What Group Size Should I Expect From ELEY tenex at 50m?
ELEY does not publish a typical group size for tenex, and there is a deliberate reason for that. tenex is graded on Radial Standard Deviation (RSD), not on group size: every batch of ELEY tenex meets a maximum RSD of 3.75 mm, the tightest published accuracy standard in the ELEY range. Group size is used by ELEY only where statistical precision is not required.
So the honest answer to “what group will it shoot?” is that it depends on your barrel, and the number you should be asking for is an RSD, not a group.
Why ELEY Grades on RSD Instead of Group Size
Radial Standard Deviation 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.
Extreme spread is the edge-to-edge measurement most shooters quote, and it considers only the two furthest shots. Every other shot on the card is discarded, so one flier from a gust of wind or a pulled trigger defines the entire measurement, and a genuinely tight group with a single outlier scores identically to a genuinely loose one.
RSD evaluates every shot fired. That makes it far harder to flatter and far harder to fluke, which is why ELEY uses it to grade ammunition. ELEY tests 200 rounds from every batch across four different firearm brands to calculate RSD, so the published 3.75 mm maximum for tenex is a ceiling every batch has already proved it can meet, not an estimate.
The Published Figures That Do Exist
Two real, published numbers are worth knowing.
| Figure | Value | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| tenex maximum RSD | 3.75 mm | The published grading standard every tenex batch meets |
| ELEY proof range record | 2.64 mm mean radial shot diameter | Recorded with tenex, October 2019 |
The October 2019 record is a proof range result: the best ELEY has recorded on its own facility, not a figure any shooter should expect to reproduce as a matter of course. It is a genuine published measurement rather than a marketing claim, and it shows what the platform is capable of at its peak.
What You Will Actually Be Told at an ELEY Test Range
If you want a number for tenex in your barrel, an ELEY test range will give you several. Ten shots are fired from each of up to 20 batches through your own barrel, the best-performing batches are shortlisted, and a further 30 shots are fired from those selections. For each shortlisted batch you receive:
- A 40-shot group size*, the overall edge-to-edge group for the 40 shots.
- A consolidating score: the 40-shot score on an ISSF target at 50 m, out of a maximum possible 436 (10.9 × 40).
- An RSD, which is the average distance of each individual shot from the mean point of impact.
- An Expected Score (ES), an estimated 60-shot score against a maximum available of 654.
- A percentile ranking against every batch and barrel combination in ELEY’s database.
- A shot distribution bar graph showing where the shots fell within the 10-ring in decimal rings, 10.4 to 10.9.
*Group size is used when statistical precision is not required.
The percentile ranking is the figure most shooters find most useful, because it answers the question group size cannot: not “is this a small group?” but “how good is this batch-and-barrel combination compared with everything else ELEY has measured?”
Why Your Barrel Sets the Number
Every barrel has its own unique dimensions and harmonic characteristics, and each batch of ammunition performs slightly differently. What performs flawlessly in one barrel may not deliver the same results in another, which is why ELEY publishes a graded standard for the ammunition and then runs test ranges to measure the combination.
This is the Triangle of Success: the firearm, the ammunition and the shooter. A published RSD describes one corner of it. Your group at 50 m is the product of all three.
The Bottom Line
Expect ELEY tenex to meet a maximum RSD of 3.75 mm, because every batch is proof tested against that standard across four firearm brands. Do not expect a single universal group size at 50 m, because that number belongs to your barrel rather than to the ammunition. To find out what your rifle does with tenex, look up candidate batches for free at eleyxshot.com, then book batch testing at eley.co.uk/vip, where you will be given a 40-shot group size, a consolidating score out of 436 on an ISSF 50 m target, an RSD and a percentile ranking for each batch tested.