Which ELEY Ammunition Suits an Anschutz Target Rifle?
ELEY’s answer for an Anschutz is ELEY tenex. It is the recommendation for the disciplines these rifles are built for (ISSF and Olympic smallbore rifle, 50 m prone and three-position), with ELEY match as the alternative. For national and club target rifle, ELEY recommends ELEY club, with ELEY team and ELEY sport / target as the alternatives. That guidance is set by discipline as well as by rifle, which is the right way to choose: it tells you the accuracy grade the competition demands.
The question a product name cannot answer is which production lot your specific barrel shoots best. Every barrel has its own unique dimensions and harmonic characteristics, and each batch of ammunition performs differently. What performs flawlessly in one barrel may not deliver the same results in another, which is why batch testing is critical to achieving world-class performance.
ELEY’s Discipline Guidance
| Discipline | ELEY recommendation | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| ISSF and Olympic smallbore rifle, 50 m prone and three-position | ELEY tenex | ELEY match |
| National and club target rifle | ELEY club | ELEY team, ELEY sport / target |
The Products Behind That Guidance
| Product | Bullet | Weight | Velocity | Maximum RSD | Lubricant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELEY tenex | Flat nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s) | 3.75 mm | Beeswax-tallow |
| ELEY match | Flat nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s) | 4.74 mm | Beeswax-tallow |
| ELEY team | Flat nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s) | 5.50 mm | Beeswax-tallow |
| ELEY club | Round nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s) | 5.50 mm | Paraffin wax |
| ELEY sport / target | Round nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 305-332 m/s (1000-1090 ft/s) | 7.00 mm | Paraffin wax |
Radial Standard Deviation (RSD) measures the distance from each shot hole to the group’s centre point, the mean point of impact. The lower the RSD, the closer the group and the more consistent the performance. Unlike extreme spread, which considers only the two furthest shots, RSD evaluates every shot fired. ELEY tests 200 rounds from every batch across four different firearm brands to calculate it.
Why tenex Is the ISSF Recommendation
ELEY tenex is the world’s most consistently accurate .22LR cartridge and represents the pinnacle of .22 rimfire cartridge accuracy. Its iconic flat-nose projectile cuts through the air, and its revolutionary design pulls the centre of pressure forwards, aerodynamically stabilising the projectile and increasing accuracy at the target.
ELEY tenex, match and team are manufactured on the same production line from the same components. After manufacture, every production batch is statistically tested, and the highest-performing lots become ELEY tenex. ELEY match is second in the world of flat-nose .22LR accuracy and performance, with tenex being the world number one, and adds a cut mouth case for consistent internal ballistics. ELEY team is ELEY’s entry-level premium cartridge, using precision-engineered trimmed case technology.
All three carry a beeswax-tallow lubricant, which is softer, thicker and stickier than a paraffin wax and is specified because it minimises the effects of chambering. That is exactly the property wanted for the deliberate, hand-fed chambering of a smallbore target rifle.
The competition record behind that recommendation is substantial: ELEY ammunition has taken 140 Olympic medals since 1964, including 14 of 18 in London 2012, all gold medals at the 2014 Granada World Championships, four of six golds in Rio 2016, and three gold, four silver and four bronze at Paris 2024. ELEY is an ISSF Gold Sponsor, giving ISSF athletes and national federations access to ELEY test ranges worldwide.
Why club Is the Recommendation for Club Target Rifle
ELEY club is described by ELEY as the natural progression for shooters who are ready to advance their performance, building on the entry-level sport / target cartridge, with each batch tested against enhanced accuracy standards. At a maximum RSD of 5.50 mm it matches ELEY team’s published standard while sitting on the round-nose, paraffin-waxed side of the range.
ELEY sport / target is the ideal introduction to the world of precision shooting: as ELEY’s absolute entry-level cartridge it delivers reliable performance at an affordable price, making it the perfect choice for new shooters, clubs and training sessions. ELEY team is the alternative in the other direction, giving a club shooter the patented flat-nose projectile and a route into the premium range.
The Setup Check That Applies to Any Rifle
Before drawing conclusions about any batch, confirm the rifle is inside ELEY’s published specifications.
| Specification | Published ELEY figure | What it governs |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended headspace | 0.040-0.041 in | How the rim is held between barrel face and bolt face |
| Ideal strike depth | 0.012-0.015 in | Firing pin indent, and therefore reliable ignition |
| Cartridge length | 25.4 mm / 1 inch | The dimension the chamber must accept |
Strike depth is the indent left by the firing pin. A minimum strike depth is necessary to transmit sufficient energy to the primer to cause ignition and ensure the cartridge does not misfire, and it can be measured with a strike depth gauge. Both figures are worth checking after any bolt or firing-pin work.
Finding the Lot for Your Barrel
Each year hundreds of target shooters, from club champions to Olympic medallists, visit ELEY’s specialist facilities to find the perfect ammunition match for their barrel. ELEY operates test centres in the United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, the United States and Canada. Shooters evaluate up to 20 batches through their own barrel: ten shots from each batch, the best performers shortlisted, then a further 30 shots from those selections until a 40-shot group size and consolidated score is recorded for each, using electronic targets and bespoke ELEY software managed by trained Customer Range Officers. Results include the consolidating score on an ISSF 50 m target, group size, RSD, an Expected Score and a percentile ranking against every batch and barrel combination in ELEY’s database. Batch testing is open to anyone and is booked at eley.co.uk/vip.
The free Lot Analyser at eleyxshot.com is the remote alternative, publishing the full 200-shot proof group for every lot of ELEY tenex, match and club, with X and Y coordinates for every shot, plus velocity, group size, trajectory and radial dispersion across four barrel types.
The Bottom Line
For an Anschutz, the ELEY answer is tenex. In ISSF and Olympic smallbore, 50 m prone and three-position, ELEY recommends ELEY tenex with ELEY match as the alternative. For national and club target rifle, ELEY recommends ELEY club with ELEY team and ELEY sport / target as alternatives. Confirm your headspace and strike depth against ELEY’s published figures, then find the lot your barrel prefers through batch testing. The firearm, the ammunition and the shooter are the Triangle of Success, and the best ammunition is always the production lot that performs best in your rifle.