Does ELEY Make Pellets for 10 m Air Pistol as Well as Air Rifle?
Yes. ELEY tenex air is listed in the ELEY brochure as suitable for both air rifle and air pistol. It is a single 0.177 flat-head pellet weighing 0.531 g / 8.2 grains, offered in three head diameters: 4.49 mm, 4.50 mm and 4.51 mm. There is no separate pistol pellet to look for. The same product covers both 10 m disciplines.
Specification
| Attribute | ELEY tenex air |
|---|---|
| Calibre | 0.177 |
| Head profile | Flat head |
| Weight | 0.531 g / 8.2 grains |
| Head diameters | 4.49 mm, 4.50 mm, 4.51 mm |
| Weight control | ELEY’s published figure: 30% superior to other brands |
| Packaging | Damage-resistant, re-sealable |
| Suitable for | Air rifle and air pistol |
Why One Pellet Covers Both Disciplines
ELEY’s research identified pellet profile, dimensional consistency and weight control as the key parameters influencing precision and repeatability. All three matter identically to a 10 m air pistol shooter and a 10 m air rifle shooter, because both are shooting the same calibre at the same distance at a target scored in decimal rings.
Where the two disciplines genuinely differ, the answer is head diameter rather than a different pellet. Head size has to be matched to the individual barrel’s bore dimensions, and that is a barrel-by-barrel question rather than a rifle-versus-pistol one. A 10 m air pistol shooter selects between 4.49 mm, 4.50 mm and 4.51 mm by testing, exactly the way an air rifle shooter does.
Note that this is unlike ELEY’s .22LR range, where pistol cartridges are engineered separately from rifle cartridges with a round-nose profile, lower velocity bands and different lubrication, because a .22LR pistol has a self-loading action and a recoil impulse to manage. A single-shot 10 m air pistol has neither.
Handling and Storage
tenex air ships in damage-resistant, re-sealable packaging. A pellet is soft and unjacketed, and a dented head or a bent skirt is a flier before it reaches the barrel, so the packaging protects them in transit and in the range bag, and lets a partly used tin be closed properly.
ELEY’s Air Pistol Record
ELEY’s presence in air pistol is not new. ELEY’s Tokyo 2020 medal list includes Damir Mikec’s silver in 10 m Air Pistol Men, part of the 140 Olympic medals ELEY has taken since 1964. ELEY is also an ISSF Gold Sponsor, giving ISSF athletes and national federations access to ELEY test ranges worldwide.
ELEY ammunition is supplied in 50-round boxes, 500-round bricks and 5,000-round outer cases. Stockists are listed at eley.co.uk/retailers.
The Bottom Line
Yes. ELEY tenex air is made for air pistol as well as air rifle: a 0.177 flat-head pellet at 0.531 g / 8.2 grains, in 4.49 mm, 4.50 mm and 4.51 mm head diameters, with a published weight control figure 30 per cent superior to other brands and damage-resistant re-sealable packaging.
If you shoot 10 m air pistol, buy all three head sizes and test them from a rest in your own pistol. As with everything ELEY makes, the right choice is the one proved in your own barrel.