ELD X review

JP100

WKR
Joined
Dec 20, 2013
Messages
1,227
Location
South Island New Zealand
Hi guys
There seems to be alot of on going questions about the ELD X and Ms and how they perform on game
We got a 300wsm last year and have been running the 200gn ELD X, with great results

I am not a 'long range' guy as such, and tend to get close when I can, most of shooting is under 400 yards.
The biggest issue I see with typical 'long range' projectiles is their poor performance at 'close range', mainly over expansion and poor penetration.

We have these 200grainers doing around 2725 FPS from our 21" 300wsm, so not a fast.

This is my main client gun so is used generally for 'trophy' animals, mature Red Stag,Tahr and Chamois. A Stag is half way between a Mulie and an Elk I would say, and a mature stag is a fairly tough animal. Tahr are built like Mt Goats and very thick skinned and heavily muscled on the front end, Chamois are like a small pronghorn and generally die at the sound of the shot haha.

We have shot around 30 'big game' animals and a few smaller critters(wallabies and goats) with this bullet and the terminal performance seems very reliable and consistent. Generally we find the projectile on the far side in a nice solid mushroom, some do have core separation after the projectile is removed, they are not bonded but merely have an 'interlock' ring to help hold them together.

We have had impact velocities from 2700fps(muzzle) out to around 2100-2200 at 350-370 yards. Every bullet I have seen has performed the same. Very good deep penetration.

Heres a few pics


20180102_143809.jpg
Recovered from 10 year old Bull Tahr at 350 yards, broke one shoulder one way in and under skin on far side of gut bag(quartering shot)

Tahr at 220 Yards with 200gn ELD X.jpg
Frontal shot at 220 yards on mature bull, you can see thats a fair bit of penetration and bullet is still intact, Tahr didnt move...

20180102_142701.jpg
Exit wound on Tahr necks, broke vertebrae and left an approx .45cal sized hole

Tahr at 30 yards, 200 grain ELD X.jpg
Another frontal shot bull Tahr, 25-30 yards up hill. the bullet was laying as you can see just under the back strap after smashing through the sternum.


I think the ELD X is a very good option for a more all round bullet, alot of the 'long range' bullets people have been using(Bergers,A-Max, even Sierra MK) have a reputation of 'explosive' performance at closer ranges, I personally dont like it, and much prefer a deep penetration for quartering shots, and if your given a shot at 20 yards you better take it regardless of the rifle/bullet your using.
I think the ELD X gives alot more security to longer range set ups, I know guys here that run 2 loads in long range guns to avoid the blow up effect(generally a Barnes for under 300 yards and a Berger for past 300 yards). I think the ELD X does a pretty job of being an 'all rounder'

These are relativity low impact velocities and some guys with big magnums might still have these bullets shedding their jackets with impact velocities around 3000 fps I think, but I feel they are better option for normal shooting ranges than the Bergers.
I will be running these again this season and am just working up a new load and should be able to get them doing 2850+FPS and might stretch the legs on her for practice for an upcoming Ibex hunt.

For me Penetration is key, and you should be able hit the vitals on an animal from any angle, with this bullet I am pretty confident to take any shot presented and know I will reach the vitals.

Anyone been using these and found different results? I know some people seem un happy with them, but I am not sure why
 
Last edited:

V65Magna

FNG
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Messages
87
Location
MD
Thank you for this information, as I have a new 6.5-284 Norma on the way and have chosen the 143 grain ELD-X as my bullet for load development. I decided to give the ELD-X a try because I have had very good results with the 123 grain SST out of my 6.5 X 47L out to 400 yards on crop damage doe. The ELD-X is also cost effective for me, coming in at a comparatively good price compared to the Accubonds and the Berger VLD hunting bullet. I'm not shooting crop damage deer at this time of year, as the does are all well into their gestation but I'll be back out after they drop their fawns, as I have 25 tags to fill. By that time, I will have the load developed for the Norma and will report back on my experience with terminal performance.
 
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Messages
359
Stuff 68.5 grains of Reloder 26 behind that 200 grain ELD-X and run them at 2930 fps and you’ll like those bullets even better!


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PowellSixO

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 22, 2018
Messages
173
Location
AZ
I don't have any kills with the ELDX yet, but I have got them to shoot really well. In my 7 SAUM (25" Varmint Contour SS X-Caliber Barrel, Savage Small Shank SA, Target Accutrigger, HS Precision Stock, EGW picatinny rail, Vortex Precision Rings, and Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x50 ffp), I'm shooting the 162 ELD-X behind 58.5 grains of Hodgdons H4831 SC, Norma Brass, and WLRM primers. I'm shooting them .015" off the lands, and my best group to date was .69" at 200 yards (my zero distance), and .32" at 100. I'm very happy with them so far. I was previously shooting the 169 grain VLDs. I also have a box of 175 grain ELDXs sitting in the safe waiting for a new barrel for my 7mm Rem Mag (HS precision Stock, Savage small shank LA, Rifle Basix 2 trigger, EGW picatinny rail, Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x50 ffp, and waiting on 26" varmint contour SS X-Caliber barrel). I'm hoping it will have similar results.
 
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
362
Location
Brenham, TX
I have recently switched to the eld-x in my 300 win mag and .308 and have had great results. To date there have been 10+ kills.

I have always been a barnes and nosler guy and love the idea of a hole on both sides. However I have been impressed with the terminal ballistics and accuracy of the eld-x.

Hornady represents the bullet to be a do-all. A bullet can never “do-all” but dead is dead and a bullet should perform as intended. I think most folks are misunderstanding how the eld-x performs. At close range terminal ballistics will be catastrophic. Meaning the bullet is designed to dump all energy at high velocities and close ranges. Here you can get the impression the bullet doesn’t hold together well or doesn’t penetrate. However the bullet expands rapidly and maximizes its use of energy. At longer ranges and slower velocities the bullet will hold together and penetrate deeper. Cue the barnes ttsx. The barnes needs high velocities to “perform”. At long ranges it has the tendency to “pencil-hole” through an animal. The eld-x fills a void somewhere between a Berger (rapidly expanding) to a barnes ttsx (high weight retention) and does it very well at all distances.

I won’t give up on barnes and other sturdy constructed bullets as they have their place on certain game animals but the eld-x has proven effective and the hornady precision ammo just flat shoots for me.

Here are a couple of pics from this last year and subsequent results. Performance is in the eye of the beholder but I can say that for my gear I can dial...shoot...and recover. That’s enough for me.

Management buck shot with 300 win mag at 100 yards. Complete pass through with golf ball sized exit. Deer ran 30 yards with massive blood trail.
98eb5014988fad6f9db63139cc1b982e.jpg


Management buck shot at 480 yards with 308. Complete pass through...deer dropped in its tracks. Exit wound the size of a nickel.
6e7408e8e566c8cf04f20163cc4bd1b2.jpg


Sitka blacktail. 410 yards with 300 win mag. Shot behind the shoulder quartering away. Complete pass through. Deer ran 50 yards and blood trail looked like Freddie Kruger had a field day.
14d06bd973e5bcf7dfcb74568303143b.jpg


Axis doe. 150 yards with 308. Complete pass through. Exit wound the size of a large lemon. Deer ran 20 yards.
93ac8de319b234dd88fbb2bed20265b3.jpg


Aoudad. 420 yards with 300 win mag. No passthrough. Sheep ran 40 yards.
c53c652ec12a4f96b3c5b6affbfdcb9c.jpg




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wyo_gasman

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
219
Location
Kemmerer,Wy
I killed 1 deer and 2 antelope with the 65. 143 grain variety. No bullet recovery on the antelope, the bullet from the deer was fragmented and separated.
 

mcseal2

WKR
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
2,671
I've only taken a couple deer with them so far. I am using the 143gr ELD-X in a 264 Win Mag with a muzzle velocity of 3240fps. The first animal shot was a huge bodied whitetail buck. This was probably the 2nd biggest bodied buck I've shot in over 25 years of hunting. I hit him dead center of the shoulder joint and he dropped instantly. The bullet did fragment and I didn't find any pieces big enough to weigh. Impact velocity was still 3000fps. The second was a doe facing me at 321yds during antlerless season. She was downhill from me also. The bullet entered high in the front of her chest, exited the bottom of it at the back of the lungs, and broke a hind leg on it's way to the ground. She also dropped instantly and the bullet looked to have held together better but I didn't recover it. I think impact velocity should have been around 2750fps there, can't remember what it said when I looked it up. I have some 110's for my 25-06 to experiment with too.
 

corey006

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 19, 2019
Messages
162
This is great Info.

I have 162gr ELD-X loaded in 7 mag @ 2850 and was wondering how they would perform at close range.
 
Joined
Jun 13, 2016
Messages
1,558
Location
California
I have been shooting the 162 ELD-X out of my 7mm Rem Mag for 5 years. They are also leaving my muzzle at 2850. I have shot a couple mule deer at closer ranges (inside 100 yds) and the bullet worked great, drt or very quickly. I have also experienced great results at longer ranges out to 588 as well. I will also add that I do NOT shoot shoulders of animals. I aim for the "crease" and try to only hit vitals, just behind the shoulder.
 

msstate56

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 18, 2018
Messages
124
Location
Mississippi
I’ve been using the 200 gr .30 cal ELD-X for 2 years. It’s working fantastic in 300 win mag at 2,860 FPS. So far, 2 elk- one at 90 yards, one at 650. And 2 deer- 102 and 235 respectively. Bullets have worked as expected. The 650 yard elk was broadside with no exit wound. But it completely wrecked the heart and lungs. So far I’m liking that it isn’t “explosively” opening up. Very little meat loss compared to other bullets I used to use.
 

CBECK61

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Messages
160
I've seen or shot 6 deer, 7 bears, 4 elk, and 2 pronghorn with the 143gr 6.5 or 162gr 7mm. Bullets have all performed as expected. Recovered 2 bullets both in elk with a solid mushroom. All shots were between 120-600 yards. Love the bullet and I will have a hard time switching for general big game hunting. I was a Nosler partition guy for years but I do love this new bullet.
 

twall13

WKR
Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Messages
2,568
Location
Utah
I purchased a Bergara B14 HMR in 6.5 Creed this year and, though I don't currently reload, I tested 4 different factory rounds and the Hornady Precision Hunter 143 gr. eldx bullets grouped really well for me so that's what I used this year. I took that setup to Africa in August and used it to kill the following:
-A Blue Wildebeast at about 90 yards (bullet recovered on offside shoulder - see bullet on the left in photos)
-A Blesbuck at 197 yards (complete passthrough)
-An ostritch at 245 yards (took two rounds but both were passthroughs)
-An impala at 378 yards (partial bullet recovered on offside shoulder - see bullet on the right in photos)
-A Zebra at 147 yards (complete passthrough)
-A warthog at 86 yards (I made a bad first snap shot and it took another shot to finish him but both were passthroughs)

My dad also borrowed this setup to kill a Letchwe at 204 yards on this trip which was also a passthrough that dropped in its tracks.

I then used it to kill a mule deer this fall. 217 yards, complete passthrough heart shot.

Aside from the warthog where I made a bad first shot, the only one to go further than 15 yards was the zebra, which went maybe 80-90 yards into the brush before piling up.

I'm pretty happy with the bullet's performance and it is consistently accurate. It does "explode" and/or retain less weight than some bullets but it's a pretty reasonable trade off between rapid expansion and penetration for the distances I typically hunt.

07bcaac0026f799401128159862897a8.jpg
681e1e993f514fad44fff1814c699755.jpg


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corey006

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 19, 2019
Messages
162
That's great to hear all the positive results.


I am guessing at close range....under 100 yards avoid heavy bone on quartering toward shot and stick with broadside or quartering away for best result.
 

mcseal2

WKR
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
2,671
A couple more results from this season.

I traded for a Browning Hells Canyon Speed in 6.5 Creedmoor. It shoots the Hornady Precision Hunter factory loads with the 143gr ELD-X very well, but at only 2525fps.

The first whitetail I used them on was an injured buck I saw come over the hill after hearing a shot on the neighboring property. I saw in my binos his front leg was covered in blood and he was not putting weight on it. I got ready as quick as I could and finally he hit a window in the brush at 330 yards. I only had a gut shot, but since it was an already wounded buck I took it. I heard a solid hit and the buck looked like he dropped. I was running out of light so I went after him right away. I jumped him but could only hear him, not see him in the brush. He stopped twice within a short distance so I backed out and waited until morning. He was right where I left him dead, the blood trail from where I jumped him to where he fell makes me think the last sound I heard was him dying. The bullet hit no ribs and had a 2" diameter exit wound. Internal damage was impressive. I got him back to the hunter who had initially hit him, he shot just a bit low and broke a front leg right at the bottom of the chest.

The second deer my rifle took was later in the season. I loaned it to a friend having issues with the ancient Tasco on his 7mm Rem Mag. He shot a small buck at 200 yards with it. The bullet went through the near side shoulder blade and broke it, then the remainder of the bullet stopped in the off-side shoulder blade. By that time it was not much more than jacket, there was a lot of shrapnel scattered through the area. The buck dropped in it's tracks.

The bullet has never failed in 4 animals now. It is softer than I expected if it contacts bone, at least the 6.5 143gr version. Even at the slow speeds of the Creedmoor it fragmented on the whitetail shoulder blade. I think impact velocity there should have been about 2250fps.

I think I'm going to try a tougher 130gr bullet from my 6.5 Creedmoor. I don't shoot past 350 yards as often as I need to take a quartering or frontal shot in my hunting. I shot several ammo types yesterday and got extremely good accuracy and another 100fps from a Fiocchi load with a 130gr Swift Scirocco bullet. It has a good BC at .571 and I think will be a better fit for my hunting. One of my favorite things about 6.5's is the long bullets that penetrate well. I'm not cussing the ELD-X, it has quickly killed everything I have shot with it. It has always got deep enough to do the job fast but It has also come apart both times it encountered heavy bone. I don't plan to shoot anything bigger than deer with this rifle but even there I like more penetration and less fragmentation. It comes down to personal preference. The bullet kills very well but I prefer the added insurance of a little more toughness. The gut shot on the wounded deer I was better off with the soft ELD-X, but that's not a shot I plan to take very often. I guess I'm a little on the picky side, I want to have the terminal performance of an Accubond with the BC and accuracy of an ELD-X or Berger.
 
Joined
May 20, 2020
Messages
3
Thanks for the write up. I’ve been trying to decide between accubonds and these new eld-x bullets both in 6mm and .30 currently loading accubonds in my weatherby and I’ve been happy but always looking.
 
Joined
Jul 17, 2013
Messages
567
My experience with eld-x so far: note all animals shot with .308 win with a 178gr pill. I’ve seen maybe a dozen animals go down in the past few years with this bullet, either shot by myself or my hunting partner.

These animals are from the 2019 season.

1. Free Range Buff- 30 yards- head shot. Bullet recovered at the foreamen magnum/spine.Bullet held together.

2.Dall. 160 yards. Bullet not recovered.

3. black bear. 150 yards. Compete pass through.

4. free range Iranian red sheep. 45 yards. Complete pass through.

5. Pronghorn. 350 yards of I recall.

I have pictures of other game from the seasons prior- half dozen Aoudad, ibex, caribou, deer, pronghorn, mountain lion, ranging from 20 yards to 500 yards. The only bullet I have more experience with is the nosler accubond. I really can’t tell the difference in performance between the two.
 

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Blanks

FNG
Joined
May 14, 2020
Messages
12
I have recently switched to the eld-x in my 300 win mag and .308 and have had great results. To date there have been 10+ kills.

I have always been a barnes and nosler guy and love the idea of a hole on both sides. However I have been impressed with the terminal ballistics and accuracy of the eld-x.

Hornady represents the bullet to be a do-all. A bullet can never “do-all” but dead is dead and a bullet should perform as intended. I think most folks are misunderstanding how the eld-x performs. At close range terminal ballistics will be catastrophic. Meaning the bullet is designed to dump all energy at high velocities and close ranges. Here you can get the impression the bullet doesn’t hold together well or doesn’t penetrate. However the bullet expands rapidly and maximizes its use of energy. At longer ranges and slower velocities the bullet will hold together and penetrate deeper. Cue the barnes ttsx. The barnes needs high velocities to “perform”. At long ranges it has the tendency to “pencil-hole” through an animal. The eld-x fills a void somewhere between a Berger (rapidly expanding) to a barnes ttsx (high weight retention) and does it very well at all distances.

I won’t give up on barnes and other sturdy constructed bullets as they have their place on certain game animals but the eld-x has proven effective and the hornady precision ammo just flat shoots for me.

Here are a couple of pics from this last year and subsequent results. Performance is in the eye of the beholder but I can say that for my gear I can dial...shoot...and recover. That’s enough for me.

Management buck shot with 300 win mag at 100 yards. Complete pass through with golf ball sized exit. Deer ran 30 yards with massive blood trail.
98eb5014988fad6f9db63139cc1b982e.jpg


Management buck shot at 480 yards with 308. Complete pass through...deer dropped in its tracks. Exit wound the size of a nickel.
6e7408e8e566c8cf04f20163cc4bd1b2.jpg


Sitka blacktail. 410 yards with 300 win mag. Shot behind the shoulder quartering away. Complete pass through. Deer ran 50 yards and blood trail looked like Freddie Kruger had a field day.
14d06bd973e5bcf7dfcb74568303143b.jpg


Axis doe. 150 yards with 308. Complete pass through. Exit wound the size of a large lemon. Deer ran 20 yards.


Always wanted to take an Axis deer... Not in my part of the country though
 
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