ELD-M at Close Range Thin Skinned Game

I'm running the 140 eldms out of a 20" 6.5 cm. MV is 2,700 fps. I love these bullets for thin skinned whitetail sized game. I've had bad luck with the eldx in a 308 win penciling through whitetail, axis, etc sub 200 yards, unless a leg bone was hit. Thats why i've switched to the ELDM. You might lose some meat but where I hunt in South Texas, if it doesn't fall quickly, trying to track an animal 300 yards through cactus and blackbrush is terrible. I've literally had to crawl on my hands and knees 100+ yards before tracking animals through that mess for my FIL. I'd rather take some meat loss than potentially lose an animal or have to track them that far. My FIL switched from a 7 mag to a 6.5 cm and he's running factory match ammo 140 eldms. His shooting isnt as precise as it used to be due to age, but so far all 5 animals hes killed the past two years have gone less than 20 yards, even with no so great shot placements.

Here are some pictures of exit wounds:

75 yards, mature blackbuck, high shoulder shot, exit wound (a friend's 13yr old son shot this).
blackbuck 75 yds.jpg


185 lb white tail buck. Pic of exit wound. Entrance was behind the opposite shoulder. 100 yards. (my FIL shot another one through the shoulder, went through first shoulder bone, made it through opposite shoulder, did not exit hide)
WHitetail 100 yds.jpg



Yote at 300 yards. Exit wound
yote 300 yds.jpg
 
Looks like I'll be that guy. ELD's (not amax) have been unpredictable inside 200y for me. They pencil and I've seen it more than once with more than one caliber.

Over 200y they have been very predictable and devastating. When I asked some guides that see several hundred deer, auodad, axis, fallow and occasional elk die each year, they agreed and had seen the same with their customers.

I've decided, there are better bullets out there and I'm done with them.

Good luck.
Lots of videos on ELDm at high speed, they never pencil, they mushroom violently with lots of frag. on long shot mushroom into beautiful wide ball. I think the plastic tip driving into the lead prevents penciling.
 
Your experience is different than mine. I'm glad they've worked for you. I'm not chancing it again, don't like that chasing wounded animals across the ranch feeling. I've got less than 200 eld-x's left and I'll be free of the eld potential pencil…now I only use them for pigs and I don't chase those.
 
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