I’m gonna load my 7-08 and 7-08AI with 162 ELD M. I can’t find the ELD X in stock at a decent price

Also got a good amount of 140 ELD M and some 143 ELDX for the 6.5CR

I’m wanting to load everything to be game ready. Any experience between the X and the M as far as game is concerned?

I have taken 3 animals with my 280AI that Jason put together (sick rifle!). Two dropped instantly and one made it 50-60 yards. I had 162’s loaded with X’s and M’s and and I think all three shots were all M’s....but I can’t say for sure if one was the X. I mixed em up like a dummy one day.

So, just curious if anyone else has some real world experience evaluating the difference between the M and X.

Thanks!

If you stay off heavy bone theres no need to use the x's imo.

I was hesitant to use the -M on game. A hunting partner of mine recently got a CTR and with ammo being scarce bought a couple of boxes of -M's. It shot fantastic, it was all he had so he shot a couple of hogs with it and both were DRT. Long story short, he's dumped 19 good sized hogs, all shoulder shots with two exceptions (one in the eye that blew the other side of the head off) and all DRT. He went back to Academy and bought the rest of the same lot. I also saw a gel test on youtube, -X vs. -M. Only difference was -X started to expand at 1/4", the -M started to expand at 1". Diameter and length of wound channel was not significantly different. When I run out of my 80 rounds of -Xs I'll use either on hogs. This all 6.5 CM discussed here.

When I whitetail hunt, it's a little more serious, so I'm on .308, 165 gr. SST.

There's a guy on here, in the hog section, that kills a TON of hogs w/the M in 6.5 Grendel (I believe it's Grendel). He really likes the M.

The M in a Grendel is quite lethal.

ELD-M Grendel was lethal 4X Monday night. No complaints.

Midway has 143 ELDX factory seconds on sale, see unclebubba's post

https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/8022485/6-5-eld-x-psa#Post8022485

ELDM all the way-- depending on the cartridge and velocity I will say all thin skin game (deer/antelope/etc), plus hogs and Id even go up to elk (again, cartridge/weight dependent).

I've taken many deer and hogs with Amax and ELDM (.223, 6.5cm, 6.5x284, .308, .300wm) and even up to a Red Stag (.308win w/ 168gr Amax). The results are always CONSISTENT.

I haven't run an ELDX through a critter but results seem to differ greatly just based on anecdotal evidence.