Welp

[BP in ME]

I've never liked taking my M700 with walnut stock out in the rain and snow so I finally decided to get a secondary deer rifle that's more weather resistant. I was hoping to not spend a lot of money on it but I really didn't like the feel of the entry-level Rugers, Mossbergs, etc. so I then had to justify stepping up a level. Aha! Get a foul weather deer rifle and one that doubles as a coyote rifle with some reach. Of course, once you get to that point you need to up the glass. Budget blown!

Tikka T3X stainless in 6.5 CM and a Maven FFP 2.5x-15x. I'm hoping to hit pretty close to what I'm aiming at once it's dialed-in.

PXL_20240211_012558761.jpg

[1Holeshot]

I do not know how you could have made a better choice.

A great combination of quality and value.

[adchunts]

Great choice! I shot a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 CM for a while. I’m a southpaw, and there are not many LH selections out there. Finally took the plunge about 2 years ago and ordered a LH Tikka T3X Lite. Topped it with a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15X44 with Firedot. It is the most accurate rifle I’ve owned over the last 40+ years. Really likes Hornady 143 grain ELD-X ammo.

[BP in ME]

Great choice! I shot a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 CM for a while. I’m a southpaw, and there are not many LH selections out there. Finally took the plunge about 2 years ago and ordered a LH Tikka T3X Lite. Topped it with a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15X44 with Firedot. It is the most accurate rifle I’ve owned over the last 40+ years. Really likes Hornady 143 grain ELD-X ammo.

Have you taken whitetail (or similar) with the ELD-X? If so, were you happy with the terminal performance? Reviews seem to be mixed with some folks saying they're awesome and others saying not so much. I use their American whitetail in my 7mm-08 and no complaints

[adchunts]

Have you taken whitetail (or similar) with the ELD-X? If so, were you happy with the terminal performance? Reviews seem to be mixed with some folks saying they're awesome and others saying not so much. I use their American whitetail in my 7mm-08 and no complaints

So far between my boys and I, we have taken one whitetail, three pronghorn, two axis, and one fallow deer with that bullet. Ranges from 50-270 yards. No animal made it more than 30 yards after the shot. I am a fan.

[adchunts]

And it shoots three shot groups like this at 100.


upload photo online

[Axkiker]

Love me some Tikkas and hard to beat 6.5 CM for availability

[EKYRanger]

Great choice! I shot a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 CM for a while. I’m a southpaw, and there are not many LH selections out there. Finally took the plunge about 2 years ago and ordered a LH Tikka T3X Lite. Topped it with a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15X44 with Firedot. It is the most accurate rifle I’ve owned over the last 40+ years. Really likes Hornady 143 grain ELD-X ammo.

I’ve got two VX5 HD’s. Great optics.

[MacIntosh]

Have you taken whitetail (or similar) with the ELD-X? If so, were you happy with the terminal performance? Reviews seem to be mixed with some folks saying they're awesome and others saying not so much. I use their American whitetail in my 7mm-08 and no complaints

Use them, they work. Eldx is designed to upset down to fairly low velocity, as you would expect at longer ranges (longer= 500 to 1000 yards). It’ll work fine at shorter ranges, although because its a fragmenting bullet it’ll create a lot of damage, ie lost meat, if you hit a shoulder…but thats also what makes them so effective, bigger wound=faster kill. You may not get exit wounds all the time, but will generally get very fast kills, so reports of performance are usually contingent on expectations, ie if you are looking for an exit wound and dont get it, people tend to complain regardless of how quickly the animal died.
American whitetail is a standard cup and core bullet, so a different design—not a 1:1 comparison in how terminal performance is achieved.

[1Holeshot]

^ This has been my experience on White tail deer with 143 gr. Eldx and 6.5 Creedmoor. Very accurate and low recoil.

[61Woody]

Excellent choice! I just got one back in Dec of 23, a stainless in .270. I would have went with a 6.5 but I have a lot of components to reload .270 so it was more a matter of logistics .

[muddywaters]

Have you taken whitetail (or similar) with the ELD-X? If so, were you happy with the terminal performance? Reviews seem to be mixed with some folks saying they're awesome and others saying not so much. I use their American whitetail in my 7mm-08 and no complaints

Shot 3 whitetails with this bullet in 30-06 and I am not to happy with it, all three shot in the engine compartment not high not low, and all 3 had to be tracked and none of the three left much if any blood trail to follow. Hornady Interlocks have been my best results all the way around.

[Fireball]

Years ago I put together a 7m-08 Savage 110 in Stainless/Synthetic with a Nikon 3x9 scope. Great looking rifle that is also a great shooting firearm.