Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
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- Meister der jagd
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Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
I have a D99 Duo .308/.222/20. I regulated it a few years ago with the Hornady 178 ELDX ammo. Has been and still works great. With our current ammo crisis in the US I just bought 2 boxes to keep me hunting for several more years. I went to the range today to hopefully just fire 1-2 rounds from each barrel and 1 round of the new ammo (luckily I kept them separate). 2 rounds each .308 (old stock) and .222 were exactly how I had regulated them years ago. I fired 1 round of the new .308 which is labeled, boxed, and branded exactly the same as the older stuff. The round hit 2” hi and 2” right of my group. I fired one more of both old and new on a different target and confirmed the POI’s. The new stuff hits different in a barrel with screws holding the regulation. It might not change in a free floated bolt action, but my D99 had a change.
The newer rounds have a noticeably flat tip while the old rounds have a radius. It is easy to see the difference on close inspection but would never be noticed with a casual observation. If you are using this ammo in a BBF or a Drilling with adjustable regulation you should confirm your POI’s.
The newer rounds have a noticeably flat tip while the old rounds have a radius. It is easy to see the difference on close inspection but would never be noticed with a casual observation. If you are using this ammo in a BBF or a Drilling with adjustable regulation you should confirm your POI’s.
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- Meister der jagd
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Re: Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
Very interested thanks for sharing. I have used that in my BD14 but in 30-06 but have not experimented with shooting different lots of ammo. I am currently shooting a hand load to match what I shoot in my K95 but may play around with that after hunting season ends. I find it surprising that the tip makes that much difference and I wonder if they changed something else in the bullet or powder charge. If you discover anything else let us know.
Matt
Matt
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Re: Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
I highly doubt it is the tip that makes the difference. The tip is just the way to tell the old vs new rounds. They probably changed the powder
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Re: Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
When i find factory ammo that shoots well in a rifle I purchase 5 -10 boxes of the same lot for that exact reason. This since I had some great ammo that grouped under half moa consistently. When i purchased a few boxes for the next hunting season, the new batch gave me 3"+ groups. Could not believe it. Not a BD14, but it underlines the variation of rounds from one run to the next.
SnT
SnT
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- Meister der jagd
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Re: Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
I normally buy factory ammunition by the case….for this very reason.
I’ve found noticeable differences in accuracy and POI between batches of Federal Premium 30/06 ammunition. Probably up to about an 1” difference in POI at 100 yards.
Worst experience I’ve ever had is with Sako 150 grain Superhammer head, both batches shoot lovely groups. But new batch is shooting about 4 inches lower than the original. Yep Four inches.
Best consistency I’ve had between batches of ammunition is with cheap arse Highland/PMU in 9.3 x 62. No noticeable difference.
Go figure
I’ve found noticeable differences in accuracy and POI between batches of Federal Premium 30/06 ammunition. Probably up to about an 1” difference in POI at 100 yards.
Worst experience I’ve ever had is with Sako 150 grain Superhammer head, both batches shoot lovely groups. But new batch is shooting about 4 inches lower than the original. Yep Four inches.
Best consistency I’ve had between batches of ammunition is with cheap arse Highland/PMU in 9.3 x 62. No noticeable difference.
Go figure
- Vaughan
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Re: Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
Something I'm curious about... if you buy a big batch of ammo that might last you several years, for example, how does it age?
I mostly shoot handloads and was pulling a bunch of loads the other day that were maybe 5 years old. I'd moved on and wasn't going to use 'em. I noticed the powder grains of one of my 9.3x62 loads had basically stuck together in a big lump. I could break it up easy and then pour the powder out..... Dunno, might have shot just fine, but it was not a good look!
I mostly shoot handloads and was pulling a bunch of loads the other day that were maybe 5 years old. I'd moved on and wasn't going to use 'em. I noticed the powder grains of one of my 9.3x62 loads had basically stuck together in a big lump. I could break it up easy and then pour the powder out..... Dunno, might have shot just fine, but it was not a good look!
/Vaughan
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- Meister der jagd
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Re: Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
Generally not an issue. Most batches only last me one to two years at most.
However Had a bad experience with Federal Gold Match in 308 Winchester a long time back. Picked up a heap in’93 for when I shot at Camp Perry. Had 2 or 3 boxes left over…which sat in the cupboard for 20 years….pulled a projectile on a cartridge just out of curiosity and found a gluggy substance instead of powder. Dumped the few boxes I had.
But I have regularly shot F4 ball ammunition that was well over 20 years old with no issues.
Rod
However Had a bad experience with Federal Gold Match in 308 Winchester a long time back. Picked up a heap in’93 for when I shot at Camp Perry. Had 2 or 3 boxes left over…which sat in the cupboard for 20 years….pulled a projectile on a cartridge just out of curiosity and found a gluggy substance instead of powder. Dumped the few boxes I had.
But I have regularly shot F4 ball ammunition that was well over 20 years old with no issues.
Rod
- stokesrj
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Re: Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
Ammunition shelf life can be very long if the components are the right ones and the storage conditions are correct. I've shot 6.5X55 Swede ammo that was nearly 100 years old and it shot fine. I've also seen ammo stored under hot conditions fail to fire because the powder had deteriorated and contaminated the primers. Like so many other things it depends on a multitude of variables.
Some powders degrade much more rapidly than others but I've never seen any powder degrade in 10 years or less that was stored properly.
Some powders degrade much more rapidly than others but I've never seen any powder degrade in 10 years or less that was stored properly.
Robert J Stokes
- Vaughan
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Re: Attention users of Hornady Extreme Hunter 178 ELDX ammo
I was a bit surprised as well. We have low humidity and generally low temps. The room my gun safe is in is on the south wall of the house so can get pretty warm a few days during summer. By warm, I mean 25C-ish. I've never had a problem with stored powder. Not sure why these rounds got a bit sticky. The powder in these specific rounds was Hodgdon CFE, all others using different powders poured out just fine. Well, all sorted now, I was just curious.stokesrj wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:48 pm Ammunition shelf life can be very long if the components are the right ones and the storage conditions are correct. I've shot 6.5X55 Swede ammo that was nearly 100 years old and it shot fine. I've also seen ammo stored under hot conditions fail to fire because the powder had deteriorated and contaminated the primers. Like so many other things it depends on a multitude of variables.
Some powders degrade much more rapidly than others but I've never seen any powder degrade in 10 years or less that was stored properly.
/Vaughan
Real dogs have beards
Real dogs have beards