Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 143 ELD-X on elk

Shot a bull this morning with my 6.5-284. Bullet expanded AND exited. Bull was DRT. On a steep hill. Fell on his face and tumbled 20 feet down. I am liking so far. I took some photos but it has been a LONG day packing meat.

Good for ya!

Great going! Looking forward to pics and specifics. Congrats!

Congrats!! I'm thinking I may give them a whirl in my 260, but haven't had any issue yet with the Scenars so it's not a pressing issue.

After hunting since the previous Wednesday I shot a small 6x6 on Monday morning. I had passed quite a few bulls up to this point and actually gone home on Sunday. KRP went back up with me on Monday and it was going to be the last day I had any help. The unit I was in is too rough to really hunt solo and find anything that you shoot. I decided I was going to shoot any 6x6 that wasn't broken up. Most of the bulls that I had previously looked over had broken antlers; several had entire main beams broken off. We saw two really big bulls but they were either too far, moving or just not shootable.

I used my 6.5-284 loaded with 143 ELD-X bullets at 2975ish. They shot fantastic at the range so I had the accuracy part down- the terminal performance was the wild card.

The shot I had was uphill and a few small branches partially blocking. I hit the right side chest, bullet exited after double lungs and clipping the bottom of the spine. Bull dropped in his tracks and flipped downhill about 20 feet. The hillside he was on was incredibly steep and covered with Mountain Mohagany, Ceanothus, Manzanita, Oak brush and Algerita as well as the occasional juniper and pinyon pine.

I took about 30 minutes to make the 200 yards from the bottom of the canyon up to the bull. There was no rolling him over or re-positioning him. It was thick and steep. Kent and I packed out both hindquarters the mile and half to the truck and waited for my son to arrive (he worked graveyard shift that night). We then went back for the last load and packed the rest. Besides the steep hillside and canyon full of dead-fall, we had to negotiate 3 travertine waterfalls (dry luckily). We were pretty beat when we got to the truck with the last load.

We had arrived in the dark and with headlamps made our way through a 2 mile+ of manzanitas and wait-a-minute bushes. We finally got to the ponderosa covered hillside and began peeking through the windows in the trees to the mountain across from us. We spotted a bull and moved closer. We finally got to where I could see him good enough to decide he was going to make a lot of work for us that day. I shot him standing at a little over 200 yards as there was no way to see any other position. He dropped at the shot and at 4.5 power I could see it happen- pretty cool actually.

Using radios, I guided Kent once he got to the other side. The bull had fallen about 20 feet down the hill behind some turbinella oak and wasn't visible from my side. I then dropped down and made my way up through the elk trails on the thick side.




The bull-finally




Packing meat out- first load. arriving at first waterfall




Where he was feeding and shot





Bottom of waterfall

Wound photos





Entrance





Entrance







Exit

Congrats Dennis...

great pics and a great story....

Glad Kent had the time to go and help out...

Saw the pics you sent last night--congratulations! You earned that one.

Great pics and story. Congrats, and thanks for posting good info.

As others have said, great photos and a great hunting story. There has to be a tremendous amount of satisfaction upon accomplishing the entire task of cleaning & humping it out. Well done.

Congrats Dennis. Sounds like that country where you walk on top to the brush rather than through it.

Congrats on your bull.

Sounds like the 143 worked excellent.

Congrats bud....

Sounds like a fun packout....

Congrats! Love those exhausting pack outs.

Nice job, Dennis. Well done.

I'm glad to hear that the 143 gr VLD-Xs do a good job on elk. Someday soon, it may be my last and only rifle.

donsm70

I'm glad to see a positive report on the ELD-X bullets. I bought a 6.5 Creedmoor several months back and the 143's have shot so well I've never bothered to try anything else, probably won't. Like you my concern how well they would perform on game. I've read several positive reports similar to yours. I've been shooting the 178's in my 308 with good accuracy as well.

Dennis, you should have called me if you needed help !

I sat home all day watching Rocky & Bullwinkle...

Funny you say that. I actually stood on top of the brush below the bull at times while butchering. I stepped through once and was about chest-high to it. Kent had to pull me out!

The ELDX has performed very well for us this year. Three bucks, three shots, 150 out of a 7mm-08. One bull, 3 shots (he was dead after the first, but if he's standing my nephew is shooting), same load.

162 ELDX 7mm Rem Mag, one buck and two elk, three shots. No complaints.




P

Congrats. I had a similar uphill shot on my elk this year and had similar results. Left lung was jelly, vertebrae was blown apart. Spined him and killed him at the same time.
This was with a 190gr accubond at about 250 yards.

378 yds, 20mph wind quartering left to right, up hill. 6.5 creedmor 143 ELDX.
Held for the high shoulder. Hit her about 6 inches to the right, and blew the spine. Lost some back strap
Bullet blew a hole 3" on exit. Sorry no pic

Congrats Dennis.

Nice report with supportive photos. Hopefully I can report a similar scenario in a few weeks with the 143g. ELD-X.

Nice work Dennis cool that you got to team up w/ a good ‘fire brother!!

Great report; congratulations on the bull!

Congrads on the Bull! Looks like a big one to me! Thanks for the story & pics!

Congrats! I ordered some for my 30-06 (the 30 cal variety), seems like they would be a good choice for the mild velocity round. I didn’t kill an elk (or anything) this year but I will kill one next year!

I would like to try some of the ELD-X bullets but I am having such great luck with the Hornady Interlock in 140 grain .270 cal. Everything I have shot has been a quick kill, 50 yards and no more. Congratulations and a fine job!

Looks like the 143 worked perfectly for the op. I bought some of the 162's to try in both my 7mm mags... That pill looks pretty promising to me..

Reloader 26 is your huckleberry in the 7 Rem Mag.



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I just shot a cow elk last night with my 6.5 creedmoor loaded with 143 eld-x bullets and I probably will not use them again. Way too explosive on entrance through the rib cage and not very good penetration. The elk died ok, but meat destruction was ridiculous. The entire left side of the front quarter will have to be thrown out due to blood-shot meat. I like the way the eld-x bullets shoot, but I think they are way too soft for my needs. I will go with a harder bullet in the future,

And mine made decent entrance hole, clipped bone and still exited. I guess we need a bigger sample. I need to shoot some deer with them. My shot was only 212 yards and MV was close to 3000 fps. I would have expected this to be a pretty severe test to the bullet.

Congrats, gear bull. I've heard report of the ELD-X being soft and "blowing up", obviously, based on your pics "it ain't so"! Good shooting.

I have been doing this for a lot of years and seen more elk die than most. The 6.5 143 gr eld x gave terrible performance on my cow elk last week, considering chronographed velocity was only 2700 fps at the muzzle. And the elk was killed at 200yds. I did shoot a deer in Wisconsin this fall with the bullet too. It worked OK but no exit and more blood-shot meat than expected. Right now have the the same powder charge but with Sierra 140 gr game king bullets loaded. So we will see what happens if I can find another cow elk. I will not hunt with the eld-x again.....

Kinda how I feel about the Accubond LR and a lot of guys are swearing by it while I'm swearing at it.

Good info...as I'm also using the 143 eld x in my 6.5 creedmoor.

The 140 gr SBT gameking worked better than the 143 eld-x in my humble opinion. Killed a second cow elk last week with it and got better penetration with less waste. Again not very scientific, but on the ground experience.

Interesting. I have no experience with the 6.5 cal, 140gr SBT, but have killed and witnessed a number of elk killed with the 270 cal, 150gr and 30 cal 180gr SBT;s. I consider them a mediocre elk bullet. The 200gr SBT out of 06's have seemed to work well though.

My observation and complaint with conventional cup & core bullets is just that--inconsistency. One time they seem to do fine, next time they don't. Poor penetration, bullet doesn't hold together well, etc. Then the next time they'll slap an elk and end up picture perfect on the far side of the hide.

This is why I continually preach premium bullets, especially from 30 cal on down. My experience is Partitions are the most consistent performing when it come to penetrating through lots of elk to reach vitals. Monos are good too..........

I have killed a number of animals with my 260 and 260AI using the 140 Sierra Game king SBT bullet. In 6.5 caliber that is a very good bullet- just not a good 1000 yard bullet as it gives up a lot to the wind and a lot of velocity. The ELD-X claims to be the Holy Grail- working at both high and low velocities. Again, I have an experience of once but it was a good one and the bullet did exit.

Nice bull and good job.

I can see where you would be very choosy about what you shot and where you dropped a bull in that country.

A friend of mine shot a nice mature cow this week with factory loaded 143's in a Creedmore, at 70 yards. He picked her out of a herd in woods and at the shot she split from the rest and circled around in a small semi circle. She was still on her feet so he put one in her flank angling into the lungs. At that she fell over dead. He found his first bullet , after it went through rt scapula and both lungs at rest under the skin mid way back on ribs. Lot of damage to lungs . Only the jacket was at the skin . He stated he was happy as it only went a few yards. the other bullet got mostly liver and very rear of left lung. and exited. He did say ther was little to no blood on the ground because of the down hill angle on first shot and no exit . But where she was he said a lot of blood last few yards travelled. This is a second hand account and I saw the found bullet.

Oh an that cow in his truck with hide still on the quarters will be a bear to process as it is below zero!!!!!!!!

I struggled with them as well. I spoke to nosler tech and they suggested that I use a powder that is faster with more graphite and seat them deeper. The accuracy loss came from extended dwell time in the throat and rifles with sharp, un eroded leades exasperated the situation.

Just started shooting the 6.5 PRC and have been really happy with the sub-moa groups I've been getting with the ELD-X bullets in the Precison Hunter line of ammo. However, your story is one of my concerns. Furthermore, curious if you hit the shoulder square on center what would happen. Would you drop the bull or wound him? No doubt you'd have a pile of bloodshot hamburger on your hands!