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New ELD-X and ELD Match Bullets from Hornady Manufacturing!

ELD-X and ELD Match Bullets Just Announced from Hornady Manufacturing! Through the use of Doppler technology, Hornady Manufacturing stumbled upon a very subtle anomaly with their bullets at high velocities. Through this discovery, they birthed two new bullets that will ensure the satisfaction of shooters, and hunters the world over. Introducing the ELD-X (Extremely Low Drag – eXpanded) and the ELD Match Bullets from Hornady. Read on below for more info, technical specs, and a great video from Hornady about their amazing discovery, and how it was put to great use.

  

ELD-X and Hunting: 

ELD-X Bullets Offered-
The ELD-X™ bullet is a technologically advanced, match accurate, ALL-RANGE hunting bullet featuring highest-in-class ballistic coefficients and consistent, controlled expansion at ALL practical hunting distances. – Hornady 
Click Here to learn more about what sets ELD-X Bullets apart from the rest! 

  • 6.5mm ELD-X
  • .264 Diameter
  • 143 Grains

 

  • 7mm ELD-X
  • .284 Diameter
  • 162 Grains

 

  • 7mm ELD-X
  • .284 Diameter
  • 175 Grains

 

  • 30 Caliber ELD-X
  • .308 Diameter
  • 178 Grains

 

  • 30 Caliber ELD-X
  • .308 Diameter
  • 200 Grains

 

  • 30 Caliber ELD-X
  • .308 Diameter
  • 212 Grains

 

  • 30 Caliber ELD-X
  • .308 Diameter
  • 220 Grains

 

The Beginning 
In 2012, Hornady engineers were tasked with creating a new bullet. The main goal was to have a hunting bullet that worked well at all practical distances. Plenty of bullets work well from 0-400 yards, few work well beyond that and none work well at both conventional and extended range. While “extended range” means different things to different people, and taking game at longer distances is a debated topic, there’s a growing segment of hunters who are using technological advances in electronics, optics, rifles and ammunition to extend their range. What’s been lacking has been projectiles that offer the accuracy AND terminal performance appropriate for extended range hunting. A common trend has been to use match bullets at extended range because they have thinner copper-jackets that are perceived to expand easier at distance when the bullet has shed a lot of velocity.

Creating a bullet that performs well at extended range would have been relatively easy. In true Hornady fashion, there was no interest in doing what was easy. The decision was to make an “all range” bullet that performs at both conventional (0-400 yards) and extended (400+) range.

Crucial ingredients were identified and deemed necessary for an all range hunting bullet:

Match accurate: The bullet had to have the accuracy and consistency of a match bullet. This means a balanced bullet that has a precision swaged lead core and a jacket with the utmost concentricity.

High Ballistic Coefficients: The more aerodynamic the bullet, the more velocity and energy it carries down range. It also will suffer less wind drift and drop than a bullet of lesser aerodynamic design.

Performance and expansion across the full velocity spectrum: This bullet had to have controlled expansion at both conventional and extended range. Simply having a bullet that will tumble, yaw, blow up or pencil through is not acceptable. The bullet had to expand/mushroom at extended range (low velocity) and not over-expand or blow up at conventional (high velocity) range.

 

Michael Sabbeth

Michael G. Sabbeth is a lawyer in Denver, Colorado. He lectures on ethics and rhetoric. He has written the book “The Good, The Bad and The Difference: How to Talk with Children About Values.” & is now working on a book titled “No More Apologizing! Arguments to Defend and Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports.”