Vld vs eldx vs longrange ab
- Thread starter jtr1997
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
All perform very similar. They open up fast and shed a lot of their weight and dump all of their energy, or most of it, into the animal. I prefer the ELD Match bullets because they perform nearly identical to the ELD-X but are cheaper and have a wider selection of bullets with higher BCs. I like the tipped bullets over the VLD because there's no way the bullet can just pencil through without expanding at practical distances for the given projectile.
1997, don't know anyone who uses the LRAB and some who are loading the ELDX, but haven't killed anything with them yet. I've seen a lot of elk and a few mulies dropped in their tracks with the 168 Berger VLD from 60 to 400 yds and a bunch of elk with the VLD in other calibers as well. Shot placement is paramount with this type of bullet.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
They're pretty substantially different bullets. I don't shoot Bergers anymore and haven't for sometime because of the problems with blowing up and penciling through.
The ELDX has an interlock ring that is supposed to help keep it from separating but at high velocity they come apart similar to the regular Hornady Interlock.
The Accubond LR expands at all velocities and tends not to separate but they will lose a lot of their weight at high impact velocities.
All three can and do shoot well but of the 3 the Bergers are the most temperamental about things like seating depth and charge weights meaning they require a lot more tweaking and have a smaller accuracy window than the other two.
The ELDX has an interlock ring that is supposed to help keep it from separating but at high velocity they come apart similar to the regular Hornady Interlock.
The Accubond LR expands at all velocities and tends not to separate but they will lose a lot of their weight at high impact velocities.
All three can and do shoot well but of the 3 the Bergers are the most temperamental about things like seating depth and charge weights meaning they require a lot more tweaking and have a smaller accuracy window than the other two.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
I beg to differ... 100 yards with a .257 Wby on a whitetail doe, vitals (rib) shot, factory loaded Wby ammo with a 110 NAB... Pencil through, no expansion, ran nearly 100 yards, but shot placement took out both lungs, and she finally pumped dry, and it was nearly dark, so we almost didn't find her.
Had the same thing happen to 1 Berger VLD (deer fell in it's tracks DRT), and 1 Barnes (original) Triple-Shock hollow point (ran for a while, but deer was recovered). Had a Hornady SST explode on impact on a deer (also had to track forever, but recovered it). Also had a 140 SST disintegrate in mid-air from a 7mmRM while sighting in at the range.
Had a lot of anomalies happen to me, but this seems to be the norm for everything in my life.
I still prefer the Bergers to the rest, and my go-to deer load is 168 VLD's @ 3,115 MV from my 7mmRM.
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
Already seen pics of a penciled ELDM. By the looks of things so far it looks like the ELDs are having some issues with blowing up early, got a couple great reports and a couple who will never shoot them again. The Berger's dial in so easy it's hard for me to have the patience with other bullets.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Same here...Bergers are easier for me to get dialed-in than any other brand I've used.
Creedmoor shooter
Well-Known Member
Everyone and they're brother on this forum are berger boys. Wont get too many negatives about berger. I personally prefer the eld. I haven't had a chance to shoot them at any game yet but if they're anything like the old A-max then I won't have any issues flinging them at deer or even bear. For me they're not hard to get a load worked up for. I've shot them and bergers both. I don't see what the whole ease of dialing in is. I haven't shot alot of bergers but enough to know that they're not any different than any other bullet I've shot as far as dialing them in. I'm just not into paying 45 bucks a box for bergers when I can get a eld for 30 a box and they shoot just as good and from the reports I'm hearing they're bc are right on the money making them higher than bergers. I also feel more comfortable with a tip. I've read some horror stories about some penciling through and I just don't want any part of that. Hit one of these bigger northern deer or a black bear with a bullet that pencils good luck finding it. Just my .02
I can vouch for the Accubond lineup for delivering effective wound channels and quick kills in deer And elk. We have had good success with Berger VLD and Hybrids but have had some walk a ways after shooting around 800 yards or more. The Accubonds have dropped everything out to 1000 yards. To be fare those that walked around were not perfectly placed shots but the Accubonds seem to be more deadly at longer ranges in my experience. I just haven't made the move to try the ELDX yet since I have a lot of time invested in the Accubonds and Berger VLDs/Hybrids and am comfortable in what to expect. I think the reason we don't see more responses on the LR Accubond is due to accuracy issues some experience. They do require higher twist rates. For example the .277 150 gr LR Accubond required a 1:8 twist before it would stabilize for me
I've shot the LRAB when they first came out and the bullets themselves weren't very consistent compared to the bergers. They didn't shoot nearly as well as the bergers. However, you have to shoot more bergers to dial in that precise load than any other bullet I've shot. I have several boxes of ELDm and x on the shelf and look forward to seeing how they shoot as I've heard they are easy to dial in and shoot very well. + on the lower cost too and the Interlocks I have are great animal dispatching weapons. May end up switching to them as I do like the concept of the tipped bullets for more consistent expansion. However, I check all my berger tips before hunting to make sure they are all open and undamaged so they can expand.
It's not a very scientific study, but I'm working on testing expansion of a bunch of different bullets. I have a few Bergers tested already as well as a 30 caliber ABLR. The ELDs are on the list to test this weekend.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/bullet-expansion-test-results-183285/
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/bullet-expansion-test-results-183285/
Axl
Well-Known Member
So you post a quote from jtr1997 that says "Im curious to how these bullets compare on elk and deer"
and then you say you "personally prefer the eld. I haven't had a chance to shoot them at any game" ???? Do you know what compare means?
When it comes to hunting an extra .15 cents a bullet is insignificant.
I have hit a LOT of big Montana elk,moose,bears, and deer with Bergers and it flattens them.
They're= they are. The word you are looking for is their
johnnyk
Well-Known Member
Attitude check.
North Idaho Hunter
Well-Known Member
I still have yet to figure out why people get so worked up over a bullet discussion?!
