Hornady ELD-X

[bdan68]

How far away were you from the goat?

200 yards.

 

[KenLee]

Exit from a 178 grain ELD-X from a 30/06. I won't be using these bullets ever again, except maybe for coyotes.View attachment 771998

Looks like perfect bullet performance to me. Destruction of boiler room achieved.

 

[bdan68]

Looks like perfect bullet performance to me. Destruction of boiler room achieved.

And I lost much of the backstrap.

 

[KenLee]

And I lost much of the backstrap.

Shoot lower

 

[Kimber7man]

I watched the 175 ELDX put two elk down a week ago, both from 7mm PRC’s. One was at 250 yards, nice 6x6 bull was higher up and quartering to my buddy. One shot just in front of the front shoulder, up and out the high side of the rib cage on opposite side of bull. He fell in 5 seconds.
Second was a cow at 160 yards, and just a bit lower. Quartering away, he hit her back in liver and got lungs. She was down in 10 seconds. Bullet did not exit but we didn’t find it.

Both of these had muzzle velocity around 2,920.
I’d say they work and might use them next year.

 

[eoperator]

Exit from a 178 grain ELD-X from a 30/06. I won't be using these bullets ever again, except maybe for coyotes.

And I lost much of the backstrap.

So a .30 cal fragmenting bullet did to much damage?

Maybe try a 6mm 103eldx that you will shoot more accurately next time. Or if you want to stick with the 3006 try a slower velocity barnes or non fragmenting bullet that leaves more of a pencil through like wound channel.

 

[Packer9037]

I shoot a 300 Weatherby and took 200 gr ELDX bullets on my first elk hunt. Shot a cow at 300 yards, through her front shoulder and lungs, dropped her where she stood. Shot a bull in Montana with the same load and at 285 yards and minimal meat damage as well. So far pretty happy with the eldx myself. But would agree with the overall sentiment...need to shoot something you are comfortable with.

 

[Sdieffen]

I'm in the no ELD-X camp. Shot a buck a few years ago at 110 yards. Luckily in the heart. Pinhole in, pinhole out. .270 cal. No expansion. Super precise but not what I want in a hunting bullet. Until that point, I was sold on Hornady. They make great ammo, I just won't use that bullet anymore. Nosler partition is a better choice imo.

 

[rifletuner]

The only ELD-X that I have seen in action was used by my son on a hunt in 2022. He was 17 at the time, on a youth hunt for fallow deer (similar size to whitetail deer) in South Australia. I loaded the 178gn ELD-X in his 308 Win. I was planning to use some of the 168gn A-Max bullets as we have a lot of those, but since it was a guided hunt on private property, I thought it was better to use a "hunting" bullet in case any of the people running the hunt objected to using a "match" bullet.

His first shot was on a doe at 100 yards. I was standing behind my son and the guide. At the shot I saw the doe run behind some bushes and disappear. I asked my son how the sight picture looked when he shot and the guide said "Its dead. It had stuff coming out of it". We walked over and found the doe had run about 15 paces and expired. It was hit behind the shoulder and the bullet exited. There was a fair amount of bruising on the carcass.

The next day he had an opportunity at a young buck, maybe 2 years old. The shot was up a slight incline at about 200 yards. The buck dropped on the spot - my son could see the animal on its back with legs in the air after the shot. He was aiming on the shoulder, but when we walked up to the buck we found the hit was high shoulder - I think because of the incline. Under the buck was the most blood I have ever seen on an animal laying on the ground like that. The carcass also showed a lot of bruising.

I only have a photo of the first carcass hanging in the meat shed. This is the exit side:

This is where the buck was laying when we found it:

 

[Calbuck]

Well I killed another one with the 162 ELDX loaded around 3k fps in 7 mm. Mature mule deer, 275 yards. Broadside heart shot killed him instantly. He lunged and fell dead. I’ve had nothing but good luck with them. One shot kills in all instances. Heart was destroyed (bummed because I like to eat it) and the deer didn’t go anywhere. No meat loss other than the organ, no exit and I didn’t take the time to look for the bullet.

 

[Short Track]

I have more problems with heavier bullets, than lighter bullets. But we all seem to gravitate towards heavier...

 

[CjMelendrez]

the 143gr 6.5CM factory ELD-X rounds worked great for me last week! I killed my OTC Idaho buck and killed my first Idaho bull, each only needed one shot and dropped right where they stood. I'm pretty happy with this rile and round.

and thanks to all the Roksliders that gave advice while prepping for this hunt.

 

[Peakbagger46]

Seems by some of these posts the ELDX can kill and butcher your meat in one simple trigger squeeze.

I’ll pass and stick with a bonded option.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

I dont have photos as it was late, dark and phones were dead or dying when we got to cutting up my cow elk couple weeks back.
Shot with 7mm RM factory loaded 162 eldx. Shot was from 250yds. She went about 20 yds huddled into the herd and fell over. Watched a few minutes and guide said she was still moving a bit and told me to hit her again...I dont think that was necessary in hand sute but I did as instructed. First hit was double lung, she was done. second she was angled funny onnthe ground it was getting dark and I was trying not to hit shoulder.
No blood other than a bit out her mouth.
First round punched through...3/4" exit roughly.
Second shot was farther back than I thought, literally emptied her stomach into chest cavity. Didn't exit. Got lucky and it didn't blow up off side front quarter but removing that front quarter there were stomach contents between the ribs and shoulder.
That second shot absolutely grenaded the inside of that elk.
I was fortunate not to loose meat on second shot. After seeing that I can certainly see a shoulder hit turning a front quarter into meat jelly.
I think shot placement is definitely more imperative with these bullets, but they are pretty devastating on the vitals with good hit.
As for the blood trail issue, from my experience that's got more to do with shot angle. An animal hit straight through, higher than tge heart typically has to fill up before they bleed out. Have had that issue with numerous whitetail shot from the ground.
If shot from elevated position and bullet exits lower in body, they bleed out alot faster if not instantly.

 

[FredH]

Well I killed another one with the 162 ELDX loaded around 3k fps in 7 mm. Mature mule deer, 275 yards. Broadside heart shot killed him instantly. He lunged and fell dead. I’ve had nothing but good luck with them. One shot kills in all instances. Heart was destroyed (bummed because I like to eat it) and the deer didn’t go anywhere. No meat loss other than the organ, no exit and I didn’t take the time to look for the bullet.

I loaded a bit slower (2820 fps) to hopefully reduce damage. Will be unlikely I shoot past 200 yards.

 

[Teaman1]

Factory loaded 200 grain ELDx in 300 wsm.
Elk quartering away at 150 yards. Caliber sized entrance, wrecked vitals, through lower end of offside scapula. Stoppped just short of the hide. Elk was down in 5 seconds.

Lost a little meat in the shoulder, but probably no more than any lead bullet except maybe an A Frame.
Will try to avoid any quartering to shots, but this is going to be my all around antelope to elk bullet.

 

[Teaman1]

300 wsm 200 grain ELDx.
Through both shoulders of a good sized mule deer. Pencil entrance and 2ish inch exit.
Lost some meat, but no worse a nosler partition with the same shot.

 

[hunt1up]

I've been using factory 143 ELD-X in my 6.5CM the past two seasons. That gun and bullet has taken 5 antelope, an Aoudad, 7 hogs, a cow elk, and a bull elk in that time. Distances ranging from 40 yards to 450. All those animals ended up very dead very fast.

The longest shot was my bull at 450 yards. MV on my gun is around 2550. It was a zero wind morning and the shot across a big valley. First shot was a perfect lung shot. The bull took it and you could tell he was hit well. But he wasn't far from a private property line, and if an animal is still standing he's getting another. I shot again and that shot was also a perfect lung shot. He stumbled forward and I shot him again, 3rd shot a little high but good. It was a matter of seconds from shot 1 to shot 3. Then he fell over. Once we got to the elk there was blood everywhere. All 3 bullets passed through. No meat loss or anything since they went through the vitals. No bullets to retrieve since they blew through him.

I'll keep shooting them with confidence.

 

[KenLee]

" It was a matter of seconds from shot 1 to shot 3. "

You were Strokin like Clarence Carter

 

[hunt1up]

" It was a matter of seconds from shot 1 to shot 3. "

You were Strokin like Clarence Carter

I didn't have a stop watch out but I impressed myself. A rare feat.