Hornady 6.5C 143 ELD-X performance issues

[Gravel Road]

I've shot 4 whitetails with the 143 ELDX out of a 6.5 CM and didn't really care for them as they just seem inconsistent. On two deer they performed great and on two they didn't. A lung shot on a broadside doe at 230 yards that didn't exit was the final straw for me. I want more penetration than that.

 

[snox801]

My family has killed a pile of deer and pigs with that factory ammo with no issue. Something went wrong somewhere cause that is not the typical performance of that bullet. Especially the first doe you did t find. That was just a bad hit. Even a pencil hole through the lungs or heart it won't go that far.

 

[deaddownrange]

my brother shoots the 143 ELD-X out of a 6.5CM as factory loads, and has killed 3 elk, several deer and several antelope with it. very impressed with accuracy and performance. the mulie buck he killed in 2017 was at roughly 200 yards, found the bullet under the hide on the off side. Perfect textbook mushroom. I am planning on running the 143 gr. in my 6.5CM as well as the 162 in my 7mm RM.

I have almost exact results! Elk at 500yds,bang flop,antelope, mule deer, all bang flop D.R.T.,I was worried about close range, but nope all died perfectly. All with Hornadt 143eldx.

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

No real proof of a hit on several...the mule kick is not a typical reaction either

I've totaled 25 game kills with the 143. Killed everything from fox to aoudad from 32 yards to 414 end result a dead animal minus one for which I wasn't the shooter. A hog, dropped it, it spun around for a bit got up and took off leaving a half dollar size bit of blood.

I've recovered more bullets than in the past, I've also taken more quartering shots too...the fox had a golf ball size exit, easily the softest of the animals I've taken, luckily my taxidermist works miracles...aoudad a DRT with high shoulder shots. Everything else has been 40 yards or less

One of the worst blood trails i've had came from a Barnes TTSX.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

Only thing we've killed with the 143 was a coyote. Blew a fist sized hole out the back. The 143 if anything is known for being alittle explosive not penciling. I've never had a hornady not expand.

 

[Plinker147]

Sometimes critters just don't leave good blood trails and bleed internally, I see it a lot with Oryx.

Never heard of EDLX not expanding. They are a very soft construction very similar in terminal performance to Nosler BT. Jacket separates from the core regularly. Poor accuracy has been the bigger issue. Some guns just don't like them.

I would lean towards non fatal shots more than bullet failure. We all make bad shots at times and try to see what we hit without good follow through and trigger control.

Unfortunately you won't ever know what the actual culprit was for those instances.

 

[Andrew Massi]

No real proof of a hit on several...the mule kick is not a typical reaction either

I've totaled 25 game kills with the 143. Killed everything from fox to aoudad from 32 yards to 414 end result a dead animal minus one for which I wasn't the shooter. A hog, dropped it, it spun around for a bit got up and took off leaving a half dollar size bit of blood.

I've recovered more bullets than in the past, I've also taken more quartering shots too...the fox had a golf ball size exit, easily the softest of the animals I've taken, luckily my taxidermist works miracles...aoudad a DRT with high shoulder shots. Everything else has been 40 yards or less

One of the worst blood trails i've had came from a Barnes TTSX.

See that mule kick when shots hit a little far back or low.
The eld-x has proven to be quite explosive at magnum velocities.

 

[dls guide]

143 gr eld-x is just too soft and explosive to suit me, especially at closer ranges.

 

[vernw]

Thanks for all the inputs/feedback/advice. In my rifle my LabRadar sassy I'm actually getting 10-15 fps more than the advertised velocity. On the first doe that left a minimal blood trail for over 1/4 mile, it must have been shot placement, but i don't know why - the shot felt good. On the one recovered deer with the 143, it still ran at least 140 yards after a double lung shot and just punched too small holes thru the lowest lungs, went thru the top of the heart, and exited. In my mind that is just unacceptable bullet performance. On the last doe i fired on at 305 or so yards, i know that was a good shot..no follow thru issues, shot wads steady off a Caldwell Magnum tripod in a pop-up blind, and no blood trail at all. Sure sounds like a miss, I know, but that rifle shoots these roping sub 1/2 MOA and there was no "buck fever" involved either. Just a big mystery on that one. Nobody is perfect, I know, but I've been at this a while and I almost call a bad shot and this one felt as solid as any I've ever taken.

I think I'm going to either go to the 147 ELDM that this rifle REALLY loves, or shift over to a Barnes LRX. Barnes' have never failed me, but at least on my 338LM the surface texture is a little rougher than a jack eyed bullet and makes reading the concentricity measurement a bit harder. I usually intentionally shot does just behind the front shoulder to avoid wasting meat (bucks I ALWAYS go for the shoulders to up the odds on anchoring them or very short trailing). Oh well, guess we'll never know for sure on two of them, but the one that was recovered with the little holes in the lungs and heart that ran 140+ yards still concerns me, A LOT. I'll try to follow up with Hornady, but they don't know me from Adam and I doubt there's much they can say or do.

I just know, in my case anyway, I'm done with the 143 ELD-X on whitetails.

 

[25WSM]

You won't have problems with the 147eldm if you hit the ribs it's over. Dirt nap. I personally never aim for a shoulder unless the angle of the deer is such that I have aim at the shoulder to to blow the lungs up. By the way I have shot 2 deer in the heart and that was 30 yrs ago. They both ran over 100 yards. I don't have any experience with the 143 but feed back from this thread seems to suggest it is a very good bullet.
Shep

 

[deaddownrange]

all animals I've shot dropped dead right there! Was I lucky? I shot 2 antelope,2 elk, several mule deer, The elk dropped dead all 4 legs in the air, the ranges from 50yds. to 500 ! I've been saying this is a magic bullet. I've used 45.70, 58cal BP, 12ga.slugs, 30.06, and for many years .300winmag. Never seen anything die so quick as the 143eldx in 6.5cm. This is just my observation as a hunter .

 

[25WSM]

I would try them but I buy the 147s in the 2000 bulk box. I use the 147 in all my 6.5s with super accuracy and more speed than you think from that weight of bullet. And the bc is way up there and from observing my 1000 yard dope the bc is pretty much dead on. I might grab a 100 box of the 143s to try out and see the magic for myself.
Shep

 

[deaddownrange]

I thought about trying the 147's and some different bullets like "Hammer.Barns or Berger" but I also want to stick with what works for me and my gun" 6.5CM Kimber"

 

[codyadams]

Thanks for all the inputs/feedback/advice. In my rifle my LabRadar sassy I'm actually getting 10-15 fps more than the advertised velocity. On the first doe that left a minimal blood trail for over 1/4 mile, it must have been shot placement, but i don't know why - the shot felt good. On the one recovered deer with the 143, it still ran at least 140 yards after a double lung shot and just punched too small holes thru the lowest lungs, went thru the top of the heart, and exited. In my mind that is just unacceptable bullet performance. On the last doe i fired on at 305 or so yards, i know that was a good shot..no follow thru issues, shot wads steady off a Caldwell Magnum tripod in a pop-up blind, and no blood trail at all. Sure sounds like a miss, I know, but that rifle shoots these roping sub 1/2 MOA and there was no "buck fever" involved either. Just a big mystery on that one. Nobody is perfect, I know, but I've been at this a while and I almost call a bad shot and this one felt as solid as any I've ever taken.

I think I'm going to either go to the 147 ELDM that this rifle REALLY loves, or shift over to a Barnes LRX. Barnes' have never failed me, but at least on my 338LM the surface texture is a little rougher than a jack eyed bullet and makes reading the concentricity measurement a bit harder. I usually intentionally shot does just behind the front shoulder to avoid wasting meat (bucks I ALWAYS go for the shoulders to up the odds on anchoring them or very short trailing). Oh well, guess we'll never know for sure on two of them, but the one that was recovered with the little holes in the lungs and heart that ran 140+ yards still concerns me, A LOT. I'll try to follow up with Hornady, but they don't know me from Adam and I doubt there's much they can say or do.

I just know, in my case anyway, I'm done with the 143 ELD-X on whitetails.

I had a pretty bad issue with the 147's on pronghorn....similar to what you describe with your whitetail. perfect shot, but still run at least 100 yards. on another (granted, this was 980 yards, but bullet was till going 1940 fps) my niece put 2 through the ribs of a pronghorn buck, and both were pinholes. I used that bullet for something like 13 or 14 big game kills that year, and was not satisfied. I have pictures and videos of all of them as well for proof....I'll link my thread. Read through it and you can decide for yourself if it will work for your intended purposes. Sometimes, it did fantastic. Other times, not so much. After I had to track a double lung shot cow elk for around a half mile, I swore off them, pulled the rest....Specifically, post #27. Pay attention to the angle of the elk and bullet impact. The shot was good, and the cow was nearly not recovered, as there was ZERO blood trail, I was following tracks in the snow for half a mile, and there were other elk tracks all over.

https://www.longrangehunting.com/th...-game-a-lot-of-shot-videos-and-photos.208832/

My advice? Get some Berger 140 vld's for whitetail. I have used them for over 30 pronghorn with a few mule deer mixed in, and they were way better than the Hornady's. On smaller game like whitetail, you will pretty much always have a good exit, just make sure the tips are open on the ones you use for hunting. I'll link a video of the 140's on game and our typical experience as well.