Many magnum rifles wear a 26-inch tube and will gain another 30-50 fps over these numbers. Ballisticsįactory data shows a muzzle velocity of 2940 fps with 3100 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle for the 7mm Remington Magnum out of a 24-inch barrel. On tough animals like elk or moose, it can lead to superficial wounds or fatal but slow kills from lack of penetration. On thin-skinned game like a White-tailed deer, this is not a problem. At over 3000 feet per second, the ELD-X acts similar to a varmint round and detonates. The largest caveat to the praise given is some users report that at very close range, (usually sub-100 yards) bullet performance can be violent and erratic. 300 Magnums are reporting quick, clean kills at ranges over 600 yards on game as large as moose. Individuals using larger cartridges like the various 7mm and. 30-06 or 6.5 Creedmore are slaying deer size game at 200 to 600 yards with one-shot kills. The stats are all well and good, but how does that translate into the real world? Apparently quite well. The weight retention is over 80% in this case, lending itself to deep penetration. The insert, called the Heat Shield Tip, is driven rearward on impact, mechanically initiating expansion. An Interlock ring midway down the shank keeps most of the bullet intact, but the front 40% of the projectile is shed in the wound cavity, unleashed to cause further destruction.Īt the lower velocities of long-range, the ELD-X functions much like a traditional ballistic tip, or the classic Remington Bronze Point. The basic principle is this: at close range (high velocity), the thin copper jacket will mushroom violently on impact and perform an energy dump into the target while penetrating deep. Since the bullet could not function as a traditional ballistic tip would, Hornady had to get creative to get the desired results. This newer, harder tip presented a challenge, as Delrin will flatten on impact, aiding in expansion. So, Hornady developed a proprietary polymer for the tip that would hold up to the heat, appropriately called Heat Shield. At ranges under 400 yards, this deformation is not much of an issue for hunting, but it becomes a problem for precise accuracy at ranges beyond that. Further research showed that the Delrin material used for the tip was deforming in flight from heat generated by friction with the air. The ballistic coefficient is how well an object overcomes air resistance during its flight, which, in turn, affects the projectile’s stability and retained velocity.Īfter this decrease was noticed, Hornady tested polymer bullets from every manufacturer and got similar results. The Doppler Radar readings of the bullet’s flight showed a significant decrease in the projectile’s ballistic coefficient as the flight progressed. So how did this wonder bullet come about? Radar RangeĪs the bullet was developed and tested, the engineers noticed something unusual.
This dichotomy is a puzzle that the Hornady ELD-X solves well. To perform at both short and long-range, a bullet must be stout enough to hold together when hitting muscle and bone at high velocity but also be soft enough to expand reliably at the lower velocities of extended range.
Terminal performance above 400 yards was emphasized, where the increased accuracy desired would matter without sacrificing close-range penetration due to bullet blow-up. The Hornaday ELD-X (Extremely Low Drag – Expanding) was designed from the ground up as a match-accurate hunting bullet that would provide optimal performance at all practical ranges. Finding a bullet that will perform perfectly, no matter if the animal is very close or at an extended range, is a near-impossible task. The problem with wild game is that it appears at a time and distance of its own choosing.
0 kommentar(er)
