WANTED: Hornady 6.5 CM in 147 gr. expanding (ELD-X)

[Litehiker]

Hornady makes the very accurate 143 gr. ELD-X for hunting and the 147 gr. ELD-M for competition.

A 147 gr. expanding bullet would be nice for hunting with 6.5 Creedmoor on up, including the new 6.5 PRC and 6.5/284.

The 147 gr. ELD-M is great in wind and just enough heavier that it would work well in the 6.5 CM on bull elk within 400 - 500 yards.

A boy can dream...

Eric B.

 

[BEEMAN]

Maybe look into the 150 gr Matrix. Shot great out of my 6.5 Sherman.

 

[elkaholic]

Hornady makes the very accurate 143 gr. ELD-X for hunting and the 147 gr. ELD-M for competition.

A 147 gr. expanding bullet would be nice for hunting with 6.5 Creedmoor on up, including the new 6.5 PRC and 6.5/284.

The 147 gr. ELD-M is great in wind and just enough heavier that it would work well in the 6.5 CM on bull elk within 400 - 500 yards.

A boy can dream...

Eric B.

Killed a moose at 906 with a 150 Matrix in the 6.5 Sherman Shortmag.

 

[Barrelnut]

The 155 Gr. Berger will be interesting, If they take a notion to ever bring them to market, seeing how they can't even put 140s on the shelf now.

But the Sierra 150 MK starting out at 713 BC is a few notches higher than the 147 ELD-M starting at 697 BC. Haven't heard a report of anyone shooting something with the 150 MK though. Maybe they will make a GameChanger version of it at some point.

Or just load up some 150 Matrix. They sure seem to work for elkaholic!

 

[Litehiker]

OK BEEMAN, I'll look at the 150 gr. Matrix bullets. I hope my rifle's 1:8 twist can stabilize it. Thanks for the tip.

Barrelnut, I think the 155 gr. Berger may be pushing it a bit too far with my 1:8 twist. Probably a 1:7.5 twist would be better for that round.

Eric B.

 

[codyadams]

The Berger is actually going to be a 156, not that it matters much, still wondering when we're going to see it....

I have the 147's loaded up in my .260 AI and a .264 Win Mag, and plan on testing them out on pronghorn, deer, and elk this year. Everything I have seen shows good terminal performance.

It would be very hard to make the 147 into an eld-x, reason being is externally, the 147 and 143 are VERY similar, but the 147 doesn't have the tapered jacket, but instead has approximately the same jacket thickness throughout, and by having a bullet of nearly the same external dimensions, but denser (more lead vs. Copper) it raises the bc of the bullet. Same concept of having a bullet that was filled with a material heavier than lead, without changing any other aspects of the bullet, would significantly raise the bc, while creating a heavier denser bullet.

In other words, to make a 147 eld-x, it would be a completely different bullet from the 147 eld-m in external dimensions, longer either in bearing surface or overall length, or have a profile that would create a lower bc.

 

[elkaholic]

You won't have ANY trouble stabilizing the 150 Matrix! The length of the bullet has more to do with b c than the weight and the Matrix isn't that long.

 

[Litehiker]

Looking at the Matrix online catalog I see the match bullets are actually 152 grains but 2 grains won't make any difference. If you say 150 gr. is fine then 152 gr. should be good as well. That's almost 10 grains heavier than the Hornady 143 gr. ELD-X. I'm getting some Matrix bullets to try. Maybe they will group when I find the right load and COAL. They certainly will do well in the wind.

Eric B.

UPDATE: OK guys, so the Hornady 147 gr. ELD-M works on deer-sized game. GOOD!
I'll shoot it against my 143 gr. ELD-X and see how it groups in my Ruger Amer.Predator hunting rifle. I've only used the 147 gr.ELD-M in my Ruger Precision Rifle for competition.Very good in winds and groups very well from that barrel.

 

[elkaholic]

I don't know if the 152 is a good hunting bullet or not?

 

[joshf303]

Hornady makes the very accurate 143 gr. ELD-X for hunting and the 147 gr. ELD-M for competition.

A 147 gr. expanding bullet would be nice for hunting with 6.5 Creedmoor on up, including the new 6.5 PRC and 6.5/284.

The 147 gr. ELD-M is great in wind and just enough heavier that it would work well in the 6.5 CM on bull elk within 400 - 500 yards.

A boy can dream...

Eric B.

I've used the 147s at sane velocities (ie 6.5 CM, 260, 6.5 SAUM) a bunch on game and haven't had anything spook me yet.

 

[Canhunter35]

As far as I can tell the 147 is the 143 without the interlock and thickened jacket at the base. Just use the 147 for hunting

 

[M Jager]

As others have said, just use the 147 if it shoots in your rifle. I took two deer last year and I wouldn't hesitate to crack an elk with one. Yes, I would avoid trying punch a shoulder at close range or hard quartering shots on elk.

 

[Shawn Carverelli]

Hornady makes the very accurate 143 gr. ELD-X for hunting and the 147 gr. ELD-M for competition.

A 147 gr. expanding bullet would be nice for hunting with 6.5 Creedmoor on up, including the new 6.5 PRC and 6.5/284.

The 147 gr. ELD-M is great in wind and just enough heavier that it would work well in the 6.5 CM on bull elk within 400 - 500 yards.

A boy can dream...

Eric B.

4 gr difference in bullet weight won't make a tinkers dam IMHO. I'd opt for the tougher bullet- 143 gr eld-x, especially for elk.
better yet...get a bigger caliber.
My minimum elk gun is a 7 mag. 300 mag preferably. Yes, a .243 win will kill one...in time, but I'm not into chasing them all over the countryside.
At the very least I'd use a well constructed hunting bullet

 

[lancetkenyon]

I bet after 3.5 years, the OP has figured something out.