Ammo review: Federal Premium ELD-X

Federal is now loading some of its Premium ammunition line with Hornady ELD-X projectiles, which combine a super-high ballistic coefficient with features designed to control expansion at a wide range of velocities, with the aim of being both match-accurate and effective for longer-range hunting.

Hornady’s engineers noticed in a lot of their testing that the BC of their bullets was varying more than was desirable out at extended ranges, and it came down to the plastic tips deforming in flight. They worked around this with the ELD-X (Extremely Low Drag – eXpanding) bullet, using a new material that stays together better and performs more consistently and predictably.

Federal Premium ELD-X ammunition test — Federal’s Premium ELD-X line is available in a range of calibres, all with heavy-for-calibre bullets designed to retain energy and accuracy over longer ranges

Hornady claims that inside 400 yards (366m), the bullet expands well through its penetration path, with the InterLock ring keeping the core and jacket together, typically retaining 50-60 percent of the weight once the job is done.

Once you start hitting further than 400 yards, the Heat Shield tip initiates expansion by driving back into the bullet, resulting in a conventional mushroom shape and weight retention as high as 85-90 percent.

This new Federal ammo is available in different loads from the .243 Win with a 90gn ELD-X, up to the popular 7mm and .30 calibre magnums with bullets between 162gn and 200gn. All are loaded into nickel-plated cases with Federal primers.

When doing a recent rifle test for the magazine I was afforded the opportunity to run the 6.5 Creedmoor, loaded with the 143gn ELD-X. Out of the 56cm (22”) sporter barrel the load achieved a 797m/s (2616fps) average, which is not too far behind the 823m/s (2700fps) claim on the box that was likely chronographed using a 61cm (24”) barrel.

The claim of match accuracy by Hornady was also evident in my testing, with my groups averaging 0.79 MOA.

With accuracy like that and a nice Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44mm and ballistic turret, it was very easy to hit targets at the range out to reasonable distances. The idea with a cartridge like the 6.5 Creedmoor and its ability to have a high-BC bullet (0.625) seated out a long way is that it will shed velocity at a slower rate than something like a stumpy 150gn out of a .308 Winchester, which means it retains more energy out to around 500-600 metres.

While I’m sure this is the case, I wasn’t shooting far enough in my tests to comment with authority, but it’s worth noting that all the loadings offered in this Premium ammunition are with heavy-for-calibre bullets, underlining the intention of longer-range energy retention.

In my testing on game, I shot around a dozen critters — mostly goats and pigs — at ranges from 20 metres out to about 250 metres. I was both pleased and surprised to see the very consistent performance of the ELD-X. Whether a shot was perfectly broadside or quartering (both to and away), all animals died quickly. Analysis of the exit wounds after the fact showed the amount of expansion on all shots was about the same.

I was keen to weigh some projectiles and look at weight retention but I only had one that didn’t exit, which was on a large-bodied billy goat I took with a frontal shot. I wasn’t about to go digging through guts in the 38 degree heat!

Federal states “Usage: Big Game” on the box, including the .243 Winchester loaded with the 90gn ELD-X. A quick search on YouTube will show you plenty of hunters taking elk in the States with the 6.5 Creedmoor at fairly long range. I believe the capability for accuracy with this ammunition allows many people to shoot with confidence out to longer ranges, but it will always be up to the individual on what is going to be effective for their purpose.

The biggest animals I chase regularly with a rifle are fallow bucks and boars, and this 6.5 CM ammunition would be about perfect for that purpose. Apart from bovines, there are enough calibres in this line of ammunition to comfortably take any game in Australia.

Of course, premium ammunition attracts a premium price tag, but that comes with the territory. I can see plenty of deer hunters gravitating towards this Federal ammunition, where they may be happy to get stung once by the cost of a bulk buy, but be confident that they have enough quality ammunition to last them for many years.

This is especially the case when considering just how much easier modern technology is making it for shooters to get out to longer distances these days.

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