ELD-X is it unreliable for close range hunting (less than 200 yards) and should it only be used for long range?

[wartak]

And this surprised you?

I made a bow to stern shot with a barnes tsx 300mag at 25yrds while filling crop damage tags ruined nearly all the meat on the deer.

Difference is I shot fairly high up in the neck above the body. And coper and lead shrapnel the size of BBs were in about a half a dozen spots throughout the back straps and rump. That tells me it's not holding together very well especially on a quartering away shot.

 

[eoperator]

Difference is I shot fairly high up in the neck above the body. And coper and lead shrapnel the size of BBs were in about a half a dozen spots throughout the back straps and rump. That tells me it's not holding together very well especially on a quartering away shot.

Was this with the same bullet you described in the 6.8 thread that failed to penetrate the shoulder/vitals ?

 

[wartak]

Was this with the same bullet you described in the 6.8 thread that failed to penetrate the shoulder/vitals ?

Yes, I don't know why you keep calling me out on that? I told you I saw the shoulder the thing was hammered and the only bullet that came out the other side was the the single 300 win mag and no signs of the eld x in the chest cavity. At best it did penetrate the chest cavity, and shed all it's weight before hitting the other side and the fragments may have came out with the lungs..
Regardless it coincides with my experience with the eldx
Yes the moose shoulder is hearsay since i was not rhere when the trigger was pulled but none the less I witnessed the results.. one very dead moose weather from the 6.5 or the 300 with that much shoulder damage there is no way the moose would have lived long.
But I didn't have to witness the shot to believe the 3 guys that all said the same thing.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

I think it actually pertains more to velocity than any specific range.. seems like over 2600 fps is where the fragmentation happens..
Shot a doe last season with 300wm at about 50 yards frontal shot through neck, it exited and I found fragments of coper and lead all throughout the backstraps and hind quarters.. bank side of the neck was pretty ugly too

It sounds like you just need to shoot monos, as it doesn’t seem like you are shooting animals that far out and consider meat preservation the highest priority.

Those of us that are choosing to now use Match (or the ELD-X) bullets are doing so primarily to extend our effective range, doing so with smaller calibers for the numerous benefits that offers.

Here is a picture of a .338 Fed Trophy Copper that entered the chest of a Blacktail at 30 yards and ended up in its rear hindquarter.
You could “eat up to the hole”. The one the bullet made that is. The buck dropped instantly.

 

[wartak]

It sounds like you just need to shoot monos, as it doesn’t seem like you are shooting animals that far out and consider meat preservation the highest priority.

Those of us that are choosing to now use Match (or the ELD-X) bullets are doing so primarily to extend our effective range, doing so with smaller calibers for the numerous benefits that offers.

Here is a picture of a .338 Fed Trophy Copper that entered the chest of a Blacktail at 30 yards and ended up in its rear hindquarter.
You could “eat up to the hole”. The one the bullet made that is. The buck dropped instantly.

View attachment 735976
View attachment 735977

I like that. I have been shooting terminal ascent lately. Haven't killed any game yet but it shoots well out of my rifle. I have shot game from 50 yards clear out to roughly 600 yards (varmits only at that range) but my furthest deer was about 325 yards. So I'd really prefer a bullet that performs well at all ranges up to 600
I don't believe I have any business shooting further than that.
But if it was the last day of a hunt I'd definitely take a poke on a broadside animal at 600 if the situation lent to a good gun rest etcetera.

 

[eoperator]

Yes, I don't know why you keep calling me out on that?

The point I'm trying to make is in one case you describe the eldx blew up and failed to reach the vitals and the next penetrated through the neck and caused significant damage to backstraps and rump. Seems like very contradicting performance to me.

 

[wartak]

It sounds like you just need to shoot monos, as it doesn’t seem like you are shooting animals that far out and consider meat preservation the highest priority.

Those of us that are choosing to now use Match (or the ELD-X) bullets are doing so primarily to extend our effective range, doing so with smaller calibers for the numerous benefits that offers.

Here is a picture of a .338 Fed Trophy Copper that entered the chest of a Blacktail at 30 yards and ended up in its rear hindquarter.
You could “eat up to the hole”. The one the bullet made that is. The buck dropped instantly.

View attachment 735976
View attachment 735977

Is this a prince william sound or kodiak island "Sitka blacktail" that area looks like the islands we hunt here in AK but that body is huge for a blacktail

 

[wartak]

The point I'm trying to make is in one case you describe the eldx blew up and failed to reach the vitals and the next penetrated through the neck and caused significant damage to backstraps and rump. Seems like very contradicting performance to me.

Yes both of which were very disappointing to me. Remember that I'm going off of some hunting buddies account of what happend and looking at the quarters it seemed viable.. you do realize 2 things can be true at the same time right?

 

[wartak]

The point I'm trying to make is in one case you describe the eldx blew up and failed to reach the vitals and the next penetrated through the neck and caused significant damage to backstraps and rump. Seems like very contradicting performance to me.

Keep in mind a neck shot is very different from a shoulder shot..
Spine is instant death

Shoulder shot has to break the shoulder several inches of meat and then some ribs before it gets into the good stuff.
Just some food for thought.

 

[Timberline001]

If you hate meat loss then yes, it isn’t a good bullet especially in larger calibers.

Will it reach the vitals in any game in North America at closer range? Yes. They don’t ’blow up’ in shoulders and not reach the vitals. Not a single person that has claimed that they have has been able to produce pictures proving said claim.

To top it off Hornady even has ballistic gel testing for all to see on bullets such as their 147 ELD (which might be more fragile than the ELD-x but very similar) in auto glass. Which is much tougher than any elk/moose shoulder out there and it still manages to penetrate 12.5”. Anyone out there claiming that these bullets don’t work shouldn’t be surprised when they’re met with a healthy dose of skepticism when the data is so readily available.


View attachment 735875

Look at that wound channel

 

[Timberline001]

I shot a Caribou in the neck for the same reason. It was at about 75 yards and I knew that was coming so I took a broadside neck shot and flopped it in it's tracks. I wholeheartedly agree that the eldx kills them dead, I just feel like there are cleaner options for closer in work.
Just curious why you all shoot the ELD bullets instead of something like an acubond or norma bondstrike? I feel like the bondstrike is a better bullet though I can't speak from experience.

Because we want the largest wound channel possible combined with a high bc for long range. I shoot ELDMs because ELDXs don’t expand as well at low velocities. Only issues I’ve had with ELDMs is when they were pushed to 3400 fps and that’s easily avoided

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Is this a prince william sound or kodiak island "Sitka blacktail" that area looks like the islands we hunt here in AK but that body is huge for a blacktail

PWS Deer.

But on another note, have you thought about the need for a 300 Win Mag for deer/caribou?
Longest I’ve ever killed a deer was around 350 yards as well, most much closer.
A 6 or 6.5 mm cartridge that is suppressed makes deer hunting so enjoyable and is plenty sufficient to far further than 300 yards.

 

[wartak]

Because we want the largest wound channel possible combined with a high bc for long range. I shoot ELDMs because ELDXs don’t expand as well at low velocities. Only issues I’ve had with ELDMs is when they were pushed to 3400 fps and that’s easily avoided

Is that large of a wound channel necessary though? Wouldn't an accubond lr or Norma Bondstrike be adequate?

 

[wartak]

PWS Deer.

But on another note, have you thought about the need for a 300 Win Mag for deer/caribou?
Longest I’ve ever killed a deer was around 350 yards as well, most much closer.
A 6 or 6.5 mm cartridge that is suppressed makes deer hunting so enjoyable and is plenty sufficient to far further than 300 yards.

Yes, unfortunately my plan was to bring my 6.5 prc on all deer hunts but the last few years we have been going to Montegue with brown bear tags as well.. kinda leave a guy in a what to do scenario

 

[Timberline001]

Is that large of a wound channel necessary though? Wouldn't an accubond lr or Norma Bondstrike be adequate?

I want the biggest wound channel I can get. Shooting 6mms I can get wound channels comparable to .30 cal magnums with bonded bullets. Why not go for the same results with less recoil and muzzle blast?

 

[wartak]

I want the biggest wound channel I can get. Shooting 6mms I can get wound channels comparable to .30 cal magnums with bonded bullets. Why not go for the same results with less recoil and muzzle blast?

Checks out, I shoot a 300 because I often have a brown bear tag on me at the same time.

 

[Stalk’nAwe]

I’ve HEARD one horror story on an elk with an ELD-X but I’ve SEEN one perfect performance by em in person…2 broadside shots on a bison at 125 yards, one pass through, one lodged on off side hide perfect mushroom…I was impressed and tend to lean towards things I see…not my personal bullet choice but I wouldn’t hesitate a bit to use em if that’s what was available after what I saw

 

[eoperator]

Yes both of which were very disappointing to me. Remember that I'm going off of some hunting buddies account of what happend and looking at the quarters it seemed viable.. you do realize 2 things can be true at the same time right?

This sounds like an admission that the story may not be factual.

Keep in mind a neck shot is very different from a shoulder shot..
Spine is instant death

Shoulder shot has to break the shoulder several inches of meat and then some ribs before it gets into the good stuff.
Just some food for thought.

A direct hit to center neck/vertebrae will have much more resistance than reaching the "good stuff" through the the shoulder.

 

[wartak]

This sounds like an admission that the story may not be factual.

A direct hit to center neck/vertebrae will have much more resistance than reaching the "good stuff" through the the shoulder.

You suppose so? The shoulder and ribs are 2 bone masses and several muscle masses before it has a chance to damage life systems. The neck is a few inches of meat then a bone with nerves in the middle, a bullet passing even within an inch of the spine is likely going to put the lights out.

 

[LongWayAround]

A 147gr eld-m after going diagonally through a whitetail at around 200 yards.

An elk shoulder blade after the same.

I think your concerns of meat loss are overstated.