Shot my elk last fall with the 200grain eldx. at 200 yards, center of the ribs, with 300 wsm. dropped in its tracks, BUT, it was blood shot from back of the ribs most of the way up the neck,shoulder and fragments in the guts ,made a real mess of it , lost 20% of the meat, I'm done with them! Have taken elk with 212 grain in 300 win. at 350 yards, it was ok.
ELDX Performance on elk
- Thread starter Longcruise
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500mag_guy
Well-Known Member
That's nuts that it destroyed all the meat like that without even being hit in the shoulder. I've seen many times where it appears to be blood shot but once you clean it up you realize it's just the little bit on the surface.
JBarton
Well-Known Member
Here is the exit wound on my elk shooting 220gr ELDX at 2858fps. Shot at 581yrds. Pic with hand is the exit wound. It's amazing how tought these animals are. I knocked it on its butt and it still got up and ran about 50 yards into the timber.
entry wound .
I'm a fan of the accubonds as well but the way I'm set up the weight of the eldx are just right.
entry wound .I'm a fan of the accubonds as well but the way I'm set up the weight of the eldx are just right.
JBarton
Well-Known Member
Just for reference here is my brother's goat from last year. 26 nosler shooting factory 140gr accubonds at 420 yards. Pretty brutal exit wound. I've had great luck with both the accubonds and eldx bullets. They both have performed well and at all ranges. I do make sure I am pushing a minimum of 1000ft-lbs of energy at target also. Anything below that is a no go for me.
Longcruise
Well-Known Member
Yikes!!
That bull is an interesting color. Was it naturally that dark or just the photo? The antlers also look different. Any other photos of the bull your could share?
Up close I haven't had good luck with the ELDX holding together up close in 143gr 6.5. 1st 6.5 cm @ 2850 fps shot Pronghorn at 65yds bullet basically blew up, found only very small piece of jacket in offside hide, the rest had to be in stomach I guess he was quartering to me. He dropped in tracks so it did job. 2nd 6.5 PRC @3030 fps was WT @ 40yds same hit behind shoulder and dead right there, but bullet was gone the lead nowhere to be found large piece of jacket in hide of off shoulder. Had these hit shoulder blade or leg bone??? Everything I have shot over 200 yds has been great had exits and dead animals. Up close I make sure to stay off big bone with the 143gr the bigger bullets will probably do better. Up close as long as you stay off the bone it sure makes for some bang flops.
nicholasjohn
Well-Known Member
I have shot two deer so far with the 150-grain ELDX out of the Hornady factory load for the 280 Remington. One was a big blacktail at around 300 yards; the other a huge-bodied mule deer at 450. I recovered the bullets from both, which here hit in the forward ribcage. The bullets looked like what I would have expected to see from much closer-range hits. Only the shanks remained intact, and the nose portion of both bullets were gone. I have to wonder how they would have looked if I had shot these animals at 50 to 100 yards.
The inner construction of the bullet is supposed to prevent over-expansion, with that little ring of metal that's in there. I don't know whether that works or not. My buddy shot a moose in Newfoundland with a 300 magnum and the 200-grain ELDX. 100 yards, ribcage shots, and both bullets exited. Obviously they held together well enough to get full penetration. Maybe it's a matter of how long the shank is behind the frangible noses of the bullet. Heavy-for-caliber helps in this regard, with any cup & core design.
The inner construction of the bullet is supposed to prevent over-expansion, with that little ring of metal that's in there. I don't know whether that works or not. My buddy shot a moose in Newfoundland with a 300 magnum and the 200-grain ELDX. 100 yards, ribcage shots, and both bullets exited. Obviously they held together well enough to get full penetration. Maybe it's a matter of how long the shank is behind the frangible noses of the bullet. Heavy-for-caliber helps in this regard, with any cup & core design.
I shot my 5x5 at 110 yards with a 143 in 6.8x284. He took one step and tipped over.
Used a factory 143 gr. ELD-X on cow elk for the first time last season out of a 6.5 CM. MV was a bit under 2650 fps out of a 22" barrel.
The shot was tight in the crease and through both lungs at ~150 yards and a pass through. Elk went ~30 yards and piled up. Where I fill my cow tags shots are rarely more than 200 yards. This season I'm taking 'ol reliable - .30-06 with 180 gr. Partition handload at 2750 MV.
The shot was tight in the crease and through both lungs at ~150 yards and a pass through. Elk went ~30 yards and piled up. Where I fill my cow tags shots are rarely more than 200 yards. This season I'm taking 'ol reliable - .30-06 with 180 gr. Partition handload at 2750 MV.
Rflshootr
Well-Known Member
That must be one heck of a bullet.....it put that bulls head on backwards!
Have yet to have to fire a second shot with ELDX's in 175/7mm, and 200/.30 cal. 225y to 911y. All DRT. Antelope to elk. All bullets are a compromise. We all have factors in mind where we feel we are willing to concede some bullet performance. That said, In my experience, the ELDX is more fragile than others at closer ranges (or higher impact velocities). This trade off is for a lower terminal window; ie the 1700 fps stated by Hornady as their line in the sand where they feel it will still have measurable terminal performance. For me, acute impact angles and heavy bone are to be approached cautiously if at all With the ELDX. My opinion again is to find the most consistent and accurate load with whatever bullet weight I want to shoot, then use it knowing where I will have to place my bullet based on it's strengths and weaknesses.
I'm not much help but I have used the 162gr eldx in a 7mm rem mag under 100 yards on 2 fairly good sized deer and 1 at around 275 yards. The bullets took out Bone in all 3 and are 1.5 to 2" exit on all 3. I wouldn't have any problems using them on elk but I do not have any first hand experience with it
MZmoose
Well-Known Member
Don't use it on elk
