Thread: ELD-Match for hunting?

243 driving the 108gr ELD-M at just over 3000. shot some small framed goats at 230mtr and it's probably a bit much for them. Bullet broke up and 1 had 2 separate exit wounds, 1 small from probably the base and the second well away was your typical large hole. On side on shots it looked like it was just coming apart as it exited. a larger animal would be better. For these animals I think my berger 87 gr vld hunting or even a 75gr hollow noise is more destructive.
Zane

Originally Posted by ZQLewis

243 driving the 108gr ELD-M at just over 3000. shot some small framed goats at 230mtr and it's probably a bit much for them. Bullet broke up and 1 had 2 separate exit wounds, 1 small from probably the base and the second well away was your typical large hole. On side on shots it looked like it was just coming apart as it exited. a larger animal would be better. For these animals I think my berger 87 gr vld hunting or even a 75gr hollow noise is more destructive.
Zane

Hey Zane, thank you for share. Couple questions:
Understanding we discussing how “deadly” these projectiles are(what I imagine was the thread created for) how far, if applicable, these goats went after the shot?
Was you shooting intending to harvest “all” the meat possible? If yes, how much of the meat you “lost”?

These questions are on the idea “people” want to use it as was the amax at its time, will the “M’s” substitute the “max’s”?

Cheers

Mac

Yes Mac they will 20something reds havnt argued

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Hi Mac,
About 230 mtr and I should not really have taken the shot as I had not zeroed then yet. Only done shots testing for pressure.
I was shooting for dog food. From 2 I took 3 legs each. And 1 I took the lot. One of the ones I just took legs from I had gut shot and things where covered in gut liquid. The other the off side shoulder was smashed up and had copper in it.
One dropped on the spot, One went 10 meters and the gut shoot one required a second shot to finish Had gut hanging out and blood in the mouth. Probably traveled 50 meters but just went back and forward on one terrace. Would bed down then would run a short distance when I approached.

As I noted they are not as destructive on these small animals as my 87 gr VLD Bergers. They looked to be over half way through before they started to come apart. The bergers would be coming apart as they existed the near side rib and both lungs would be destroyed.
I have had Red deer run 70 mtr in this condition. Fallow and goats tend to drop as the nerve block are taken out as well.
NB IF your shot is a little high you have a good chance of spinal damage dropping them on the spot as anything with 4" of the bullet is torn up.
Zane

Originally Posted by L.T

I have shot a couple more animals with the 225s. Not convinced, I shot a spiker at 135 yards. The shot is right in the boiler room, the animal managed to run over 200 yards, uphill, over a sheep fence. Not much fun trying to find it in the dark when it's absolutely bucketing down with rain.
A chamois may have got away also.
Hopefully a few more animals will isolate whether it's the projectile or not.
Exit wound was tennis ball sized.


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That's what I'm afraid of (exit wound being the size of a tennis ball). Did you waste much meat?

Originally Posted by Remington 5R .300 Win Mag

That's what I'm afraid of (exit wound being the size of a tennis ball). Did you waste much meat?

To be honest it’s probably pretty similar to my 7-08 as far as meat damage.
That deer had bone taint in the front end anyway because we couldn’t find it in the Manuka to the next day.
Thanks


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Originally Posted by L.T

To be honest it’s probably pretty similar to my 7-08 as far as meat damage.
That deer had bone taint in the front end anyway because we couldn’t find it in the Manuka to the next day.
Thanks


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Hmm, interesting. When I was looking for a 30 cal bullet to stop deer, when I was working up a load for my .300 Win Mag, a member on this forum (can't remember who it was) said Quote "try the .208 A-Max bullets, they'll punch 'fist sized' holes in deer out to 800 yards" Unquote! And by golly he was right, you shoot it in the front end, you can expect to walk out carrying only the rear end and and back steaks at best!

Now, from what I'm gathering most people seem to reckon the .225 ELD-M bullets are virtually a .225 grain version of the A-Max, only with a non melt tip?

The problem I'm faced with is, the .225 ELD-M's are one of the very few bullets that shoot ok in my new'ish' 30 cal rifle, .240 SMK's are another, however, the SMK's have the complete opposite effect and don't expand, therefore you get to acquire nearly 100% of the meat yield, yay! The negative to that is, sooner or later I'm gonna get one that's not hit so well, and he's gonna run to oblivion, and I'm never going to find him... one extreme to the other!

Originally Posted by Remington 5R .300 Win Mag

Hmm, interesting. When I was looking for a 30 cal bullet to stop deer, when I was working up a load for my .300 Win Mag, a member on this forum (can't remember who it was) said Quote "try the .208 A-Max bullets, they'll punch 'fist sized' holes in deer out to 800 yards" Unquote! And by golly he was right, you shoot it in the front end, you can expect to walk out carrying only the rear end and and back steaks at best!

Now, from what I'm gathering most people seem to reckon the .225 ELD-M bullets are virtually a .225 grain version of the A-Max, only with a non melt tip?

The problem I'm faced with is, the .225 ELD-M's are one of the very few bullets that shoot ok in my new'ish' 30 cal rifle, .240 SMK's are another, however, the SMK's have the complete opposite effect and don't expand, therefore you get to acquire nearly 100% of the meat yield, yay! The negative to that is, sooner or later I'm gonna get one that's not hit so well, and he's gonna run to oblivion, and I'm never going to find him... one extreme to the other!

Yeah, you are on the money there about the 208 Amax .

So far I haven’t seen the 225’s behaving like an Amax at all. Probably shot around half a dozen animals with that projectile. I haven’t used SMKs so am not sure. Tried them in a 270 and yeah, not much meat damage haha.

Have you tried the 215 Bergers? I am trying them in my Norma and it looks very promising so far, accuracy wise. Haven’t shot a deer with it. Little bit less recoil too.

As far as animals running away, it’s not much fun at all. That last deer above was my first really hard find, and I don’t want to do it again.

Thanks


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You'll find sst's work better closer and the eld's further out. ELD's are very fragile and designed to come apart to avoid 'rick -o-shey' hitting anything else once its hit the target. Bullet performance is usually only within certain velocity perameters, sierra used to publish the figures for their projeciles. While the match bullets may make nice groups and shoot well at long range, anything under 400m IMO use a standard hunting bullet and save the target ones for longer shots.

Originally Posted by L.T

Yeah, you are on the money there about the 208 Amax .

So far I haven’t seen the 225’s behaving like an Amax at all. Probably shot around half a dozen animals with that projectile. I haven’t used SMKs so am not sure. Tried them in a 270 and yeah, not much meat damage haha.

Have you tried the 215 Bergers? I am trying them in my Norma and it looks very promising so far, accuracy wise. Haven’t shot a deer with it. Little bit less recoil too.

As far as animals running away, it’s not much fun at all. That last deer above was my first really hard find, and I don’t want to do it again.

Thanks


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I ran the bergers shot 10 or so animals with them at different ranges, they all ran at least the 30 meters. Not an issue with the dog but could be a pain in the arse. They are fucking pricey too.

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Originally Posted by Cartman

I ran the bergers shot 10 or so animals with them at different ranges, they all ran at least the 30 meters. Not an issue with the dog but could be a pain in the arse. They are fucking pricey too.

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Yeah that’s not good,
What velocity were they at?



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Ive shot plenty close up with the 162 amax and the eld-m never had a blow up never had an animal get away. I shot a 180lb boar literally at the end of my barrel through the shield and shoulder blade the bullet performed well. The only thing I will say is they were running at 2950fps so not magnum speed then I chopped the barrel 6 inches so probably lost another 100-150fps.

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You'll find sst's work better closer and the eld's further out. ELD's are very fragile and designed to come apart to avoid 'rick -o-shey' hitting anything else once its hit the target. Bullet performance is usually only within certain velocity perameters, sierra used to publish the figures for their projeciles. While the match bullets may make nice groups and shoot well at long range, anything under 400m IMO use a standard hunting bullet and save the target ones for longer shots. Yes I do shoot a 7mm RM and a 338 RM, you just need to carry a few extra rounds as theres always time to swap out rounds for that long shot.

Originally Posted by L.T

Yeah that’s not good,
What velocity were they at?



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2920fps with 76 grains of 2225

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photos of another "successful" hunt… LOL, @Boaraxa will laugh at it…

fired 3 shots and completely missed the target big time till i figured out "I" was doing things wrong, aiming too high, by this time Boaraxa told me to let the "thing" be and go away… but actually the 2 stags stood there till i fired the "kill" shot… Not exactly but it was… bullet pencil behind the shoulder and the deer still stood there like "what has just happened??? I feel "funny"", Boaraxa ask me if he should fire another shot because i was "out", i empty my ,magazine, LOL… so he put a 165gr 308 caliber nosler ballistic tip and the thing went down on its track.
Further examination show that my hit was perfect and it would be dead within seconds from when i shot but i don't care, the next shot fulfil the "faith"…
Thank you once again Boaraxa for another successful hunt…