crazyhorse
Well-Known Member
Just returned from my NM elk hunt and had thoughts of topics often discussed here along the way. I'll admit, not only have I read all the bullet performance threads pertaining to on game performance, I even started one. Lots of good information on this forum based on solid knowledge and experience. Anyway, I thought I'd share my experiences on what turned out to be a hunt of a lifetime.
I carried my 300WM that had been shooting lights out with the 215 Bergers. Sometime in the last couple of range trips it started acting goofy throwing 1 in 3 about an inch out of an otherwise 1/2 moa group. The outfitter told me shots range from 100-600yds and my ability to over think everything caused me to go back to the drawing board. I loaded up a handful of 200g ELD-X's I had previously managed to shoot really well. As luck would have it they picked up right where they left off and shot very consistent out to 1200yds. I recorded my dope and headed west hoping the ELD-X would hold up if I got the chance.
The first morning brought good weather and as soon as the sun started breaking we were finding elk in the lower areas still feeding. We found a really nice bull with 7 cows and decided to try and make a move. He was a little over a mile away but in a drainage we felt would give us a chance based on the wind. As we started making our way towards him we found a spike bull and a young 3x3 feeding and stoppped to avoid spooking them and blowing everything out of the area. While waiting on them to clear I noticed the tops of what appeared to be another really nice bull feeding just below them in the oak brush. He raised his head and I knew immediately he was one I wanted to shoot.
We were on a high spot and he was across a wash just slightly higher than us feeding along totally unaware of our presence. Using my pack under ny bipods I was able to get in position and wait for a clear shot. 20 minutes seemed like 2hrs as we only got partial views and hard quartering angles as he fed along the hillside. Seeing a clearing ahead I ranged it hoping he would continue along his path and give me a shot. Sure enough he stepped out and I ranged him at just shy of 400yds. He was slightly quartering away giving me a really good look. I pressed the trigger and he dropped as if unplugged! I ran the bolt and watched him kick and attempt to lift his head for just a few seconds until he lay still and I knew it was done.
He started as a 5x6 but had broken off two of his eye guards, one on each side (we couldn't see it due to the brief intermittent views) making him a 4x5 but roughly a 290-300 class bull before the damage.
To make an already long story short, I was shooting the 200gr ELD-X behind 72gr of H4831SC doing a verified average of 3012fps. The shot was 392yds landing in the crease just behind the shoulder and a touch high probably 6" below the back line. As I mentioned earlier the bull dropped immediately on the shot and was done within just a few seconds. When we started breaking him down I paid particular attention to the bullet performance and found some interesting results.
Entry was caliber size with no exit but the lungs were absolute mush. The bullet caught a partial rib entering and didn't even bruise the interior of the offside rib cage. I'm certainly not complaining because I had a very dead elk without as much as a step but was shocked a bullet weighing 200 grains exploded so violently even at 400yds.
Soon as I can get pics from my phone to my iPad I'll add them here. Awesome hunt and an awesome animal! I'll be back every time I get the chance but I'll have the 215 Bergers or the Hammer's ready for the next one, it concerns me to think about the ELD if I'd have caught heavy bone.
I carried my 300WM that had been shooting lights out with the 215 Bergers. Sometime in the last couple of range trips it started acting goofy throwing 1 in 3 about an inch out of an otherwise 1/2 moa group. The outfitter told me shots range from 100-600yds and my ability to over think everything caused me to go back to the drawing board. I loaded up a handful of 200g ELD-X's I had previously managed to shoot really well. As luck would have it they picked up right where they left off and shot very consistent out to 1200yds. I recorded my dope and headed west hoping the ELD-X would hold up if I got the chance.
The first morning brought good weather and as soon as the sun started breaking we were finding elk in the lower areas still feeding. We found a really nice bull with 7 cows and decided to try and make a move. He was a little over a mile away but in a drainage we felt would give us a chance based on the wind. As we started making our way towards him we found a spike bull and a young 3x3 feeding and stoppped to avoid spooking them and blowing everything out of the area. While waiting on them to clear I noticed the tops of what appeared to be another really nice bull feeding just below them in the oak brush. He raised his head and I knew immediately he was one I wanted to shoot.
We were on a high spot and he was across a wash just slightly higher than us feeding along totally unaware of our presence. Using my pack under ny bipods I was able to get in position and wait for a clear shot. 20 minutes seemed like 2hrs as we only got partial views and hard quartering angles as he fed along the hillside. Seeing a clearing ahead I ranged it hoping he would continue along his path and give me a shot. Sure enough he stepped out and I ranged him at just shy of 400yds. He was slightly quartering away giving me a really good look. I pressed the trigger and he dropped as if unplugged! I ran the bolt and watched him kick and attempt to lift his head for just a few seconds until he lay still and I knew it was done.
He started as a 5x6 but had broken off two of his eye guards, one on each side (we couldn't see it due to the brief intermittent views) making him a 4x5 but roughly a 290-300 class bull before the damage.
To make an already long story short, I was shooting the 200gr ELD-X behind 72gr of H4831SC doing a verified average of 3012fps. The shot was 392yds landing in the crease just behind the shoulder and a touch high probably 6" below the back line. As I mentioned earlier the bull dropped immediately on the shot and was done within just a few seconds. When we started breaking him down I paid particular attention to the bullet performance and found some interesting results.
Entry was caliber size with no exit but the lungs were absolute mush. The bullet caught a partial rib entering and didn't even bruise the interior of the offside rib cage. I'm certainly not complaining because I had a very dead elk without as much as a step but was shocked a bullet weighing 200 grains exploded so violently even at 400yds.
Soon as I can get pics from my phone to my iPad I'll add them here. Awesome hunt and an awesome animal! I'll be back every time I get the chance but I'll have the 215 Bergers or the Hammer's ready for the next one, it concerns me to think about the ELD if I'd have caught heavy bone.
