experience/opinions Hornady ELD-X

[16Bore]

MOA
BC .425+
Practice to 500
Hunt to 300

Life is easy

 

[5MilesBack]

And if Joe Thousandyards pops him a big'un, he still has to carry his fat ass over to get it.

What if Joe has a skinny ass? Shooting and reloading is no different than any other hobby, passion, or lifestyle......it's all what you make of it. For archery I'm not satisfied just throwing together a rig and hitting pie plates at 60 yards......I want to hit a specific part of the pie plate. Same for golf.......I don't just shoot for the green, I shoot for a specific part of the green. Same for rifles and shooting.

I started reloading because I wanted to use specific bullets and weights that I couldn't find in factory ammo. But then the eventual cost savings kicked in as well. Quality factory ammo is expensive.....no doubt about it. So if you shoot enough, those cost savings pay for the equipment and components pretty quickly. And on top of that, you get precision ammo specific for your own guns as a bonus.

 

[16Bore]

You can (over analyze like a computer geek at Best Buy) the hell out of all those things, been there and done that. Was never better than a 12HC and only got that way when I stopped monkeying with every driver known to man and shaft and reshaft and shorten and stiffen and heel weight and toe weight yadda, yadda....12 years in the business, 3 of those on a PGA playground and a fella sees a lot. Drivers that add 10 yards are for suckers. Wedges and putters win...

Same for bows, 70 yard pin is impressive...and I'd hope so after all the time monkeying with fletching, rests, this sight that sight yadda yadda....I don't know if I've ever seen a 70 yard doable shot in the woods. But as some yuk is reading this he's gonna school me on that "one time...." Show me some off the shelf rigging and a guy that limits himself to 30-40 yards and I'll show you a fella that's got a lotta options.

So yeah, I can handload 162's (assuming 5x on the brass) for $13.62 "a box" and pay myself $20/HR to do so. Or have my cake at $36.49 and time to do something else. Big time LR "shooters" are impressive for what they do, but when they can't wait to make jerky and every recipe calls for Campbell's Cream of Mishroom Soup, the impressiveness wears thin for me....


So have at it, fellas can do as they please. I sure the hell do.


But I live and die in diminishing returns....

 

[C Bow]

My Grandpa used to say son it is not the arrow that brings home supper it is the Indian I knew I was not a golfer when a 60 year old man took my clubs and beat the crap out of me and said stick to something you are good at it sure ain't golf

 

[luke moffat]

How about chilling or dropping the profanity down a notch or two and you'll still get your point across without looking like a freshman trying to impress the seniors by using words you just learn.

 

[Formidilosus]

That statement about reloading nickel and dimeing you and not being worth it now days is complete BS

I'm sorry but this statement makes me think you just don't know how. The fact of the matter is factory ammo isn't nearly as accurate as a handloads. Handloads can be loaded to be the most accurate load in YOUR rifle. Seating depths adjusted TO what YOUR gun likes. The powder charge YOUR gun likes. I'd bet not a single 1000 yard match shooter just goes and buys factory ammo and heads to the shoot.
As far as the ELD-X in your Creedmoor, I'd bet they work great! A good friend of mine and a buddy of his went to Africa this yr and shot mountain zebra and a bunch of other animal all with 6.5 Creedmoors and 143gn ELD-X bullets

There are a bunch of dudes using factory Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor ammo in LR field "sniper" competitions. And they are winning.


I reload 243, and 308 for match use. There has been no reason to do so with 6.5 Creedmoor. 10 round groups are sub 1 MOA with factory 140gr and 147gr ELD-M ammo.

 

[jmharrington]

Very pleased with terminal ballistic performance of the 143gr eld-x. Have taken 2 deer (498/508) out of my 6.5-284. Neither of them took a single step.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[16Bore]

How about chilling or dropping the profanity down a notch or two and you'll still get your point across without looking like a freshman trying to impress the seniors by using words you just learn.

Aww come on, skull**** is an original. Emphasis with just a hint of garlic. Ok, fixed it since its X-Ma$. Ok, Christmas. As in yule...as in log....not that I have a log in the sense that you think I said I had a log.

Clark W. Griswold.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

I like reloading and tinkering with my loads to make them super accurate and speedy. Been doing it a long time. Great beer drinking sport especially on shitty weather days. To each his own I guess.

 

[luke moffat]

Aww come on, skull**** is an original. Emphasis with just a hint of garlic. Ok, fixed it since its X-Ma$. Ok, Christmas. As in yule...as in log....not that I have a log in the sense that you think I said I had a log.

Clark W. Griswold.

Haha thanks man!

 

[5MilesBack]

This week my daughter shot a doe with the 6.5 CM and 143gr Hornady ELD-X from 375 yards broadside. I was pretty disappointed that the bullet didn't even make it all the way through that poor little thin-skinned deer. But on top of that, the lead core also separated from the jacket. We found both right next to each other right up against the offside hide.

I also shot a buck from that same spot and distance, but with my 7mag and 168gr Classic Hunter Bergers. Also not a fan of what they did to that deer. No exit, but a heck of a mess pretty much all over that deer. Found perforations in meat in just about every direction from the entrance hole. Not sure how to determine where lead is or isn't in the meat. I'll stick to bullets that I know will blow through from now on.......and stay together.

 

[huntnidaho]

I shot a mule deer buck in montana this year using the 162 grain ELD-X out of a 7mag. The jacket and core completely separated. The core actually exited the deer but the 60 grains of remaining jacket was found embedded in the off shoulder. This bullet did hit some bone. Shot was at exactly 300 yards and the deer dropped in his tracks. Was happy with the DRT result, but I'm not so sure on the toughness of the bullet. I probably wouldn't want to drive it into any bone again. I'm thinking of going back to accubonds or partitions for elk. I will say my 7mm loves those ELD-Xs though, they are accurate.

 

[Idaho Sandman]

This week my daughter shot a doe with the 6.5 CM and 143gr Hornady ELD-X from 375 yards broadside. I was pretty disappointed that the bullet didn't even make it all the way through that poor little thin-skinned deer. But on top of that, the lead core also separated from the jacket. We found both right next to each other right up against the offside hide.

I also shot a buck from that same spot and distance, but with my 7mag and 168gr Classic Hunter Bergers. Also not a fan of what they did to that deer. No exit, but a heck of a mess pretty much all over that deer. Found perforations in meat in just about every direction from the entrance hole. Not sure how to determine where lead is or isn't in the meat. I'll stick to bullets that I know will blow through from now on.......and stay together.

If you have lead in your bullet, you're not shooting a Berger VLD.
My 168 Bergers out of a 7RUM absolutely drop everything from deer to Moose in their tracks. Deer I get pass through, elk/Moose no, I don't care as the vitals are liquified and the animals all drop in their tracks resulting in every bit of the energy delivered to the animal. That's from under 100 yds out to 600.

 

[Formidilosus]

If you have lead in your bullet, you're not shooting a Berger VLD.

Say agin?

 

[Idaho Sandman]

Say agin?

Sorry, inside joke.

 

[5MilesBack]

If you have lead in your bullet, you're not shooting a Berger VLD.

So if not lead.......what's inside these bullets? And I found this buck about 50 yards from where I hit him, and the hole was about 3" behind the front leg perfectly centered top to bottom. I just don't want to chomp into a chunk of copper or lead while eating.

 

[Idaho Sandman]

I was kidding. See the post above yours.

I've only had one frag on me due to hitting the front shoulder due to the angle of the shot. It wasn't like bird shot frag though. All pieces were close together, that meat was cut out anyway.

 

[16Bore]

Barnes will take care of that. High shoulder half step and go pick him up.

 

[Idaho Sandman]

Barnes will take care of that. High shoulder half step and go pick him up.

That was the off side shoulder. Lungs heart was mush. Elk hit the dirt right in his tracks. Shot was just over 100yds. Don't get deader than that so not sure what the Barnes would take care of. Shot the Barnes, decent bullet. Like my Bergers though. To each their own, pick one and hunt.

 

[16Bore]

Just talking about the lead thing and not wanting to eat it. I don't think it's much of a worry, some people do. Ex wife wanted me to go lead-free when our kids were little. The research she read may or may not have had merit, but I switched any way.

Bullet + vitals = vittles. Simple formula.


"Bullet failures" in dead animals are kinda funny. But yeah,more stuff works than don't.