Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game ELD-X performance?

This buck was hit broadside at 130 yards and the bullet did exit with a small exit hole. My son said the bullet looked like it penciled through. I would not be surprised if the bullet expanded and went through like a partition does with a small diameter by the time it exits. Sometimes the majority of the damage is about the size of a softball in the near lung.

300 win mag 178 Eldx started at 3000 fps.

Anyways, it did work.

Beautiful buck. How far did he go post-impact?



P

The deer only went down. My son said that the opposite shoulder was hit and he did have to give it coup de gras with a knife.

Came here to learn about ELDs and also found out I’m a total and complete idiot.

The 143 eldx out of my buddies creedmor, failed to exit a smallish Alabama doe, at about 60 yards. Broadside shot hit a rib and blew apart. DRT, but shocked it didn’t exit a doe, broadside at 60 yards. Really starting to rethink this bullet in my 6.5-06.

Hunting buddy here caught a 143 on a slightly quartering away doe last week. He’s been shooting a .308 with 165gr loads and is not used to catching bullets.

Likewise Ralphie, didn't know I was doing it so wrong. And to think I even advise others to keep shooting if the animal is still on it feet!

Schitt happens. He may shoot 20 more critters at same or steeper angle and never catch another. May catch a 165 on his very next broadside animal.

Always amazing when dead animals include an expanded bullet.

Am also still always amazed when hunters assume there was no internal damage, just because the entrance and exit holes are similar in size.

Does everybody do "gutless" these days, or do some still field-dress animals? If field-dressing, they should be able to tell pretty easily whether the bullet expanded inside the chest.

😂😂😂

Here is what I have killed so far with the ELD-X:

Precision Hunter 7mm WSM 162 ELD-X
- 160” Mule Deer buck @ 80 yards, double lung, exit.
- Buck Pronghorn @ 100 yards, frontal, exit
- 4x3 Whitetail buck @ 225 yards, broadside, exit
- whitetail doe & 150 yards, broadside, exit
- whitetail doe @ 100 yards, shoulders, exit
- whitetail doe @ 200 yards, shoulder, exit
- 4x4 Coues deer, 215 yards, lungs, exit

Precision Hunter 280 Rem 150 ELD-X
- 3 whitetail does @ 250 yards, high double shoulder, exit.

Have also seen 4-5 animals killed with 308 Win 178 ELD-X.

Won’t argue they are the best bullet for all scenarios but I have seen solid performance so far on 15+ animals.

I haven't killed anything with an ELD-X....but I've certainly been happy with the 108m in 6CM. I've punched shoulders at close range (purposely) without issue and have "trapped" a few on shots I'd expect to trap them on (from very dead deer). I don't really shy away from caught bullets as long as they reach that offside.

143 did just fine at 100 yds. Kinda funny though that we chase BC to kill most of out animals under 200yds. I wouldn’t even attempt a 400+ shot on the animals I am looking for.

I’ve killed 4 bucks with the ELD-X in the last two years. One with a 6.5PRC and the rest with a short 308. 3 of them failed to exit. Both on high shoulder and behind the shoulder. These were all less than 75 yard shots. The other with the 308 was around the 200 mark. It exited in several pieces. None of them went very far, but on a marginal shot, I would appreciate an exit to help with a blood trail.

308 pics- 18” fieldcraft. 30 yd shot

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/14393636#Post14393636

Very true. I find myself going back to Barnes and ABs more and more and not worrying about BC. 90% of my hunting is in the mountains, different terrain and I might would have a different opinion I guess.

True on most of my killing being at shorter ranges. Wooded mountainsides keep most of my ranges short but the ag fields at the bottom of the mountain can give 800+ yard opportunities. As long as the same bullet will perform well at the shorter ranges, I'd prefer to be able to use it at longer ranges and while shooting during the off season. Mainly because of lack of time, I've lost any desire to have more than one load for any rifle....I don't want to experiment, I just want to mass produce, get drops, shoot a lot, and kill stuff. A "decent" BC is a plus but not as important as bullet performance to me.

+1


lefty

Well said. I’m in the same boat with the one load per rifle.

I wonder if he checked well for the cup inside the chest cavity. Core may have caused the small exit.

Spot on. I have had this approach for a long time. Once I find a good load, I rarely switch bullets, unless I just want to test some that I got a good deal on. I don't like the expense of copper bullets, but would use them on heavy game. I like reasonably-priced, good shooting, standard bullets for the most part.