Specific Hornady ELD-X Performance

[Canhunter35]

I don't have any experience with .30 cal ELD-X bullets but I did witness a 143 ELD-X fail on an elk this last season.
My buddy shot a beautiful 6x6 at 240 yards with his 6.5 Creed, the first shot caught him center shoulder and the bull took off.
I watched my friend make a great follow up shot on the run that double lunged him, he was very lucky that he got a second bullet in him because the first hit the heavy leg bone and shattered to pieces.
They're good bullets but not for close range shoulder shots.
I'm going to post a few pics from my testing of close range impacts with bonded and non bonded bullets.

I've used the 143 on several deer, a cpl antelope, and a bunch of coyotes, it works great on lighter animals, but based on the expansion, I wouldn't shoot an elk in the shoulder with one

 

[lancetkenyon]

I don't have any experience with .30 cal ELD-X bullets but I did witness a 143 ELD-X fail on an elk this last season.
My buddy shot a beautiful 6x6 at 240 yards with his 6.5 Creed, the first shot caught him center shoulder and the bull took off.
I watched my friend make a great follow up shot on the run that double lunged him, he was very lucky that he got a second bullet in him because the first hit the heavy leg bone and shattered to pieces.
They're good bullets but not for close range shoulder shots.
I'm going to post a few pics from my testing of close range impacts with bonded and non bonded bullets.

Not a bullet failure on the first shot. A placement failure.

 

[stx]

Tagging in

 

[Beardeddeer91]

I don't have any experience with .30 cal ELD-X bullets but I did witness a 143 ELD-X fail on an elk this last season.
My buddy shot a beautiful 6x6 at 240 yards with his 6.5 Creed, the first shot caught him center shoulder and the bull took off.
I watched my friend make a great follow up shot on the run that double lunged him, he was very lucky that he got a second bullet in him because the first hit the heavy leg bone and shattered to pieces.
They're good bullets but not for close range shoulder shots.
I'm going to post a few pics from my testing of close range impacts with bonded and non bonded bullets.

I have to agree that the 143gr ELD-x don't do as well with very close ranges. Specially their penetration leaves a little to be desired on heavier bodied animals at closer ranges. Using a 6.5 CM and 143 ELD-X I shot 2 antelope at 300 and 450 yards with great performance (dropped in their tracks). On a couple KY deer at closer ranges not so much. I shot a doe at 100 yards with a double lung hit and she ran over 100 yards with no blood trail and had minimal damage to the opposite side lung. I shot a nice buck who field dressed at 200 lbs. at 35 yards right behind the shoulder and that bullet hardly touched that opposite side lung but completely destroyed the other. He ran about 50 yards and piled up. Neither of the deer had any blood trail.

However, a 212 ELD-x on deer out of a 300 WM (6 so far this year) has left an exit that I could have put my fist through. Those shots were from ranges of 40 to 500 yards. So, from my experience either be careful with shot (I velocity hits) or over shoot them with the big guns.

 

[elkaholic]

That's a prime example of mass is best when using thin skinned bullets!

 

[Deleted member 25294]

Not a bullet failure on the first shot. A placement failure.

The bullet failed to penetrate the shoulder and reach the vitals when a stronger one absolutely would have..
I know this because I killed my bull 2 seasons back with a 140 Partition at 200 yards, I pulled the shot a little because my heart rate was up and it was an off hand shot.
The partition broke the leg bone and penetrated through the shoulder all the way to the scapula on the off side.
Shoulder shots aren't ideal but they are a reality, I choose to shoot a bonded bullet at closer ranges that I know will make it to the vitals.
Long range it's ELD-M's for me

 

[Hand Skills]

That's a prime example of mass is best when using thin skinned bullets!

... and one of the reasons elk have a reputation among some as being tough to kill.

 

[Deleted member 25294]

That's a prime example of mass is best when using thin skinned bullets!

Totally agree!
I doubt a 225 ELD-M would have much trouble taking out an elk shoulder

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

Shot & witnessed many elk & deer killed with 200 gr eldx. 4 elk 2 deer. all were no exit. jacket would separate from the core with minimal penetration. All were normal hunting ranges (1 deer was 625), no real long range so we switched back to bonded bullets in 30 cal.

as for ELDM being stronger construction. I did not see this to be the case for me, 140 gr hit heavy shoulder bone on a montana muley that did not penetrate past the ribs, had to follow up with a neck shot. same with the 147 ELDM on Idaho bull elk, hit heavy shoulder and did not penetrate ribs.

that was enough for me to toss em!

If your hunting ranges are inside 600 yards I do not see the benefit to the thin jacketed bullets. JM2C!

 

[Sevy]

I think for anything close range I would look no further than a core lokt. They never failed me in a long time of hunting within 300 yards. Just not great for long range work for obvious reasons.

 

[Deleted member 25294]

Shot & witnessed many elk & deer killed with 200 gr eldx. 4 elk 2 deer. all were no exit. jacket would separate from the core with minimal penetration. All were normal hunting ranges (1 deer was 625), no real long range so we switched back to bonded bullets in 30 cal.
as for ELDM being stronger construction. I did not see this to be the case for me, 140 gr hit heavy shoulder bone on a montana muley that did not penetrate past the ribs, had to follow up with a neck shot. same with the 147 ELDM on Idaho bull elk, hit heavy shoulder and did not penetrate ribs.

that was enough for me to toss em!

If your hunting ranges are inside 600 yards I do not see the benefit to the thin jacketed bullets. JM2C!

Curious what the range was on the 147 that failed in the shoulder?
I've had good luck with them beyond 350 on two bulls, never hit hard shoulder though.

 

[elkaholic]

I've shot deer through both shoulders at 100-150 yards with an impact near 3000' and broke heavy bones on both sides and everything in between!

 

[JohnWess]

I shot my bull at 69 yards this year with my 300 RUM and a 212 ELD-X. He was slightly quartering to me and I put my shot right into the center of his front shoulder. He dropped in his tracks and fell so hard he broke his jaw, literally. No exit hole and I used the gutless method, so not sure what the insides looked like. But, I won't ever complain with hydro-static shock. This was my first year hunting with them and I was only able to take the one elk, but I am excited to see how they perform at longer ranges.

 

[bigngreen]

I've had and seen a bunch of bonded and Barnes bullets not make it into the chest of a shoulder shot elk at close to normal ranges and it's not a bullet failure but a poor choice of placement. Until you get into the 220+ gr 30 cal bullets I have low confidence in getting through every elk with a shoulder shot. I know a 168 Barnes and a 180 Accubond will not get into every elk chest from a 300 WBY but I know that every 230 Berger I have seen has. Heavy for cal is required regardless of construction to get it done every time!!