Hornady ELD-M 123 gr. Black Box on Hogs #1

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Double Naught Spy
    Chieftain
    • Sep 2013
    • 2560

    Hornady ELD-M 123 gr. Black Box on Hogs #1

    Alright, finally got onto some hogs with the Hornady ELD-M Black Box ammo. Results were a bit bizarre. Had I stopped with the first hog, I would be quite excited about this ammo. It dropped a 240 lb boar with good penetration and a lot of organ damage (only going through 1 rib). On the 2nd recovered hog, results were more ambiguous. Shot #1 wounded the hog and slowed it down, but this was just a soft tissue grazing wound to the right hindquarter. Shot #2 into it seemed to enter from above and drop down alongside the neck and dropped the hog. As I was trying to shoot another hog, I spied the sow making her labored getaway. Shot #2 should have been hugely disruptive and apparently was not. I had a short wound track but could not find the bullet or that it had exited. Bizarre. Shot #3 was at about 130 yards and shattered the left scapula, took out 4" of rib, traversed the thoracic cavity hitting the centra of 2 thoracic vertebrae, breaking through a rib on the other side, before embedding itself in the opposite side scapula. All in all, shot #3 seemed to perform exceptionally well, more along the lines of what I would see from SST ammo.

    Kill a hog. Save the planet.
    My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange
  • tpepper70
    Unwashed
    • Jun 2017
    • 20

    #2
    What I've been waiting for. Thanks for the review.

    Comment

    • Kilco
      Chieftain
      • Jan 2016
      • 1201

      #3
      Loved the video, and like you, I was very impressed with the first shot. I'm hoping you will continue to use this ammo so you can make a fair comparison vs the 123 SST bullet.

      Whatever you find to work best will be my go to bullet for black bear/whitetail this fall, as these hogs seem to give an awesome representation of the bullets terminal performance. Real tough animals.

      Comment

      • VASCAR2
        Chieftain
        • Mar 2011
        • 6218

        #4
        I wonder if the bullet that did such little damage to the neck area and was not recovered could have ricocheted off. Once the bullet struck the hog the bullet became unstable and maybe skidded off the tissue. I've seen bullets take the path of least resistence a few times. This might explain why there was such little damage and you were unable to recover the projectile.

        Comment

        • Les
          Warrior
          • Oct 2016
          • 337

          #5
          I'll be following your experiences with this bullet. On the surface it doesn't sound promising. The SST on the other hand was quite effective for me on SW Ne. muleys albeit somewhat destructive.
          Nebraska Firearms Owners Association. https://nebraskafirearms.org/wp/

          Comment

          • Double Naught Spy
            Chieftain
            • Sep 2013
            • 2560

            #6
            Well, it is a small sample and not great shooting for the first 2 hits on the highly mobile sow. You gotta admit, her escape and evasion bobbing and weaving was rather impressive. She did not make for an easy target. So, I am not ready to throw in the towel yet for the ELD-M, but at the same time, I am not overwhelmed by its performance either.
            Kill a hog. Save the planet.
            My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

            Comment

            • rickt300
              Warrior
              • Jan 2017
              • 498

              #7
              I have got my AR Grendel up and running. It shoots nicely so far with just about anything. But for my brass I ordered 6 boxes of ELD Match and have 4 left using the first two boxes for sighting in and getting brass to reload. I am going out tonight to put some bait piles out and a couple of hog toys. Depending on weather I will be out sneaking up on them Sunday or Monday and I will use the ELD-M on a couple if the hogs offer themselves up as test material. The shots I get are usually 80 yards or so and standing almost still so I can mostly place my shots right where I want them. This being the neck or head typically. However since my freezer is still full I may just slam one into a high shoulder in the interest of science (bullet testing). My plan in the long run is to use the Hornady 129 grain SP but my bullets haven't arrived from Midway yet.

              Comment

              • paul foreman
                Bloodstained
                • Jun 2017
                • 26

                #8
                following this thread with much interest ...

                Comment

                • Double Naught Spy
                  Chieftain
                  • Sep 2013
                  • 2560

                  #9
                  Hey rickt300, definitely let us know what happens. I will be in Bosque County, TX tonight. It is a sweet deal. The landowner collects the hogs with a tractor on the following day which saves me from having to drag them out of the fields. The only problem is that I won't be doing any necropsy on these hogs unless I shoot them really close to the driveway through the property where I can get them out readily. He is happy with picking up whole hogs, not with picking up exploded hogs, lol.
                  Kill a hog. Save the planet.
                  My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

                  Comment

                  • rickt300
                    Warrior
                    • Jan 2017
                    • 498

                    #10
                    What do you use to make the clean cuts for your necropsies? I have killed a few deer just west of Lake Whitney in Bosque county, awesome country.

                    Comment

                    • Double Naught Spy
                      Chieftain
                      • Sep 2013
                      • 2560

                      #11
                      I am now using Morakniv knives. They are a Swedish company and I get the knives on Amazon for about $15. They come pretty sharp, but sharpen even better. What I really like are the florescent colors (easier to find in the dark) and the fact that it comes with a thick, polymer sheath that holds the knife safely. They are a bargain, as far as I am concerned. I don't know how well the knife carries in the sheath as I don't carry it on my belt, but often have it in a cargo pocket. Bottom line, good price, very functional product, works well for the task.
                      Kill a hog. Save the planet.
                      My videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

                      Comment

                      • Klem
                        Chieftain
                        • Aug 2013
                        • 3507

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Double Naught Spy View Post
                        I am now using Morakniv knives. They are a Swedish company and I get the knives on Amazon for about $15. They come pretty sharp, but sharpen even better. What I really like are the florescent colors (easier to find in the dark) and the fact that it comes with a thick, polymer sheath that holds the knife safely. They are a bargain, as far as I am concerned. I don't know how well the knife carries in the sheath as I don't carry it on my belt, but often have it in a cargo pocket. Bottom line, good price, very functional product, works well for the task.
                        Good choice...I know someone who swears by them. Has one in every place in the house and a bright orange handled one in the car. Reckons he doesn't spend much time sharpening them and doesn't care if he looses them (cheap). When hunting overseas treats them as disposable.

                        My favourite is by another Scandinavian company, Helle. The Dokka goes with me everywhere. More expensive and certainly not disposable. Beautiful silver birch handles and big enough for skinning/dressing. The laminated stainless holds an edge for a fair while. I carry butchers skinning and boning knives when hunting but the trusty Dokka is always in the pocket.

                        Knivar og bestikk laga i Norge av høg kvalitet - turkniv, jaktkniv, fiskekniv og bestikk laga av og for generasjonar!

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X