ELD-X vs Accubond

[Copper Basin]

Here is one of my customer's experiences. This is from a elk cow hunt this year. Rilfe: 7mm Rem Mag, MV 2955, 175 ELD-X and yardage was 846. A friend was present on this hunt and verified the yardage. This was a one shot kill and she went down after walking 10 feet. This is the recovered bullet. It weighed 63 g and had no lead core left. It broke 2 ribs and shredded the lungs. It only made half way through the cavity and they did not recover any lead fragments. I was hoping this bullet would have lodged on the other side of the animal. This is just what happened on this hunt and with the bullet. I am disappointed in learning of this performance by the ELD-X. Although, no bloodshot meat and it was a clean kill so that is a positive. Hope this info helps.

 

[new forest]

The bullets to compare to the accubond is the interbond they are both bonded bullets and both are excellent I have used the interbond extensively on fallow and red deer from 20 meters out to 500 meters regularly when I manage to recover a bullet they have always managed to maintain 90% of their weight. I also use the 190gr ABLR in my 30-06AI at 3050fps it also is an excellent bullet I've never managed to recover one yet but they seem tolerant of quartering away shots when there is no other way though if you catch bone you do know about it

 

[Elkeater]

I've used the 180 accubond in my .300 win mag for years on about 10 elk. Impact ranges from 20 yards to a touch over 400. They basically all worked as advertised even the one that penetrated a cow cow elk from front to shoulder to the opposite hind quarter at about 40 yards. But I have now switched over to hammer bullets. More accurate and no worry about the kids eating lead fragments.

 

[memtb]

Here is one of my customer's experiences. This is from a elk cow hunt this year. Rilfe: 7mm Rem Mag, MV 2955, 175 ELD-X and yardage was 846. A friend was present on this hunt and verified the yardage. This was a one shot kill and she went down after walking 10 feet. This is the recovered bullet. It weighed 63 g and had no lead core left. It broke 2 ribs and shredded the lungs. It only made half way through the cavity and they did not recover any lead fragments. I was hoping this bullet would have lodged on the other side of the animal. This is just what happened on this hunt and with the bullet. I am disappointed in learning of this performance by the ELD-X. Although, no bloodshot meat and it was a clean kill so that is a positive. Hope this info helps.View attachment 157385

I can understand your displeasure! Starting out below 3000 fps, shot taken @ 846 yards, minimal/marginal penetration, and an empty jacket recovered! Yes, it was a quick, humane kill....but, with a nice broadside shot. Had the shot been taken from a acute angle.....possibly not enough penetration to get to the vitals.

Yes, I do not get dramatic kills, unless it's a "cns" shot. But, I "can" get to vital organs, while breaking bones, damaging muscle, and damaging the circulatory system, along the way.... and likely, get an exit wound! I'm not into dramatic videos/pictures....I'm into dead animals! memtb

 

[Mc Fraser]

I just shot a bull moose yesterday with 200 gr ELD-X our a 300WM. I am very happy on how the bullet performed. My buddy shots accubonds out of a 308 3 out of 5 we have to track the animal.

 

[Almondgrower]

Nosler AB !! I have taken elk with them at closer ranges with extreme velocity 30 cal monster magnums and had fantastic results ! ( of course, I'm in big open country expecting to see elk at med distances and a bull steps out rite in front of me ) Bullet held together, quarter size exit hole . I have had non extreme kills with eld-x and I have had the lead core separated from the copper cup multiple times ! All of my hunting loads are AB or LRAB's ( unless I'm required to use lead free on a particular hunt !)

 

[Almondgrower]

I just shot a bull moose yesterday with 200 gr ELD-X our a 300WM. I am very happy on how the bullet performed. My buddy shots accubonds out of a 308 3 out of 5 we have to track the animal.

Curious as to what weight bullet and distance out of the .308

 

[Mc Fraser]

Curious as to what weight bullet and distance out of the .308

Under 200yds and 150gr - 160gr I believe?

 

[MagnumManiac]

I just shot a Sambar spikes yesterday with a 225gr AB outta my 338WM, was frontal watering shot.
Hit dead centre angling right to left.
Bullet was recovered in RH ham 2" from exiting and had literally smashed the femur on the way through, don't know how, but the deer ran a good 50yds before I hit it again on the high shoulder taking out the spine.
Top of the heart was gone, one lung was mush and the rest of the damage that bullet did was amazing. It held 66% of it's weight and was a perfect AB style mushroom.

I normally use 30 cal 180gr AB outta my 300 Kimber 8400, due to mag length restrictions, but since removing the mag box block, I can load long enough to seat the 200gr AB out long enough.

Cheers.

 

[bigngreen]

Pick your poison, I've seen more Accubonds lead to tracking jobs by far but neither will do the job a Berger 215 will.

 

[Slick8]

I have a similar delima.

I built a 30 nosler and received it 4 weeks prior to a cow elk hunt. I banged my head against the wall for 3 weeks trying go get the new fed TLR 200 to shoot. I worked extensively and couldn't eliminate fliers. This is from a known good Smith with all top shelf build components and optics.

I loaded some 215 bergers knowing I could make them shoot with little to no load development. As expected I loaded 3 groups of 3 at -.030 off and those 3 different charge weights averaged a heavy .5 at 200. Good enough, I loaded 20 of the best group and left town the next day very confident to 300 yards which I knew was more than needed for a Texas cow elk hunt. I killed the cow at 180 and a pure shoulder shot dropped her like a rock. Interior was mush, 4 broken ribs on the outbound but I couldn't find the bullet and no exit. Again it DUMPED her!

This weekend I killed a 150ish pound white tail at 265 yards with a rock solid quartering to shot. That deer ran about 50 yards with of course no blood trail in some thick and nasty brush. I found the base and core exactly where expected in between the last two ribs in the muscle, not quite making it to the skin. Additionally, the outbound shoulder was destroyed into 3 pieces and swollen to twice it's size due to internal hemroraging. I go through all this to say it's spectacularly accurate with very high bc and nasty terminal performance but had it been 30 minutes later I would have been blindly looking in the dark for that deer.

The 215 berger recovered weighed 77 grains pictured below. It's disappointing as imo is about the perfect bullet for the 300 wm or 30 nosler.

I also had similar results shooting a doe last year at 375 from a 65 creed with a 143eld-x. It exploded on entry with a rib cage hole you could squeeze a fist into. She was dead on the spot but not good for a pure rib hit at around 2200 fps.

Having said all that, I'm planning to load the 200 nos accubond as it won't destroy deer and is extremely reliable on elk which is the goal.

 

[bigngreen]

I've wrecked the whole front end of an elk with an Accubond, funny thing about shooting stuff in the shoulder it wrecks meat!!

 

[High Country]

I have found the internet really tough for these questions, I always end up feeling like I don't get a definitive answer as there are so many people in both camps... I've had good luck with Accubonds in 225gr for my 338 WM, and 165gr in my 308. But, I'm always looking for a better bullet. I've got a box of Berger and some ELD-Xs I need to try out for my future 30 Magnum project. I recently shot some Eagle Eye ammo in my 308 that uses 168gr Bergers, they shoot well, but no experience on game with them yet.

 

[Mc Fraser]

If I where you I'll call Nosler and Hornady, I ask what's the best penetration speed and if they are designed to penetrate and mushroom or mushroom and penetrate. Based on that you can make some assumptions on performance.