Hornady ELD-X Review (2026): Precision Hunter Tested in 12 Rifles

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Hornady’s ELD-X is the bullet in its Precision Hunter factory ammo, and it’s become the default long-range hunting load in a lot of elk camps. For this Hornady ELD-X review I pulled together every Precision Hunter result from our rifle reviews, 12 rifles in six chamberings, and added our own gel work at three impact speeds, from muzzle speed down to 1,797 fps.

Here’s the short version. It’s accurate: 9 of the 12 rifles averaged under an inch at 100 yards. It still opens at long range, which most hunting bullets don’t. The catch is up close. ELD-X isn’t bonded, and from a .300 Win Mag at the muzzle it kept 57.9 percent of its weight. That’s fine for deer. For a bull elk at 80 yards, you should know it going in.

Last updated October 22, 2026

Table of Contents

Hornady ELD-X Review at a Glance

ELD-X is a cup and core hunting bullet with a red Heat Shield tip and a match-grade shape. Hornady loads it in 34 current Precision Hunter loads, and in our rifles it shot like match ammo while still expanding down to long-range speeds.

Our Rating: 8.5/10

What we checked	Result
Accuracy, 100 yards	9 of 12 rifles averaged under 1 inch; best average 0.78 in (Christensen Arms Evoke, .300 Win Mag 200 gr)
Gel at muzzle speed, 6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr	24.50 in deep, kept 72.9 percent of its weight
Gel at 1,797 fps, the long-range end	24.00 in deep, kept 88.8 percent, opened to 0.52 in
Gel from a .300 Win Mag at 2,788 fps	21.08 in deep, kept 57.9 percent
Bonded?	No. Hornady uses a mechanical InterLock ring
Lowest speed it still works	About 1,600 fps, in Hornady’s own words
Current loads	34, from 22 ARC to .338 Lapua Magnum

What Is the ELD-X Bullet?

ELD-X stands for “Extremely Low Drag – eXpanding”. Hornady built it to be a hunting bullet that works at every practical range, and every Precision Hunter load uses it.

Hornady’s own history of the bullet starts in 2012: “In 2012, Hornady engineers were tasked with creating a new bullet.” The brief was a hunting bullet that worked from close range out past 400 yards, since most bullets only manage one end of that. Their answer pairs a long, sleek match-style shape with a jacket that is thin at the front and thick at the back.

The red tip is the Heat Shield. Hornady says “the Heat Shield tip defies the effects of aerodynamic heating and retains its shape to maintain the highest-in-class BC over its entire trajectory.” Older polymer tips softened from air friction on long flights, which dragged the real BC down. In practice it means the BC on the box is the BC you get at 600 yards too.

Precision Hunter itself is the loaded ammo. Hornady says the propellants are “loaded to uniform capacity for consistent shot to shot results regardless of temperature.” That matters in a hunting rifle you zero in August and shoot in a November snowstorm.

Is ELD-X Bonded?

No. ELD-X is not a bonded bullet. Hornady locks the jacket and core together mechanically with an InterLock ring swaged high on the shank, and Hornady’s own FAQ is titled “Will the jacket and core of ELD-X bullets separate since they’re not bonded?”

That FAQ is unusually frank about what can happen: “High-velocity impacts may occasionally cause the ELD-X bullet jacket to roll back past the InterLock ring during penetration, leading to jacket core separation as the bullet comes to rest.” Hornady’s point is that “it is happening after the penetration, not at the beginning.” The core has already done its work by then.

Up close the front of the bullet sheds jacket on purpose. Hornady says “This slight shedding of the thin nose section typically results in retained weights of 50 to 60%.” Past about 400 yards the bullet slows down and keeps more: “Eighty to 90% weight retention can be expected, and 20 to 24 inches of penetration is common.”

Our gel matched that split. The .300 Win Mag 200 gr hit at 2,788 fps and kept 57.9 percent. The .308 178 gr from a 20 inch Hawkeye hit at 2,478 fps and kept 62.5 percent. Slow the 143 gr 6.5 Creedmoor down to 1,797 fps and it kept 88.8 percent. Every one of those still went past 20 inches.

So is ELD-X bonded? No, and on a close shot it loses more weight than a bonded bullet would. Hornady’s own answer to why it didn’t bond it: “While bonded bullets may not allow the separation of jacket and core materials, they are not typically capable of the accuracy needed for extended-range shooting.”

How We Tested Hornady Precision Hunter

Accuracy comes from 12 rifles we reviewed, all shot from a rest at 100 yards. Gel came from three rifles into Clear Ballistics blocks at 10 feet, three shots per row.

That makes this a Precision Hunter review built on a lot of rifles rather than one. Every rifle in the accuracy table had its own full review, and the Precision Hunter numbers below are the same ones printed in those reviews. Some rifles were shot in five-shot groups and some in three, so the table says which.

For gel, the 6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr went through our 22 inch Bergara B-14 HMR at full speed, then as reduced loads of the same 143 gr ELD-X bullet at about 2,200 and 1,800 fps to copy long-range impacts. On Hornady’s own table the factory 6.5 Creedmoor load is down to 2,200 fps at about 360 yards. The .308 178 gr came from a 20 inch Ruger M77 Hawkeye and the .300 Win Mag 200 gr from a 22 inch Christensen Arms Evoke.

ELD-X Accuracy: 12 Rifles, 9 Under an Inch

Precision Hunter averaged under an inch at 100 yards in 9 of the 12 rifles we shot it in. The best average was 0.78 inches from a .300 Win Mag, and only two rifles averaged over 1.1 inches.

Rifle (our review)	Precision Hunter load	Average group	Groups	Best group
Christensen Arms Evoke	.300 Win Mag 200 gr	0.78 in	3-shot	0.55 in
Fierce Reaper H-Tac	6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr	0.79 in	5-shot	not recorded
Savage Impulse Big Game	6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr	0.80 in	5-shot	0.60 in
Christensen Arms Mesa FFT	6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr	0.84 in	5-shot	not recorded
CVA Cascade	6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr	0.85 in	5-shot	0.62 in
Bergara B-14 HMR	6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr	0.86 in (0.82 MOA)	5-shot	0.69 in
Ruger M77 Hawkeye	.308 Win 178 gr	0.90 in	3-shot	0.70 in
Beretta BRX1	.308 Win 178 gr	0.90 in	5-shot	0.70 in
Browning AB3 Composite Stalker	6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr	0.94 in	3-shot	not recorded
Ruger American Gen II	.308 Win 178 gr	1.00 in	5-shot	not recorded
Winchester Model 70	.270 Win 145 gr	1.11 in	3-shot	0.93 in
Browning BAR MK4	.308 Win 178 gr	1.24 in	5-shot	not recorded

Six of the twelve were 6.5 Creedmoor rifles with the 143 gr load, and all six averaged between 0.79 and 0.94 inches. That consistency is the real story. Hornady calls this a match-accurate hunting bullet, and across six different makers of 6.5 Creedmoor rifle it acted like one.

The .308 178 gr was a touch looser, 0.9 to 1.24 inches across four rifles, and the 1.24 came from a Browning BAR, a gas gun. The two lightweight bolt guns, the Hawkeye and the BRX1, both printed 0.9 with a best of 0.7.

At 200 yards the 143 gr held 1.9 inches from the Savage Impulse, and the Evoke held 1.7 inches with the 200 gr. Both are a little over double their 100 yard groups, which is normal for a hunting rifle, and both would keep every shot in a deer’s vitals.

Precision Hunter Velocity vs the Box

From shorter hunting barrels, Precision Hunter ran slower than the box, by about the amount you would expect. Hornady’s figures come from a 24 inch test barrel, and none of these rifles had one.

Rifle	Barrel	Load	Our average	Hornady box (24 in)
Christensen Arms Evoke	22 in	.300 Win Mag 200 gr	2,788 fps (10 shots)	2,860 fps
Browning BAR MK4	22 in	.308 Win 178 gr	2,491 fps (5 shots)	2,600 fps
Bergara B-14 HMR	22 in	6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr	2,646 fps (10 shots)	2,700 fps

The .300 Win Mag gave up 72 fps from 2 inches less barrel and the 6.5 Creedmoor gave up 54. The BAR in .308 lost 109, the most of the three, and gas guns usually give up a little more.

ELD-X Gel Test: Expansion and Weight Retention

ELD-X went between 21.08 and 24.50 inches in every row we shot, from 2,788 fps down to 1,797 fps, and it kept more weight the slower it hit.

Load and speed	Rifle	Penetration	Retained weight	Expanded to
6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr at 2,646 fps	Bergara B-14 HMR, 22 in	24.50 in	104.2 gr (72.9 percent)	0.58 in
6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr at 2,203 fps	Bergara B-14 HMR, 22 in (reduced load)	23.25 in	113.7 gr (79.5 percent)	0.61 in
6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr at 1,797 fps	Bergara B-14 HMR, 22 in (reduced load)	24.00 in	127.0 gr (88.8 percent)	0.52 in
.308 Win 178 gr at 2,478 fps	Ruger M77 Hawkeye, 20 in	22.17 in	111.3 gr (62.5 percent)	0.68 in
.300 Win Mag 200 gr at 2,788 fps	Christensen Arms Evoke, 22 in	21.08 in	115.9 gr (57.9 percent)	0.73 in

The muzzle-speed 6.5 Creedmoor shot opened fast and threw jacket off the front, just like Hornady says it will, then the shank kept going to 24.50 inches. At 2,203 fps it opened to 0.61 inches, about the widest mushroom we recovered from the 143s, because the thin front had time to fold back rather than tear away.

At 1,797 fps it still opened, to 0.52 inches, and kept 88.8 percent. That’s the number that matters for a long shot, and it’s where most bullets quit. Hornady’s own comparison: “Typical tipped or soft-point style lead-core bullets stop expanding reliably at 1,800 fps or slightly lower.” Copper is pickier still: “Solid copper or copper-alloy style bullets typically need well over 2,000 fps to expand reliably.”

Up close is where it gets debated. The .300 Win Mag 200 gr kept 57.9 percent and the .308 178 gr kept 62.5 percent. Both still went 21.08 and 22.17 inches, and the wound channel in the first 6 inches was the widest of any row. You lose some meat to fragments on a close shoulder shot. You don’t lose penetration.

ELD-X Minimum Velocity: How Far Each Load Works

Hornady’s answer to the ELD-X minimum velocity question is about 1,600 fps. In its own words, “In general, the ELD-X bullets will provide reliable and effective terminal performance up to velocities of approximately 1,600 feet per second.”

So the useful question is how far each load stays above 1,600 fps. Hornady’s tables stop at 500 yards, where every Precision Hunter load is still above 1,850 fps, so we extended each table from its own 300 to 500 yard rows. The fit matched Hornady’s 300 and 400 yard figures within 1.5 percent before we pushed it out.

For most hunters the answer is simple: the ELD-X will open farther than you should be shooting. The 6.5 Creedmoor gets to about 900 yards and the .308 to about 725. Wind and your own skill run out long before 1,600 fps does.

Every Current Precision Hunter Load

Hornady lists 34 Precision Hunter loads right now, all with the ELD-X. 26 of them carry Hornady’s large game tag, 300 to 1,500 pounds, and the rest are tagged for medium game, 50 to 300 pounds.

Precision Hunter load	Muzzle fps	G1 BC	500 yd ft-lb	Hornady game tag	Above 1,600 fps to
22 ARC 80 gr	3,010	.485	789	Medium	about 875 yd
22 Creedmoor 80 gr	3,285	.485	964	Medium	about 1,025 yd
.243 Win 90 gr	3,150	.409	855	Medium	about 800 yd
6mm ARC 103 gr	2,800	.512	895	Medium	about 800 yd
6mm Creedmoor 103 gr	3,050	.512	1,096	Medium	about 950 yd
25 Creedmoor 128 gr	2,850	.633	1,333	Medium	about 1,025 yd
25-06 Rem 110 gr	3,140	.465	1,155	Medium	about 900 yd
257 Wby Mag 110 gr	3,240	.465	1,241	Medium	about 950 yd
6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr	2,700	.623	1,302	Medium + large	about 900 yd
6.5 PRC 143 gr	2,960	.625	1,604	Medium + large	about 1,100 yd
.270 Win 145 gr	2,970	.536	1,497	Medium + large	about 950 yd
.270 WSM 145 gr	3,100	.536	1,641	Medium + large	about 1,025 yd
6.8 Western 176 gr	2,825	.680	1,854	Medium + large	about 1,075 yd
7mm-08 Rem 150 gr	2,770	.574	1,381	Medium + large	about 875 yd
.280 Rem 150 gr	2,925	.574	1,564	Medium + large	about 975 yd
.280 Ackley 162 gr	2,850	.631	1,681	Medium + large	about 1,025 yd
7mm Rem Mag 162 gr	2,975	.631	1,860	Medium + large	about 1,125 yd
7mm WSM 162 gr	3,000	.631	1,886	Medium + large	about 1,150 yd
7mm STW 162 gr	3,050	.631	1,958	Medium + large	about 1,175 yd
28 Nosler 162 gr	3,175	.631	2,142	Medium + large	about 1,275 yd
7mm PRC 175 gr	3,000	.689	2,141	Medium + large	about 1,250 yd
.308 Win 178 gr	2,600	.552	1,379	Medium + large	about 725 yd
.30-06 178 gr	2,750	.552	1,570	Medium + large	about 825 yd
300 RCM 178 gr	2,900	.552	1,774	Medium + large	about 925 yd
300 RSAUM 178 gr	2,950	.552	1,840	Medium + large	about 950 yd
.300 Win Mag 178 gr	2,960	.552	1,854	Medium + large	about 975 yd
.300 Win Mag 200 gr	2,860	.597	2,033	Medium + large	about 975 yd
300 WSM 200 gr	2,820	.597	1,963	Medium + large	about 950 yd
300 Wby Mag 200 gr	2,960	.597	2,198	Medium + large	about 1,050 yd
300 PRC 212 gr	2,860	.663	2,304	Medium + large	about 1,100 yd
300 RUM 220 gr	2,910	.650	2,438	Medium + large	about 1,100 yd
30-378 Wby 220 gr	3,025	.650	2,657	Medium + large	about 1,200 yd
.338 Win Mag 230 gr	2,810	.616	2,287	Medium + large	about 975 yd
.338 Lapua 270 gr	2,800	.757	2,973	Medium + large	about 1,200 yd

Two loads are new for 2026: the 22 Creedmoor 80 gr and the 25 Creedmoor 128 gr. The 6.8 Western 176 gr has a G1 BC of .680, and the .338 Lapua 270 gr tops the chart at .757.

One correction to Hornady’s own site while we were in there: the .338 Win Mag 230 gr page prints 2,831 fps at 300 yards, faster than at 200. Its own energy figure on that row, 2,894 ft-lb, works out to 2,381 fps, so the digits are swapped. Our table uses 2,381.

ELD-X Ballistic Coefficient by Weight

The ELD-X ballistic coefficient is the reason people buy it. The 143 gr 6.5 is .623 G1 and .314 G7, the 178 gr .30 caliber is .552 G1, and the 175 gr 7mm is .689 G1, all Hornady’s own figures.

ELD-X weight	G1 BC	G7 BC	Loaded in
80 gr	.485	not listed	22 ARC, 22 Creedmoor
90 gr	.409	not listed	.243 Win
103 gr	.512	.258	6mm ARC, 6mm Creedmoor
110 gr	.465	.234	25-06 Rem, 257 Wby Mag
128 gr	.633	not listed	25 Creedmoor
143 gr	.623	.314	6.5 Creedmoor
143 gr	.625	.315	6.5 PRC
145 gr	.536	.270	.270 Win, .270 WSM
150 gr	.574	.289	7mm-08 Rem, .280 Rem
162 gr	.631	.318	.280 Ackley, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm WSM, 7mm STW, 28 Nosler
175 gr	.689	.347	7mm PRC
176 gr	.680	not listed	6.8 Western
178 gr	.552	.278	.308 Win, .30-06, 300 RCM, 300 RSAUM, .300 Win Mag
200 gr	.597	.301	.300 Win Mag, 300 WSM, 300 Wby Mag
212 gr	.663	.334	300 PRC
220 gr	.650	.325	300 RUM, 30-378 Wby
230 gr	.616	.310	.338 Win Mag
270 gr	.757	.381	.338 Lapua

Watch the 178 gr. Its G1 of .552 is lower than the 143 gr 6.5’s .623, which is why a .308 drops to 1,600 fps sooner than a 6.5 Creedmoor even though it starts with more energy. Our .308 ammo guide has the .308 against the field.

Is ELD-X Good for Elk?

Yes, in the right cartridge and with a sensible shot. Hornady tags every ELD-X load from 6.5 Creedmoor up for large game, 300 to 1,500 pounds, and it still opens at the long distances where elk often get shot.

The two things to plan around are weight loss on close, fast hits and the light calibers. The .243, 6mm, 25 caliber and 22 caliber loads carry only Hornady’s medium game tag, 50 to 300 pounds, so keep those for deer and pronghorn.

For ELD-X for elk, I would pick the 6.5 PRC 143 gr, the 7mm Rem Mag 162 gr, the 7mm PRC 175 gr or the .300 Win Mag 200 gr. Each carries at least 1,604 ft-lb at 500 yards on Hornady’s table. The 6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr works on elk, with 1,302 ft-lb at 500, but take quartering shots carefully. Our best elk rifle guide covers the rifles.

Inside 150 yards on a big bull, I would rather have a bonded bullet like Terminal Ascent, because it keeps more weight through a shoulder. Past 300 yards, ELD-X earns its place: it shoots tighter in most rifles, and Hornady built it to open all the way down to 1,600 fps.

Game	ELD-X loads Hornady tags for it	Our pick
Deer, pronghorn, 50 to 300 lb	all 34 loads	6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr
Elk, moose, 300 to 1,500 lb	26 loads, 6.5 Creedmoor and up	7mm Rem Mag 162 gr or .300 Win Mag 200 gr
Long shots on big game	any large game load	7mm PRC 175 gr or 300 PRC 212 gr

ELD-X vs ELD Match, Terminal Ascent and CX

ELD-X sits between a match bullet and a bonded hunting bullet. It’s nearly as accurate as ELD Match, it opens at lower speeds than Hornady’s copper CX, and it holds together less well than a bonded bullet like Terminal Ascent up close.

ELD-X vs ELD Match

ELD-X vs ELD Match comes up a lot because both wear the same red tip. ELD Match is built for paper and steel. Hornady itself warns that match bullets used on game can fragment up close and that their behavior “depends more on what it hits to cause disruption than working by design.” In four of our 6.5 Creedmoor rifles the 140 gr ELD Match averaged 0.13 to 0.30 inches tighter than the 143 gr ELD-X. On paper that matters. On an elk it isn’t worth the risk.

ELD-X vs Federal Terminal Ascent

Terminal Ascent is bonded, so it keeps more weight on a close, fast hit. It also has a high BC for a bonded bullet. On our cards the 6.5 Creedmoor 130 gr Terminal Ascent ran 215 cents a round against 185 for the 6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr ELD-X. For timber elk at short range, Terminal Ascent is the safer bullet. For a mixed hunt with a long shot likely, ELD-X.

ELD-X vs Hornady CX

CX is Hornady’s solid copper bullet, loaded in Outfitter ammo, and it’s the pick where lead is banned. It keeps nearly all its weight, but copper needs speed to open. Hornady’s own words: “Solid copper or copper-alloy style bullets typically need well over 2,000 fps to expand reliably.” ELD-X keeps working down to about 1,600 fps.

Who Should NOT Buy Hornady ELD-X

ELD-X is the wrong buy for four kinds of hunter, and each has a better pick.

• Timber elk hunters shooting inside 150 yards: buy a bonded bullet such as Federal Terminal Ascent. It holds more weight on a close shoulder.
• Hunters in lead-free areas: ELD-X has a lead core. Buy Hornady Outfitter with the solid copper CX bullet.
• Whitetail hunters who never shoot past 200 yards: you are paying for long-range performance you won’t use. Read our Remington Core-Lokt review; it does the job for less.
• Shooters who only punch paper: buy ELD Match. It grouped 0.13 to 0.30 inches tighter in four of our 6.5 Creedmoor rifles.

Precision Hunter Variants: Which Load to Buy

Pick the cartridge you already shoot, then the heaviest ELD-X Hornady loads for it if you hunt elk, or the standard weight if you hunt deer.

Our Verdict on Hornady ELD-X

If you hunt mixed country where the shot could be 80 yards or 450, ELD-X is the factory bullet I trust most. It shot under an inch in nine of our twelve rifles, it opened at 1,797 fps in gel, and Hornady sells it in 34 cartridges. Pick a bonded bullet for close timber elk, copper where lead is banned, and Core-Lokt if every deer you see is inside 200 yards.

Hornady ELD-X FAQ

Quick answers to the questions hunters ask most about ELD-X and Precision Hunter.