Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting ELD-X reports...

Season 2 shooting Hornady factory 150 ELD-Xs from my Tikka 7mm-08 saw 7 one shot kills:

3 coyotes all standing in the same spot at 203 yds (spaced out over a couple of hours); all DRT with pass throughs as you would expect

147" 13 pt, 175 lb Ky buck at 150 yds, quartering away; pass through, ran 50 yds

140 lb doe at 150 yds broadside; pass through, ran 50 yds

160 lb NC 8 pt head on at 170 yds; shot heart in two, no exit,ran 80 yds- did not recover bullet

140 lb NC 8 pt quartering hard away at 190 yds; DRT, devastating entrance wound, no exit; haven't skinned that one yet - hoping to recover the bullet

Intersting I've never had that issue with barnes, and I won't shoot a bullet that leaves golf ball size exit holes either.

With that said, each deer is totally individual in shot reactions.

And lately the shortest runs we've had is with 10mm and 180 xtps, caliber in, a bit bigger on the way out, generally not much of a blood trail, but they also generally don't go more than 30-50 steps either.

Building the wife a 6.5x57 and from what I've read the ELD X won't be on the list... 127 Barnes or the 140 berger will likely be the choices. While we've had some bigger exits with bergers, we generally try to go heavy for caliber and drive them slower, 185 in 308 is an example and they generally don't destroy all that much. Not nearly as clean as barnes, but we've shot the 185s on targets for so many years we are used to them and can place them precisely.

Ya know what, screw my above post a bit.

This is the info we need and I thank you for it.

Bullet. MV. Distance, what impacted, how much damage.

We all have our own thoughts and how we like to do things, we can go from there with that.

But I'm still going to say after I have no clue how many hundreds of deer shot and seen shot, that you never have ANY guaranteed reaction other than a properly placed CNS shot.

Jeff

I am going to hold off on the ELD-X's this year and stick with the various Nosler's and Hornaday's. I liked the 6mm 105 gr. A-Maxs so had high hopes for the 103 ELD-X but will wait till I can do more load development. A proven bullet just adds an extra measure of confidence which usually helps insure the outcome.

Sounds like it hit some brush.

Two animals this season so far with factory 143 in 6.5CM.

1. Buck antelope at lasered 168 yards. Fell straight down on top of his feet and never even twitched. Heart shot with exit. As if he was suddenly switched Off.
2. Small blacktail buck at 80 yards. Destroyed onside shoulder joint, small exit on offside scapula. Deer fell straight over and wiggled his feet for 2 seconds.

I'm very impressed with the ELD-X so far.

My experience is limited so far. One buck, a 180 lb 8 pt at 25 paces. Right in the crease. One bound and a tight button hook. He folded up dead in front of me. 6.5 Creedmoor 143 ELDX at 2850ish. Second experience was with my 280 AI and 162 ELDX. Max load running between 2950 and 3K. I bumped a young buck and he scooted out to about 75 yards broadside. Took the shot and I hit a 2 inch alder branch about five feet from the deer’s chest. The bullet blew up completely into schrapnel. Knocked a bunch of hair off a couple flecks of blood but that’s it. I tracked him anyway with my dog for over a mile and nothing. Didn’t even slow him down. I DON’T BLAME THE BULLET. It was a poor shot and if you hunt long enough it will happen. That’s why my Golden Retriever is a tracking dog. However, this isn’t the first time I’ve clipped a branch in my hunting career and I’ve anchored deer using partitions and core lokts in very similar situations. Not condoning “brush busting” and didn’t intend to hit a branch. However I’m thinking of going to a Trophy Bonded Tip 160 to guarantee a hunk of metal making it through if it ever happens again.

My son's buck last year took a Hornady factory load 6.5cm 143eld-x that angled a bit far back due to the deer taking a forward step at shot. Deer was 385 laser measured yards (using a Leupold 1000 w/angle correction) up a steep hill and very slightly quartering toward us because of the step I mentioned. Bullet went through ribs, some stomach and ended up breaking off-side hip bone and most of it exited. Deer went down and tried to drag itself but was getting nowhere. Finished with another shot to vitals through front shoulder as this was only shot available. Shots were from a Ruger Predator w/Bushnell 3500 w/600 now reticle using Strelok+ ballistic software on phone. We had lots of time and the deer were undisturbed. The step the deer took blew the chest shot son planned. Both shots were rested over back of truck we were glassing from. We shoot to 400yds at our range regularly. Ymmv!

[align:center][/align]We killed three this year with the precision hunter load in 6.5 CM. The 143 gr ELDX did not pass through on any of the deer. That said they were all heart shot, My son took a spike at 135 yards on youth the deer dropped. Lots of internal dmage and metal frag. We moved up into the big Vermont mountain s for the rest of the season, I took a 6 with a heart shot at about 50, yards, again did move at all but didn't pass through either. The last deer taken was my sons 8 which is as good of a buck as you can shoot in VT. He shot him at a steep downward angle at 100 yards. He clipped the bottom of the heart and broken the off side shoulder. He is 11 and has taken over my christensen ridgeline in 6.5 CM. We have had good luck with the ELDX but it really counts when you make a bad shot. Pic of my sons buck.

SAS, I was wondering what bullet you may try next? While I don't have the 6.5 Creed yet, I am interested in following this. Last year I tried a highly recommended bullet on the Fire in my 6x47L on a sample of two bucks and was highly disappointed. I don't like the results I am hearing from this eld-x from this thread. I had though about trying them in my 6's, but will stay with what I know works. Thanks.

Fantastic VT Buck, and great photo!

Data point of one, but the 139 Scenar flies well and made two holes in the mule deer buck I shot. Offside lung was heavily damaged.

x2!! Congrats to the young man!

avfromvt,
Congrats to you for getting your son involved and his obvious success!