The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

C

clmayfield

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 14, 2008
2,054
11
50
San Antonio, Texas
#1
I have been reading the rimfire forums over here and the rimfire forums over at Benchrest Central. I thought that it might be helpful if I attempted to write down everything I have learned about Eley ammo for the Hiders who are interested in rimfire. At Benchrest Central, and really for all major 22LR competitions (position shooting and benchrest), Eley dominates.

By the way, I am not a shill for Eley. At least not a paid one. I have no connection with Eley other than getting good results from their ammo.

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Why Eley?</span></span>

<span style="font-weight: bold">1) Lot segregation</span>
Here is an article from the Shooting Times that talks about Eley's manufacturing process.
For the feint of reading, I will summarize here:
Eley has identified all of the variables that go into the manufacture of ammunition. These include 50 primary variables (things like bullet mass, case internal volumes, propellant charge), 200 secondary variables (things like ambient temperature in the manufacturing facility, case metallurgy, human competence), and 700 tertiary variables (things like weather conditions in the country of manufacture of the powder the day a lot of poweder was manufactured). The article implies that they control all of these things. Well, they don't. They isolate them into different lots... which means that ultimately the shooter can control these things like selecting the appropriate lot of ammo.

In fact, the number one reason to buy Eley ammo is not because they manufacture better ammo, but rather because they keep the variables for a given lot segregated from other lots. Their lot tracking capability is superior to their competitors. It is just that simple. They also give more info on those lots (speed, machine) than their competitors, but I will cover that later.

<span style="font-weight: bold">2) The bullets</span>
Eley has created a bullet mold that creates much more consistent bullets in terms of where the mass of the bullet is. This dimple-nose design has a higher BC, but the dimple itself does not serve a design purpose. It is a result of the manufacturing process much as the hollow point of a Sierra Match King is not a true hollow point in fuaction, but there because of the process to manufacture the bullet.

<span style="font-weight: bold">3) The lube</span>
Eley has spent some R&D dollars to come up with a great lube. It is an acquired smell when fired (shoot it and you will se what I mean), but it is part of what makes Eley different. If you feel a spent Eley casing, it will feel different than a match grade casing from any other manufacturer because of the consistentcy and durability of the lubricant. It feels grease and sticky. And that is a good thing.

<span style="font-weight: bold">4) The great rimfire smiths build for Eley</span>
If you already have a 22LR, this doesn't matter. If you don't, most of the great rimfire smiths, Bill Calfee, Bill Meyers, Gene Davis (to name a few), build their rifles around Eley ammo... meaning the reamers and headspacing are designed to match (get it) Eley specifications. I was speaking to an ammo dealer the other day who was telling me that different smiths actually build their guns for different Eley ammo machines... I highly doubt that, but it might very well be the case.

Unlike centerfire, rimfires are built arround the ammo. With centerfire benchrest guns, it is assumed that the shooter will handload to the chamber specs. In rimfire, reloading is not allowed, so the best smiths have to conform to a spec for a type of loaded ammo. This is typically Eley because Eley has taken most medals in most shooting competitions (although Lapua has been slowly gaining some ground). Basically, Eley is the Microsoft of Match .22LR. They set the standard and everyone else complies if they want to be in the game.

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Tenex versus Match versus Team</span></span>

Tenex, or 10X as I like to write, is the highest grade of Eley ammo and also the costliest. You would think that this means that all of the top rimfire shooter shoot 10X for competitions. Not true. You will probably see more Eley Match (sometimes called Black Box, because it comes in a black box) at a rimfire competition. So what is the difference? Well, in the manufacturing process there is no difference. They manufacture all of their ammo in lots as described above. Once they have created a lot, they have four different fixed test guns fire that lot in a 50 meter tunnel (to minimize wind). These rifles are all different ages (round counts) with different barrel lengths and chamber specs. If all four guns shoot a lot well (some arbitrarily sized group dimension... an Eley secret), then the lot is labeled 10X. If it shoots well in some of the guns and not others, it is labeled Match. If it does not shoot that well in any of the guns, it is declassified to Eley Team.

I should note that not all of the Team ammo are rejects. Some of it is extras from Match and 10X production... for instance if they made a lot with 5045 bullets, the overfill 45 bullets would go to Team otherwise, they would have a partially full box.

I should note that all of the above is based on things that I read on the Internet which might or might not be true... to be taken with a grain of salt. I do know that most serious rimfire benchrest people will include Eley Match in their testing and many even think that as a conspiracy, most of the good 10X is sold / picked over in Europe, leaving the bad 10X for the US (Eley is made in the UK). Maybe true, maybe not, but Eley does have a concierge program in the UK where you take them your gun and they will fix the action in a vice and test different lots of ammo for you. All you have to do is agree to purchase a case and pay for the ammo used in testing. Pretty cool. Probably not worth the trip to London and the paperwork (to transport a firearm) for me.

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">How to choose the best Eley ammo for your gun</span></span>

On every box of Eley Match and Tenex, there are three different numbers. For instance, I am looking at a box of my current go-to Eley Match as I write. It has the numbers 1009-05069 and below that the number 1059. The 1009 is a manufacture date code (sort of). They change that number at certain date intervals. That number is pretty meaningless. The 05069 is the lot number. the "05" at the beginning indicates which machine the ammo was made on. They currently have 5 machines in production, 01 through 05. This is important for reasons I will indicate later. The number at the bottom 1059, is the average fps the ammo chronoed in Eley's lot test. This will correlate to how fast the ammo runs in your gun, but it won't be the number. It should be considered a point of reference. The number typically varies from 1050 to 1080.

At any given time, there will be a lot of lots available. You could spend forever and a day testing just to find which lot works for your gun and by the time you do that, the lot that worked best probably would have sold out. This is why those numers are important. Your first time, you will need to try a wide variety of the lots available and then see which machine and velocity works best for your gun.

When I was doing the broad test, I started out with stacks of boxes. Of the ones that performed well on the first round, I retested those boxes in a shoot-off.

After that, you will have to do a lot less searching to find some passable ammo... just try to figure out what velocities and machine numbers work well for your gun. For me, speed is the primary consideration, than machine number. I don't understand why machine number would have an impact at all... but it sure seems to.

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">On a personal note</span></span>

This is all crazy, I know, but when I bought my 22LR from nesikabay a little while back, he was telling me this stuff and I thought he was crazy. He shipped some great ammo with the gun. That ammo was shooting lights out... my first group at 110 yards was 3/4"! My next few 5X5's were around .85 MOA at 110 yards. And then I ran out of ammo. I just got on the phone and ordered some new 10X without thinking anything of it... and then I started shooting worse inexplicably. I felt like I was shooting better than I ever had been, but my groups were widening up. Had I screwed the barrel up cleaning it? Was my scope loose? I started reading the Benchrest Central Rimfire Forums and became indoctrinated in ammo testing. I went through the process of testing everything out there. Maybe 15 or 20 lots. As it turns out, the best performing ammo that I could find was 05069, 1059 fps... 5 machine, slow ammo. My previous great shooting ammo was 05446, 1061 fps. 5 machine, slow ammo. All of the ammo that was passable was in the 1055 fps to 1064 fps range (except for one lot that seemed to shoot very well... incidentally, Bill Calfee himself said this was a great lot. It didn't shoot as well as some of the others, but shot really really well. If I had a gun that liked faster ammo, I bet it would have worked great). I wouldn't think machine would matter... but I am not questioning it because stuff from the "5" machine seemed to shoot better.

Now I am just one person, but this is also what most/ all of the benchrest 22 folks do. Whenever I see ammo from the 5-machine at 1055 to 1065 fps, I order a few boxes just to see how it'll shoot. As a matter of a fact, I found some recently that shoots as well as my current ammo. It is 1063 fps from the "5" machine. Unfortunately, as a postlogue, I have not found ammo that shoots as well as the stuff that nesikabay sent with his gun. It has all sold out. I am still seeking something that could deliver that kind of performance... or maybe that was just a fluke... beginner's luck. We shall see...

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">A few final notes</span></span>

<span style="font-weight: bold">Can't stand the weather.</span> The ammo that shoots best in your gun will vary by weather conditions and will even vary over the life of your barrel. See an article here . Remember this when you are buying a lot that shoots well... you will want to buy a bunch because testing eats up a lot of time and money... but not so much that your barrel's temperment may change.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Price.</span> Yip, this stuff is four or five times as expensive as normal match ammo from other makers. It is up to each individual to decide what the price tag is for smaller groups. I am not going to comment here. If it is any consolation, the most expensive ammo out there is the Lapua Midas +. I think it runs around $18 a box versus $10 a box for Eley Match. There, does that make Eley cheaper?

I like accuracy. How are you testing your shooting if you point your gun at the target, do your part, and the bullet hole ends up some place else? As a result, I shoot Eley Match or 10X all the time. It is expensive, but still cheaper than centerfire.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Switching ammo.</span> Unfortunately, when switching to Eley, you will need to reseason the barrel... basically, you will need to shoot a box of Eley. I think this is basically just to reprime the barrel with Eley lube. Or maybe it is the powder. Or all of the above. Whatever, that is just what I heard. This makes it costly to switch back and forth from Eley, so maybe it is just a marketing rumor. I have switched back once and found it pretty much to be the case. And I am not doing it again. This is a good opportunity to find some boxes of team to get the barrel ready. Those barrel heaters can also get pricey. Another great use for Team.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PhantomWorks, Cody S and Fester47
#2
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Good read.

950 variables in loading a .22LR round? Eley monitors them all? Hell it's no wonder that stuff is outrageously priced.

Informative post.
 
#3
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: lineman711</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Good read.

950 variables in loading a .22LR round? Eley monitors them all? Hell it's no wonder that stuff is outrageously priced.

Informative post. </div></div>

Thanks. I wouldn't say that they monitor every variable, rather they have a solution for each one. For instance, most of the bullet variables are solved by the design itself. Where they don't have a solution, like the weather in a powder plant in Buenos Aires, they are forced to monitor it and be sure to isolate it in a given lot, which also means putting it on a particular machine. It is frightening how anal they are... but they get results.

As for the price... well, it is what it is. You can get a factory gun that shoots almost on par with a good custom. For some the custom is worth it. For others, not. So it is a value question. Certainly, if you are competing, it is hard to put a price on being the best. For varminting, minute of squirrel can be delivered by other brands.
 
#5
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

It only takes about 20 rds. to re-season my Lilja barrel if I deviate from Eley. Wish I could find some more Team before I run out...
 
#8
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Great thread,I love Eley Match, more specifically my BR 40X loves it. I'm new to rimfire benchrest so am struggling to learn the crazy things that wind does to 22RF, and how to bring that tiny pill into the X ring. That said I do understand that I need lots of practice shooting in the wind,recognizing similar conditions,watching flags, and reacting with the proper POA for hundreds of rounds. While I'm in this learning curve I wanted to find a "practice round" that did the job, but didn't cost $999 per case. I tested Eley yellow box Target,and Eley Club hoping one of those was the answer. Imagine my surprise when SK Standard Plus was the best for this particular rifle. So, the Eley Black Box comes out for matches.
 
#9
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Thanks for your time in posting this.

My rifles, a 64 Match and a 52D both with apetures, did not love the Eley Match, but I know it was just one box from one lot and not a real test.

But then again, I just love to shoot these things for the enjoyment of it and am not a match shooter.
 
#10
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Not all rifles will shoot Eley well. As mentioned above, the rimfire benchrest smiths tend to size their chambers for Eley Match, but that doesn't mean that is how your rifle was chambered. But, again, you need to test a lot of lots and make sure that you season the barrel with the new lube. I have a couple of crappy boxes that I use as barrel heaters.

There is a lot of ammo out there that will not shoot in my gun. That's fine... as long as there is some that does. What does suck is that you really have to make a pretty large investment every time you buy ammo. You can't just go buy a box or a brick of ammo off the shelf. After all the testing (over a brick and a half), I have to buy at least a half a case to make it worth it. Rimfire can be an expensive sport if you are serious about it.
 
#11
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Is Eley Club garbage. Paid over $60 here in Canada for a brick and AE 5022 shoot sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better at $21 per brick.. Do you have to step up to the top of the line to get any benefit.
 
#13
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hifly78</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Is Eley Club garbage. Paid over $60 here in Canada for a brick and AE 5022 shoot sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better at $21 per brick.. Do you have to step up to the top of the line to get any benefit.
</div></div>

I wouldn't call it garbage. It just lacks a few things that Match/Tenex have such as: the dimple bullet, lot tracking, test firing / QC. It will share the same powder, brass, and lube with Eley Match and Tenex, but it is not made on the same machines. At that level, I wouldn't pay a premium, but if Eley Club shoots better than anything else you have tried and the price is right, then go for it.

The point of the write-up was just to show that with Eley Match and Tenex, it is not a bunch of smoke and mirrors or marketing. They are truly different. Some of the lower priced stuff doesn't get the same care as the upper end... at that point, they are just using the Eley brand to sell ammo. If it works in your gun, great if not... shoot somthing else.

Another point... Remington-Eley is not made by Eley in their UK facility. It is not the same thing. The Remington-Eley Match EPS does use the dimple bullet. That might be worth a try. But Remington-Eley is not really Eley ammo... it is just another example of using the Eley brand to sell something. But if it works in your gun... I say go for it.
 
#16
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Just ordered up some CCI .22 LR Mini Mags for the 7-year-old Daughter and her Crickett. She don't care what she shoots. She just goes after any .22lr round on the table like a gray squirrel going after acorns.
grin.gif


Got some Wolf Match Extra for plinking for the wife and I.

Ah, but the big dog (that be me
wink.gif
), ordered a personal stash of RWS R-50, Lapua Midas Plus, and some <span style="font-weight: bold">Eley Tenex</span>.
cool.gif
Could only afford boxes of 50 of those, though.
cry.gif


Can't wait to try the Tenex.
 
#17
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kombayotch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It only takes about 20 rds. to re-season my Lilja barrel if I deviate from Eley. Wish I could find some more Team before I run out... </div></div>

I spoke with Bob Collins of C&S Accuracy, And he advised that there would not be any more Eley Team produced and relaeased till 2010.
Bob is great to deal with and is very helpfull in trying to find that magic bullet. Bob can send you several lot numbers from the different machines for accuracy testing and can sometimes help in shortcutting the process.
 
#20
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

If I may add a few comments to your thread...

Lones Wigger is a friend of mine locally and is the US Eley rep. He has been to the mfg facility many times. My rifle and Wig's current barreling of his rifle was done by one of the smiths mentioned in the first post.

Per him, all EPS comes off of 4 machines in a special room, no matter red, black, club EPS (thru 2008) and now Team. The #3 machine was kicking out the best ammo for a few years.

All ammo lots are tested in Eley test barrels. Eley had to revise their standards upward in 2007 because most of the ammo was coming out Red. Nowadays, the Team is the "old Black". Black is the old Red. Current Red is in a class like no other Eley ammo made in history.

Eley's head tester passed away within the last year. Certain people, mentioned in the original post, are making the trip to the facility to do their own testing in his absence.

Given that Eley has a finite number of test barrels, the grading process is somewhat nebulous from a statistical perspective. This means that there are/were lots of Club EPS and Team that in some rifles shoots as well or better than some lots of Red that came to the US in a shipment.

I frequently get to test multiple lots of Eley EPS ammo, indoors, 50 meters. Here is the bottom line from what I have seen:

EPS, in an EPS chamber, shoots in a range from GOOD to AWESOME. AWESOME tends to come from lots that have a tested (by Eley) velocity on the 1050 FPS range.

EPS, in a NON-EPS chamber, even throwing rounds from multiple lots in a pile and re-packaging them into boxes of 50 randomly, will shoot lights out compared to most other commercially available moderately priced match ammo.

The only thing about Team/EPS Club I have been warned about is the POSSIBILITY of more low velocity rounds (soft round out the bottom of the group) per case than with the higher grades. Countering this though is the fact that Eley has to fill orders for specific ammo. They may receive a big order for Team, will run it off on an EPS machine, and test it. It may test Red, but they need to fill the order for Team, so in the Team boxes it goes and at the Team price it sells.

Given my access to multiple lots, rather than throwing $$ at Black and Red I throw time at testing lots of Club (now Team) in the 1050 range. The worst I have found will two group a bit, but not be a lot that throws wide fliers. The good lots in my rifle will repeatedly throw 5 shots into the same group and the group will be of a uniform quasi-round shape.

Trying to do well on the BR-50 target is a different task than what most shooters on this site need out of their ammo. The mixed lot EPS I have given a few people results in WOW!! coming from them compared to the other ammo they shoot. Even the poorest match between EPS ammo and your rifle is still going to shoot on call, consistently, and give you the required feedback you need out of a 22 field precision rifle trainer.

Regarding the current Club that uses the non-EPS bullet, we have advanced club junior shooters using this stuff. It shoots on call and over many guns pretty well. Is is the minimum level training ammo Wig considers acceptable for shooting on the International target with its 1 MOA 10 ring. I would shoot it in a field trainer with confidence no problem, as would I any of the Wolf Match ammo.

HTH, Leo.
 
  • Like
Reactions: [email protected]
#25
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Thanks for the additional info, 9Hotel...

I would only note again that there are now 5 machines (the fifth one is relatively new). "3" was hot for a while, then "1" and "2" were making great ammo. "5" seems to work pretty well for me, right now.

I test at 110 yards... unfortunately, in the wind, but for 5-shot groups, my high with 20 groups of 5 is 1.51 MOA and my low is 0.85 MOA (wish I had bought more of that). Usually, it is pretty obvious that it shoots well or it doesn't. I get some lots that test in the .95 - 1.05 range and then some lots that test in the 1.2 - 1.3 range with nothing in the 1.05 - 1.2 range. It either works or it doesn't.

Funny you should mention those low fliers. That is my biggest issue with my ammo. I get between 1 and 4 low fliers in a box (usually 2 per box). At 100 yards, these throw about an inch low. One of the issues with testing ammo is that if a group has a couple of these and the rest of the groups are tight, the group average method will indicate that this ammo it really great. This is why I like to go by On Target's Average-to-Center measurement. A good ATC average for me is about .35 MOA. A bad one is .45 MOA and over.

On the subject of fliers... I know some folks who test ammo solely to minimize fliers... they cope with groups that are less than tight, but at least they won't have a flier ruin their day. I don't know if there really is a way to root them out, though. I might get a box with none and the next box will have 4. Testing to minimize fliers is an act in futility if you ask me.

If you talk with people who have been shooting rimfire benchrest a while, they will agree on two things: a) ammo is better than it has ever been (in the ARA, 2500 scores were once rare, now these are regular occurences), 2) it is more frustrating than ever to find good ammo. Basically, Eley has upped the game so that everyone's scores are better. But as a competitor, this means that everyone shooting against you is better, and you need to find every advantage you can get. This means lots and lots of testing with expensive ammo.

As for the Team, I would love to test some of that... If I could find it. None of my suppliers ever seem to have any. Match seems to outnumber 10X by about 2 or 3 to 1, but I can never find team. When I test, I test both 10X and Match... and hopefully, the Match shoots better because it is fairly cheaper. My best lot has still been 10X. 10X has also been some of my worst. The moral of the story is test, test, and test again. No doubt if I found some Team, I could probably get some to work in my gun.
 
#26
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Carter, believe it or not I am hoping to avoid one or two low/soft shots per BRICK. If I had that per BOX, I'd give up the sport.

In outdoor smallbore prone we shoot on the 100 yard target as part of a 1200 or 1600 event. I've yet to have a low shot I attributed to ammo, though admittedly I've shot just a handful of outdoor matches with cases shot indoors at 50 meters on the International target.

Maybe Ken can weigh in on his "low shot per X rounds" experience.

Calfee did a few articles on what he calls "flippers" and seemed to tie them to sear pressure on the bolt from the trigger and inconsistent sear pressure creating inconsistent upward pressure on the bolt AND the trigger itself when using a variety of 700 and XP-based actions. If there is some truth to his musings, I do not believe the Anschutz design is nearly so effected by these things.

What rifle are you testing in, or did I miss that in your original post?

Have you chrono confirmed the one shot per box low flier, confirming that velocity was in fact the reason for the low shot?

Then comes the subject of rim thickness, firing pin striking strength, and velocity variance based on those two things interacting....

Gawd am I glad I don't shoot 22LR benchrest!
 
#27
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

9Hotel, well, I have been attributing them to the ammo, but haven't chrono'ed them. They are there like clockwork. I am shooting a 40X, so this might very well be the case. I hate to have anyone work on it as it shoots like a dream, but I get these fliers at precisely 6 O'clock pretty regularly.

Looking over targets, maybe less frequently than I stated... but certainly more than once a brick. Probably once a box, on average. I see some 5 X 5's without them, but if you look through all of the targets that I shoot, it is a recurring theme.

In the 100 / 200 yard match here on the Hide, one of my 100 yard targets has 2 of them. They are inside the 10 ring, but apart from all of the other shots. And that is in 30 shots.

I guess I overstated because it seems like I see more of them lately. Last time at the range, I got two in a row, which has never happened before... and infuriated me.
 
#29
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

My gun was a bone stock 2013, in wood. I've never been a great fan of the aluminum, but that's probably because I was raised on wood. The more bells and whistles you hang off a gun makes it all the more complicated to shoot, and shoot well. My 50 meter 3 position record still holds to this day, at 1185, only one point below the world record. Both records (world and national) were shot with wood stocks. Don't mean an aluminum stock can't do it, just saying that you don't need all that extra crap on a gun.

Regarding the 6:00 flippers, those could come from a myriad of problems. The skirt on the bullet could be dinged, the powder weight could be low (doubt it), the lubricant could be inconsistent, the anneal on the brass could be a little off causing inconsistent bullet pull, the priming material could have been low, the concentricity could be jacked up. Who knows. Bottom line: If you're shooting rimfire, you've got to trust the manufacturer. You've got to test those lot numbers, and test, and test.

The one thing I've found to be beneficial for evaluating rimfire is the rimfire concentricity gauge. I've got one and absolutely love it. Don't bother with the rim thickness gauge. Ain't worth a hill of beans. Get a concentricity gauge for rimfire and it WILL make a difference. If you want, I'll post the name of my gauge, as the manufacturer escapes me right now.
 
#32
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Great article. I'm just getting into smallbore. I just bought a used Anchutz/Eliseo tubegun and was trying to figure out what ammo to buy. I just ordered 5k rounds of Wolf/Lapua Match Target ammo from Sinclair because the price was right. I bought a 22 rifle as practice for highpower and expect to shoot for a much lower price per round. I almost choked when looking at Eley ammo prices. Any comments about the Wolf ammo?
 
#35
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Great read guys. I first used Eley "black box" Match in 1999 I guess. I was running it thru a 20+ year old Anschutz model 64MS Silhouette Rifle. Not the fanciest rig but it flat out rocked with the 12x Leupold combo at 50 yards. It was my winter league rifle.

I miss those days of shooting outside at night using spot-lights between Jan-April in Western NY, freezing cold, 50 yards, blowing snow, rain, shifting wind up & down the valley and the occasional white-tail that would wonder on the range. What a challenge!

Todd
 
#36
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Carter Mayfield</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

<span style="font-weight: bold">Switching ammo.</span> Unfortunately, when switching to Eley, you will need to reseason the barrel... basically, you will need to shoot a box of Eley. I think this is basically just to reprime the barrel with Eley lube. Or maybe it is the powder. Or all of the above. Whatever, that is just what I heard. This makes it costly to switch back and forth from Eley, so maybe it is just a marketing rumor. I have switched back once and found it pretty much to be the case. And I am not doing it again. This is a good opportunity to find some boxes of team to get the barrel ready. Those barrel heaters can also get pricey. Another great use for Team. </div></div>


Anyone know if there is some seasoning needed when switching between Club, Target, Match, etc. or are all Eley lube's the same?
 
#37
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Great work. BUT
At the end of the day rimfires are picky.
I own all kinds of rf's but I like my win 52's the most and spend most of my rf time with them. They do not all like the high end Eley. One of my "E"'s does just love the red and black box while the other shoots Lapua Midas consistently tighter groups. One C does and One C does not. The one C that does not loves Lapua Midas also. My D deff do not like High End Eley and shoot practice better. Some of the C's actually shoot the Eley Practice and CCI Std better. The only issue is the percentage of flyers you can get in a case of CCI stds but I eat them like potato chips all the same! I could give similiar with my A's and B's and my 40x's but you get the point.

Ultimately you have to experiment and I always start at the med price or practice ammo price range when I get anothe rf.

I cant agree more on the 1050 mark but I prefer (or my win's do to be more exact..) to be below that as opposed to above it.

For what its worth years ago I asked about the lube at a show and was told they are compatable but it would be good to hear that fdrom a current Eley rep.
 
#38
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

I believe a lot of low shots are the effect of wind from the front. A 10 knot or better wind can drive a 22 1/2 inch low at 50 and a full inch at 100. The place I shoot at has wind all the time and it changes up dirrect seem like every few minutes. Durning a competetion you can tell the wind by compairing all the targets on a relay. When the wind changes up quickly everyone seems to end up with a 9 or 8 in the same place on the target. A head wind that comes up quick or drops off fast will usually end up with a 9 at 6 or 12 o'clock. Flags only help some as there are winds and vortex sometimes in between the flags that just don't show up or do after the shot. You can't do much about those. This is a great thread however and thanks to the OP for the info and time it took to compile it.

Donald
 
#39
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Darkstar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Great work. BUT
At the end of the day rimfires are picky.
I own all kinds of rf's but I like my win 52's the most and spend most of my rf time with them. They do not all like the high end Eley. One of my "E"'s does just love the red and black box while the other shoots Lapua Midas consistently tighter groups. One C does and One C does not. The one C that does not loves Lapua Midas also. My D deff do not like High End Eley and shoot practice better. Some of the C's actually shoot the Eley Practice and CCI Std better. The only issue is the percentage of flyers you can get in a case of CCI stds but I eat them like potato chips all the same! I could give similiar with my A's and B's and my 40x's but you get the point.</div></div>

The caveat is that different rimfires will be chambered differently. Most high-end rimfires for benchrest or position shooting are chambered for Eley... Eley is the standard. For an off-the-rack gun, you might end up with a situation where the rifle is not headspaced to shoot Eley the best. It is like loading a perfectly consistent centerfire load with zero runout and very consistent charge weights, but not having the bullet seated to the sweet spot. The ammo may be very consistent, but it is not built to the gun.

This article is specific to Eley Tenex, Match, and Club. All of the other ammo branded Eley is built to different specs, so it would make sense that a rifle might shoot Eley Practice well while not shooting Eley Tenex well for the reason mentioned above.

All that said, if you have not sampled through a number of lots of Eley Match or Tenex to figure out which lot works well in your rifle, a comparison of Eley vs other ammo is not really fair. I have had lots of Eley that absolutely would not shoot well in my gun. As a matter of a fact, many lots shoot well... so the selection of a lot has more to do with weeding out the stuff that does not shoot well. The differences between the lots that shoot well is usually pretty minor, to the point of not being statistically significant, nonetheless, I try to buy the stuff with the best numbers.
 
#40
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ida83704</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Carter Mayfield</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

<span style="font-weight: bold">Switching ammo.</span> Unfortunately, when switching to Eley, you will need to reseason the barrel... basically, you will need to shoot a box of Eley. I think this is basically just to reprime the barrel with Eley lube. Or maybe it is the powder. Or all of the above. Whatever, that is just what I heard. This makes it costly to switch back and forth from Eley, so maybe it is just a marketing rumor. I have switched back once and found it pretty much to be the case. And I am not doing it again. This is a good opportunity to find some boxes of team to get the barrel ready. Those barrel heaters can also get pricey. Another great use for Team. </div></div>


Anyone know if there is some seasoning needed when switching between Club, Target, Match, etc. or are all Eley lube's the same?</div></div>

Tenex, Match, and Team use the same lube (beeswax and tallow). I don't think reseasoning is required when switching between these. Club and Sport uses paraffin wax. I am not familiar with Target, but I think that all of the lower end stuff uses parrafin wax.
 
#41
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

I would sincerely hope any large volume purchases would be made as the result of some significant testing to confirm the selection.

While I have some issues with C/F Harmonic Barrel Tuners (mine kept going in and out of tune in sync with environmntal variances), I suspect that Rimfires would fare much better with them.

In the possibility that a large purchase might reveal some incompatibility between a new gun and a new large ammo purchase, a rimfire harmonic barrel tuner could save the day.

Greg
 
#42
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Carter Mayfield</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Darkstar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Great work. BUT
At the end of the day rimfires are picky.
I own all kinds of rf's but I like my win 52's the most and spend most of my rf time with them. They do not all like the high end Eley. One of my "E"'s does just love the red and black box while the other shoots Lapua Midas consistently tighter groups. One C does and One C does not. The one C that does not loves Lapua Midas also. My D deff do not like High End Eley and shoot practice better. Some of the C's actually shoot the Eley Practice and CCI Std better. The only issue is the percentage of flyers you can get in a case of CCI stds but I eat them like potato chips all the same! I could give similiar with my A's and B's and my 40x's but you get the point.</div></div>

The caveat is that different rimfires will be chambered differently. Most high-end rimfires for benchrest or position shooting are chambered for Eley... Eley is the standard. For an off-the-rack gun, you might end up with a situation where the rifle is not headspaced to shoot Eley the best. It is like loading a perfectly consistent centerfire load with zero runout and very consistent charge weights, but not having the bullet seated to the sweet spot. The ammo may be very consistent, but it is not built to the gun.

This article is specific to Eley Tenex, Match, and Club. All of the other ammo branded Eley is built to different specs, so it would make sense that a rifle might shoot Eley Practice well while not shooting Eley Tenex well for the reason mentioned above.

All that said, if you have not sampled through a number of lots of Eley Match or Tenex to figure out which lot works well in your rifle, a comparison of Eley vs other ammo is not really fair. I have had lots of Eley that absolutely would not shoot well in my gun. As a matter of a fact, many lots shoot well... so the selection of a lot has more to do with weeding out the stuff that does not shoot well. The differences between the lots that shoot well is usually pretty minor, to the point of not being statistically significant, nonetheless, I try to buy the stuff with the best numbers. </div></div>

I hear ya Carter. I was not compairing ammo. One thing is for sure, you get what you pay for with Eley.
Its a cost vs benefit thing for me. I have a few dialed in and I have bulk sitting waiting for them. My E that shoots Eley is my most accurate rm I own and the consistency of Eley Red and Black makes it just amazing to shoot at all distances. I could continue to experiment and find something that keeps putting them literally in the same hole with my other rm's, but the cost as you know would be through the roof. The rest are just gonna have to scratch along clover leafing and the occasional (and you know there coming...) flyers that the lower cost ammo provides!
Once again, nice job compiling the Eley info.
 
#44
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Quick range report.

yes, definately need to send a few down range to season the barrel.



also
Tenex is in a Red box
Match is in a Black box
Match OSP is in a Purple box
Team is in a Blue box
Club is in an Orange-ish
Sport is in a Green box
(Note-Sport is labeled as Target and in a Yellow box in the USA)

Sport in Purple box is sold in the USA but made in Mexico rather than the UK it is not Green box sport

http://www.eley.co.uk/media/46432/new%20worldwide%20product%20range.pdf
 
#45
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Darkstar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My E that shoots Eley is my most accurate rm I own and the consistency of Eley Red and Black makes it just amazing to shoot at all distances.
</div></div>

At distance is where you really start to see a huge difference, especially in vertical dispersion. I think this is attributable to the bullet design. The "pip" or flatnose on the bullet is actually like the hollow point on a HPBT. It is an artifact of the manufacturing process. The key is to get the base as flat as possible.

At 50 yards, all of my 5-shot groups should be cloverleafs or better. If I see two holes, I did something wrong. That is what good ammo does (with a good rifle, of course).
 
#46
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Carter Mayfield</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Darkstar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My E that shoots Eley is my most accurate rm I own and the consistency of Eley Red and Black makes it just amazing to shoot at all distances.
</div></div>

At distance is where you really start to see a huge difference, especially in vertical dispersion. I think this is attributable to the bullet design. The "pip" or flatnose on the bullet is actually like the hollow point on a HPBT. It is an artifact of the manufacturing process. The key is to get the base as flat as possible.

At 50 yards, all of my 5-shot groups should be cloverleafs or better. If I see two holes, I did something wrong. That is what good ammo does (with a good rifle, of course).</div></div>

The EPS or flat nose works great but on the windy day I will shoot match pistol (10X) and find it's not as wind sensitive.My rifles like certain machines and speeds but right now with this hot ass weather my rifles like 1065 to 1078 in speed when its cooler I shoot 1048 to 1061. But always the same machines.

You also need to change your torque screws on your actions which can make a crappy lot of ammo or so you think shoot great. When your rifle doesn't like the lot you can usually tell by the sound and yes it's different or feel or hear a humming in your rifle.

Most shots that I have that drop out are from the wind and not the ammo or rifle just me reading it wrong. Strip some garbage bags to make flags that look like tails and like them out over your range of fire . When the tails are up your shot will go up ect ect

Jim
 
#47
Re: The Ins and Outs of Eley 22LR Ammo

Those benchrest guys are extremely picky about their ammo. One member out our club tested abunch of ammo(believe it was eley). Found the one that shot the best and ordered a lot of it. Your talking thousands of dollars just to have bullets from one machine, one operator, all within the same specs. Thats serious buisness
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Cody S
  • Poll
Eley Black vs R50 vs SKLR rimfire ammo
Replies
31
Views
575
Cody S
Cody S
C
Rimfire Eley Tenex, Match, and Team 22lr Ammo cheap
Replies
2
Views
373
calamjn
C
Topstrap
Results May 2024 Topstraps Rimfire Challenge
Replies
0
Views
203
Topstrap
Topstrap
powerspc
SOLD IPSC and USPSA Shooters - ELEY .38 Super Comp Major Ammo -1,092 Rounds
Replies
0
Views
103
powerspc
powerspc
L
Bergara B14R: Failure to eject
Replies
11
Views
374
jpp3g
J
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Merch
Alerts