A box of 285 gr bullets should be in my hands on Friday and I just picked up 16 1 gal water jugs in Fred Meyer, gonna load some in my 338 Edge with RL33, once I reach pressure gonna shove a couple into water jugs at 50 yards and 100 yards, will have a video camera set up !
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338ELD-X bullets?
- Thread starter bitbythebug
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bitbythebug
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Thats good to know. I love Berger elite hunters in my 338 rum as far as their being very accurate but I worry about them expanding enough or to quickly. That would be a great test to see what they will do. Thanks.
RockyMtnMT
Official LRH Sponsor
I can tell you this....
After the last few months of low velocity impact testing, most all bullets are designed to expand on hydraulics. Any hollow pt or tipped bullet. (which is a hollow pt with a piece of plastic stuck in it) Shooting them into something hard will cause the hole to close and cause the bullet to banana or tumble or just head on through. A lead core bullet with lead hanging out the front of the bullet will expand in your test. Others will not act like you would expect. Even then the lead front bullets will act differently when impacting water or flesh.
Steve
Idaho Trecker
Well-Known Member
I've been shooting the 285 A Max for a few years now and have had great luck with them. I shot a nice 5 point whitetail two years ago at 980 with the 285 and it was very impressive. The deer only tumbled down the hillside 50 yards or so and that was it. That was out of a 338 RUM. Also had great luck with the 208 A Max.
I've been shooting the 285 ELD-M the last couple weeks in my new 338 Edge with great accuracy. I tried to catch some with 5 gallon water jugs last week at 886 yards but only took 2 rounds with me and the strong variable winds hosed me. I was able to dig both out of the dirt and they were mushroomed perfect. I know the dirt will be way different than flesh but the ELD M just have a different tip from the A Max so I have no problem using them on game.
FWIW we shot 2 whitetail bucks at 125 yards this last fall with the 208 A Max with excellent results. One deer was hit right behind the shoulder and had a golf ball sized exit. The deer i shot was quartering away from me heavily and i slipped the bullet behind the last 2 ribs. The bullet ran diagonal through the deer destroying 4 ribs, center punching the heart, and breaking the offside shoulder where the bullet came to rest under the hide on the far side. I'll have to weigh it again but it held together very well.
I've been shooting the 285 ELD-M the last couple weeks in my new 338 Edge with great accuracy. I tried to catch some with 5 gallon water jugs last week at 886 yards but only took 2 rounds with me and the strong variable winds hosed me. I was able to dig both out of the dirt and they were mushroomed perfect. I know the dirt will be way different than flesh but the ELD M just have a different tip from the A Max so I have no problem using them on game.
FWIW we shot 2 whitetail bucks at 125 yards this last fall with the 208 A Max with excellent results. One deer was hit right behind the shoulder and had a golf ball sized exit. The deer i shot was quartering away from me heavily and i slipped the bullet behind the last 2 ribs. The bullet ran diagonal through the deer destroying 4 ribs, center punching the heart, and breaking the offside shoulder where the bullet came to rest under the hide on the far side. I'll have to weigh it again but it held together very well.
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
+1 on that!
I talked to Hornady at the SCI show in Vegas. I was told ELD-M are made on the same exact dies as the A-max were. I would imagine the cost of making the tooling for 285 A-max bullets wouldn't be thrown out. I wouldn't be surprised to see them re-purpose those dies to make a 285 ELD-M. The problems I had with tipped bullets in my 338 was tip deformation. In the box magazine, recoil would cause the tip to hit the inside of the box and slightly deform the tips. Maybe the new heat resistant tips are a little tougher. I have some in other calibers, just haven't found the time yet.
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
I don't think the tips are any tougher on the 143 eldx I shoot in my 6.5 than the old ones were in the a-max. Having said that though, I have had problems with bergers deforming for the same reason. I guess the only answer is having a long enough mag or single loading...........Rich
RockyMtnMT
Official LRH Sponsor
Funny, I remember years ago changing over to those cool new green tipped bullets because I could not stand seeing my lead tipped bullets get flat in the magazine. An old man back then told me that the thing to do was put a piece of leather in the mag box on the side that the tips hit on recoil. Just a bit of padding.
Steve
bitbythebug
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mY HUNTING PARTNER SWEARS BY HIS 208 A-MAX'S IN HIS 300 WM and he shot a 29" muley at 400 yards and it hit like an anvil. Thats great to know about the ELD-match because they are all over around here in eastern Idaho. How long is your coal in your 338 rum. I put a wyatt's mag extension on so if I have to shoot longer coal's like I had to with the 300 Berger's.
