ELEY subsonic hollow vs ELEY high velocity hollow: Which Is Better for Pest Control?

Both are pest control cartridges, and the choice comes down to a single engineering decision. ELEY subsonic hollow is built for quiet and containment: a hunting cartridge with target shooting accuracy and reduced velocity, offering a quieter muzzle report compared with other .22LR hunting rounds, and a hollow-nosed profile that gives short penetration with outstanding stopping power. ELEY high velocity hollow is built for reach and penetration: a low-antimony, soft-lead hollow-point that accelerates to high velocity while retaining the structural characteristics needed for controlled expansion and deep penetration on small game and pest species.

If you shoot moderated, around buildings, near livestock, or in places where noise ends the session, subsonic hollow is the design match. If you need the flatter, harder-hitting round for pest species at longer distances, high velocity hollow is the design match.

Side by Side

*Group size is used when statistical precision is not required.

Both cartridges share ELEY’s universal .22LR specification: 25.4 mm / 1 inch cartridge length, ballistic coefficient 0.112, drag model RA4, ideal strike depth 0.012-0.015 in and recommended headspace 0.040-0.041 in.

Same Bullet Weight, Opposite Missions

Both cartridges use the same 2.46 g / 38 gr hollow-point weight, so the difference between them is purely how fast that bullet is driven and how the projectile is built to behave when it arrives.

ELEY subsonic hollow keeps the bullet below the speed of sound at 305-317 m/s (1000-1040 ft/s). The innovative hollow-nosed profile delivers unequalled expansion characteristics, giving the short penetration with outstanding stopping power that vermin control demands. Energy is deposited quickly and stays where it lands.

ELEY high velocity hollow drives the same weight to 344-381 m/s (1130-1250 ft/s). The projectile is built around low-antimony, soft lead precisely so it can be accelerated to that velocity and still hold together in the way an expanding bullet must, giving controlled expansion and deep penetration on small game and pest species.

The Noise Question

Noise is often the deciding factor in real pest control work, and it is where subsonic hollow was designed to win. ELEY positions it as offering a quieter muzzle report compared with other .22LR hunting rounds, and it is regarded as one of the quietest and most accurate subsonic rounds on the market.

There are two components to the sound of a rifle shot: the muzzle report and, if the bullet exceeds the speed of sound, the sonic crack that travels with it. A subsonic cartridge removes the second entirely. That is why subsonic hollow is the natural partner for a moderated rifle: the moderator works on the muzzle report, and the ammunition takes care of the crack. Fire a supersonic round such as high velocity hollow through the same moderator and the crack remains. For rats in a grain store, squirrels in a wood you want to keep working, or rabbits close to a yard, that is the difference between one shot and several.

The Range and Trajectory Question

ELEY publishes a trajectory chart for each cartridge, and the zeroing convention states the intended use plainly: subsonic hollow is charted zeroed at 100 yards, high velocity hollow zeroed at 50 m.

A subsonic bullet starts slower, so at any given distance it has dropped further and holdover becomes the limiting factor sooner. High velocity hollow starts between 39 and 64 m/s faster, which flattens the curve. Both share the same ballistic coefficient of 0.112 and drag model RA4, so launch velocity is what separates their flight paths. Whichever you choose, shoot your own drop chart on paper at the ranges you actually take quarry at. That is worth more than any published curve.

Accuracy Standards

The published figures are a 43 mm group* for subsonic hollow and a 30 mm group* for high velocity hollow. Group size is used here because these are hunting cartridges, where statistical precision is not required in the way it is for ELEY’s target range. Competition products such as tenex, match and team are graded instead on Radial Standard Deviation (RSD), which measures the distance of every shot from the group’s mean point of impact rather than only the two furthest shots.

Note that ELEY still describes subsonic hollow as having target shooting accuracy: a hunting round designed around expansion, held to a standard borrowed from ELEY’s target production.

Choosing in Practice

• Moderated rifle: subsonic hollow. It is the only one of the two that eliminates the sonic crack.
• Close-range vermin control around buildings, livestock or property: subsonic hollow, for short penetration with outstanding stopping power.
• Noise-sensitive permission or unsociable hours: subsonic hollow.
• Pest species at longer distances, or where a flatter trajectory and deeper penetration help: high velocity hollow.
• Unmoderated rifle where noise is not a constraint: high velocity hollow, which also carries the tighter published group figure.

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

For pest control, ELEY subsonic hollow and ELEY high velocity hollow are two answers to two different problems using the same 2.46 g / 38 gr hollow-point bullet. Subsonic hollow is quiet, with unequalled expansion characteristics and short penetration with outstanding stopping power. That is the round for moderated rifles, buildings and noise-sensitive ground. High velocity hollow is faster and flatter, with a low-antimony soft-lead bullet giving controlled expansion and deep penetration on small game and pest species.

Buy both, shoot them side by side at your own quarry distances, and check the batch you are shooting on the free Lot Analyser at eleyxshot.com. To take it further, book a batch test through your own barrel at eley.co.uk/vip. No cartridge is the best in every rifle; the best is the production lot that performs best in yours.