6.5 creed ammo?

[brettpsu]

So I had my son and wife use the 6.5 Creedmoor this deer season. Both shot deer with the 143 grain ELD-X. Wife's deer was a completely broadside double lung and the sons was quartering away double lung into the off shoulder, both shots 150-160 yards. Each of their shots had the bullet defrag, the wife's had 3 small exit holes in a 6" circle, the sons bullet was in many pieces and most lodged into the off shoulder or ribs. Both deer died pretty quick but I was a little disappointed they busted up so easily. Anyone else experience this with the ELD-X? What ammo are you guys having good luck holding together? Most of our shots would be under 600 yards and 90% would be under 200 yards at deer sized animals.

 

[TauPhi111]

The ELD-X is really a long range bullet, and has shown to blow up on animals at close range many times on the long range forum. I always use monolithic bullets in hunting. Barnes LRX, Cutting Edge bullet, or Hammer bullets will do what you want.

 

[CLICKBANGBANG]

I’ve never been disappointed with a Barnes TTSX or LRX. Shoot accurately and you know what it will do when it hits. Keep the barrel dirty. Don’t clean the gun until the groups start to open. Then use the edl-x to foul the barrel, and go back to Barnes.

 

[KurtR]

About 8 deer with the 143 and before that 20 or so with the 140 amax and never more than one shot. Closest was 150 ish farthest was 600. All pass through caliber entrance with quarter to golf ball exit.

 

[KurtR]

I had a Barnes pencil through with another gun but lots of people like them

 

[5MilesBack]

Last year around this time my daughter shot a doe from 375 with the 143gr ELD-X. The lead core separated from the jacket and both were embedded against the offside skin on a broadside shot. I expected a passthrough. I will be trying some Barnes when I start reloading that round.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

The eldx is made to expand and hornady says high velocity shots in the sub 400 yd range will result in less weight retainted and more fragmentation. I don't think any will will "explode on impact". I bet your entrance was hard to find. The bullet expaneded in a controlled manner and destroyed the critters vitals. This is basically the idea. The eldx kills stuff. Other bullets don't do as much damage. Guess it depends on what you're after.

 

[luke moffat]

I just got a 6.5 creedmoor this year (Tikka CTR) have shot it at steel out to beyond 1400 yards. Also in this last 9 months or so it has killed 16 animals (9 deer, 1 grizzly bear, and 6 caribou). Closest shot was a deer I shot at about 120 yards, also shot a 2 caribou between 200-275, the rest of the critters were shot at 300 yards and beyond. I haven't been let down with the bullet yet and will continue to do so. If it smack down big bull caribou at 470 yards, and also kills grizzly bears without I'll keep using them until I see reason not to. I realize one year and a sample of 16 critters is a small cross section...just me experiences with that particular bullet thus far.

 

[5MilesBack]

Also in this last 9 months or so it has killed 16 animals (9 deer, 1 grizzly bear, and 6 caribou).

I must have missed my calling. I should have moved to Alaska decades ago. Maybe there was a reason I got recruited to play basketball at the Coast Guard Academy........but I turned it down. Those life-altering decisions........

 

[brettpsu]

I just got a 6.5 creedmoor this year (Tikka CTR) have shot it at steel out to beyond 1400 yards. Also in this last 9 months or so it has killed 16 animals (9 deer, 1 grizzly bear, and 6 caribou). Closest shot was a deer I shot at about 120 yards, also shot a 2 caribou between 200-275, the rest of the critters were shot at 300 yards and beyond. I haven't been let down with the bullet yet and will continue to do so. If it smack down big bull caribou at 470 yards, and also kills grizzly bears without I'll keep using them until I see reason not to. I realize one year and a sample of 16 critters is a small cross section...just me experiences with that particular bullet thus far.

Are you using the 143 grain ELD-X also Luke? I'm sure you've stated it before but I don't check the firearms thread that often.

 

[Kotaman]

Brett...That is my bullet of choice in both of my Creedmoors. I don’t think you experience at those ranges is unusual. It would do better at longer ranges, but a dead deer is a dead deer. If you want pass throughs, go with a TTSX. For deer size game, I love the ELD x.

 

[brettpsu]

Yup both deer very dead. Bullets did the job. My sons deer had hardly any blood trail but luckily I was able to watch him run 100-150 yards and pile up. I'll probably keep shooting them because they've been so accurate out of this gun and I had a turret built to this load. Should've waited on the turret till I could witness the damage they did to game. Plus I could use it for some longer range shooting if need be.

 

[luke moffat]

Are you using the 143 grain ELD-X also Luke? I'm sure you've stated it before but I don't check the firearms thread that often.

Yes sir sorry I didn’t specify just figured since this thread started talking about the 143 eldx that I didn’t say it. But yes all the critters I mentioned above were all shot with the ELDX 143 grainer. My bad man.

 

[Boreal]

My buddy and I used the ELD-X from my 6.5 CM for five Sitka blacktailed deer on Kodiak last year. All died quickly, only recovered one bullet, with some separation. The rest were pass through. I switched to Barnes, and now to Hammer bullets and really like them. Easy load development, and great terminal performance on two elk, so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dusty2426]

I shoot 125 nosler partitions. Haven’t killed a grizzly with it but shot tons of whitetail and 6-7 elk from 50 out to 500

 

[rileybassman]

I just got a 6.5 creedmoor this year (Tikka CTR) have shot it at steel out to beyond 1400 yards. Also in this last 9 months or so it has killed 16 animals (9 deer, 1 grizzly bear, and 6 caribou). Closest shot was a deer I shot at about 120 yards, also shot a 2 caribou between 200-275, the rest of the critters were shot at 300 yards and beyond. I haven't been let down with the bullet yet and will continue to do so. If it smack down big bull caribou at 470 yards, and also kills grizzly bears without I'll keep using them until I see reason not to. I realize one year and a sample of 16 critters is a small cross section...just me experiences with that particular bullet thus far.

dang... that's pretty impressive!
For the griz, were multiple shots needed?

 

[rileybassman]

I have only used the 143 to punch paper (and a couple unfortunate gophers) but it has been very accurate... ended up going to the berger 130 vld-h so I can get an extra 100fps or so from my 20" tube... only 2 deer and an antelope with it this year, but all 3 were one shot drops from 40 yards - 220.

 

[luke moffat]

dang... that's pretty impressive!
For the griz, were multiple shots needed?

Yeah hits were needed to put it down. But thats pretty typical of the grizzlies I have been involved with…from 375 and 338 magnums to the little 243…most take more than one shot…..of course with bears and not worried about ruining meat we always keep shooting until they are don't and not moving so that might contribute to that as well.

Keep in mind impact velocity for the 143 ELDX at that range was down to just over 1650 fps (hornady advertises the bullets expand down to 1600 fps)….right at the threshold of the bullet working or not I guess. One bullet did not expand. So for now I am going to keep shots inside the distance that keeps impact velocities above 1800 fps like berger recommends….which still isn't all that limiting.

 

[TBossHSauce]

I shoot the Eld-X out of my Creed, .300 win Mag, and have now started out of my AR-10 .308. I shot my Sitka Blacktail at 410 yards this year in Kodiak with the .300 with complete pass through. I also shot an Axis doe here in Texas with the .308 at 200 with a complete pass through. However, a good friend of mine just shot a big Canadian buck and this was the result of his bullet. Same .300 win mag load (hornady precision hunter factory ammo). So I contacted Hornady directly and as others have said, here is the result. The bullet is a long range designed load. It will work much like the Berger at close range and dump all the energy. At longer ranges and slower velocities it will perform more like an A-Max. The result...a good all around bullet.

From Hornady:
"Good afternoon! Since this bullet was still traveling at such a high rate of velocity at the 150 yards this caused the bullet jacket to peel back very rapidly and allowed the core to continue its forward movement through the animal as the jacket material slowed way down due to the jagged material restriction. This round is really intended to perform best at 1600-2500 fps. impact velocity. It is very likely that this bullet impacted at 2650-2700 fps. due to the velocity of this cartridge. Even though the bullet did separate the core and jacket it still made a terminal wound channel that took the animal humanely. If you are wanting to be shooting at the closer ranges with this large of cartridge we may recommend using either a bonded bullet or monolithic style bullet, these types of projectiles would easily work well out to the 500 yard mark. The Precision Hunter ammunition is definitely geared up for the hunters wanting to make the long range shots out to and exceeding the 500 yard line."


This past weekend in South Texas, I shot everything from Hogs, to deer, to Nilgai antelope using the 178 gr Hornady Precision Hunter in my AR-10. All dead animals with the furthest being 480 yards on this buck.

I have been and always will be a Barnes TTSX and Nosler Partition fan. The ELD-X has its place and surpasses the TTSX at longer ranges due to the velocity needed to open the Barnes. I will continue to use Barnes for big thick skinned game and out of certain cartridges in certain conditions.