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.

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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.

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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?

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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?

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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.

Nephew uses them in his 7mm Mag and has had a very good run with them, I use them in my 300 win mag , 200 gr and no problems at all, shot a red hind last weekend at 25 yds straight through blood everywhere then got a solid Sambar stag at about 70 odd yards, straight through took about three steps and fell over. They work well in my 270 and 6.6 x55 as well. In my 7 mm REM I am using th Nosler 175 LRAB another good bullet.

I've had better luck with the ELD-M in my 7mm as opposed to the ELD-X.
The eld-m is the same projectile construction as the A-max, while the eld-x is the same as the sst.

I've almost run out of 160gr TMK so will be doing a new load for my 7mm creed and new 7mm rem mag with the 162 eld-m, very shortly

Will have to get out and have a couple more samples before I make up my mind. I’ve heard of a tikka not shooting the 162s very well. Started off with 154gr ssts we’re no good at close range. Shot a yearling front on at 20m and it ran off couldn’t find it, shot a spiker in the neck at 50m killed it but found the jacket on the outside of the fur on the near side. Other people have had great results with them though.

https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....61/index2.html

Bit of discussion here. I may not have been right in my initial interpretation of what was happening but plenty of mixed reviews on them.

Exactly what I was looking for. Will read it all tomorrow �� Sounds like they’re no good with speed.

https://hardyardshunting.co.nz/eld-x-review/

Another review with good results

This might be a bit controversial but I took a texas heart shot on a bull tahr at 10 yards with the 6.5 143gn ELDx. I took it due to the high sectional density of the 6.5mm bullets which equals high penetration. Still a bit of risk.
Anyway, it went the whole length of the animal and exited out of the neck, see pic. Made the animal cartwheel.
Attachment 213802

I would never use them again after too many wouldn't expand and just make a pencil wound on big reds.
The 7mm 162 eldm however was a good projectile when I used in the 7mm rem mag

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Originally Posted by Gkp

I would never use them again after too many wouldn't expand and just make a pencil wound on big reds.
The 7mm 162 eldm however was a good projectile when I used in the 7mm rem mag

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I'm reading this thread with interest as I'm running 162 gr A-Max but need to switch to another projectile at some stage but i have a couple hundred to get through first.

Interesting reading about the ELD-X but I've also read people get good results hunting with ELD-M including increased speed.

Anyone else using ELD-M for hunting?

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Originally Posted by Seventenths

I'm reading this thread with interest as I'm running 162 gr A-Max but need to switch to another projectile at some stage but i have a couple hundred to get through first.

Interesting reading about the ELD-X but I've also read people get good results hunting with ELD-M including increased speed.

Anyone else using ELD-M for hunting?

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My mates and I all use M’s we recon they kill well at all ranges


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Originally Posted by Seventenths

I'm reading this thread with interest as I'm running 162 gr A-Max but need to switch to another projectile at some stage but i have a couple hundred to get through first.

Interesting reading about the ELD-X but I've also read people get good results hunting with ELD-M including increased speed.

Anyone else using ELD-M for hunting?

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It's all I ended up using at all ranges in my 284. Smoked everything from 15m to 600m. Started at 2750. Didn't try to punch shoulders at close range and always had an exit with a big hole so plenty of blood to trail on a double lung.

Not a massive sample size but from the animals I've taken the 162 ELDX seems to be good at higher impact velocities but can pencil through at loner ranges as GKP mentioned. Even with some reasonably solid shoulder shots at lower velocities I still get animals making it further than I'd like before expiring.

2 recovered rounds. First 3 images from a Bull Thar (winter coat), impact velocity approx 2380fps in the shoulder, recovered under skin on offside.
Last 2 images from a mature red hind. Hit too far back (rear lung) so no large bones hit. Impact velocity approx 2000fps.

May be asking too much from the projectile but am going to look at using the ELD-m more for long range, especially when meat hunting targeting yearlings, hinds etc

Attachment 213883Attachment 213883Attachment 213884Attachment 213886Attachment 213887

Entry, hole where projectile was dug out on far side and recovered projectile. This was at 400m and MV was 2930fps

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Originally Posted by Seventenths

I'm reading this thread with interest as I'm running 162 gr A-Max but need to switch to another projectile at some stage but i have a couple hundred to get through first.

Interesting reading about the ELD-X but I've also read people get good results hunting with ELD-M including increased speed.

Anyone else using ELD-M for hunting?

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Likewise I am still running AMAXs at 3000ft/s have never had an issue with them. But only got a few hundred left, so will be interested in people's thoughts on a replacement. Leaning towards the ELD-Ms so far.

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Originally Posted by Seventenths

I'm reading this thread with interest as I'm running 162 gr A-Max but need to switch to another projectile at some stage but i have a couple hundred to get through first.

Interesting reading about the ELD-X but I've also read people get good results hunting with ELD-M including increased speed.

Anyone else using ELD-M for hunting?

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If you like the A max then you will like the Ms.
Pretty much the same pill

I have done a fair bit of shooting with both the 7mm 162 and the ELD-M in magnums

The 162 ELD-M is a great pill, I intended to use them in my 7mm saum but by pure accident got a 0.3 moa load going with the 168 lrab which has not let me down once. Must gave shot 60 to 70 deer with it so far from 30 to 670 yards.

The 180 ELD-M is more similar to the 168 lrab when used around the 3000fps/mv in my opinion.
Given that it has a bit more weight retention it has no problems at short range ie under 100 yards. At longer ranges its performance shines as its high BC in the 7mm keeps the fps up which helps cheat the wind and it is soft enough to expand at lower impact speed.

I certainly haven't shot a lot of deer with the eldx as it displayed such poor performance when used at Magnum speeds on the first few I ended up pulling all my hand loads and giving them away