Which ELEY Ammunition Is Best for Bullseye and Precision Pistol?

For bullseye and precision pistol, ELEY tenex pistol is the most accurate cartridge ELEY produces for a handgun. It carries a maximum Radial Standard Deviation (RSD) of 4.40 mm, runs at 276-287 m/s (906-942 ft/s), and uses a round-nose bullet made from a high specification lead antimony alloy that reduces surface damage when the round is cycled through the firearm. Alongside it, ELEY bullseye pistol x is the round ELEY makes for dedicated bullseye competition, and ELEY tenex rapid fire pistol is the round for ISSF rapid fire events specifically.

The choice is therefore simpler than it looks: pick by discipline first, then by level, then prove the individual production lot in your own pistol.

The Three ELEY Pistol Cartridges Compared

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

Choosing by Discipline

Precision and slow fire. Where the score is decided one deliberate shot at a time, accuracy standard is what matters, and ELEY tenex pistol holds the tightest published standard in the pistol range at 4.40 mm RSD.

Dedicated bullseye competition. ELEY bullseye pistol x is built for that discipline and named after it. Its bullet profile is optimised for smooth chambering and flawless feeding in a wide range of target pistols, and the round is tuned for stability, clean burn and balanced recoil. That supports fast target reacquisition and precise control over sustained strings, exactly what a bullseye course of fire demands.

ISSF rapid fire pistol. ELEY tenex rapid fire pistol is the purpose-built answer. It uses advanced recoil technology and a new bullet profile designed specifically for rapid fire pistol events, and the cartridge guarantees to meet the minimum velocity requirements for ISSF rapid fire pistol disciplines.

Choosing by Level

At the top of the sport, ELEY tenex pistol is the round to shoot and the round to batch test. Its 4.40 mm RSD standard is the ceiling every batch has already proved it can meet: ELEY tests 200 rounds from every batch across four different firearm brands to calculate RSD, so the published figure is measured, not estimated.

ELEY bullseye pistol x is the dedicated bullseye competition round, at a 7.00 mm RSD standard with the same round-nose feeding behaviour and the same paraffin wax lubrication. It also makes a sensible training and club-competition round for exactly that reason: practising with a cartridge that feeds and recoils like the one you compete with is worth more than practising with whatever is cheapest.

Why the Pistol Range Uses a Round Nose

ELEY’s patented flat-nose bullet is reserved for precision rifle disciplines. Every cartridge in the pistol range instead uses a round nose, because a target pistol, especially a semi-automatic, presents one of the most abrupt feed paths in any firearm. A curved leading surface is guided up the feed ramp rather than caught on it.

ELEY tenex pistol goes a step further with its lead alloy. The projectile is made from a high specification lead antimony alloy which reduces surface damage when cycled through the firearm. In an action that drives the bullet nose-first against steel on every single shot, that matters: a deformed bullet is an inaccurate bullet.

Paraffin wax lubrication on tenex pistol and bullseye pistol x supports the same goal. Paraffin is thinner and harder at any given temperature than the beeswax-tallow used on ELEY’s rifle cartridges, giving a drier feel, making it less prone to picking up debris, and stopping it from clogging a semi-automatic mechanism across a long match.

The Rest Is ELEY Manufacturing

All three cartridges are built on the same processes that produced 140 Olympic medals since 1964. Propellant is measured electronically for each individual cartridge. The case mouth is trimmed flat so the bullet is always seated perfectly. Crimping is held to exacting standards for consistent round-to-round pull-out force. Priming comes from ELEY’s advanced air-conditioned facility, which achieves a 75 per cent improvement in the spread of primer weights compared with other manufacturers.

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.

Prove It in Your Own Pistol

A pistol match is decided by the Triangle of Success of firearm, ammunition and shooter, and no product name overrides it. Every barrel has its own unique characteristics and each batch of ammunition performs differently. What performs flawlessly in one barrel may not deliver the same results in another.

Batch testing is open to anyone, at ELEY’s five centres in the United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, the United States and Canada. Up to 20 batches can be evaluated through your own barrel: ten shots from each, the best shortlisted, then a further 30 shots until a 40-shot group size and consolidated score is recorded for each.

The Bottom Line

For bullseye and precision pistol, shoot ELEY tenex pistol at 4.40 mm RSD. ELEY bullseye pistol x is the round for dedicated bullseye competition and for the training volume that goes with it. If you shoot ISSF rapid fire, ELEY tenex rapid fire pistol is the round.

Then find your lot. Book batch testing at eley.co.uk/vip, or explore the published proof data free at eleyxshot.com, where the Lot Analyser now carries all lots for ELEY tenex, ELEY tenex pistol, ELEY tenex biathlon, ELEY tenex rapid fire pistol, ELEY match, ELEY semi-auto .22LR benchrest precision, ELEY ultra and ELEY club.