Real world ELDM Experience Please

[Pickettpuncher]

I’ve shot 3 with an eldm. 2 with a 75eldm in a 223 and 1 with a 30-06 with a 178. Pass thru on all 3. This year I’ll be toting a 25cm with 134 eldm or a 22cm and 80gr eldm.

 

[Ratamahatta]

Can you tell if the bullets are mostly traveling off-line under the offside hide, or are they doing completely random things inside the animal? I don't think bullets traveling down the animal under the hide is terribly uncommon with any bullet.

Sample size of two, the one I retrieved was straight through the entry passed through to the other outer rib and almost broke the skin.

 

[Brandon_SPC]

Here you go. I made this post a while back. Cartridge was a 6.5 Grendel bullet is a 123 grain ELDM.

B

Post in thread '.264 123 grain ELDM terminal performance pictures'

Aug 7, 2025

Looks like much better performance than I got from the 123-grain SST. I had already planned to use the ELDM for hunting this year.


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“Keep on keepin’ on…”

I personally have never used the SST in the Grendel but used them ALOT in the .270 Winchester and .243 Winchester. Most animals barely made it 10 yards but I have heard interesting performance from the SSTs in the 6.5 Grendel. Nothing like what I have experienced but it very well could be due to the impact velocities.

• Brandon_SPC

• 

 

[FLHunter87]

Here you go. I made this post a while back. Cartridge was a 6.5 Grendel bullet is a 123 grain ELDM.

B

Post in thread '.264 123 grain ELDM terminal performance pictures'

Aug 7, 2025

Looks like much better performance than I got from the 123-grain SST. I had already planned to use the ELDM for hunting this year.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

I personally have never used the SST in the Grendel but used them ALOT in the .270 Winchester and .243 Winchester. Most animals barely made it 10 yards but I have heard interesting performance from the SSTs in the 6.5 Grendel. Nothing like what I have experienced but it very well could be due to the impact velocities.

• Brandon_SPC

• 

SST are a fantastic bullet. My mom uses the 95s in her 243(we keep her 250 max) and my buddy uses the 140s in his 6.5CM. They are both deadly accurate and terminally have been awesome. I would shoot those, but I'm looking for something higher in weight. Since I have the 1:7 twist, might as well use it to my advantage. I've decided to try the 150ABLR first. If cant find anything good, I'll try the 156s. I wish Nisler would make an Accubond in 150g or a tad higher. I shoot the accubonds in all my other calibers and love them.

 

[mattm94]

Quick summary of our experience with 147 ELDM, 6.5 Creed, 2700ish MV - My wife, daughter, and mother in law all hunt so sample size is easy to come by.

8 coues from 35 to 647 yards, all but one went down with a few yards, mostly just the jump and tumble, never really got their feet under them again. The buck that ran about 80 yards, the first shot was somewhat poorly placed from 300 yards by the shooter. The buck shot at 35 yards was shot head on square into his chest, he did a 20 yard dash, trying to get his front legs back under him, in what seemed like 1/2 a second and crashed headfirst so yard into a tree in front of me that one of his antlers broke off at a weak spot near the base. Not sure he didn’t knock himself out on impact, but he didn’t get up.
1 SD WT at 40 yards, chin in the dirt DRT.
1 Mulie at 80 ish yards, dropped DRT at the shot.
4 cow elk, from 60 to 225. None went more than 30 yards, a couple dropped within a few steps.

Stay away from bone with ELDMs if you like eating meat. (We do). In tight but behind the shoulder broadside shots are your friend. The front of them WILL grenade inside the animal, and they grenade in spectacularly meat ruining fashion on bone. They are long enough that there’s plenty of shank left behind that and they’ll keep penetrating at creed velocities. If you aim for an offside shoulder, plan on losing a good part or all of it. It’s likely to be bloodshot all the way to the end of the shank meat.

I shot a 264 win mag with monos at 3100+ MV for a few years. Too many critters took too long to die in my opinion. As in several minutes not just a few seconds. Switched to an 8 twist 260 REM a little over 20 years ago, and a 6.5 Creed about 7 years ago. I can say I greatly prefer a MV of 2650-2750 and an accurate heavy/high BC bullet (147 ELDM) over 2900+ MV and monos for quick and humane performance. Total 6.5mm sample size is nearly 40 coues bucks, a couple dozen cow elk, a few bull elk and a few mulies.

In a PRC, which is approaching if not equal to a 264 WM velocities, I’d be inclined to look into something bonded or at lease more controlled expansion than an ELDM. NAB, LRAB, Bondstrike, etc. I like Hornady but can’t speak to the Interbond, I’ve never fired one. The extra velocity is still going to be tough on meat yields if you’re a bone shooter.

 

[cottonant]

For 3 seasons we long range hunted whitetails mostly with 6.5 RSAUMs running 140 & 147 ELD Ms. We harvested whitetails and a hog or two mostly in the 680 to 865 yard range where the food plot was, but had a lane out to 1250 yards. Our longest kill was at 1,075 yards with a 140 ELD M. The longest with my gun running 147 ELD M's was 939 yards by my nephew.


I don't think I ever missed at 725 yards and in with the 147, but had some misses at longer ranges. Later on after we shut down the long range hunting I came across an article or YouTube by Brian Litz stating, if I remember correctly, that the BC didn't hold up on the 147 ELD M at longer ranges. He said the BC does hold up on the 140 ELD Ms.

As for killing at long ranges, the ELD M's did a great job on whitetails.

 

[mattm94]

For 3 seasons we long range hunted whitetails mostly with 6.5 RSAUMs running 140 & 147 ELD Ms. We harvested whitetails and a hog or two mostly in the 680 to 865 yard range where the food plot was, but had a lane out to 1250 yards. Our longest kill was at 1,075 yards with a 140 ELD M. The longest with my gun running 147 ELD M's was 939 yards by my nephew.


I don't think I ever missed at 725 yards and in with the 147, but had some misses at longer ranges. Later on after we shut down the long range hunting I came across an article or YouTube by Brian Litz stating, if I remember correctly, that the BC didn't hold up on the 147 ELD M at longer ranges. He said the BC does hold up on the 140 ELD Ms.

As for killing at long ranges, the ELD M's did a great job on whitetails.

Good points. The 147examples I referenced above were all between 2000-2700 IMPACT velocity, which is certainly more relevant, and I think a good impact window for 147 ELDMs.

 

[Raghorn54]

Shot a mountain whitetail buck this year with a factory 168 ELDM from a 20” 308 at 200 yards. Tumbled 25 yards downhill and piled up at a small tree, dead. On processing, found that round caught his mid-front shoulder and entered the chest. The grenade effect is real: Ribs and scapula detonated, multiple lacerations through both lungs and a pressurized chest cavity full of blood. Opposite front quarter was fine.

Ive seen similarly lethal effects on elk, caribou and antelope after four years of running factory ELDMs, primarily 195s through a 22” 300WM and the one 308 example mentioned above. Ranges 200-450 yards.

I honestly haven’t seen an unreasonable about of meat loss for a given shot placement. But I agree that it comes down to personal preference and individual hunting situations. For me, an efficient kill is paramount, especially in general OTC areas where opportunities can be few and fleeting.