Over my 60 years of hunting I have tried a various variety of bullets. Mostly when they are new and advertised as the greatest thing since sliced bread. The mono's, the Hornady's, Sierra Game King, and numerous others. (In fact the 162 grain 7mm Hornady SPBT is the most accurate bullet), I have shot in several 7mm rifles. There are always newer and better. But to this day the majority of my deer and elk have fallen to the Nosler Partition, and a new comer the Nosler AB. My favorite saying is that "if its not broken, leave it alone".
That doesn't really tell us what the 7mm 162 ELDX bullet does on elk. I can say I've used heavy for caliber Sierra gamekings on elk with great success, but they always shed their core. Even the 250gr from the 338wm. The core will generally make a full pass through and the jacket can be found on the offside of the hide. I've had some 180gr Nosler partitions do the same thing when fired from 300 magnums and 30-06. Elk will catch those like a catchers mitt. One reason I made the switch to the 200gr partition. Don't really give 2 schidts for the 180 anymore. I'd just as soon use a damn winchester powerpoint. What a damn good bullet that 200gr partition is though, even when moderate velocities are used. I've puched elk through and through with the 286gr Nosler partition with a 9.3x62 and that was the poorest fu cking behaving bullet I've ever used. Elk ran a good ways when shot with that combo. When that has not been the norm when shot with a bullet that expands or maybe fragments better. 1 elk shot last year with the 140gr TTSX, was a thru and thru like a laser beam (even though bone) and the elk went down quick. That was from a little 7mm08. A 225gr Hornady interlock launched from my 338wm put a big bull elk down on his nose a second after I pulled the trigger. Yet, none of those say anything about the performance of the 162 eldx.. Like I said before, pharm gave some good useable examples. Thanks buddy!! I'd use the 162 ELDX, because I know the regular ol interlock performs just fine on them. The ELDX should be even better..
While I agree the 180 PT can get caught in elk more than the 200, elkmen1 has a pretty large jar of recovered 180 from dead elk. And they shoot like a SOB in his 300 so he is pretty aware of how they work since he’s been killing elk since 20 years before I was born.
He also took a small bull with the plain Jane 162 BTSP Interlock that just grenaded at 400+ yards on the front leg bone. That was out of a 7 Rem Mag. Only one experience with it but we know we haven’t had a 160 Accubond ever give anything but excellent performance.
As for the 162 ELD, no experience with it. I used the 212 from the 30-06 a few years back and it worked fine.
Myself, I’d probably pass on them from a 7 magnum just on the premise of being up close and having to poke one through a shoulder. Out of a 7-08 I’d probably be okay with them.
Maybe Pharm has some thoughts about driving the 162 through bone that could change my mind. I’m pretty open minded I thinj and I like the ELDs but I think under high speed hits they might leave you wanting.
