Hornady 143 grain ELD-X

[jimbires]

I shot these from 20 yards . these are quickload velocities . all three bullets spit out the lead core . I'll give inches of penetration , since I was using all different sizes of jugs .


2806FPS ,
made it into the jug that measured 18 - 22 inches of penetration . did not dimple the back of that jug . jacket Dia .543 , lead core Dia .390 , two pieces weighed 72.40 grain




2317 FPS ,
the core made it into the jug that would be 15 1/2 - 19 inches . the jacket made it into the jug that would be 11 1/2 - 15 1/2 inches . the jacket Dia .570 , the core Dia .419 . the two pieces weighed 105.64 grain




1803 FPS ,
the two bigger pieces made it into the jug that would be 12 - 16 inches of penetration . the two small shards were in the jug that would be 9 - 12 inches . jacket Dia .508 . core size is .480 x .375 total weight of all pieces 123.40 grain , weight of the two shards 11.52 grain .

 

[jimbires]

same bullet tested on another forum .

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/ ... st-168162/

 

[nvbroncrider]

Wow that lock is a joke

 

[Dwh7271]

Nice job Jim.
They may be terrific target bullets but not impressed as far as potential integrity on game.

 

[gerry]

It looks to be about the same as the SST, we recovered a 6.5mm 140 gr SST from a deer and it looks like the ones from your test. The positive is they open up well and will kill deer sized game but like was mentioned I wish the Interlock ring was designed better so it would retain it's core better. Hope Hornady tweaks the design, can't imagine they won't try to improve it.

 

[DrMike]

I'm certain Hornady will tweak the design as they gather more information from hunters. For the moment, I believe Gerry is correct that it is performing much as an SST. The bullets work, but they tend toward being quite frangible.

 

[SJB358]

Cool results Jim. Seems like they have more integrity than a Berger sorta bullet but not a whole lot as compared to a true hunting Bullet. 18-20 will shoot through all but the biggest of deer so I wouldn't sweat that too much. It would interesting to put something hard like a cow femur in front of one just to see what they do with it.

 

[jimbires]

Cool results Jim. Seems like they have more integrity than a Berger sorta bullet but not a whole lot as compared to a true hunting Bullet. 18-20 will shoot through all but the biggest of deer so I wouldn't sweat that too much. It would interesting to put something hard like a cow femur in front of one just to see what they do with it.

yes , that would stress it some more .



did any of you guys look at the link I posted in the second reply ? I'm wondering why the difference in these tests ? his bullets stayed together better than mine . I've talked with the other guy a little in the past . he is very knowledgeable and a nice guy to talk to . I should send him a pm and get his take on this .

 

[SJB358]

Just looked at it Jim.

Wonder how much Bullet RPMs has to do with what the finished Bullet looks like? With hunting bullets that hold up you can really see how RPMs act on them. Not sure with plain old cup and cores since they tend to shred up pretty decent.

 

[bobnob]

Never been impressed with the alleged Interlock ring on the SST either. They don't work like a true Interlock soft point.

Having said that I do like SSTs as long as they're the heaviest available for calibre. ELDX might end up much the same.

 

[adccoyote428]

20 yards? These are not a bonded core bullet and are meant to expand down to 1,800 FPS so I would try another test at 100 -300 and see what kind of performance you get?

I know a guy that shot an elk in testing of these bullets past 900 and he was impressed with the performance of the ELD X

 

[sask boy]

Some people were really ripping the ABLRs stated they were not giving a true BC & that there was this guy who was doing a independent study for Hornady & the ELD-X. He supposedly helped them to design new tip that did not break down because of heat. I questioned how a independent guy could be hired by a bullet company and then give a unbiased report. I believe each bullet has its pros & cons :mrgreen:.
Anyways until I see a big difference between the ELD-X & the ABLRs I am sticking to the Noslers .

Blessings,
Dan

 

[SJB358]

Some people were really ripping the ABLRs stated they were not giving a true BC & that there was this guy who was doing a independent study for Hornady & the ELD-X. He supposedly helped them to design new tip that did not break down because of heat. I questioned how a independent guy could be hired by a bullet company and then give a unbiased report. I believe each bullet has its pros & cons :mrgreen:.
Anyways until I see a big difference between the ELD-X & the ABLRs I am sticking to the Noslers .

Blessings,
Dan

Same here buddy. Hornady makes good bullets but Nosler makes them for when it counts.

 

[jimbires]

20 yards? These are not a bonded core bullet and are meant to expand down to 1,800 FPS so I would try another test at 100 -300 and see what kind of performance you get?

I know a guy that shot an elk in testing of these bullets past 900 and he was impressed with the performance of the ELD X

yes , twenty yards . BUT I was using a very reduced load that gave 1803 FPS , and another that gave 2317FPS and a normal load that gave 2806 FPS . I'm not sure if distance would affect the bullets differently than just a reduced load ?? maybe I just have hard water .

 

[sask boy]

Thanks Jim, I don't need to be be convinced anymore :wink:. I am sticking with Nosler , one of the guys on a sask longrange site is complaining about the high cost of the bullets. I asked him if he worked out the price per bullet. I then mentioned that the bullet is the cheapest part of any hunt!!!

Blessings,
Dan

 

[jimbires]

Dan , I looked at a ballistic calculator before I played with quickload . the 2806 FPS is muzzle velocity , point blank . the 2317 FPS is about 350 yards . the 1803 FPS is about 750 yards . yes you are correct , the bullet is definitely the cheapest part of the hunt . I put a lot of bullets into targets last year , they were way cheaper than my hunt . practice , practice , practice ! HA

 

[super-7]

20 yards? These are not a bonded core bullet and are meant to expand down to 1,800 FPS so I would try another test at 100 -300 and see what kind of performance you get?

I know a guy that shot an elk in testing of these bullets past 900 and he was impressed with the performance of the ELD X

yes , twenty yards . BUT I was using a very reduced load that gave 1803 FPS , and another that gave 2317FPS and a normal load that gave 2806 FPS . I'm not sure if distance would affect the bullets differently than just a reduced load ?? maybe I just have hard water .

Ya I guess you need to fill your jugs right out of the water softner! :lol:

 

[jimbires]

20 yards? These are not a bonded core bullet and are meant to expand down to 1,800 FPS so I would try another test at 100 -300 and see what kind of performance you get?

I know a guy that shot an elk in testing of these bullets past 900 and he was impressed with the performance of the ELD X

yes , twenty yards . BUT I was using a very reduced load that gave 1803 FPS , and another that gave 2317FPS and a normal load that gave 2806 FPS . I'm not sure if distance would affect the bullets differently than just a reduced load ?? maybe I just have hard water .

Ya I guess you need to fill your jugs right out of the water softner! :lol:

that would be cheatin !

 

[Blkram]

Well, I finally shot the ELD-X for the first time today in my new 6.5 Creedmoor, and I have to say that the ammo seemed to shoot well, but paper punching never gives any idea on penetration or performance on game.

I think the important fact to remember, is to use the best tool for the job. For light-skinned, medium sized big game such as deer, black bear, sheep and caribou, I don't believe that I would hesitate to use this bullet, from what I see above. Placed in the proper place, it appears that this bullet will harvest game as intended. For elk, moose, bison, mountain goats and grizzly bears, I prefer cartridges with larger frontal area and more mass, with a tougher bullet. Not saying that this bullet in larger calibers won't work, I just have better tools for those jobs, and have total faith in the Accubonds!

 

[jmad_81]

I got a chance to play with these in my 6.5 SAUM this fall. I was having a hard time with the 142 ABLR or the VLD getting them to shoot how I wanted. I picked up a box of these to see what they would do. They shoot very well and were very easy to get them shooting into .25" groups in my 24" light 6.5 SAUM and my 26" heavy 6.5 SAUM.

I was able to have my heavy 6.5 take 3 bucks this year in Oregon.

The first buck was shot up hill and 680 yards. Hit 1/3 of the way up the shoulder. Took the top of the heart off, broke the near shoulder, punched through the offside shoulder and exited. Buck ran 20 yards and piled up.

Second buck was standing broadside at 360 yards. High shoulder shot dropped him in his tracks.

The third buck (mine) was ranged at 340 yards. As I got set up he took off across the field and stopped on the far side. I held for 400. He was quartering a little more than I thought. I hit the top of the near shoulder and it went out the left side of his neck on the off side. Dropping him in his tracks.

All in all, I was impressed with the performance. Blood shot was not bad at all, even for all the shoulder shooting. All the bullets exited, and left me with my favorite type of tracking job.

I'll be heading to Idaho next week with the light 6.5 SAUM and the 143 ELDX cooking along at 3065 fps. If we don't get snowed out I hope to have another report on performance.