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

[ChrisAU]

That deer is smaller than my Labrador. I don't think that's really a fair meat loss assessment.

How much meat is really on the shoulder of a deer that size? A couple pounds maybe? There's probably something like 25 pounds on the whole animal, most of that being in the rears and backstraps.

What projectile did you switch to for animals that size?

Fair. Accubonds for the most part, with excellent results. Building a couple new rifles this summer though and plan on trying Berger 205’s in a 300 PRC and *gasp* ELD-M 80’s in a 22 Creed, so probably the latter for most whitetail.

 

[diverc18]

I have taken 3 axis deer with the 143 eldx all sub 60 yards. Normally I shoot the 147 eldm but had to switch it up after not being able to find any. My results were that the bullet worked as intended even with one shot square in the front shoulder. But then again it’s coming out of a 24in 6.5cm so not exactly fast. Here’s some of the entrances and exits.

 

[jpmulk]

I’ve shot 5 or 6 elk from 30 yards to 400 yards with the 7mag eldx. All of em dropped in sight. I’m happy with it.

 

[wartak]

To be honest I've never seen a deer run more than 50 yards when hit with any bullet including the old fashioned remington corelokt or federal fusions or whatever expanding bullet.
Is high bc and acuracy the main reason most of you like the ELD-X so much?

 

[wartak]

I’ve shot 5 or 6 elk from 30 yards to 400 yards with the 7mag eldx. All of em dropped in sight. I’m happy with it.

Right on, just like what's supposed to happen.

 

[ReddingArcher]

I dont think they are unreliable at close range at all. I dont have pictures, but when we used to be able to shoot lead here I killed a few animals with them. A pig at around 50-60 yards, a blacktail at like 120 and a bear sub 20 yards after I shot that blacktail. The pig was broadside, bullet exited, not terrible meat damage from what I can remember. The buck was facing me, exited behind the shoulder, again not excessive meat loss. The bear I shot as I was walking up to the buck and the bear came out of the brush sniffing the buck, I shot him in just in front of the ear and the bullet ran down his spine and stopped at the base of his neck. These were all with a 300 wm.

 

[finner]

I had a negative experience with a 143 ELD-X in 2019. 75 yard broadside shot on a muley buck, bullet entered right behind the shoulder. He dropped and died immediately, but the jacket separated from the core and carved up a significant portion of the onside backstrap. It was a pretty shocking deviation from what the path of the bullet should have been. Stopped using ELD-X after that.

However, my understanding is that there were a few bad batches from Hornady in the late 20-teens and that construction has since improved.

 

[pbroski]

To be honest I've never seen a deer run more than 50 yards when hit with any bullet including the old fashioned remington corelokt or federal fusions or whatever expanding bullet.
Is high bc and acuracy the main reason most of you like the ELD-X so much?

Those are 2 of the reasons for me. Also they are less expensive and more available. I don't really want to spend the money on 1000 Accubonds or Terminal Ascents every year. Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to find that many to buy, so ELD-X and ELD-M are mostly what I shoot now.

 

[wartak]

Those are 2 of the reasons for me. Also they are less expensive and more available. I don't really want to spend the money on 1000 Accubonds or Terminal Ascents every year. Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to find that many to buy, so ELD-X and ELD-M are mostly what I shoot now.

Can't argue about availability, I do see Hornady on just about everyone's shelvs for sale. Not so much the case with Nosler, Federal, Norma, Berger or whomever eld you may choose.

 

[Formidilosus]

Is high bc and acuracy the main reason most of you like the ELD-X so much?

No. It’s because they perform very well terminally. If an ELD-X is causing too much meat damage for you, go to a smaller caliber/cartridge.

Chocking down a cartridge to create less meat damage by going to a narrower wounding bullet; is like ripping out spark plugs from a V8 because it’s too fast.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

No. It’s because they perform very well terminally. If an ELD-X is causing too much meat damage for you, go to a smaller caliber/cartridge.

Chocking down a cartridge to create less meat damage by going to a narrower wounding bullet; is like ripping out spark plugs from a V8 because it’s too fast.

I think where @wartak is getting hung up is the fact that he’s concerned about Brown Bears while hunting on an island that has a high concentration of them. It is a valid concern, as more than a few have had negative encounters on Montague & Hinchinbrook islands. However an examination into terminal ballistics on a few of the threads here on the Slide may be helpful @wartak

 

[Formidilosus]

I think where @wartak is getting hung up is the fact that he’s concerned about Brown Bears while hunting on an island that has a high concentration of them. It is a valid concern, as more than a few have had negative encounters on Montague & Hinchinbrook islands. However an examination into terminal ballistics on a few of the threads here on the Slide may be helpful @wartak

Yes sir.

 

[CharlesF]

Did you hit any bone?

Just ribs on one side, went through & through, some fragmentation under the skin on the exit side but not a huge grenade.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LongWayAround]

At close range, I have seen impressive destruction through both shoulders (broadside) and also a general lack of appreciable meat damage when not hitting bone (broadside and frontal).

Where you hit and at what velocity are the important factors.

If you stay off the bone, meat damage is minimal. If you hit the bone, it's going through, maybe violently.

 

[LongWayAround]

@ChrisAU was that your 6.5prc?

 

[ChrisAU]

@ChrisAU was that your 6.5prc?

Yes it was

 

[KenLee]

To be honest I've never seen a deer run more than 50 yards when hit with any bullet including the old fashioned remington corelokt or federal fusions or whatever expanding bullet.
Is high bc and acuracy the main reason most of you like the ELD-X so much?

I've seen a deer run 150 yards with heart split wide open by a 58 caliber muzzleloader. Could literally slide my whole hand inside the heart. Also saw many rifle double lung shot deer run over 100 yards...with large calibers.
If you see enough deer shot, you will experience some things you wouldn't believe if not for seeing with your own eyes.

 

[wartak]

I've seen a deer run 150 yards with heart split wide open by a 58 caliber muzzleloader. Could literally slide my whole hand inside the heart. Also saw many rifle double lung shot deer run over 100 yards...with large calibers.
If you see enough deer shot, you will experience some things you wouldn't believe if not for seeing with your own eyes.

Well, I'm sure that's true, of the dozens of deer I have seen shot and shot myself they have all died within yards of being shot. That being said I have heard friends accounts of tracking deer for miles but I suspect they were just poorly shot.
Sounds to me like you don't subscribe to the whole wound cavity size matters camp?
Most of my archery experience has been the same, they die within 50 yards of being shot.
One I double lunged and clipped the artery on the heart clean pass through.. deer died within 30 yards of my tree stand.
I've shot White Tail, Mulie, and Sitka Black Tail only one I had run very far was on a quartering to shot roughly 200 yards away I missed the front shoulder and gut shot him and blew out his back right hip. The thing probably ran a quarter of a mile with blood everywhere. But it was a bad shot.
I know weird thi is happen but as of yet I have not had that experience. Knock on wood

 

[yeti12]

Why would anyone think a eldx is unreliable inside of 200 yards?

First match bullets shouldn't be used for long range hunting, now they can't be used for close range hunting either?

 

[sodaksooner]

Didn't read the entire thread, but just sharing my experience. 220 yards, muley buck, 300wm 3080 fps muzzle velocity 178 gr ELDX. Buck dropped like a rock, shoulder shot. Totally destroyed offside shoulder (which I'd expect anyway). No exit, but no fragmentation other than in that area. Didn't think much of it as I have had other bullets (Speer specifically) do the same at much lower velocities and smaller calibers in the past.