any hornafy ELD-X results

[ccc23454]

Last weekend tried out the 162 eld-x's in my 1/10" twist 7mm wby and wow! Found a h4831 and h1000 loads that shot .5 moa. Out to 300 yards and that's as far as I could shot that weekend but after trying them they made me a believer in accuracy already. Anyone manage any on animal test with these bullets yet? Would like some real results if anyone has some, weight retention if recovered and damage to critter...

C

 

[cowboy]

Last weekend tried out the 162 eld-x's in my 1/10" twist 7mm wby and wow! Found a h4831 and h1000 loads that shot .5 moa. Out to 300 yards and that's as far as I could shot that weekend but after trying them they made me a believer in accuracy already. Anyone manage any on animal test with these bullets yet? Would like some real results if anyone has some, weight retention if recovered and damage to critter...Quote]

Glad to hear that. Wanted to try them, sent Hornady an email and their reply was the 162 gr needed a minimum of 1-9" twist.

 

[whiskeydog]

I've been shooting Berger for the past several years but am making the switch this year. Got a good load worked up for my 6.5x284. Due to the seasons, the animal to get the first test round will hopefully be a mountain goat!

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

im tryin them out in my 6.5 creedmoor,,,so far 3 shoot group at 100yrd all fit in a quarter,,,looks pretty good for a variable wind day,,probly could have done in a dime if it was calm,,,havnt been able to stretch them out and see how they do yet.

 

[mtmuley]

Davidson's at Gunwerks have used them on antelope. Not much of a test. Me, gonna take a Heck of a bullet to sway me from Accubonds. Not planning on loading any. mtmuley

 

[sbhooper]

Davidson's at Gunwerks have used them on antelope. Not much of a test. Me, gonna take a Heck of a bullet to sway me from Accubonds. Not planning on loading any. mtmuley

Agreed. Most of the ELD-X is marketing, it appears to me. Whatever floats your boat, I guess. That is why we have so many choices.

 

[Tufrthnails]

I'm waiting to hear on these as well as I shoot the SST which these are the answer to as I understand it the SST were/are fine out to the 500 yard area, but after that enough friction was built on the tip that is was melting the tips and causing erratic accuracy in some calibers. I have heard mixed results so far, but not enough from competent shooters first hand for me to make a decision one way or the other on buying some and testing for myself on my platform.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Davidson's at Gunwerks have used them on antelope. Not much of a test. Me, gonna take a Heck of a bullet to sway me from Accubonds. Not planning on loading any. mtmuley

They would have been much more interesting if they would have used the Interbond technology as the base, instead of the SST. The short time I was able to get Interbonds for my 7mm Rem, I was very impressed.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

The ELD-X is just an Amax round with an improved tip and an extra copper pedal to make for more controlled expansion than the Amax which was designed as a target bullet but worked pretty well for guys on game at longer ranges and lower impact velocities. The Amax was always the best ballistic coefficient round from Hornady and doesn't really have anything to do with SST which is a more conventional shape so as to not require a faster twist rate than stock as a lot of Amax loads did.

Here is a great example of 6mm bullets with (left to right) 75 gr v-max, 87 gr v-max, 80 gr TTSX, 100 gr Interlock and 105 gr Amax. Notice how much longer the Amax is than the other rounds with a constantly variable diameter. The bullets pictured except the Amax have BC's of .300 to .400 where as the Amax is .500.

The Amax has always been a favorite in the long range target crown because of it high BC and low cost. That's why any one who is into long range is using the Amax ELD-X. As far as using the ELD-X I would say I would not hesitate to use them if they caliber is midrange for the species like 6.5mm and 7mm for deer and I would consider the heavier 200gr+ 30 caliber ELD-X as adequate for elk. Another similar bullet would be the Accubond LR rather than conventional Bonded bullet designs.

I wouldn't really say the ELD-X is marketing hype, but rather filling a market role and improving the hunter performance of the Amax bullets while also gaining a little BC from more updated profiles.

 

[mtmuley]

I'm waiting to hear on these as well as I shoot the SST which these are the answer to as I understand it the SST were/are fine out to the 500 yard area, but after that enough friction was built on the tip that is was melting the tips and causing erratic accuracy in some calibers. I have heard mixed results so far, but not enough from competent shooters first hand for me to make a decision one way or the other on buying some and testing for myself on my platform.

I say tip melt is BS. Lots of current bullets, tipped or no, shoot itty bitty groups waaaaaaay out there. Tip melt is the last thing I'd worry about in a hunting bullet. mtmuley

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I was referring to Hornady's use of the Interlock ring (found in the SST) on the ELD-X vs an actual bonded core (found in the Interbond).

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I say tip melt is BS. Lots of current bullets, tipped or no, shoot itty bitty groups waaaaaaay out there. Tip melt is the last thing I'd worry about in a hunting bullet. mtmuley

Agreed, why didn't they just change the tip on the A-max, instead of creating the ELD Match? Seems like marketing designed to catch the wave of LR shooting. Especially considering the same company makes a bullet called the Z-max (specially designed for zombies)

 

[mtmuley]

I don't shoot much made by Hornady. My .222 loves the V-Max though. I think they are using the tip issue to sell a bullet to compete with the Accubond, a bullet that already does what Hornady claims the ELD will do. mtmuley

 

[7mm08mo]

I don't shoot much made by Hornady. My .222 loves the V-Max though. I think they are using the tip issue to sell a bullet to compete with the Accubond, a bullet that already does what Hornady claims the ELD will do. mtmuley

Amen keep telling it. We always gravitate to a shiny new toy.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

The accubond doesn't compete with the ELD-X on ballistic coefficient, the Accubond Longrange on the other hand does and has much bigger hollow section behind the ballistic tip to open up down to 1300 fps similar to the ELD-X. It doesn't mean the accubond isn't a good hunting bullet or no longer works, but it helps compare apples to apples. The accubond would be a much better bullet for non magnum cartridges on the elk than either the ELD-X or Accubond Long range because the bullet is less likely to break up, but you also won't see expansion below 1600-1800 fps.

Its pretty hard to call the ELD-X bullets a gimmick when half the guys at the last precision rifle match were shooting them or Amax loads.

 

[mtmuley]

Gimmick or not, the ELDX doesn't really have any benefit over anything availabe now. At least to the "average" hunter. mtmuley

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

Gimmick or not, the ELDX doesn't really have any benefit over anything availabe now. At least to the "average" hunter. mtmuley

I would argue its a pretty big benefit to be able to shoot the same ammo in a precision rifle match and hunt with it. Currently I have 2 loads a Barnes TTSX to hunt with and Amax loads for matches so there are definitely benefits.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I am not sure I have read anything that would make me want to shoot the ELD-X at an elk. Anytime I am promised that a product is good at everything, I start to question. I still wonder why they didn't bond the core.

 

[cowboy]

I still wonder why they didn't bond the core.

$$$ Cost to produce in mass quantities.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

I am not sure I have read anything that would make me want to shoot the ELD-X at an elk. Anytime I am promised that a product is good at everything, I start to question. I still wonder why they didn't bond the core.

I don't think the bonded the core because they wanted 2 stage expansion. If you look there is a lip halfway down to limit expansion and gain some weight retention. Not to nearly the extent of a Nosler partition where there are basically 2 cup and core sections, but there is a mechanical limit involved. To a certain extent "bonded" is a marketing term because bonded bullets can be made with plating, soldering or welding so just because a bullet is "bonded" it could mean a variety of manufacturing processes are used. Its like complaining something is put together with screws and not welded, but there are a lot of other design elements to consider too.