Hornady ELD-X Ammo issues

[Lou270]

I think Hornady is misleading wirh this bullet. It looks nothing more than a sst with better bc and a weakened nose to expand at longer ranges. They dont advertise the sst as a tough bullet but compare this bullet favorably to bonded and mono bullets so people get high expectations and surprised when it behaves like a sst

Works very well for hunting but you are gonna get a splash and probably not find pretty mushrooms. If want a tough bullet use a bonded variety or mono. Some ballistic tip and (all i think) sierra tipped game king is a very thick jacketed tipped cup and core type if like the style but want something that may pentrate more though may still lose core

Lou

 

[goathunter]

Do you have any pictures of your experience?

I watched 5 elk killed with the 143gr ELD-X in the last month. Three of the five got shoulder shots (517y, 637y, and 369 y). In more than a hundred animals killed with ELD-X around 80% have exited from less the ten feet to well past 800 yards. If you include other ELD-X calibers and weights, it’s a hundred of animals.

ELD-X’s are rapidly upsetting, thin jacketed cup and core bullets with a minor lock ring that generally keep the core and jacket together- they do not “explode”.

There one in the post above yours and several more in this thread. I had he same experience putting one behind the shoulder on an antelope.

 

[SDHNTR]

I think Hornady is misleading wirh this bullet. It looks nothing more than a sst with better bc and a weakened nose to expand at longer ranges. They dont advertise the sst as a tough bullet but compare this bullet favorably to bonded and mono bullets so people get high expectations and surprised when it behaves like a sst

Works very well for hunting but you are gonna get a splash and probably not find pretty mushrooms. If want a tough bullet use a bonded variety or mono. Some ballistic tip and (all i think) sierra tipped game king is a very thick jacketed tipped cup and core type if like the style but want something that may pentrate more though may still lose core

Lou

Where does Hornady put it in the same category as a bonded or mono bullet?

 

[Lou270]

Where does Hornady put it in the same category as a bonded or mono bullet?

One example. https://www.hornady.com/assets/site/hornady/files/resources/ELD-X_ELD-Match_Technical_Details.pdf

Lou

 

[SDHNTR]

One example. https://www.hornady.com/assets/site/hornady/files/resources/ELD-X_ELD-Match_Technical_Details.pdf

Lou

Uh, upon a quick skim, I read the exact opposite of what you are suggesting. That article endeavors to juxtapose the ELDX bullet from bonded and mono bullets. Not claim a similarity or lump them into the same category!

 

[jpmulk]

i would recommend studying bullet construction. I learned a lot when i finally did this. There are different types of bullets designed to do different things. The ELDX is a great bullet when used correctly. Shooting animals on the point of the shoulder is not what this bullet was made to do. Put it behind the shoulder and into the vitals or through soft tissue. I love the eldx. My experiences out of my 7mag were phenomenal. But i never tried blowing threw a shoulder with it.

 

[SDHNTR]

i would recommend studying bullet construction. I learned a lot when i finally did this. There are different types of bullets designed to do different things. The ELDX is a great bullet when used correctly. Shooting animals on the point of the shoulder is not what this bullet was made to do. Put it behind the shoulder and into the vitals or through soft tissue. I love the eldx. My experiences out of my 7mag were phenomenal. But i never tried blowing threw a shoulder with it.

You get it! Most don’t and just think a bullet is a bullet. So when the improper tool gets used for an unintended job and produces undesired effects, they cry foul.

 

[SoloWilderness]

i would recommend studying bullet construction. I learned a lot when i finally did this. There are different types of bullets designed to do different things. The ELDX is a great bullet when used correctly. Shooting animals on the point of the shoulder is not what this bullet was made to do. Put it behind the shoulder and into the vitals or through soft tissue. I love the eldx. My experiences out of my 7mag were phenomenal. But i never tried blowing threw a shoulder with it.

I have had similar great luck with 200g eld-x out of a 300 wm. Broadside shots behind the shoulder on bulls, DRT. I do carry 190g ABLR Noslers as well though, and would probably switch them out under 400 yards, I personally feel the ABLR gives a bit better margin for error on funky shot angles, closer ranges, or if I need to punch a shoulder. I have no issue using an eld-x on elk any day of the week.

 

[Formidilosus]

There one in the post above yours and several more in this thread. I had he same experience putting one behind the shoulder on an antelope.

That ELD-X killed the antelope without issue. It seems that people aught to care about how well a bullet kills animals, not how the bullet looks when it has already killed. Accubonds, TSX’s and TTSX’s, E-Tips, GMXs, TTBBCs, and all others have and will at some point do exactly the same- skip off of bone, and do weird things. People that think any bullet has a 0% “failure” rate haven’t killed enough, or aren’t paying attention.

If someone says they don’t want the tissue damage that a certain bullet causes, that’s different than saying “it failed”, or it won’t kill well. ELD-X’s kill extremely well by causing more tissue damage than other bullets. They have an extremely low “failure” rate, and having seen hundreds used to kill animals, and then conducting field necropsies on those animals, they perform in accordance with their design and intent.
The ELD-X is designed to work correctly at low velocity impacts, while still functioning on close range, high velocity impacts- that is reach vital organs. Standard monos generally do fine at high impact velocities, but also have a high rate of “failure” to upset at lower impact velocities, and at all ranges have a longer time to incapacitation and movement after the shot than other bullets. If someone is not shooting animals past 300’ish yards and they do care about meat damage- why would they be shooting a rapidly upsetting bullet at all?

 

[SDHNTR]

That ELD-X killed the antelope without issue. It seems that people aught to care about how well a bullet kills animals, not how the bullet looks when it has already killed. Accubonds, TSX’s and TTSX’s, E-Tips, GMXs, TTBBCs, and all others have and will at some point do exactly the same- skip off of bone, and do weird things. People that think any bullet has a 0% “failure” rate haven’t killed enough, or aren’t paying attention.

If someone says they don’t want the tissue damage that a certain bullet causes, that’s different than saying “it failed”, or it won’t kill well. ELD-X’s kill extremely well by causing more tissue damage than other bullets. They have an extremely low “failure” rate, and having seen hundreds used to kill animals, and then conducting field necropsies on those animals, they perform in accordance with their design and intent.
The ELD-X is designed to work correctly at low velocity impacts, while still functioning on close range, high velocity impacts- that is reach vital organs. Standard monos generally do fine at high impact velocities, but also have a high rate of “failure” to upset at lower impact velocities, and at all ranges have a longer time to incapacitation and movement after the shot than other bullets. If someone is not shooting animals past 300’ish yards and they do care about meat damage- why would they be shooting a rapidly upsetting bullet at all?

Come on Form... Because Bubba just bought the box off the shelf at Wally's! It goes bang and fits in the gun, a bullet is a bullet!

 

[Lou270]

Uh, upon a quick skim, I read the exact opposite of what you are suggesting. That article endeavors to juxtapose the ELDX bullet from bonded and mono bullets. Not claim a similarity or lump them into the same category!

I thought it was pretty good marketing. My bullet does everything these other bullets do at normal range but also does better at long range….

 

[SDHNTR]

I thought it was pretty good marketing. My bullet does everything these other bullets do at normal range but also does better at long range….

I didn't read it that way at all.

 

[Formidilosus]

I thought it was pretty good marketing. My bullet does everything these other bullets do at normal range but also does better at long range….

That is technically true though. In general, the ELD-X does perform adequately at high velocity impacts, and is much better than most at low velocity impacts- I am speaking to tissue damage and time to incapacitation. I do not use ELD-X nearly as much as some others bullets and they are not my favorite, however overall from 3,000fps to 1,600fps or so impacts, I’m not sure there is a better bullet for killing across the board.

Lots of people consider this bullet a failure, even though the tissue damage was fantastic and the animal was incapacitated in a few seconds-

 

[spur60]

This was from my rifle doe tag here in SD in November. ~80 yard shot on a WT doe. 6.5 CM, 143 gr ELDx. double lung just behind the shoulder, slightly quartering. some bullet fragments passed completely through, the jacket and core shown here were stuck in the hide on the backside. hit a rib going in.

 

[Dobermann]

If someone is not shooting animals past 300’ish yards and they do care about meat damage- why would they be shooting a rapidly upsetting bullet at all?

Hi Form, forgive me for not knowing this ... but I'm guessing others here will have the same question:

If people are shooting sub 300 yards, and do care about meat damage, what kind of bullet construction - and examples - would be good choices? Or is this a question that doesn't make sense?

 

[Formidilosus]

Hi Form, forgive me for not knowing this ... but I'm guessing others here will have the same question:

If people are shooting sub 300 yards, and do care about meat damage, what kind of bullet construction - and examples - would be good choices? Or is this a question that doesn't make sense?

No, it makes sense. The base answer is that given same placemat with non CNS effects, “killing faster” and “less meat damage” are inversely proportional. The less meat damage you want, the “harder” or “tougher” a bullet needs to be- resulting in less frontal diameter, no fragmentation, and lower impact velocities. Bullets meeting that are generally conventional monolithics- Barnes TSX/TTSX, Nosler E-Tip, Hornady GMX, etc.

 

[Dobermann]

No, it makes sense. The base answer is that given same placemat with non CNS effects, “killing faster” and “less meat damage” are inversely proportional. The less meat damage you want, the “harder” or “tougher” a bullet needs to be- resulting in less frontal diameter, no fragmentation, and lower impact velocities. Bullets meeting that are generally conventional monolithics- Barnes TSX/TTSX, Nosler E-Tip, Hornady GMX, etc.

Thank you.

In this context, why does one want it "harder" or "tougher"? What outcomes does that give in terms of the terminal performance?

 

[Reburn]

No, it makes sense. The base answer is that given same placemat with non CNS effects, “killing faster” and “less meat damage” are inversely proportional. The less meat damage you want, the “harder” or “tougher” a bullet needs to be- resulting in less frontal diameter, no fragmentation, and lower impact velocities. Bullets meeting that are generally conventional monolithics- Barnes TSX/TTSX, Nosler E-Tip, Hornady GMX, etc.

Everything you said makes sense.

However.

Why do the guys that cry a bullet fails or is too splashy and meat damage always talk about punching the shoulder in the same breath?
Isnt the goal of preserving the most meat putting the bullet NOT in the meat?
Unless your in Africa where the vitals are behind the shoulder.

 

[Robinhood21]

This antelope was hit in the ribs just behind the shoulder… the bullet took a 90* and came out it’s back straps.
384yds perfectly broadside, 200gr precision hunter..

Looks like you hit high to me. Had the same thing happen on my first pronghorn. I was shooting 129sst and hit the spine. The hole in the hide looked very similar to that.

 

[Formidilosus]

Thank you.

In this context, why does one want it "harder" or "tougher"? What outcomes does that give in terms of the terminal performance?

It narrows the wound. A narrower wound damages less tissue.

Why do the guys that cry a bullet fails or is too splashy and meat damage always talk about punching the shoulder in the same breath?
Isnt the goal of preserving the most meat putting the bullet NOT in the meat?

Because they kill slowly with just lung shots.