Are the Eld x bullets that bad

[ARlife4me]

Just cause I'm ticked off at little piggies destroying my pasture and crops, I'ma gunna shoot those sorry SOB's with 230edl-x from 338lm and use the 270's also!

 

[ARlife4me]

24cal (90 & 103), 27cal (145), 30cal (200, 212 & 220) and 33cal (230 & 270)gr for testing. Varmints and pests are my only targets as I don't hunt game.

 

[memtb]

Mature bull elk down with 175 ELD-X from factory 7 PRC at 422 yards. Impact velocity should have been just over 2400 fps. One shot right behind the shoulder crease about midway up the vitals, and he lay down after about 30 seconds. Walked less than 20 yards. No exit.

Congrats on your bull! memtb

 

[Louisiana Reloader]

Congrats on your bull! memtb

Congrats on your bull and thanks for sharing--Louisiana Reloader

 

[IdahoShooting]

Shot one Elk with a 200gr ELD-X at 200 yds. It did not take a step. Shot 2 pronghorns with 143 gr ELD-X last year. Both lung shots. Both fell over sideways right there. Did not run at all. I don't think these are bullets you want to try to break shoulders with. The target below is 5 shots with my 200 gr ELDX 300 WM load at 100 yds.

Varmint Bob, were you using H 1000? If so, how many grains?

 

[IdahoShooting]

Shot one Elk with a 200gr ELD-X at 200 yds. It did not take a step. Shot 2 pronghorns with 143 gr ELD-X last year. Both lung shots. Both fell over sideways right there. Did not run at all. I don't think these are bullets you want to try to break shoulders with. The target below is 5 shots with my 200 gr ELDX 300 WM load at 100 yds.

Sorry. In looking closer at your picture I see you were using RL – 26.

 

[quigley257]

I'm wasn't super impressed with the only deer I shot with an ELD-X. It was a Whitetail buck shot at 375 yards with a 6.5 Creedmoor. My brother ranged it for me, I dialed and squeezed off the shot. The shot felt good, but the deer gave no indication of being hit. My brother asked me if I had missed. I said I didn't think so. The buck wasn't alarmed at all so we continued to watch it as I cycled another round into the chamber. He proceeded to walk about 10 yards and then lay down as if going to sleep. I was getting ready to shoot again when he put his head down and we could see it kind of go limp and watch as the rack rolled to one side. He was dead. Upon gutting we found that the 143 ELD-X had passed through, catching both lungs. I had hit just a bit too high to hit the heart. There was almost no blood from the point of impact and including where he lay down. It was all inside. Had the deer been alarmed, I can imagine how far he could have traveled before tipping over for good.

 

[Hydra6]

I'm wasn't super impressed with the only deer I shot with an ELD-X. It was a Whitetail buck shot at 375 yards with a 6.5 Creedmoor. My brother ranged it for me, I dialed and squeezed off the shot. The shot felt good, but the deer gave no indication of being hit. My brother asked me if I had missed. I said I didn't think so. The buck wasn't alarmed at all so we continued to watch it as I cycled another round into the chamber. He proceeded to walk about 10 yards and then lay down as if going to sleep. I was getting ready to shoot again when he put his head down and we could see it kind of go limp and watch as the rack rolled to one side. He was dead. Upon gutting we found that the 143 ELD-X had passed through, catching both lungs. I had hit just a bit too high to hit the heart. There was almost no blood from the point of impact and including where he lay down. It was all inside. Had the deer been alarmed, I can imagine how far he could have traveled before tipping over for good.

What projectile in 65Creedmoor do you think would have worked better at 375 yards in that situation with that shot placement?

 

[cajun]

I'm wasn't super impressed with the only deer I shot with an ELD-X. It was a Whitetail buck shot at 375 yards with a 6.5 Creedmoor. My brother ranged it for me, I dialed and squeezed off the shot. The shot felt good, but the deer gave no indication of being hit. My brother asked me if I had missed. I said I didn't think so. The buck wasn't alarmed at all so we continued to watch it as I cycled another round into the chamber. He proceeded to walk about 10 yards and then lay down as if going to sleep. I was getting ready to shoot again when he put his head down and we could see it kind of go limp and watch as the rack rolled to one side. He was dead. Upon gutting we found that the 143 ELD-X had passed through, catching both lungs. I had hit just a bit too high to hit the heart. There was almost no blood from the point of impact and including where he lay down. It was all inside. Had the deer been alarmed, I can imagine how far he could have traveled before tipping over for good.

The bullet did it's job. Part of the problem shooting smaller calibers like 6, 6.5 the bullets are smaller and don't make as big an exit hole as a 30 cal say. So you got two choices shoot a bonded or mono where your more likely to get an exit or shoot a softer bullet to do more damage and put the deer down quickly. Trying to find that middle ground is usually what I shoot for but there is no magic bullet pun intended.

 

[quigley257]

What projectile in 65Creedmoor do you think would have worked better at 375 yards in that situation with that shot placement?

I'm not sure. I've shot truckloads of deer and antelope using Nosler Ballistic Tips and Accubonds with much better/quicker kills at a wide variety of ranges. I haven't shot anything other than that deer using the 143 in the Creedmoor. I'm not trashing the ELD-X, just observing that it was the least spectacular kill I've ever made on a game animal.

The bullet did it's job. Part of the problem shooting smaller calibers like 6, 6.5 the bullets are smaller and don't make as big an exit hole as a 30 cal say. So you got two choices shoot a bonded or mono where your more likely to get an exit or shoot a softer bullet to do more damage and put the deer down quickly. Trying to find that middle ground is usually what I shoot for but there is no magic bullet pun intended.

The bullet did kill the deer. That is true. It passed completely through also. No blood trail. No catastrophic lung damage. If I hadn't been the one who made the shot, I would have called it a miss and told the shooter to fire again. Going from 26 cal. to 30 cal. is only 44 thousandths of an inch in diameter and it wouldn't make a hill of beans difference if the bullet didn't expand. Just unlucky terminal performance in my case I guess.

 

[Hydra6]

I think that we see more concerns about 143ELDX performance specifically because of the surge of popularity of 6.5 Creedmoor. 65CM is an extremely accurate and easy to shoot cartridge. Hunters can make hits at longer ranges with this accurate and low recoil cartridge. However, 65CM is not the "hammer of thor" and bleeds off energy quickly. Be interesting to see how 143ELDX performs in 65 PRC with some more velocity.

 

[Ga6570]

I've used the 143 ELD-x without a lost animal for 4 years in the 6.5 PRC. Mule deer as close as 50 yards, antelope at 250, and elk as far as 496. One shot kills. Most dropped within 15' of hit. Only poor first shots required a second shot.
My 6.5 creedmoors we use the Barnes 127 LRX and have same/similar results. Deer and elk. I do like the wound cavity better with the LRX as much less bloodshot areas to cleanup.

 

[memtb]

I'm not sure. I've shot truckloads of deer and antelope using Nosler Ballistic Tips and Accubonds with much better/quicker kills at a wide variety of ranges. I haven't shot anything other than that deer using the 143 in the Creedmoor. I'm not trashing the ELD-X, just observing that it was the least spectacular kill I've ever made on a game animal.


The bullet did kill the deer. That is true. It passed completely through also. No blood trail. No catastrophic lung damage. If I hadn't been the one who made the shot, I would have called it a miss and told the shooter to fire again. Going from 26 cal. to 30 cal. is only 44 thousandths of an inch in diameter and it wouldn't make a hill of beans difference if the bullet didn't expand. Just unlucky terminal performance in my case I guess.

You don't look at the inches of diameter increase…..you look at the percentage increase! A more realistic measure of the difference between the two bullets! bullets! JMO. memtb

 

[Wyo37]

I'm wasn't super impressed with the only deer I shot with an ELD-X. It was a Whitetail buck shot at 375 yards with a 6.5 Creedmoor. My brother ranged it for me, I dialed and squeezed off the shot. The shot felt good, but the deer gave no indication of being hit. My brother asked me if I had missed. I said I didn't think so. The buck wasn't alarmed at all so we continued to watch it as I cycled another round into the chamber. He proceeded to walk about 10 yards and then lay down as if going to sleep. I was getting ready to shoot again when he put his head down and we could see it kind of go limp and watch as the rack rolled to one side. He was dead. Upon gutting we found that the 143 ELD-X had passed through, catching both lungs. I had hit just a bit too high to hit the heart. There was almost no blood from the point of impact and including where he lay down. It was all inside. Had the deer been alarmed, I can imagine how far he could have traveled before tipping over for good.

Don't wait to follow up. That's one of the largest pros to shooting a light recoiling cartridge, you stay on target through recoil, which enables quick follow up shots.


Ps eldm's are where it's at