Creedmoor shooter
Well-Known Member
With the 180s reputation of blowing up id never shoot them out of a 3 groove. They stabilize just fine in my 9.25 twist. I think thats because the bearing surface is a mile.
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180gr ELDM for hunting?
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xsn10s
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I wonder if your rifle was a 5R barrel too. I thought there was some speculation that rifles in your era had 5R barrels. Mainly because they shot so well.
Creedmoor shooter
Well-Known Member
I dont believe it is. I'll have to check. It's honestly the best shooting factory rifle I've ever had or had experience with.
What a great thread! Lots of good info shared thus far.
*For the record, I've heard lots of stories of the 147, 162 and 180gr ELDM's blowing up mid-air and have even seen videos of it happening - which is exactly why I started this thread. All of these prior instances I knew about were in competitions though - so running them at higher velocities, higher round counts (more wear on the barrels) and several with 4 groove barrels. Calibers were 6.5 prc's, 7/300 win mags, 28 noslers, and going 3,050+ fps.
In theory, running the 180gr bullets at a lower velocity would keep this from happening, which is why I was interested in the 2,800-2,950 fps range. This equates to a range of 252,000-265,000 rpm, which seems like a safe range for the ELDM's. The 280,000-290,000+ rpm range is where it seems like they get unstable and come apart.
In regards to the bullets blowing up on impact on the elk - I've seen bergers and eldx personally do the same thing on quartered to shoulder shots on antelope and whitetail from 80-475 yards, but the entrance hole was so big the animals bled out very quickly (the size of your fist).
At this point I'm going to shy away from this idea and try the 180gr berger hybrids since they have such a stellar reputation of consistency and terminal performance - even though the BC of this 180gr ELDM may force me to buy some at $40/box of 100!
Thanks for everyone's input thus far!
*For the record, I've heard lots of stories of the 147, 162 and 180gr ELDM's blowing up mid-air and have even seen videos of it happening - which is exactly why I started this thread. All of these prior instances I knew about were in competitions though - so running them at higher velocities, higher round counts (more wear on the barrels) and several with 4 groove barrels. Calibers were 6.5 prc's, 7/300 win mags, 28 noslers, and going 3,050+ fps.
In theory, running the 180gr bullets at a lower velocity would keep this from happening, which is why I was interested in the 2,800-2,950 fps range. This equates to a range of 252,000-265,000 rpm, which seems like a safe range for the ELDM's. The 280,000-290,000+ rpm range is where it seems like they get unstable and come apart.
In regards to the bullets blowing up on impact on the elk - I've seen bergers and eldx personally do the same thing on quartered to shoulder shots on antelope and whitetail from 80-475 yards, but the entrance hole was so big the animals bled out very quickly (the size of your fist).
At this point I'm going to shy away from this idea and try the 180gr berger hybrids since they have such a stellar reputation of consistency and terminal performance - even though the BC of this 180gr ELDM may force me to buy some at $40/box of 100!
Thanks for everyone's input thus far!
The_Whitetail_kid
Well-Known Member
A lot of it really depends on what you call a good bullet and what you are looking for. Some people like a bullet that goes in a sheds all its weight and kills very fast but may waste some meat and not exit - the Berger. Some people like a bonded bullet that holds together, penetrates deep, and exits. Not as much meat waste but can cause a smaller wound channel - like the Nosler Accubond. I feel like the ELD-X is kind of a meet in the middle because I've seen it exit and cause a big wound channel. Not familiar with Barnes and hammers really.
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
Moly or HBN coat the bullets and you will greatly reduce the engraving stresses on the bullet jacket. I've shot an untold number of 162 A-max at top velocity from my 7STW and never "dusted" a single bullet. They were all moly & wax coated, which was popular at the time.
xsn10s
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Broz over at LRO can give you great info on the 180 ELDM. I got much of my info from him. I just don't want to misquote him.
It's been discussed to death, there are always the naysayers; Its a match bullet not a hunting bullet blah blah. I've killed a couple antelope, dozens of mule deer and at least a dozen elk with eldm from 140gr 162 & 180 anywhere from 60-800 yards and never once had a failure to perform. Just don't shoot the shoulder bone and you're golden. Shot thousands and thousands of 108 eldm in matches and never had a single blow up. My 7prc is pushing 180s at 2960 and no blow ups yet. If blow ups were an issue hornady wouldn't be loading 180s on the edge of 3k so if folks are having bullets come apart I would be looking at a barrel issue there. My opinion is the eldm performs like a berger wishes it could
My 7ss loved them at 2880. Eldms like 40-60k jump, load them and shoot. You won't be disappointed
all the eldm problems have been in the early years when they first came out. you dont hear of the problems in recent years, more than likely Hornady quietly made changes to solve the problem.
i blew up my share of 147 and 180 in early years but have not had the problem recently, also i now keep the RPMs below 285,000 as per Hornady recommendations.
i blew up my share of 147 and 180 in early years but have not had the problem recently, also i now keep the RPMs below 285,000 as per Hornady recommendations.
WiscGunner
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180 ELD-M's work great out of my 7SS Proof 5groove 26" barrel @ 2850. Buck the wind like nobodies business and punch racket ball size exit hole through Caribou. Only had 1 bullet not exit and that was a 1/4-to stem to stern found under hide of rear 1/4. Absolutely no issues with blowing up or lack of penetration. Highly recommend the 180eldm unless your squeamish about lead particles in your meat, if so go with a good solid like Badlands or Hammer.
