TESTED: Hornady 25 Creedmoor Factory Ammo

The 25 Creedmoor is quickly gaining traction as a do-it-all cartridge—offering the low recoil of a 6mm with the impact and versatility of a 6.5. We’ve done some testing with handloads —with excellent results —but what about factory ammo? I recently tested a range of new Hornady factory ammo to see how it performs across hunting and precision shooting applications.

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About Hornady 25 Creedmoor Ammo

Not everyone has the time or resources to reload. Even seasoned reloaders shoot factory ammunition sometimes! With new cartridges, it can take some time before you see boxes on the shelf. Hornady currently offers four different SKUs of 25 Creedmoor for the hunter and target shooter!

Hornady’s 128-Gr. ELD-X Precision Hunter ammunition features their expanding ELD-X bullet, ideal for small- to medium-sized game.

Oregon elk taken at 405 yards with the .30-06 and 178 grain Hornady ELD-X. Photo by Zach Bruce.

Guy has had great success hunting with ELD-X bullets. He tested a 178-grain .30 caliber ELD-X in ballistics gel prior to hunting with it and noted the results.

The bullet retained 110.7 grains of weight, expanded to 0.615”, and penetrated 27.5”.

The 95-Gr. ELD-VT V-Match ammo is optimized for varmint shooting. It has a high BC and is intended to incapacitate small game at further ranges.

The 112-grain solid copper CX in Hornady’s 25 Creedmoor Superformance opens use of the 25 Creedmoor to hunters who either must or prefer to use lead-free projectiles. A few years ago, Guy harvested a black bear with his trusty 30-06 and Hornady’s 165-grain CX bullet.

Last but not least, Hornady’s 25 Creedmoor match ammunition features a 134-grain ELD-M bullet designed for accuracy downrange.

If you are curious how Hornady ELD-X and ELD-M bullets compare, be sure to check out our direct ballistics gel comparison!

About the Rifle

I fell in love with Gavin’s custom-built 25 Creedmoor. Gavin chambered a CRB super heavy contour 1:7.5 .257 barrel blank on the PM-1440HVT-2 using a reamer from JGS Precision and gauges from Manson Precision and Forster.

This build also included a 1934 Armory BE1 action in a Foundation Genesis 2 micarta stock, Hawkins Precision M5 DBM, Telson Target Master 5-25×56 in XLR 34mm rings, Bix’n Andy TacSport Pro-X Trigger, and an Area 419 HELLFIRE brake.

Custom rifles are ideal testbeds for handloads. After some load development, Gavin was able to achieve a 0.288” three-shot group at 100 yards with Hornady 138-Grain A-Tips.

Shooting Results and Chronograph Data

I started with the 128-grain ELD-X ammunition.

Off a bench at 100 yards, I fired five shots into a round 0.54” group. A second five-shot group measured 0.60”. For a factory hunting round, this was really good!

My groups with the 95-Grain ELD-VT V-Match ammunition measured closer to one inch, with a five-shot group average of 0.87”.

The CX Superformance ammunition did not perform as well from this rifle. Five-shot groups at 100 yards averaged 2.36”. We consulted Hornady on this performance disparity and they had recorded groups under one-inch with a 24” barrel.

Sometimes swapping the muzzle device makes a world of difference, so that was our next course of action. Upon removing the suppressor, our groups shrunk to approximately 1.2”. This was at the top end of Hornady’s results and in line with Hornady’s standards.

The ELD-M bullets had the second best results with a five-shot group average of 0.67” at 100 yards.

I also chronographed each type of factory ammunition. I observed higher velocities from our 28” barrel than Hornady publishes. (Hornady tested with a 24” barrel.)

After some time at the bench, Gavin and I went to the ridgeline to try the new ELD-M rounds on some steel. I enjoyed shooting to further distances, starting with a first round impact on a 706-yard gong.

After some strong follow-up shots, we moved on to Harold, our beloved rock chuck “enemy” at 1,390 yards. We calculated our dope, and Gavin center-punched the four-foot steel with his first shot.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of shooting long range is managing wind changes. The conditions changed as Gavin and I swapped places, so my first shot was off the right edge. I made a correction, and had several successive impacts.

Up until this point, I had only shot off the bench and prone – two styles I am incredibly familiar with. Looking to push me out of my comfort zone, Gavin challenged me to engage some 336-yard steel off a bag on the back of the side-by-side.

I have long struggled with positional shooting and was overjoyed to have immediate success.

To follow up this experience, we completed our range time with the ELD-X hunting rounds off a tripod at 190 yards.

Conclusion

This experiment is a reminder that whether you have a factory rifle or custom build, you should always test different loads and types of ammunition to see what works best for you.

Hornady’s 25 Creedmoor factory ammunition offerings make the 25 Creedmoor more accessible for those who don’t handload, and present an appealing time-saving option for those who do. This was my first experience shooting a 25 Creedmoor and I truly enjoyed it.