Eld-x out of stock

[Morrey]

I can't find any Eld-x 30 cal 178 gr bullets so I need to make a substitution til I can find some for my .30-06. I called Hornady and the rep and I discussed my dilemma. He likes their interlock bullet, but he says if I can find the interbond 165's, I will be happy. Albeit pretty expensive, I did find some and put them on hold. Are these worth the expense ($58) per hundred and the effort to try them out? I don't like exposed lead tips, so is this polmer tip interbond a decent round for hunting deer and hogs?

 

[horsey300]

Go for the nosler accubond for similar construction, Interbond, eld x, accubond, barnes, etip, should all work. If it weren't for your lead tip restriction, the partitions out of a 30-06 would do both animals in nicely. If you use the Barnes types, you can use lower weights to greater effect.

 

[LoonWulf]

Interbonds will work just fine for deer and hogs, usually shoot pretty good too.

Unless your launching stuff at ludicrous speed, you should be well served with any of the normal "tipped" bullets as well. I normaly use 165s in my standard 30s, for deer and pigs. If you want more penetration then id go to 180s.

If you do go premium or super premium, like Horsey said, you can go down in weight also.

All depends on what you want.

 

[horsey300]

At your price the only things close to that price would be a really small Barnes or accubond and of course ballistic tips are cheaper but idk about them on hogs unless you have a lower impact velocity and avoid big bones?............only plus is, with other brands they're a box of 50 and <35 on average so if you don't like em there will be less of em

 

[LoonWulf]

Ive shot some pretty big stuff (200lbs piggys) with the 180 balistics going for shoulders or behind, they hold together pretty well at 06 velocities....the 165s usually go clean thru our axis deer but they only weight about 120lbs, and have relatively light bones.

 

[horsey300]

You can get btips for 20/50

 

[Orcon]

I honestly don't understand your reservation about lead tips. The interlock is a pretty good bullet and at half the price of the competition. You could load 180 SST for it has a plastic tip and load data is nearly interchangeable. If you want to go the NBT route I'd suggest the 180 gr but they are just so damned expensive and don't seem to kill anything more dead.

Why not move up to the 200 grain ELD-X? They are a plenty and the venerable 30-06 is more than capable of pushing them at acceptable velocities for engaging critters to more than 500 yards and paper out past 1000 yards.

 

[jmr40]

The ELD-X in all bullet weights are quick expanding and don't give lot of penetration. They behave on game much like the Hornady SST's or Nosler Ballistic tips. Either of those in 180 gr would be the closest comparable bullet. The ELD-X bullet has slightly better BC's to maintain speeds at distance.

The interbonds are a tough, slow expanding bullet meant for tough, larger game where deep penetration is needed. You can often get by with a lighter bullet and still get good penetration.

The interlocks are a traditional cup and core bullet that works just fine. Just stay with bullet weights traditionally seen as acceptable for the game. They are not the most aerodynamic and lose speed and energy quickly and are not the best bullet for long range work. But they are cheap. Most all of the bullet makers make something similar. Remington Corelockt for example.

I don't like exposed lead tips, so is this polmer tip interbond a decent round for hunting deer and hogs?

The exposed lead tip doesn't hurt anything but aerodynamics. The interbonds will maintain speed and energy at longer ranges. There is more to the bullets than the tip. On deer and small hogs you want quick expansion. The interlock, SST, ELD-X or Nosler Ballistic tip are better choices. The interbond would be a better option for moose, elk or large bear where deep penetration is needed on large game with shots taken at bad angles.

If I were choosing a single multi-purpose bullet it would be Nosler Accubond. They are a bonded bullet that expands well at slow speeds and still stays together to give good penetration. They are quite aerodynamic and perform well at close or long ranges.

Are these worth the expense ($58) per hundred and the effort to try them out?

This is the way I look at it. The money I save buying 200 of the cheap bullets vs 200 premium bullets won't pay for even one tank of gas in my truck. Even at todays gas prices it would only pay for about 2/3 of a tank. That is less than 500 miles of driving. 200 bullets will last me several hunting seasons. The cost of good bullets is simply not a factor long term

 

[Morrey]

Guys....thanks for the great tips and your feedback is what I asked for as I feel your opinions are important.

A bit of my situation: I hunt in SC where typical shots are 100-200 yards for feral hog and whitetail deer. The average animal that I typically harvest is 200 lbs. I may have the "occasional" 300-400 yard shot across a bean or cut corn field, but this a rare in comparison determined by the way our shooting stands are set-up.

I have a Cooper custom .30-06 rifle that affords me crazy good accuracy with tested hand loads. With ELD-X 178's and 56 gr of IMR4350, I am under half MOA. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think my chrony data shows this round at around 2800 fps.

I have had tremendous success harvesting game with this configuration. With hogs, I can pinpoint my shot directly behind the ear and it is a matter of a quick kill....but this .5MOA is critical in my success with a shot like this. Two inches off and the hog wanders off in the woods for me to search for. Thusly, I feel expansion is very important, but accuracy is extremely critical. I don't think I would risk using match bullets to hunt with, but you get my meaning.

JMR40 gave me some good reviews on bullet performance, expansion and weight retention. It is possible the Hornady Interbond is not my most effective bullet. With the usage I have outlined, does this change the way I should look for an ELD-X substitute? As pointed out, maybe the ELD-X 200 gr?

 

[Nature Boy]

I'm doing hunting load development right now for my .30-06 and finding really good accuracy with the Hornady SSTs and Nosler BTs in 150g using 60.5g of RL19.

On the heavier side I'm sill working on a load with Berger 168g Classic Hunters and IMR4350 but haven't gotten the consistency where I'd like it yet. Things are tightening up the closer I get to max load so tomorrow I'll know if I can get these to shoot.

I also have some RL22 to try with 180g Nosler BTs, but honestly the West Texas deer I'm hunting don't need that much medicine.

Lastly Morrey, I feel like you and I are probably in the same vein regarding the accuracy expectations. I've already gone past the acceptable hunting level "MOA of paper plate" and am chasing target level accuracy. Some may question why. My answer is "because I can and It's fun" Plus, practice, confidence and familiarity always come in handy at the moment of truth when that monster steps out and buck fever kicks in

 

[LoonWulf]

Actually in my experience, not really. Pretty much any of the bullets listed, including the open tip cup n cores, have a very good accuracy potential. Nothing wrong with trying tye heavier eldx. You can get all the velocity you need for it from your rifle, and they should be quite the hammers.

Ive actually switched to using heavy for cal Amax bullets in my 7mags, and .300s. Performance has so far been stellar for me, but acceptable shot presentation becomes some what more limited.
If your willing to wait for a behimd the ear shot tho, they might be another good option.

 

[Weflyfast]

ELD bullets shoot great but even Hornady will admit you will not see any performance increase until past 400 yards. Nosler accustomed shooting identical to the ELDs in three of my rifles out to 450 yards.

 

[Weflyfast]

Accubond shoot......