from the area - a U-turn back along his path in. It took about a full day for me to believe it, but given the evidence and three extra dudes' objectivity, in the end I had to accept a clean miss. I'm just grateful it was clean. In hindsight, a rushed shot execution and the angle combined to thwart an easy one where the elk did exactly what I had planned - 100% my mistake.

The Accubonds made me feel somewhat more confident in a potentially wider window of shot opportunity, and given the terrain and vegetation I'm glad I did, even though I know it might not have actually made a meaningful difference in the end. Two partners ended up with a spike and a big, old 5 using 130 gr AB/.264 and 180 gr AB/.300 WM so my failure to be less of a dumbass was blunted.

Thanks again for everyone's input. Will I stick with the 140 accubonds? Sure, until I run out.

 

[GeoHunter]

I have been using the GMX out of my .270 for a few years now and have no complaints. I haven't had the chance to test it on a bull yet, but I have killed cows anywhere from 50 to 350 yds with a single shot. My cow this year went down within 10 yards and the exit wound was the size of a quarter with a ~300 yard shot.