Hornady ELD-X

Anyone have any hunting experience with this bullet? Hard to argue the ballistics of the 143gr in 6.5 prc. However, lots of folks claiming that it falls apart pretty bad. Not to worried about whitetail but on something bigger could be a problem.

I have not pushed it at the speeds 6.5PRC will reach but it is the ideal hunting bullet in the PRC’s little brothers 260Rem, 6.5Swedemoor, and 6.5Kreedmire. Seems like Shaw said he wasn’t satisfied with the ELD-X performance on game from his 6.5PRC and switched to Accubonds for a tougher bullet.

I’ve hunted with factory 308 165(? I know in the 160-s) grain and have killed a few decent bucks with them. Only issue, none dropped where shot and left no blood trail. All three bucks were heart/lung shot, a couple does that did run were heart shot with no blood to trail; luckily the does were shot in a big ag field. The bucks I just lucked up walking trails and looking for running sign and found two of the three. Buzzards found the third buck. I for sure will not shoot the ELD-X again; accubond or Nosler I thinking.

The problem I had with them was pass throughs with a small exit hole. It killed the chit out of the 4 whitetails I shot with them. Had one DRT (175# buck), one made it 10 yards (100# doe), another 50 yards (187# buck) and another 70 yards (120# doe). No blood on the ground because of the small exit wounds. The DRT was a high shoulder shot and the exit hole on it still wasn’t any bigger than my finger. The other 3 were lung shots.

I’ve got a 140gr Nosler Accubond, a 142gr Nosler Long Range Accubond and a 120gr Barnes TTSX to try out. I’m thinking the LR Accubonds are going to be my whitetail go to.

They are ok but there are much better hunting bullets available.

Use them in the 308 everything I’ve shot they have not moved and all had exits , not the biggest holes but they were dead.

140 and 147 ELD-M have performed better on deer for me, than the ELD-X.... stuff dies, but it seems it’s a better elk or moose bullet, than for expanding a lot in smaller stuff.

If the ELD M bullets perform anything like the old AMAX bullets they will be awesome deer killers. Thankfully, Hornady still makes the .308 168 gr AMAX, and it drops deer in their tracks from my 308.

My daughter shot a a spike last season with eld-x out of a 7-08. Internal damage was very impressive but small exit with very little blood trail. Only went 30 yards or so though.

I’ve shot the 178 ELDX out of a 308 & 300 RUM and it preformed well in both

^ this

I’ve shot quite a few with eld-m and they’ve dropped dead all but once.
I’ve seen one hit in the boiler with an eld-x from a 30-06 and it ran a good ways.

That’s what the ELDM acts like at 6.5 CM velocities....I’ve shot through both shoulders at 30 yards, and broadside lung pocket shots to over 360, and all in between. All exited, and left tennis ball or bigger exits. None have taken a step. I shot one with the ELD-X at 350-ish, that staggered 50 yards into the River and gone. Deer was dead, just lost. Other than that, I’ve recovered all shot with the ELDX, but they all moved or had to be tracked.

No experience with 143g but the 200g are bad medicine for everything I've shot from 80-600 yards out of a 300wsm.

I stocked up on the 168 AMAX just in case Hornady discontinues them. Been waiting on good reports on the ELD M before I try them in a gun. I've tried the ELD X in a couple of guns but haven't tried them on game because I could not get good accuracy.

200 gr from an elk DRT at 618 yards. Quartering shot, after destroying lung and top of heart/aorta, stopped against skin in neck.

For maximum expansion it is hard to beat a SP with the correct powder. Too much powder and a hard tip the bullet could expand or expands only past 40-100 yards. Inside that range a shoulder shot may be best about middle ways up the body with ammo that will not fall apart. Not sure about that load, but modern firearms and new loads could have the same issue the 300 WBY had on dangerous game. Some of the bullets didn't expand enough inside 50 yards. In some cases a slower muzzle velocity does have it's advantages under 100 yards. Some interested reads out there and a lot of interesting new ammo.

Forgot, 80 something percent weight retention. Can't remember exactly.

I've never seen a blood trail like the several I've had with the precision hunter. Like someone just walked through the woods with a red water hose...

The only time I haven't had a good blood trail is when a doe jumped my shot. When the gun went off she was quartering away, and hit her in the back hip going in and the bullet was underneath the skin on the front shoulder of the opposite side. So basically a diagonal path across body from back hip to front shoulder.

Love all the information guys! Fortunately, thanks to my anonymous friend, I am actually able to load some stuff for my new 6.5 prc. However, I did get 2 boxes each of the eldx and eldm loads. I have 120gr ttsx bullets to play with as well. I should have something figured up by deer season. If any of you guys have a pet 6.5 prc load that you will share, let’s hear it! Just nothing that will split this nice new barrel I have here!

Around 59 grains of H1000 under 140 gr bullets.

Don't baby this round, it's designed to cook with high heat.

I found this unacceptable on a 90 lb doe at 360 yards, this is the entrance side on a behind the shoulder shot. She ran probably 30-40 yards. Bolt front shoulders were trashed. Shouldn’t happen because I knicked a rib bone. Got a bunch of 140gr Accubonds loads from Unknown Munitions now.

Sounds like the "majority" of us had the issue. My son killed a nice 7 point last year with his 6.5, and it probably only went 20 yards, but it didn't bleed a drop, and i wasn't really impressed the exit. BUT I've had stranger things happen with other deer I've shot with various calibers and ammo that have preformed well in the past, but then there's that one time lol. But seems like most of us are having the same experience with this round though. Every deer (all but one) My buddy shot at camp left the field with little to no blood trail...

Chris....was that an ELDX or ELDM?

I’ve seen that at under 75 yards with ELDMs, if hitting shoulders. I’ve never seen an ELDX (at Creedmoor velocities) open up anywhere near that much. I do avoid shooting shoulders with the ELDMs....but even then, they’ve all exited. They’re very destructive, but put low in the chest, I don’t lose any meat. It’s hard to have big exits or bang/flops and NOT be destructive. It’s hard to be less destructive and have good blood trails. I like accubonds and several other bullets, but my point with the ELDM at moderate velocities has always been that it’s overlooked as a good deer bullet.

I have had good luck with them out of my 270. I don't know about blood trail as they have never taken a step after the shot. One big doe at about 300 yards and a 9 point at around 250. I am patient and wait for very good shots though, probably cost me a couple nice bucks over the years.

They are too soft in my opinion for use on critters larger than deer. I had a similar experience to ChrisAU.

They are too soft for serious deer usage in my opinion from a 6.5 CM and no way i’d use them in a 6.5 PRC on shots under 300 yards.

I’d hate to see what would happen at close range on serious bone.

120# doe at 313 yards with a 6.5 CM, large hole on bottom is the entrance



Water jug testing at 38 yards from a 6.5 CM, 143 eldx vs 147 eldM, don’t remember which is which b/c they performed essentially the same.