Looking for input on ELD-X bullet performance (w/ field pics)

[MtnSquach]

2025 season I was able to recover the 143gr ELDX my daughter shot a muley doe with a 6.5cm at 189 yards (bullet on the left). Quatering away the bullet entered the left side, through both lungs and stopped just on the inside of the skin on the right side. The bullet on the right is a 212gr I shot a cow elk with at 430 yards with a 300 PRC. I shot the cow in the chest. It went through the heart, lungs and came to rest in the hide after going through the left side ribs. I have killed 2 other elk bulls and deer with the 212gr. All taken with a single shot and DRT. I killed a Muley buck with 212gr and it’s too much for deer. I have killed a bunch of coyotes and pigs with the 143gr and have had really good results.

 

[BoiseDoc]

Im in Alaska and use a 7-08 with 150g eldx for everything but bears. Never had a moose go more than 15-20feet.

I was looking at this thread as my buddy shot two cows with the, 140 I believe, 7-08 with an eldx. He swears on a quartering shot that the bullet didn’t enter the chest cavity and that was after a broadside shot to the shoulder and a final shot to the neck.
His wife shot a cow that fell and then stood up and ran off.
My boys have killed 5 mule deer with the 143 in a 6.5 CM and nothing spectacular but all dead at 150-340 yards.
I took my pet rifle up north with the 212 eldx load and that’s where that buck is from.

I’ve killed a pile of deer in the southeast, with rifles and pistols, when I was a kid and I’ve never seen that much destruction. I think it will do as intended if I stay off of the shoulder.

 

[BoiseDoc]

I don’t want to change my cartridge either.

 

[MtnSquach]

I don’t want to change my cartridge either.

What caliber are you shooting those 212’s?

 

[BoiseDoc]

What caliber are you shooting those 212’s?

It’s a 300 WSM. It’s slow in a 21” barrel but she shoots. My last 25 shots have been 0.75” at 100 and I’m no sniper. With the XLR chassis the recoil is very manageable and with the tbac 7 it’s even better. I could run it harder as I’m only using 60.5 grains of H4350 but my idea was to try and stay in the performance band of that bullet for the range I want to hunt which is 0-600 or so. Hornady says the bullet is meant for 2700-1600. Who knows if that’s true but I tried to stay around that. Very likely to get a sub 50 yard shot so I didn’t want it screaming too fast.

 

[BoiseDoc]

Im in Alaska and use a 7-08 with 150g eldx for everything but bears. Never had a moose go more than 15-20feet.

Would love to see some pics. Work partner is from AK and her brother and father kill them every year. I’ve only been up there fishing.

 

[MtnSquach]

It’s a 300 WSM. It’s slow in a 21” barrel but she shoots. My last 25 shots have been 0.75” at 100 and I’m no sniper. With the XLR chassis the recoil is very manageable and with the tbac 7 it’s even better. I could run it harder as I’m only using 60.5 grains of H4350 but my idea was to try and stay in the performance band of that bullet for the range I want to hunt which is 0-600 or so. Hornady says the bullet is meant for 2700-1600. Who knows if that’s true but I tried to stay around that. Very likely to get a sub 50 yard shot so I didn’t want it screaming too fast.

It looks to be shooting very good!

 

[BoiseDoc]

It looks to be shooting very good!

Awesome pic of your kid man!! Nice. And gorgeous bull!

 

[MtnSquach]

Awesome pic of your kid man!! Nice. And gorgeous bull!

Thank you! It was her first hunt and she hammered it. That bull was my first bull about 5 years ago in CO. The cow was my first cow ever last year. We had a good year in 25, 2 pronghorn, 2 elk, 2 deer. I wish every year was that good.

 

[BoiseDoc]

Thank you! It was her first hunt and she hammered it. That bull was my first bull about 5 years ago in CO. The cow was my first cow ever last year. We had a good year in 25, 2 pronghorn, 2 elk, 2 deer. I wish every year was that good.

Love it! Well done

 

[Dirt Hole]

October of 2025 I shot this mule deer with a 175 ELDX out of a 7PRC. Hand loads and a 24” barrel with average muzzle velocity of 2,935 fps.

Mule deer was 337 yards and slightly quartered away. I recovered the bullet under the hide. Deer took 3 steps and bedded. Then stood up 5 seconds later and fell over. Total time from shot to falling over dead couldn’t have been more than 12 seconds.

I’ve killed 5 whitetail in SE where I live using that same bullet and hand load. Shots from 175 yards to 532 yards. All have been pass thrus on the whitetails. One deer dropped and the other four didn’t run more than 45 yards.

So far I’ve been happy with the bullet’s performance from my experience.