Hornady's New Product Announcement - Extreme Low Drag (ELD) bullets

[Savage Shooter]

Hornady announced their new 6.5 bullets today, 143 Gr ELD-X Precision Hunter and 140 gr. ELD Match http://www.hornady.com/store/6.5-Cre...cision-Hunter/ and http://www.hornady.com/store/6.5-Cre...-gr-ELD-Match/

Unfortunately, the 140 gr. and 143 gr. are likely too long and too heavy to make the horde happy in our Grendels. But, I might have to give them a try in my 6.5 Creedmoor! No BCs listed for either bullet yet.

[cory]

400+ yards??? Why do they not post a minimum velocity?

[rabiddawg]

Savage, the link you provided shows this for the Hunter

Ballistic Coefficient (G1) .625
Ballistic Coefficient (G7) .315

Too long, too heavy is no problem. Just light up the "sneaky beacon"

[cory]

So if you do some digging, they show that the minimum velocity on game is 1600 fps. With only 2200fps MV, that's a capable hunting round out to 500 yards if the G7 BC holds.

[A.D.D. AR]

Hey- pretty cool stuff! thanks for posting.
They state that in their original design they discovered the plastic tips were melting in flight- makes me wonder about Amax and Vmax- but I've always had great luck with both of those- in different calibers.
Anyway- good for Hornady!- always coming out with new stuff- I will have to try them (in 260 rem for me) Too many bullets, too little time!

[Rainman]

Or depending on where you are in the lifecycle it may be too much time and too little money! I definately need to add a 1:7.5" or 1:8" upper to fill in for the bullet weights my 1:9" BHW does not cover to best advantage.

[Savage Shooter]

Savage, the link you provided shows this for the Hunter

Ballistic Coefficient (G1) .625
Ballistic Coefficient (G7) .315

Thanks, I think that I had looked at the Match version and it said "TBD" and I incorrectly assumed that it was not available for either.

So, assuming that the ELD MATCH has similar BCs, that compares to BCs (G1) of .607 and (G7) .311 for the Berger 140 gr. VLD Hybrid Target (with a non-plastic tip). The meplat on the Berger definitely won't be as consistent in shape as a plastic tip, but being copper, it would not have had the melting problem, either.

Since I have 1900 of the Berger Hybrids, I guess it will be a while before I get to shooting many of the Hornady's IF they actually prove superior.

[pdq5oh]

This is on the ELD Match bullet from Hornady's site. The tip is supposed to be a special high temp plastic to resist melting. The ballistic tips are much more consistent than hollow points from my experience. I can attest to the horribly inconsistent met plat on the Berger 130 gr Hybrids. Every bullet in the box I opened would need to be trimmed. Some much more than others.

Details:
Item Number 26331
Ballistic Coefficient (G1) .610
Ballistic Coefficient (G7) .305
Sectional Density .287
Quantity 100/Box
Price: $45.00

[Savage Shooter]

So, a lower slightly G7 than the Berger 140 Hybrid, but it should have much more consistent meplats than the Bergers or other HP designs. My 6.5 Creedmoor consistently shoots sub 0.4 MOA on a calm day with the Bergers, so if these truly are more consistent and you believe Hornady's claims that it translates to better accuracy (which in theory should be true, or a lot of guys are trimming meplats for nothing), these would be scary good long range bullets - and at a competitive price to the Bergers. Wonder when they will be in the pipeline for purchase?

[hellojoseywales@gmail.com]

I haven't seen any manufacturer taking a stab at putting these puppies into a grendel cartridge.... and damn if I don't have a handloading setup!
While the BC might suffer slightly with the heavier grain round I'd really love to get a 143 grn bullet for my hunting rifle.
Its a 16" platform, and easily took a cow elk this past year with a solid shot placement. But for a bull, the 143grn is starting to seem feasible. I usually switch over to my heavier .308 for the dates I have bull tags.

[JASmith]

If you have a chance to read Chapter 5 in Volume 2 of the 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbook, you will see that the 100 gr TTSX, and by inference, the 107 gr GS Custom are at least as good choices as the 143gr ELD bullet.

The heavier lead-free expanding bullets might be even more reliable elk anchors.

More info is here: Ideal Bullet Weight

[SG4247]

IMG_5186.JPG

Damn good ammunition for factory stuff!

My LR-308 Creedmoor loves it!

[BluntForceTrauma]

Is Hornady already making 65CM ammo with the ELD? Cool.

[tj_farmer]

has anyone tried pushing ELD's in a Grendel AR with any luck, im guessing things get pretty long.