Thread: 162gr eldx

I know there’s a hundred threads with load information with this etc but what are peoples real world experiences? I’ve had mixed results. The eldx seems to get reviews in other calibres but mixed in 7 rem mag. I have had several good kills even at closer ranges (30-200m). Other times I’ve lost animals that have been hit hard and found either fragments of bone or nothing at all. I was thinking it could be shot placement until this winter I shot a bull tahr at 400m. Was slightly quartering away and I hit him behind the front shoulder and into off side. Projectile preformed like a varmint round, huge damage on entry and found the copper jacket under the skin on the far side. The bull ran about 250m bedded down and expired after a few minutes. Shot a spiker recently 300m high shoulder bang flop. Found projectile under skin on opposite side almost completely separated, just a tiny bit of lead in bottom of the cup. Anyone else had similar results?

I haven't had them expand that rapidly. The performance you had at 300 on the spiker is exactly the performance I have had at 150, twice. Once on a fallow hind and the other on a larger red spike. Hit high in the shoulder, bang flop found the jacket under the skin on the off side.

I have shot a red hind at 320, placement was behind the shoulder, in the crease and the bullet passed through. Smoked everything inside but took probably 30 seconds to expire, didn't go anywhere.

Shot a fallow hind in the neck at about 40 and it nearly decapitated it.

Shot a chamois in late summer (very light skinned compared to a winter bull tahr) doe at 500 through both shoulders and exited, dropped on the spot...and then rolled way down a hill.

The performance I saw more often than not was the dropped on the spot and jacket under the skin on the offside, didn't seem to matter the range if you hit that shoulder.

Shot heaps with my old 7mm rem mag at 3000fps and never had a problem. Small sika to reds etc. Shot two big boars at about 100m that both had very solid shields on them and they did the business no worries. Never lost an animal. Only time I had them last longer then i’d like was on rear lung shots behind the shoulder and I just don’t like that shot for that reason in general anyway.

I have lost enough with 162 175 and 212 that I didn’t revisit them a friend is now pulling away from the 143 in 6.5-284 for the same reason was always pencil threws when they failed for me . To their credit iv also had my best kills with them

I switched to eldm. Stuck with the x’s for too long. Had multiple reds that needed 2 or three in the shoulder so realised I needed to shoot for the lungs only which sucks for scruby cross gully shots.

Frustrating thing also was never any blood either.

Had a few where I was certain of a miss. Shot again, Polaxing the deer and then finding both had been clean shots through the front legs.

I was shooting them under 2600fps mostly between 2-300m. My conclusion was they need a lot of speed.

Originally Posted by SPEARONZ

I switched to eldm. Stuck with the x’s for too long. Had multiple reds that needed 2 or three in the shoulder so realised I needed to shoot for the lungs only which sucks for scruby cross gully shots.

Frustrating thing also was never any blood either.

Had a few where I was certain of a miss. Shot again, Polaxing the deer and then finding both had been clean shots through the front legs.

I was shooting them under 2600fps mostly between 2-300m. My conclusion was they need a lot of speed.

That’s funny because all mine have being with magnums and I figured they needed to be going slower because long shots always seemed ok . I to found lack of blood very frustrating

They performed perfectly in my 270, so did the sst. Eld x stands for extreme low drag, they’re touted as hornadys long range hunting bullet, meant ti expand at low velocity, would have thought they’d explode up close. Sst is deadly in my rem mag, threw both shoulders and destroying top of lungs at 4-500m, bullet usually found against the skin on the far side. Couldn’t get the eld x to group in my rem mag so I never shot them at animals. A mate with a 270 is slaying from 100m to 600m with precision hunter with has a 145 grain eld x

162g ELD-X are terrible, as a good samaritan i'm prepared to dispose of any you send my way to save you the anguish

I’ve had some impressive kills with them too, seems to be inconsistent. I was thinking too fast at close range but surely it would be fine at 400m. I have never had a compete pass through. Shot on the tahr may have been a bit far back but I wasn’t prepared to hit the shoulder bone, leaves a very small acceptable target area with the high shoulder shot being the only reliable killer. Especially as it’s a long range projectile. I’m starting to think that x might stand for explosive.

For those that have gone away from them what have you replaced them with? I have some 160gr accubonds to load up and try get same poi. One load for 0-300 one for 300+. Only harder things with good bc seem to be federal edge tlr 155gr and Norma bondstrike 165gr, any experience with either of those on stags or tahr?

Originally Posted by DylRuss

For those that have gone away from them what have you replaced them with? I have some 160gr accubonds to load up and try get same poi. One load for 0-300 one for 300+. Only harder things with good bc seem to be federal edge tlr 155gr and Norma bondstrike 165gr, any experience with either of those on stags or tahr?

162 eldm and 168 Berger vld both exceptional vld a little hard for goats

I find they work very well - Pigs, Deer, Thar etc. Nothing fancy - just shoulder shots.

162 is plenty of weight for a 7mm projectile, if they are accurate in your rifle I’d keep using them.

They worked well for me, never lost an animal

Not ELDX but SST. Shot a 2 year old sika spiker yesterday at 250m with 7mmRM using 154g SST. Didn’t go right through. Have had that quite consistently as well and also find the lack of blood can make finding them tricky.

Would like to get the 162s going but can’t get them to group. Tried lots of seating depths. Trying a bit less powder next. Fingers crossed but not hopeful given that lots of people struggle with it. Am using 2225 because I can’t find any 2217.

my rem 700 lr hates em.