140 Eld-m for deer hunting

[Greasegun]

I know some folks here like this bullet in 6.5 creedmoor for deer hunting. Lets hear some success or failure stories. Im trying to get an idea of what ranges and velocities it is effective as a hunting bullet.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

It's been an amazing bullet for us at 2775-2885 fps range. Deers worst nightmare. Also shot a couple bears with it too. They didn't go anywhere

 

[Greasegun]

It's been an amazing bullet for us at 2775-2885 fps range. Deers worst nightmare. Also shot a couple bears with it too. They didn't go anywhere

Thanks. At what range have you shot deer with it?

 

[Carsyn.22]

I used it on a ~300 lb Manitoba whitetail buck, out of a 6.5 swede around 2315 fps mv 1-7.5 twist, thanks to member .308WIN helping find a load that shoots good.
Performance on game however left me less than impressed and I will try my best to use a different bullet this year. I too had read of people using them on deer so I figured a heavyish for caliber version at the mild velocity that my gun moves them should be fine for close range shots to the front half of a deer. I got a frontal shot at 60 yards through a few branches and aimed for the left lung to avoid the branches, that shot hit the left lung and put a hole in one chamber of the heart then exited mid ribs on the left side. the buck ran about 20 yards with no blood trail to stand behind a spruce tree where I saw his chin with body behind and shot again just under his chin, that shot broke his front shoulder and stopped in his rear leg bone which was also broken, needless to say he went down at the shot...Temp was around -32C with wind chill if that matters.
So you might say that this bullet performed great, excellent penetration and a dead deer.... however the wound path through the heart lungs was bullet diameter and the bloodshot lung material around the path was about 3/8 inch. In my experience that is dismal, thankfully the load is accurate so I could make good shots, I am convinced that if I had got a broadside lungs only hit that buck would have been alive for awhile maybe hours, probably would not have been able to find or finish him in the thick bush I was hunting.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

Thanks. At what range have you shot deer with it?

All close. 250 and in.

 

[Greasegun]

I used it on a ~300 lb Manitoba whitetail buck, out of a 6.5 swede around 2315 fps mv 1-7.5 twist, thanks to member .308WIN helping find a load that shoots good.
Performance on game however left me less than impressed and I will try my best to use a different bullet this year. I too had read of people using them on deer so I figured a heavyish for caliber version at the mild velocity that my gun moves them should be fine for close range shots to the front half of a deer. I got a frontal shot at 60 yards through a few branches and aimed for the left lung to avoid the branches, that shot hit the left lung and put a hole in one chamber of the heart then exited mid ribs on the left side. the buck ran about 20 yards with no blood trail to stand behind a spruce tree where I saw his chin with body behind and shot again just under his chin, that shot broke his front shoulder and stopped in his rear leg bone which was also broken, needless to say he went down at the shot...Temp was around -32C with wind chill if that matters.
So you might say that this bullet performed great, excellent penetration and a dead deer.... however the wound path through the heart lungs was bullet diameter and the bloodshot lung material around the path was about 3/8 inch. In my experience that is dismal, thankfully the load is accurate so I could make good shots, I am convinced that if I had got a broadside lungs only hit that buck would have been alive for awhile maybe hours, probably would not have been able to find or finish him in the thick bush I was hunting.

So what I make of this, is that it did not expand. Thanks for the detailed info, I appreciate it.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

Generally what we see is 6.5mm entry with a golf ball exit or no exit at all. Anything in its path is liquified

 

[Greasegun]

Generally what we see is 6.5mm entry with a golf ball exit or no exit at all. Anything in its path is liquified

That golfball size exit is what I like to see. I think your 6.5 creedmoor load would be traveling much faster than that 6.5 swede load (mentioned above mv 2315fps) even at 250 yards. So maybe the eld-m is less reliable beyond 400 yards, where velocity drops below 2300fps.

 

[TRG65]

I've never used the 140 ELD-M, but have loaded the 123 and 147 for my son in his rifle. He has taken 3 deer with 3 shots. The 123 was used for 2 doe and neither of them took more than a step that was 2017. Then 2019 he shot a buck with the 147, which ran about 50 yds, but didn't make it out of the field. The 123s were loaded with a muzzle velocity of 2770 and the 147 had a muzzle velocity of 2790. The buck and 1 doe were both a smidge over 200yds, and the 1 doe was about 130'ish. He's also gotten a couple groundhogs with the 147 load. I loaded a 143 load for him, but after shooting both loads, and shooting the 147 in a couple matches, he wanted to stick with the 147. I have 0 issues using the ELD-M series (any weight will work) in a 6.5 for deer/thin skin. The damage has been on par with what I've seen in the past from other "hunting" bullets from hunting bullet companies, and better than my experiences with hunting bullets from match bullet companies.

 

[Greasegun]

I've never used the 140 ELD-M, but have loaded the 123 and 147 for my son in his rifle. He has taken 3 deer with 3 shots. The 123 was used for 2 doe and neither of them took more than a step that was 2017. Then 2019 he shot a buck with the 147, which ran about 50 yds, but didn't make it out of the field. The 123s were loaded with a muzzle velocity of 2770 and the 147 had a muzzle velocity of 2790. The buck and 1 doe were both a smidge over 200, and the 1 doe was about 130'ish. He's also gotten a couple groundhogs with the 147 load. I loaded a 143 load for him, but after shooting both loads, and shooting the 147 in a couple matches, he wanted to stick with the 147. I have 0 issues using the ELD-M series (any weight will work) in a 6.5 for deer/thin skin. The damage has been on par with what I've seen in the past from other "hunting" bullets from hunting bullet companies, and better than my experiences with hunting bullets from match bullet companies.

Thanks for the reply. 2790fps on a 147, that in a creedmoor? thats fast

 

[Wilderness Blacktail]

Not the 140 but I had a 147 blow up on a neck shot deer at 20 yards. It didnt exit at all, small deer too. Killed the deer thankfully but I didnt like seeing that.
That CM load is 2880 in a 26.

and 2760 in a 22 I had. I also ran the 143 x at 2800 in the 22 but didnt get anything.

In case ur interested RL26 and H Superformance in those loads.

 

[TRG65]

Yes that's a 6.5 creedmoor. I could push it faster, but that was where the accuracy node came in. I'm using RL 16 for the powder and Lapua SRP brass with a CCI mil-spec primer. The 143 load is 2805 with Hornady brass and CCI BR LR primer, but with the same powder and charge. Some folks are using RL 26 to push 147s in the upper 28's and into the 29's from a Creedmoor. I tried RL26 in my 6.5 Addiction. The speed was 75-100fps faster than other powders, but only got acceptable accuracy and in the summer it seemed to be too temperamental, so I didn't pursue it in the Creedmoor. Now I have 3 and a part pounds waiting for a use.

The rifle is a Bergara BMP with a 24" barrel, but we put it in a KRG Bravo, added a Timney trigger (only a small improvement because of the heavy firing pin spring used by Bergara, but had it from a prize table and didn't need it for my rifles), and had the firing pin bushed by Gre-tan.

The 123 loads were with my wife's 6.5x47 that my son used before we got the Creedmoor.

 

[sea2summit]

Thanks. At what range have you shot deer with it?

At 25m a headshot was devastating with 130s at 2800.

283 yards got this double.

Missed a little high on the second shot...

There was some meat loss but overall I'm happy with them. These were ~90# deer and the bullet was at about ~2270 fps/1490 ft/#. Bullets did shatter all over, only recovered one tiny pice of lead no jackets from either deer. Exit side on uglier deer.

 

[duckhunter175]

Started with 140gr Amax now using 140 ELDM from 6.5x284 and 6.5cm..... also have used the 120gr ELDM and 130gr ELDM also in 6.5. Fantastic results on whitetail and hogs. Largest hog harvested was 175lbs (DRT, no exit)

Ran the 168gr Amax in a .308 for deer, blackbuck and red stag with no issues as well.

Ran the 73gr ELDM in a .223 for whitetail have had exits and no exits... all died (heart/lung shots) within 40 yards. Two smaller pigs with headshots as well.

Fully confident in the entire series of ELDM for hogs, deer and on up as you increase in cartridge and caliber.