Thread: ELD-X - 308 - Bush Hunting

Originally Posted by Riflewalker

Good stuff for getting into them up close in the bush, not that easy!
I agree with the guys saying keep it simple and use soft points.
I shoot most my deer within 30m in the bush using dirty old 150 grain Core lokt soft points, and they certainly do the trick and are kind on the wallet.

I find I've got to always take an extra second to ensure I'm actually placing the shot, not rushing and just aiming for the general chest area.

Seriously one of the all time best rounds made would have accounted for crazy amounts of meat on the table accross nz let alone the world

Think balloon inside chest,between the legs/ shoulders down low and won't go far wrong.the advice fourty years ago on broadside animal was pick line of front leg and come up a third of the way through animal then fire.

The 178 ELDX is a good all round bullet in the 30 cal. I use them in my 3006 and they work a treat most times a good exit wound, in the 308 my nephew in Aussie is shooting a lot of pigs with no problems at all.
I load them in a mates 300 Win Mag at close to 3000 fps and he has shot a lot of animals near and far( longest so far 860 yds) and nothing has moved far from point of impact.
So by using them in 308, 3006; and 300 WM the velocity differences don’t seem to upset the performance to much, they are a very good bullet.

Yep. I wore out a 270 barrel solely using the 130gr Corelokt.

Performance wise on game its what I still judge every projectile I try by.

Good shit well done

My 308 shot this big yearling on Sunday evening thru the lower neck at 80 yds.Hornady 150gr ssts did the job,deer didn't know what hit it,all legs n steaks recovered.Zero yr 308 at 50yds with any shop ammo,you shouldn't miss in the bush with carefull aiming.

Hey,

I used Sellier & Bellot 180 grs SP with a round nose profile for a long time for this kind of stuff.
They worked to my linking.
Plain and simple.

But (at least for me) there is one other thing:
Do you hunt with dogs at those close ranges and in the brush?

After I saw two very good tracking dogs killed by shrapnel in recent years and from very odd angles in relation to the animal shot, I switched to lead-free non-fragmenting bullets.
By now there are plenty that work very well: Hornady CX, FOX Classic Hunter, Sako Powerhead Blade, RWS HIT... You name them...

Maybe just something to consider.
I would not have believed the stories if I would not have seen them...
Insane, where shrapnel, ricochets or parts of the jacket and core can go to, once they are let loose.

Cheers
Ben

Pretty sure I've got a box of 150 corlokts in the back of the safe. You can have em if you want to give em a try. No use to me haven't owned a 308 in ages.

Must be doing something right bro, that's a good effert for a new hunter

Eld x are a harder bullet, if going slow they have been known to pencil and not expand

My 2c
I have heard .308 ELD-X is a bit hard to shoot close range so an ELD-M is more suited. Personally I have found the Speer Impact to be a great short - mid range bullet.

Originally Posted by Oropi

My 2c
I have heard .308 ELD-X is a bit hard to shoot close range so an ELD-M is more suited. Personally I have found the Speer Impact to be a great short - mid range bullet.

Nah, they are a lr designed bullet, soft and should expand
readily. In cross section they look super similar to the eldm.

Theres been some talk about them behaving a little erratically, in some batches. rumors about some issues with the tips coming off in flight, causing a nose cavity crumple and pencilling.

Certainly behave like a soft bullet with everything I've shot with them

Watching a hornady podcast yesterday they mentioned the eldx opens much more gradually than the likes of a sst or interlock that rapidly expand to maximum in a few inches vs the eldx that expands more continuously as it penitrates.
So possibly a bit less drop em on the spot than a traditional cup and core.

Just thought I would do a follow up post for anyone interested.

So I've shot 3 animals (1 private fallow in bush, 2 public Kaimai bush reds) since this thread and implemented 2 changes:

1. Started shooting further forward and up a bit on the shoulder (based on the 'Hilar')
2. Swapped to 150gr Federal Blues

Couple of things I have noticed:

1. Federal Blues do wayyyyyy more damage than ELD-X's at close range no doubt about it. Good entry and exit wounds with plenty of blood for tracking. I've never had an exit with the ELD-X's in close range.
2. Hilar shot is deadly. Shot a nice Hind in the weekend at 15m ish, didn't go 5 meters then keeled over. Blood gurgling out of the exit wound.

Special thanks to Flyblown for sending me through some information which really helped with shot placement.

Yip definitely some bits of lung in bottom photo. Awesome result. If you want to try something different and happen to see some older Winchester 180 grn PowerPoint on shelf.you will not be unhappy with terminal performance.at bush ranges point of impact in both my .308s was so close to not matter.

Awesome news!