WARNING! ABOUT HORNADY ELD-X BULLETS

[FEENIX]

I can't believe this has made it 38 posts without someone saying this. Shame on us all.

EVERY TIME YOU CHANGE A COMPONENT YOU HAVE TO RE-PROOF YOUR LOAD BY STARTING A FEW GRAINS LOW AND WORKING BACK UP.

The variation the OP reports has been documented in multiple other threads. I have even reported it myself. It's well known, and even accepted at this point. It proves the NEED to check your components, prior to loading up your regular load and heading to the range. It is not fashionable, or healthy, to wear your rifle on your face.

I agree with you. My best WAG is perhaps it's inherent for most of us already. Also, in essence Kmccord addressed it in #5. I am never in hurry when reloading so I do 100% quality control check on each process for each round. I also log all pertinent information of my loads in my tracking log like most of us.

 

[JakeM300winnie]

Does anyone know if Federal will be releasing their new Edge TLR bullets for handloading? It a a a very interesting bullet having the front half conventional lead/ and the back half solid core like a Barnes. It has a pretty decent b.c. also. I ordered a couple boxes for my buddies and I to try in 300 win mag. So far they only produced about 1 1/2" - 1 3/4" @ 100 for me. But shot just over an 1 " for him in a sako a7. We haven't had an opportunity to stretch them out due to our lovely NW Oregon weather.

 

[elkaholic]

I can tell you from making, and designing, my own bullets for years that it is very difficult to make a bullet with "trick methods" to enhance performance. It is usually a compromise! You either sacrifice accuracy or terminal performance. From your description of the new federal, I would guess it will perform well on game, but won't have
long range accuracy. It could well be a good choice within limits? Time will tell?....rich

 

[joep17]

Very true with cup and core bullets. Everything you say is gospel.

Nosler changed this with their "trick" Partition bullets. I have always liked their performance on game and open heal expands in the rifling and typically gives great accuracy. A gain all around.

The other "trick" bullet I have been using for the past 10 years is the Barnes TSX that are long for weight and perform well. The original X was dreadful to get any accuracy. The TSX and TTSX seem to be very claccurste in all but one rifle I tested

When it comes to conventional bullets, engineering and physics apply. Change one thing and others will change so the total is always the same.

 

[elkaholic]

I agree that the partition was, and is, one of the good compromise designs. I have always wondered why they didn't streamline the nose design and add a tip. it might just become the best all around bullet made!

 

[joep17]

I thought about this for while. I bet it is a marketing decision as it would hurt their ballistic tip sales. I am willing to bet that it is a 95/5 split in sales and BT are great for general shooting and the price point. Putting it on a partition would take the wind out of the marketing efforts (not nessarily sales) for BT's

I love BT's for varmints and general shooting. So easy to come up with an accurate load with. I am sure they are great on small deer and antelope if you don't mind all the meat damage.

Unfortunately I have seen disasters on moose and elk with BT's.

If I have spent the cost of hunt, I will pay $1.00 per bullet so I have confidence instead of $0.50 and wonder if it will work

 

[ropeNshoot]

I've used the 208 Amax and the 212 eldx in my .300wm's and I've seen some of these same differences. I do check each new lot and I haven't had problems with pressure or accuracy, but I do not like the way they perform on southern whitetail. I shot three deer with the eldx this year. One at 490yds, one at 60yds, and one at about 20yds. Both the 490 and 60 yarder were behind the shoulder "ideal" shots but they ran nearly 100yds. The 20yd deer was high in the shoulder and it ran about 70yds before it dropped. These bullets just weren't expanding. The pic above is a 212 eldx shot through milk jugs full of water and into a dirt pile. Reminds me of the "magic" bullet from the JFK case. I should mention that I've got an avg muzzle velocity of 2880fps over my magnetospeed chronograph. I just thought the X stood for expanding.....

 

[elkaholic]

View attachment 91338 I've used the 208 Amax and the 212 eldx in my .300wm's and I've seen some of these same differences. I do check each new lot and I haven't had problems with pressure or accuracy, but I do not like the way they perform on southern whitetail. I shot three deer with the eldx this year. One at 490yds, one at 60yds, and one at about 20yds. Both the 490 and 60 yarder were behind the shoulder "ideal" shots but they ran nearly 100yds. The 20yd deer was high in the shoulder and it ran about 70yds before it dropped. These bullets just weren't expanding. The pic above is a 212 eldx shot through milk jugs full of water and into a dirt pile. Reminds me of the "magic" bullet from the JFK case. I should mention that I've got an avg muzzle velocity of 2880fps over my magnetospeed chronograph. I just thought the X stood for expanding.....

Wow! Never saw that before!

 

[JakeM300winnie]

View attachment 91338 I've used the 208 Amax and the 212 eldx in my .300wm's and I've seen some of these same differences. I do check each new lot and I haven't had problems with pressure or accuracy, but I do not like the way they perform on southern whitetail. I shot three deer with the eldx this year. One at 490yds, one at 60yds, and one at about 20yds. Both the 490 and 60 yarder were behind the shoulder "ideal" shots but they ran nearly 100yds. The 20yd deer was high in the shoulder and it ran about 70yds before it dropped. These bullets just weren't expanding. The pic above is a 212 eldx shot through milk jugs full of water and into a dirt pile. Reminds me of the "magic" bullet from the JFK case. I should mention that I've got an avg muzzle velocity of 2880fps over my magnetospeed chronograph. I just thought the X stood for expanding.....

That's crazy. You could almost load that back up and try it again.lol
This whole bullet dilemma is frustrating. I've killed 2 mule deer with 200 eld-x.250 yds. And 350 yds. Both pass throughs. They ran 30 to 40 yds and dropped.The exit holes were probably golf ball sized.

 

[joep17]

It is so hard to pick a long range bullet.
The popular ones do so many weird things from blowing up on a shoulder blade to a pass though, to coming to rest in one piece.

I am sure glad I am not working at the bullet manufactures trying to make something that works at 50 to 1000 yds.

The velocities today can be so high up close but we still expect them to work way out.

Shot placement is easy up close. Way out there is way harder.

I have a question for all of you. With the changes in game population and draw issues, and land access are we all going to have to accept that longer shots are in all our futures?

 

[ropeNshoot]

I might expect little to no expansion at extended ranges when the bullet has slowed way down, but the bullet in that pic was fired at 200yds.

The deer I shot at 20yds (through the shoulders) looked like a pencil hole going in and was no bigger than two inches coming out. I hate to waste meat, but I shot it in the shoulder in an attempt to drop it. I didn't want it running like the last two...

I'm shooting these bullets because they fly so well. I'm getting 1/2 - 3/4 moa at 800yds. Anybody got a better hunting bullet that is equally accurate at long range?

 

[mtmuley]

I agree that the partition was, and is, one of the good compromise designs. I have always wondered why they didn't streamline the nose design and add a tip. it might just become the best all around bullet made!

The Accubond comes close. mtmuley

 

[30 Hammer]

The Accubond comes close. mtmuley

Sometimes we work hard to reinvent the circle .

I've not found much the Accubond doesn't do nearly perfectly. It's a hammer on Elk and Deer, fly's great and seems to be easy to get working almost any gun.

 

[joep17]

A couple guys in my group used to use Accubonds They were great on smaller animals like white tail and mule deer but caused more damaged meet than Partition or TSX. Please don't get offended by my terminology. In my part of the world we break down animals into small (like antelope), mid size (W/T & MD) and big game (elk starting and ending with moose)

The guys switched after a complete failure on a moose shoulder. After 2 shots by one hunter, another in the group dropped the moose on the spot with a TSX. We found both accubonds disintegrated on impact with the shoulder bone from a 30-378 at just under 200 yards. The 168 TSX passesd through leaving an exit would about the size of a quarter. Now both have switched to premium bullets as we always try to have an elk or moose hunt in the mix.

Accubonds are wonderfully accurate and if I limited my hunting to WT and MD they would be one of my top choices. Great BC for long range.

As stated in an earlier post, every bullet has a compromise. We just have to pick the combination most appropriate for the size of animal.

Again, we have such riches to choose from these days, we can pick and choose the best projectile for our application as there is no magic bullet for every animal, at any range, with every cartridge. Guys who have been hunting for nearly 50 years will remember what poor performing bullets we used to have to suffer with.