Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 6.5 Creed, 143 ELD X, Bull Elk..............

Who has done it.

Range.

Forensics

Took my dad out for his first bull a couple years ago. He used his 6.5cm kimber hunter with factory, Hornady precision 143gr ELD-X. I spotted/guided him in from the opposite side of the valley and bull was taken just before end of shooting time.

Less than 200yds, two shots (told him to put an extra in it for insurance as we had zero prior experience using it).
First shot was perfect through both lungs but stopping in the chest cavity. I don’t remember if he hit heart.
Second shot while bull was running went through the liver and stopped somewhere in the body cavity.

Bull was pretty well gutted by the time I got across in the dark and it was the last night of his hunt so everything was rushed.



I had pretty much identical results (+similar distance/2 shots) from a .308win using the factory ELD-X 178gr on a black bear.

My take away is to avoid bone at all cost when using them.

Noooo

It's a Cup-N-Core bullet. Act accordingly.

I did on 4 cow elk.

No! And I explained to my granddaughter that if she uses those bullets on an elk…..trailing and recovery (if it happens) is on her. I’m too darn old to chase wounded elk over the mountain! If the elk is wounded using a quality “elk” bullet….it’s a poor shot! I won’t be happy trailing a wounded elk….but at least it was a poor shot not wounded with a bullet to fragile for elk!

If I knew that she would absolutely not take anything but a broadside shot, well within her shooting capabilities…..then maybe….just maybe! memtb

I undestand they are very accurate but why when there are so many other better bullets. No elk is going to no the difference between a 1/2 inch group and an inch a 1 1/4 group inside of 400 yards.

Last 2 seasons I couldn't wrangle a 6.5 partition or bonded bullet anywheres.

Today, it's a different story. I've got a pile of partitioned & bonded bullets from 130 gr. to 160 gr.

It did its job, but it's time to retire the ELD-X.

Numerous cows. No bulls though. Opportunity is the only thing stopping it. Taken my bulls with a bow.

Check out formidilosus' posts over on rokslide. He has a lot of experience with the eldx out to I believe around 800yds.

A lot of people would even recommend the eldm due to the moderate velocity of the creedmoor.

I doubt an elk would know the difference.

for the last 11 yrs the 6.5cm and the 143 eld x@ 2788 fps has proven Vdery deadly on bull elk for us in Montana Idaho Colorado & Wyoming
Ranges vary from 40 yrds out to 515 haven't lost one yet
Farthest we have had one go before falling over dead has been 65 yrds

I've killed several but with 6.5-284. All pass-through, all DRT or very short runs

I have had great performance with the 143 ELDX on a 5x5 bull last fall. Range was 125 yards and the bull went 50 feet. Recovered bullet on the offside weighed 112 grains. Also good performance on two previous cows and a caribou at 375 yards.

Yep....the ELD-X sucks compared to an arrow traveling 300fps....🥴

broadside shots are fine

I've put the 143 eld pushing 2790 fps through both shoulders of a bull elk @ 300 yards turned the vitals to mush and he was drt

Haven't used the 143 ELD-X on an elk yet, partly because I don't hunt elk as much as I used to. But in 2018 did shoot a big New Mexico mule deer with one, from a Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor factory load listed at 2700 fps.

The range was 101 yards, lasered after the fact. The buck was standing in a Gambel oak thicket, and the only viable placement was high through the shoulders and spine. At the shot the buck collapsed and rolled down out of the thicket. The bullet had not only broken both shoulder but the spine, ending up under the hide on the far side, where I found the jacket and separated core touching each other, with a total retained weight of 60.5%. It had penetrated at least 5-6 inches of bone. Got exactly 100 pounds of boned meat off that buck, and boned meat is generally about 1/3 of live weight.

On the same hunt my partner put one into an even bigger-bodied buck at 311 yards, as the buck stood angling away. It went about 30 yards and piled up, and we found the bullet in the opposite shoulder, retaining 74% of its weight.

They're very good bullets.

Sounds like perfect performance MD. Whereabouts in NM?

North of Cimarron about 30 miles. Great country!