Anyone using Hornady ELD Match for LR hunting?

[Nillion]

Here's a good ballistics gel test on the 140 gr ELD-M vs the 143 gr ELD-X. Spoiler: The ELD-X penetrates further and retains more mass, but not significantly so.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Here's a good ballistics gel test on the 140 gr ELD-M vs the 143 gr ELD-X. Spoiler: The ELD-X penetrates further and retains more mass, but not significantly so.

Just watched it too. I really didn’t like how they dropped the 3rd block. I wish they would have cross sectioned the gel and measured the wound channels.

 

[General RE LEE]

Question: anyone shoot thin skinned game with the 147 grain ELD-M at close range? I deer hunt large crop fields but I also hunt from tree stands in the woods. My Tikka shoots the 147 grain ELD-M 2650 FPS. Would it explode at close range on deer?

 

[Whitey375]

Question: anyone shoot thin skinned game with the 147 grain ELD-M at close range? I deer hunt large crop fields but I also hunt from tree stands in the woods. My Tikka shoots the 147 grain ELD-M 2650 FPS. Would it explode at close range on deer?

Friend of mine has a 6.5-284 that has shot 3 or 4 blacktails with the 147's. Wanting to say his MV is in the high 2800's. Everything has been under 125 yards and really really messy.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[Yuk]

I'm hoping to have some field observations on the 168 ELD-Ms before too long. I'll be shooting them out of my 20" CTR at 2720 or so....

Did you ever find your answer?... Anywhere? I'd love to know what info you have found/experienced. cheers

 

[Clark33]

I've been using the 147's for mule deer the last few seasons in my 6.5PRC. Has done very well from 80yds to 630yds.

 

[General RE LEE]

147 grain ELD-M worked great on this doe out of my 6.5 Creedmoor. She was 150 yards and it cut her heart in half. Good expansion and didn’t explode.

 

[mmw194287]

Did you ever find your answer?... Anywhere? I'd love to know what info you have found/experienced. cheers

No, unfortunately not. But I will echo everyone else's experiences with the 147s...great results.

 

[mtblackdog]

147 ELDMs 6.5 PRC and an Antelope at 680, DIT. Gun spits them at 3080 fps at the muzzle. Photo of exit wound.

 

[Yuk]

147 ELDMs 6.5 PRC and an Antelope at 680, DIT. Gun spits them at 3080 fps at the muzzle. Photo of exit wound.

mtblackdog, Since we're talking about distance and velocity, do you remember the elevation? Cheers!

 

[Yuk]

No, unfortunately not. But I will echo everyone else's experiences with the 147s...great results.

Too bad. I have an 18.7", Gunsite Scout, chambered in 308 Winchester. It loves Amax, ELD-X and ELD-M bullets, seemingly the heavier the better. I'm beginning to think 168 grain, ELD-M bullets could be the sweet spot, do-it-all bullet, for this do-it-all rifle. I would love to get more "short" barrelled, 308 Win, hunting reports.
Maybe the only real, solid reports I'll find, will be self-generated. Cheers

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Using 123gr Eld-m's from 6.5 Grendel's and have 10 head of big game from Alberta over past 4 years now with 213 yard average shot distance and 12 yard average recovery distance. 16"- 24" barrels, doesn't seem to matter, and Factory Hornady Black Ammo. Moose, Sheep, Black Bear, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, 10-420 yards. 100% success, 3 different shooters, very happy with what 30 grains of powder will do with these bullets.

 

[Yuk]

Using 123gr Eld-m's from 6.5 Grendel's and have 10 head of big game from Alberta over past 4 years now with 213 yard average shot distance and 12 yard average recovery distance. 16"- 24" barrels, doesn't seem to matter, and Factory Hornady Black Ammo. Moose, Sheep, Black Bear, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, 10-420 yards. 100% success, 3 different shooters, very happy with what 30 grains of powder will do with these bullets.

Are you saying all of those animals were taken with various Grendel-chambered rifles, or that the Grendel was one of the cartridges used amongst various other cartridges? Cheers

 

[sram9102]

Too bad. I have an 18.7", Gunsite Scout, chambered in 308 Winchester. It loves Amax, ELD-X and ELD-M bullets, seemingly the heavier the better. I'm beginning to think 168 grain, ELD-M bullets could be the sweet spot, do-it-all bullet, for this do-it-all rifle. I would love to get more "short" barrelled, 308 Win, hunting reports.
Maybe the only real, solid reports I'll find, will be self-generated. Cheers

I shot this 168 eldx longways through a pretty good sized buck a few years ago. Frontal and found in a rear quarter at 325ish. probably 2500 fps at the muzzle. I still use them in other cartridges and wouldn't be worried to in a 308 I just don't have the rifle anymore.

 

[Yuk]

I shot this 168 eldx longways through a pretty good sized buck a few years ago. Frontal and found in a rear quarter at 325ish. probably 2500 fps at the muzzle. I still use them in other cartridges and wouldn't be worried to in a 308 I just don't have the rifle anymore.

May I assume that you meant either 168 eldm, or 178 eld-x, not "168 eldx"? To the best of my knowledge the ELD-X has never been available in a 168 grain, 308 version. Either way, the results you got with that bullet are not what I would have expected. At 325 yards that bullet was flying at around 2000 fps, with about 1600 FT/LB of energy. I would think that ELD-Ms, or ELD-Xs should have been able to expand with those numbers. Cheers

 

[mtblackdog]

mtblackdog, Since we're talking about distance and velocity, do you remember the elevation? Cheers!

Yes about 4400

 

[JBahr]

My experiences for 2021:
6mm 108 ELDM Muzzle Velocity 2850 Antelope 300 yards broadside lungs, pinhole entrance golfball exit.
30cal 178 ELDM Muzzle Velocity 2960 Mule Deer 200 yards broadside lungs, pinhole entrance golfball exit.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Are you saying all of those animals were taken with various Grendel-chambered rifles, or that the Grendel was one of the cartridges used amongst various other cartridges? Cheers

All taken with 3 different Grendel chambered rifles.

One with a howa 20” lightweight, Cz 527 American took 2 then got a 24” proof Carbon barrel that was about 28 fps quicker and took one more, the rest taken with a stubby little Ruger American ranch launching a measly 2386 fps including a 420 yard whitetail drt (1800 fps impact and 15” penetration and exit, quartering shot). The eld-m is thee choice for for this cartridge imo. My kids dialed up their deer also with the stubby ruger, 300 and 355 yards, mature buck and young doe, short recoveries. Not bad for burning a tad under 30 grains of powder, I believe Hornady Black is about 29.6 grains from somewhere a guy pulled some bullets to see.

 

[jonnyviceroy]

May I assume that you meant either 168 eldm, or 178 eld-x, not "168 eldx"? To the best of my knowledge the ELD-X has never been available in a 168 grain, 308 version. Either way, the results you got with that bullet are not what I would have expected. At 325 yards that bullet was flying at around 2000 fps, with about 1600 FT/LB of energy. I would think that ELD-Ms, or ELD-Xs should have been able to expand with those numbers. Cheers

They also have a 162 eldx I believe, which may have been confused with that 168 eldm like you mentioned

 

[jonnyviceroy]

147 ELDMs 6.5 PRC and an Antelope at 680, DIT. Gun spits them at 3080 fps at the muzzle. Photo of exit wound.

Dang! I had a box of 147 ELDM but planned on getting some Berger 156 instead. That's making me reconsider...