Anyone using Hornady ELD Match for LR hunting?

CaliforniaMuley209

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 21, 2018
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212
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California
Just got back from successful mule deer hunt, 6.5 creedmoor 140ELD-m. Quartering away shot at 160 yards. Broke the ribs on entrance, shards of bone on the ground where he got hit, turned one lung into a jumbled mushy mess, severed an artery to the heart, clipped the other lung exited opposite ribs. Filled to the brim with blood inside the cavity, blood trail was insane. Hit him, he bucked like a bronco 4ft or so into the air, hopped once, took about 10 half ass steps and tipped over. Still have one more deer tag I'll let know how that one goes. All following images are entrance wounds. The last one is exit
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what speed were you running the 140 eld-m out of the creed more?
 
Joined
Oct 8, 2019
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2,956
Shot a Coues this past weekend at 750 yards Used my 6.5 PRC and a 147 gr ELD-M (3050 fps). It was a heart shot; estimated impact velocity was 2154 fps. Small entrance wound and a quarter-sized exit wound. DRT.
 
Joined
Feb 4, 2015
Messages
798
Location
Western Wyoming
I have shot several animals with my creed and 140 eldm and one with my new 6.5 ss and the 147.
They work very well just stay away from bone. Shot an antelope doe Friday at 710 yards with the creed and it worked perfectly. Then shot a whitey doe at 450 that evening with perfect performance also. I love the way that round works on deer and antelope. There is something special about watching the bullet in flight and impacting the animal(y)
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2015
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713
so far my rifle has managed to kill 11 animals with the 147 eld-m

all of them have been 1 shot kills but meat/bloodshot has been mixed.

from 20 yds - 500

some entrances have been extremely explosive and some have been perfect.

from what I've seen in my experiences they kill just fine but I personally think bergers are better and give me less meat damage.

264 win mag spitting them at 3187 fps.

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Joined
Sep 8, 2014
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Front Range, Colorado
Three bears and two deer with the 208s from 400-1170 yards out of a 300 WSM, 2935 MV. All typical ELD performance. Huge wound channels, consistent performance over the entire velocity range, and critters that only make it out of sight if they're rolling down the mountain.

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archp625

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Jan 17, 2018
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St. Joseph, Missouri
Three bears and two deer with the 208s from 400-1170 yards out of a 300 WSM, 2935 MV. All typical ELD performance. Huge wound channels, consistent performance over the entire velocity range, and critters that only make it out of sight if they're rolling down the mountain.

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What length barrel and what powder?
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
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489
I have been shooting 7mm ELD M 180 last couple cow hunts and have some interesting finds. Both cow elk that I shot had caliber sized penetration thru 3/4 ths of the lungs. Then opened up to quarter sized wound channel breaking offside rib and lodged jackets between hide and offside ribs. The real interesting find to me this year was the result between a berger 180 hunting vld and eld m 180. A close friend of mine went with me on a cow elk hunt. We both have identical custom cloudpeak gunwerks 7mms running brux 1:9 barrels. Both guns loads are very similar velocity wise. I run adg brass with 70 grains retumbo with the eld m @ 3058 fps. He runs the berger with 71 grains retumbo 3075 fps. Both guns are tack drivers. We pulled up on a ridge in the general vicinity of a herd I had spotted earlier. We hiked over the next ridge and there they were. About 30 head of cows and a few small bulls. I ranged them with my g7 rangefinder and they were 625 yards. I let my buddy setup first. He went high shoulder and dumped his cow drt. The herd would not leave. I decided well I better shoot one also. I setup my rest and went high shoulder. Elk just soaked it up. The herd ran off but the cow I shot was hunched up. I thought it was gonna fall but started walking the opposite direction of the herd. I shot it again and this time it went down. It was still alive and I had to shoot it in the head. While gutting them shot placement was nearly identical on 1st shots high shoulder. The berger went in probably 5-6" and did mass destruction lodging jacket on far side hide. The eldm same thing caliber size hole thru majority of animal and quarter sized wound on farside. In this case I was dumbfounded how much better the 180 vld berger performed. I am going to give the eld m another shot today or tomorrow. I normally hunt with one of my custom 300 rums and a berger 215 which is pretty much devasting when it high shoulders an elk.

This is the exact experience I had with my 7LRM. I started with the Berger Hybrids and had great results. I switched the the ELDM because I was getting marginally better accuracy (only because my ES was way high with that load) and had horrible results with the 180 ELDM on many game animals. I changed my load, lowered my ES to single digits no switched back the the 180 hybrids with incredible results.


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fmyth

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Mar 14, 2019
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Arizona
Another hunting season has come and passed since the last comment in this thread. Anymore real world experiences with ELD-M .30 cal bullets on game?
I shot a cow elk facing me at a little over 200 yards with a 178ELDM out of my .300WM. I found her about 100 yards from where I shot her. Then I shot a bull in his bed from roughly the same distance. The bull was lying down quartering to me and the only shot I had was right where the dark mane meets the light brown. After the first shot he stood up but didn't run. I put 3 more in the same spot and he went down without ever taking a step. Then I drove to AZ to help 2 friends with their tags. One friend shot a spike at at 150yds with his 6.5C with 143eldx. He hit it in the spine just above its rear legs and it went down but was still crawling. He went to shoot it again and his AR platform rifle jammed. I handed him my .300wm and he put it down with one shot to the boiler room. In my limited experience they work. Is there a better bullet for big game? I do believe so but with the ammo shortages of 2020/21 I used what I could find and buy.
 

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luke moffat

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Feb 24, 2012
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114
I shot a moose last week at 100 yards with a 208 ELDM out of my 22" barrel 300 WSM. Impact velocity should be right at 2800 fps. Two shots to the vitals and second one wasn't really needed but I had watching the "stand and wobble". I'll keep using them. This is the second moose I have taken with this rifle and 208s. Well over 500 yards and it performed as it should. Not my first choice for dedicated bear hunt but I can load different bullets for that application.
 
Joined
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I plan to use 6.5 CM with 140grn eld M for Mule deer and shot today they were consistant from my Tikka 22” barrel , avg MV was 2620. I also have 120grn eld M ill shoot Sunday , but the way the 140’s shot ill probably stick with those.
 
Joined
Jun 13, 2016
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California
I plan to use 6.5 CM with 140grn eld M for Mule deer and shot today they were consistant from my Tikka 22” barrel , avg MV was 2620. I also have 120grn eld M ill shoot Sunday , but the way the 140’s shot ill probably stick with those.
Between the two, I'd stick with the 140's. Just be sure to put them in the boiler room.
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2021
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Tennessee
I’ve been using the 162 Amax in my 7mm rem mag for years. I’ve harvested dozens of whitetails using this bullet going 2950 FPS. I can’t think of a negative result with any of the kills. I’m going to be using the 140 eldm in my 26 Nosler this year and I expect similar results with it.
 
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Dec 28, 2019
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Ive got a great load with the 147 ELDM for my Tikka T3x 6.5 cm. 2650 FPS and accurate out to 750. I just bought another box of bullets and will be hunting with them this year for whitetail in Tennessee.
 

Antares

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Jan 13, 2021
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Alaska
I had a bit of a surprising result the other day.

6.5CM shooting 140 ELD-M @ 2730. Small feral goat hit in the guts at 525. The surprising thing was that I didn't get a pass through like usual. I've shot lots of goats in the 400-500 yard range with that load and always get pass throughs, even on shoulders, so I was surprised to not get a pass through on a gut shot. There was a bruise on the off-side paunch, but that was it. Just an observation.
 

Ucsdryder

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Jan 24, 2015
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I don't want to debate if we should or not. Just want to know if anyone has any first-hand experience with them on animals?
I shot my antelope with a 180 eldm. Thumb hole in, tennis ball out. He made it 20-30 yards. The bullet had plenty of time to slow down by the time it got to him.
 

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