ELD-X Bullet Performance For Hunting?

[logguy]

I have reloaded 30 cal 178 grn, and have some 162 in 7mm factory
Both of these shoot very accurately, in both guns, but never used them to hunt.
My question , has anyone had experience on deer/elk sized game with these bullets. Penetration and weight retention, overall performance, do you still use them

Thanks

 

[two70]

The ELD-X is nothing more than a standard cup and core bullet designed to have a higher BC than other bullets of the same caliber. Penetration and weight retention will be on par with other cup and core bullets and bullets in those calibers and weights will be fine for deer sized game. Personally, if I were hunting bigger, tougher game like elk, I'd want a better bullet.

 

[42769vette]

The ELD-X is nothing more than a standard cup and core bullet designed to have a higher BC than other bullets of the same caliber. Penetration and weight retention will be on par with other cup and core bullets and bullets in those calibers and weights will be fine for deer sized game. Personally, if I were hunting bigger, tougher game like elk, I'd want a better bullet.

I use a 7mm 162 eldx for whitetail/mulies.

I'm sure it would kill an elk just fine, but if it were going for elk, I'd probably work up a load with Barnes ttsx bullets for some forgiveness.

 

[two70]

I use a 7mm 162 eldx for whitetail/mulies.

I'm sure it would kill an elk just fine, but if it were going for elk, I'd probably work up a load with Barnes ttsx bullets for some forgiveness.

A buddy of mine killed a mature bull nilgai with the 178 grain ELD-X from a 30-06 and it definitely killed the bull just fine but he was lucky he shot a bit high on the shoulder and it went nowhere. Nilgai are not quite as big as a mature bull elk but they are damn tough. If that bull had made it very far after the shot, finding it with only an entrance wound and a single damaged shoulder would have been very difficult. I'd go with a TTSX or good bonded bullet so that there was more likely to be an exit on animals that large and tough to hopefully avoid a nightmare tracking job.

 

[BackFromDC]

I did a few loads with 220gr EDL-X factory seconds. I liked them when toying around with suppressors, but hunting wise they didn't work better than lighter bullets or the Barnes I used before.