Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game ELDX bullets and close shots

Nothing closer than about 80 yards except one antelope at about 50 yards. Blew up the heart and exited.

Everything we’ve shot with them (162 gr out of 7mm Rem Mags and 150 gr out of 7mm-08s) has died and right now.

Pretty much all I load these days.






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I shot a deer a month ago using a 6.5CM Hornady 143g. ELD-X bullet. 50yd shot broad side. He ran about 75yds and dropped. The bullet never exited his opposite shoulder but he was still dead. The spent bullet weighed 107g after recovery.
I’d rather a bullet make a complete pass through to make a better blood trail. Luckily that one was in a cut field so it was an easy recovery.

I'll not use an EldX bullet again. I have had multiple experiences with game shot at closer ranges with a 6.5 Creedmoor that showed inadequate penetration. One deer and several hogs. One hog had two shots that made it into the near lung, but barely.

I hunt in areas that have thick cover, and a blood trail is almost necessary if an animal runs after the shot. With the EldX, you may get penetration into the vitals at close range, but generally no exit and a small entrance. That means little to no blood trail.

The older Amax does auch better job of penetrating, and I have shot lots of game with it in various calibers at ranges from 15 yards to 380 yards with no issue. In speaking with the guy who answered the phone at Hornady, he implied but wouldn't come out and definitely state that the EldM is the Amax with a new tip. I shot a doe at close range a couple of weeks back with an EldM and it seems to be true. It broke bone on the way in and exited the far shoulder. If I had needed the blood trail, it was there.

Crowkiller, Your ELD-X experience varies greatly from mine, near and far. Rio7

mathman posted a photo showing that's not the case.

Eld-m stands for murder.
Eld-x stands for don't use.
I tried to like the eldx. Fly great. But was finicky at different ranges. My experience was sst like up close and little to be desired past 250. This was from a 6.5x284 running 2930. Went to 129 interlocks and turned into a lightning bolt. Shoot a heavy interlock and forget about it. Your cartridge won't look "cool" bit it'll dang sure work. If you must use a tipped bullet, maybe an accubond?I'd recommend Barnes but I have no experience with solids.

I had bad experiences with the 6mm 103 ELD-X on deer. I'm going to give the ELD-M a try this week when we start culling does and doing bullet testing. Both of the 6mm Hornady bullets shoot so good in my rifles that I have a hard time not using them.
Some of the local 6.5 knuckleheads that I shoot with swear that the ELD-X doesn't expand and just punches hole through a deer. IDK what's happening with them, I just know what my results are.

If you want super violence for anything smaller than say a cow elk, try an sst. They are carnage. Those suckers open immediately, but the farther out you shoot stuff with them, the hold together the more they slow down. I shot 2 does the other day. One at 418ish and the other at like 390. It destroyed every single amount of lung tissue they had and exited with golf ball sized holes. This was from a 280 rem at 2990. If your looking for consistency and a bullet to go from varmints to elk sized, run that interlock. Like a 165 from an 06 or a 140 in a 6.5. Can't go wrong.

It depends on the specific model. When the ELD-M was first released, I took a series of measurements on both the .224” 75 AM and 75 ELD-M. They were identical to within typical lot-to-lot variation.

I’ve seen a pile of game killed with various models of the old AM and the newer ELD-M. Terminal performance is very similar in all cases, with moderate wound channels, deep penetration, and typically an exit.

I remember sending a 162 AM launched at ~3100 fps through the shoulder blades of a broadside MD at 20 yards, and was surprised to see a moderate wound channel and 1-1.5” holes through both blades and a 1.25-1.5” exit. Another memorable 162 AM was sent at 2650 fps through a quartering bull moose at 150 yards, and penetrated the onside ribs, vitals, offside shoulder blade, and left a 1.5” exit. The bull took a couple of steps and went down.

The same has been the case for myself and family members and friends with the 147 ELD-M from various 6.5 CMs at ~2650-2700 fps at the muzzle, on numerous elk, MD, WT, PH, etc. We have had exits in each case, even on quartering shots. I’ve seen more game killed with the 147 ELD-M than the 127 LRX, but yet we’ve managed to catch more 127s (3 so far) than 147s, surprisingly.

I noticed lot to lot on the 6.5 143s that you have to measure from the ogive. Tip to tip I've seen as much as .01 difference. That's a ton! The beat bullet as far as that goes is a berger vld. Hands down.

I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot anything I normally hunt (bear and deer) at any range with an ELD X. Like any bullet, know what you’re shooting, know what the ideal performance envelope is, and adjust your shot placement accordingly. I’m not going to try and break down a large elk at 10 yards with an ELDX going over 3K fps and wonder why I had less than ideal results. If my target is within a hundred yards I’d say put it through the slats. Outside of that range I wouldn’t worry about hitting heavy bone but I wouldn’t count on an exit with any bullet when hitting heavy bones. Shoulder and heavy leg bone can catch the best monos.

Just an add. I shot a whitetail buck that dressed around a 185 lbs. at about 12 feet with a 6.5 Creedmoor 143 ELDX factory load. He was hot on a doe (literally about 5 feet behind her, fun to watch) and never noticed me. That load went through and though the boiler room punching a tennis ball sized hole in the off side. He spun around and fell over dead. It happened so fast that the doe he was chasing turned around and looked at him dead before she bolted off. I couldn’t have asked for better performance at close range. Sometimes I think I should grow my man bun back and get another 6.5 Creedmoor. 😆.

I'm glad to hear it, as my stash of Amax bullets can't last forever!




I know several people that swear by them, maybe I've had bad luck. But I've had enough bad luck to be done with them.

Good to know the famous Amax melting tips don't hinder killing power.

Maybe they act like a flamethrower!

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That's a good looking combo right there.

I have yet to have a bad experience with the ELD-X. I'M limited to the 178 30 caliber and the 143 6.5.
I killed a big mule deer and and an Elk in December with the 143 out of my 6.5-284. Both hit the spine. The deer exited, the elk was the first ELD-X I have recovered.
I killed 5 Sitka blacktails with the 178 from my 308, all died within a few feet.
Seems to be a very good killer for me. I bought a bunch when i couldn't get Bergers and continue to kill chit with them.

I miss the Hornady Interbond.

I shot the 150gr out of a 300 WSM @ 3,300 fps and it was the hammer of thor from 10yds to 300yds always had full penetration with a quarter to golf ball size exit.

At one time I had 15 straight kills and none of them took a step. I also shot these in a 30-06 and did recover a couple and they were a perfect mushrooms with about 1/2-3/4" diameter and weight retention was usually around 75%.

Ironically, after several years and many critters with the 147, and always getting exits, a hunting partner killed an elk yesterday and caught our group’s first two 147s. Tough shots with lots of tissue and bone smashed, and bullets just under the hide.

Jordan, would love to see pics of those bullets if you can.

Thanks!