Hornady ELD-X 162

[Ty619]

Evenin boys,
Very long story short, I'm running the ELD-X 162's in my tikka T3 Lite 7RM. Fantastic results out to 800. These rounds were recommended to me by a very well known rifle builder who just re-barreled my boom stick. He explained a particular company asked him to design a barrel around this round. Everyone involved is again having fantastic results ON PAPER.

That being said I've been researching them for sometime. As time goes I'm seeing more and more reviews. Not too many are sounding good when it comes to DRT results for game. Extreme fragmentation and multiple shots required. I've run the Barnes 150m TTSX with phenomenal results on game. But hearing and seeing (BC .613) great results from great resources sold me on the hornady.

Now I'm here seeking your opinion. My happy ass is off to Idaho for deer and elk. And I will be damned if I spend the money and energy I have to get out there and lose an animal because of a shitty round. Now I know I'm gonna hear "go with what you know" but, that's not the question. Is the ELD-X a trustworthy round on elk?? Or anything for that matter less paper.. What say you?

 

[desertcj]

I have not shot them, but I do have a 7mm Rem Mag. I like the looks of the Federal 160gr tipped trophy bonded. I have shot the 150gr trophy copper and it shoots great through my Savage 110. I wouldn't hesitate to use the 150gr trophy copper on elk!

 

[Formidilosus]

Evenin boys,
Very long story short, I'm running the ELD-X 162's in my tikka T3 Lite 7RM. Fantastic results out to 800. These rounds were recommended to me by a very well known rifle builder who just re-barreled my boom stick. He explained a particular company asked him to design a barrel around this round. Everyone involved is again having fantastic results ON PAPER.

That being said I've been researching them for sometime. As time goes I'm seeing more and more reviews. Not too many are sounding good when it comes to DRT results for game. Extreme fragmentation and multiple shots required. I've run the Barnes 150m TTSX with phenomenal results on game. But hearing and seeing (BC .613) great results from great resources sold me on the hornady.

Now I'm here seeking your opinion. My happy ass is off to Idaho for deer and elk. And I will be damned if I spend the money and energy I have to get out there and lose an animal because of a shitty round. Now I know I'm gonna hear "go with what you know" but, that's not the question. Is the ELD-X a trustworthy round on elk?? Or anything for that matter less paper.. What say you?

They will will certainly kill an elk, but they are about as different a bullet to the TTSX as can be. They are a long range bullet and if you are someone that believes that what a bullet looks like when it's pulled out of a dead animal determines how well it worked- you probably wont like them. On the other hand if you are legitimately killing animals at longer ranges and/or like animals to fall over faster- then you probably will like them.

 

[huntnidaho]

Not an elk but I dropped a mule deer buck at 300yards last year with the 162 ELD-X. Didn't take a step. The jacket and core separated, but I can't argue with the results. I would probably avoid shots in areas of large bones on elk.

 

[robtattoo]

I think you could do a lot worse than sending a PM to Ryan Avery... I know he's done quite a bit of research on the ELD 'M's & 'X's

From my very limited experience with long range bullets (I shoot the Berger VLDh in my 6.5, so apples to oranges, I know) they seem to work as they're intended ie; at long range & low velocity.
I've only had 2 'bang-flops' & both were beyond 300yds (1 whitetail, 1 pronghorn) everything else I've shot with LR bullets has been under 100yds & without fail has run between 40 & 200yds, all with soup for lungs. I've yet to recover a bullet as in every case there has been nothing but fragments & powder with no exit wounds (actually there was 1, but it was a crippled yearling deer I shot at 20 feet & it almost tore it in half)
In my mind, if you'll be taking extended range shots of 400 & over, you 'should' be ok, but I think that if there's any chance of something up close, a different bullet might serve you better.

From now on, I have pretty much given up on the ELD/VLD style of bullet for hunting. I enjoy shooting paper at silly distances, but when it comes to hunting I'll be sticking to 300 & under & using a much more traditional projectiles. Accubonds & Partitions for elk & good old fashioned cup-and-core for deer. I've had far better luck with these in the DRT department. They seem to work in a much wider range of scenarios. They're predictable, reliable & at my ranges certainly no less accurate. The VLDs might gain me an extra ½" in a 5 shot group, but even at 600yds, that really not enough to make any difference on an animal

 

[stevevan]

I second robtatoo's comments.

 

[Calbuck]

Only experience I have to offer is the 162 ELDx vs 5 point bull at approx 150 yards. One shot, bull ran about 30 yards and fell over dead. Thru and thru with no lungs left. Hate to say it but expecting an animal to just flop down isn't realistic. Some do, but in my experience that is NOT the norm. I was shooting handloads @ ~3000 fps out of a 7mm mag superlite.

 

[ReddingArcher]

I've been shooting 200 grain eldx out of my 300 win mag so not the same thing but I was impressed with the result on a pig I shot a few months ago. I know they are more of a long range bullet but they work up close and personal too. I shot a pig at about 50 yards as it ran through a small opening in the brush, it made it down into a ravine that it was headed towards and died within 10 yards. Didn't need a blood trail but it was there. It was a through and through with about a 2 inch hole behind the shoulder on the entry and a 4 inch exit hole behind the opposite shoulder. I would hesitate to shoot any animal with them.

 

[pldawg]

I shot that same bullet last year out of my 280AI and was not impressed on a cow elk at 360 yards. I killed another cow elk earlier in the year with a 140 grain Sierra game king and much better bullet performance but granted that was a 100 yard shot too. I switched back to the game king for this year.

 

[whiskeysierra762]

I still use the 162Amax in my 7mags for deer. Good shot placement is the bottom line, and the higher BC helps with that.

 

[Calbuck]

Have to eat my words in my above post. Shot a mile deer in Idaho with my 7mm recently and the 162 ELDx. Deer was ranged 310 yards, 1/2" entry and 4" exit with small shrapnel exit also. He literally dropped in his tracks. I'm going to continue using this bullet.

 

[RedSnake]

For short to Med range work a 160 Partition out of the 7 RM is just about perfect. For Med to long range work Berger 180 VLD is tough to beat.

 

[Ty619]

I'm sold on them. I've had 1 1/2" groups or smaller at 500 and just sealed the deal on my first bull at 461 and he dropped. Nuff said. Thanx for your input boys.

 

[Ty619]

Oh and FYI, I NEVER expected any animal to just flop down. Jesus Christ some of you guys get super excited with a general statement. But, I'll tell ya what.... this bull was DRT. Again thanx for your time.