ELDX and exits.

[Canhunter35]

You found out what I've been preaching for years. I've been hunting long range for Coues deer for 28 years. Most of our rifle shots are 400-800 yards. We just hunted them again and three shots we had were 447, 568, and 742 yards all 156 gr 6.5 bullets all exited. In this niche hunting situation Berger's and ELDxs work great. I've seen a nice exit on a Coues from a 175gr 7mm ELDx from a 934 yard shot. If I am hunting where most shots are under 500 yards and likely much shorter I choose bonded, partition type or monolithic bullets. I think marketing has screwed with people's minds making them think the long range cup and core bullets are magic.

I agree. Didn't the market for bonded and monos begin because people weren't happy with cupncore bullets terminal performance? (Rhetorical question)
The Wheel just keeps turning lol

 

[WYO300RUM]

This is what I was looking for. It's also what I had a feeling the issue was. Looks like I'm going back to AB after this season. Most of our shots here in SC are at 150 or less.

Two totally differently build bullets . Basically bonded and not bonded . I've shot 8 deer and lope from 442 yds to 75 yards with ELDX. If you don't hit bone with ELDX you are good. It's soft. Better beyond 200 yds.

 

[X47guy]

140 eld m and a 130 VLD target are the cats meow when it comes to straight killing.

 

[Becket Tanner]

Wondering if anyone else out there has had an issue with Hornady ELDX bullets not exiting At a range where they should make a massive exit. yesterday were hunting with my niece, I shot a mature buck at 32 yards in a textbook placement scenario. The deer fell we're he stood, never standing again. Although I should be elated with the results, I was very disturbed by the fact that at over 2700 ft./s, there was no exit wound at less than 90 feet. My question is has anyone else had the same or similar results with an ELDX bullet? I have had this happened several times, only seeing an exit wound occasionally at distances between 150 and 300 yards on lung shots.

80 Yards, 6.5 CM, 143 ELD-X, 135 Lb. Hog, Shot in the Crease, what you see id the Exit Wound.

 

[Don A Parsons]

I was on the fence over the last 5 years between ELD-X or M's from my 30/06 and 6.5/06
178gr or 208gr 30 cal X and M's
143 or 147gr 6.5's in X and M's...

I split the difference and switched to Nosler Partitions,,, don't get me right or wrong... I would think that either of them would work with in my close range hunting...

The thing I'm up against is thick or thin skin,,, Elk,,, Moose,,, oodles of Deer,,, Black Bears...

The Partition will be my end game bullets... There not aero dynamic like the Hornady's,,, but l'm not that long distant shooter like others on this forum,,, in the hunting category that is...

Thx for the thread,,, I'll deffinatly follow along...

Cheers from the North

 

[Vol1975]

I honestly think this subject has been beaten to death 3 times over. Do your research and pick a bullet designed for the cartridge, distance and game you want to shoot. There is no perfect or "do everything" bullet.

My personal experience with the 143 ELD-X at ranges from 180-630 yards has been perfect with egg sized exit wounds on deer. None have gone more than 30 yards with heavy blood trails.

Agree.
Eld and Berger are made to dispense all of its energy into the animals. That's the basic design of the bullet. Plenty of other bullets to use to get pass thru.
Personally I like the Berger and eld in more open country where the game may be more easy to track. Now,
When I'm hunting Viet-kong thick stuff I like a bullet that will pass thru. Interlock, accubond, etc, etc.

I've personally seen 200 grain eld-x bullet not pass thru a 180 gr whitetail that was hit in the shoulder at 100 yard. Killed the deer but dang figured that hunk of lead would go thru the animal.
anyway plenty of options and what they will do.

 

[Idaho Hunter1]

Interesting read through the thread. So not to hijack the thread but why can't bonded bullets be constructed to get the ballistics of the ELDm/x and the retention of a Nosler? I've heard the ABLR is good but not as ideal for close in as a partition.

It would seem that would solve the OP's concerns as well as my own.

Thanks (in advance) to the OP (and forum) for allowing this question to be pondered here.

 

[elkaholic]

Interesting read through the thread. So not to hijack the thread but why can't bonded bullets be constructed to get the ballistics of the ELDm/x and the retention of a Nosler? I've heard the ABLR is good but not as ideal for close in as a partition.

It would seem that would solve the OP's concerns as well as my own.

Thanks (in advance) to the OP (and forum) for allowing this question to be pondered here.

Its called a Swift Scirocco and thats why they cost more

 

[X47guy]

Agree.
Eld and Berger are made to dispense all of its energy into the animals. That's the basic design of the bullet. Plenty of other bullets to use to get pass thru.
Personally I like the Berger and eld in more open country where the game may be more easy to track. Now,
When I'm hunting Viet-kong thick stuff I like a bullet that will pass thru. Interlock, accubond, etc, etc.

I've personally seen 200 grain eld-x bullet not pass thru a 180 gr whitetail that was hit in the shoulder at 100 yard. Killed the deer but dang figured that hunk of lead would go thru the animal.
anyway plenty of options and what they will do.

You sure you don't have that backwards?

I would much rather have a deer fall in its tracks next to a god awful SC lowcountry cut down because of a VLD exploding vs a pass thru where I've gotta track.

 

[Holycity73]

You sure you don't have that backwards?

I would much rather have a deer fall in its tracks next to a god awful SC lowcountry cut down because of a VLD exploding vs a pass thru where I've gotta track.

At dark, a blood trail comes in handy if he doesn't fall in place.
Besides, you got Titan...

 

[dfanonymous]

Always one guy that has to drop the "I'm tired of this subject" comment. I did my research, came up with a good choice only to be proven wrong by real world application. I don't take shots over 320 yards where I hunt. Even with over 30 deer taken with them and zero losses, the ELDX is not ideal.

I asked about exits. I never said I never had an exit, just quite a few didn't. I was asking about the experiences of others.
We are an online hunting community based on sharing personal experiences and knowledge, regardless of how the question is posed.
I'm going back to Accubonds after this season. Sorry if I bothered anyone who commented with my obviously amateur question.
Next time I'll simply ask @WildRose.

Thanks for all the input, photos and explanations. My theory as to why it happened was bolstered by y'all and confirmed today after a call to Hornady.

PS, I was first introduced to the ELDX at SHOT right before I began using them. It was pitched to me as a do all hunting bullet with great expansion at any range. So there's that.

I mean, technically it IS a do all bullet, as it killed your deer dead at 32 yards as much as it does mine at 600+.

Unfortunately it's (ELD-X) construction isn't designed to handle impact at that velocity so hence why it "blew up" but that doesn't make it any less lethal. The problem I see is that everyone seems to have a "requirement" as to what they believe is "suppose to happen" or is more lethal, like pass through vs energy dump (hydrostatic shock) and/or tissue shock.

I've noticed that people forget this is a long range shooting/hunting forum. It makes sense that the mass would be interested in a bullets performance at long range, which the eld and vld series provide. In this sense, it's reasonable to conclude that one persons hunting experience doesn't align with another's as far as the "requirements" are concerned and I usually trust that they as a hunter did the research that brought them to do what is best for their situation as nothing in guns, trucks, or people is universal.

 

[dfanonymous]

Proof of concept:
https://www.hornady.com/support/faq...not-bonded,-will-the-jacket-and-core-separate

 

[dfanonymous]

Interesting read through the thread. So not to hijack the thread but why can't bonded bullets be constructed to get the ballistics of the ELDm/x and the retention of a Nosler? I've heard the ABLR is good but not as ideal for close in as a partition.

It would seem that would solve the OP's concerns as well as my own.

Thanks (in advance) to the OP (and forum) for allowing this question to be pondered here.

The answer is in the bonding process. There are two things that really give a bullet a good BC...that's sectional density and form factor. If you can imagine the process of bonding or basically soldering the bullet to the jacket by heating up the lead core it would lead me to believe that there would be some complications to getting that form factor.

That being said, here's some supplemental info on Nosler ABLR's if bonded bullets matter that much to you.

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/nosler-lr-accubonds-bc-testing-results.137554/

 

[WildRose]

Always one guy that has to drop the "I'm tired of this subject" comment. I did my research, came up with a good choice only to be proven wrong by real world application. I don't take shots over 320 yards where I hunt. Even with over 30 deer taken with them and zero losses, the ELDX is not ideal.

I asked about exits. I never said I never had an exit, just quite a few didn't. I was asking about the experiences of others.
We are an online hunting community based on sharing personal experiences and knowledge, regardless of how the question is posed.
I'm going back to Accubonds after this season. Sorry if I bothered anyone who commented with my obviously amateur question.
Next time I'll simply ask @WildRose.

Thanks for all the input, photos and explanations. My theory as to why it happened was bolstered by y'all and confirmed today after a call to Hornady.

PS, I was first introduced to the ELDX at SHOT right before I began using them. It was pitched to me as a do all hunting bullet with great expansion at any range. So there's that.

I don't find them to be a great all range bullet but excellent beyond about 400yds. Too soft and too much expansion/meat loss to suit me with high velocity impacts.

Honestly if you get to shooting quality mono's like the Peregrine or better bonded bullets like the Hornady Interbond it's really hard for the others to measure up.

Yes no matter the bullet you name someone will say, "It failed for me on one deer, elk, antelope, etc" or "It worked perfect for me on my deer, elk, antelope etc" but talk to someone that's used X bullet on double digit numbers of game animals if you want an unbiased educated opinion.

Fifty people with one experience does not add up to the experience of one guy with 50 dead critters recovered and carefully examined under a variety of conditions.

Honestly I try not to even form an opinion until I've put at least a dozen animals on the ground with a given bullet.