ELEY tenex vs ELEY tenex biathlon: What Is Actually Different?

The differences are the lubricant and the bullet profile. ELEY tenex biathlon is built on the tenex platform, and what sets it apart is that it is engineered to operate at much lower temperatures than any other round in the range. It therefore carries a scientifically designed cold-temperature lubricant, rated on the box for use to -20°C, and a bullet profile of its own.

Everything else follows from those two decisions. Supporting them are a reduced cartridge diameter to aid cycling in bolt-action and straight-pull biathlon rifles, and an increased propellant charge giving enhanced terminal energy and greater knock-down force at the target. Together they show up in the published figures as a higher velocity band of 335-354 m/s (1100-1160 ft/s) against tenex’s 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s), and a Radial Standard Deviation (RSD) of 4.50 mm against tenex’s 3.75 mm.

Side by Side

Difference One: The Lubricant

This is the difference that defines the round, because it is the one the temperature forces.

The purpose of lubricant on a .22LR is to ease repeated chambering, not, as is commonly assumed, to send the bullet down the barrel. Standard tenex uses beeswax-tallow: soft, thick and sticky, ideal for minimising the effects of chambering in a precision target rifle at normal range temperatures.

Cold changes that. A lubricant tuned for a summer range is not tuned for a winter track, and biathlon operates at much lower temperatures than any other discipline ELEY builds for. ELEY’s biathlon lubricant is scientifically engineered for cold: it enhances consistency, reduces barrel wear and maintains accuracy in freezing temperatures. The box states it is lubricated for use to -20°C.

Difference Two: The Bullet Profile

Both cartridges carry ELEY’s patented flat nose. As the bullet cuts through the air, that profile pulls the centre of pressure forwards, aerodynamically stabilising the projectile and increasing accuracy at the target. But the biathlon round runs its own profile within that family, developed for the conditions and the target it has to work against rather than for a paper card on a temperate range.

Everything else about the projectile is shared with tenex: 2.59 g / 40 gr, 25.4 mm cartridge length, ballistic coefficient 0.112, drag model RA4. Both come off the tenex platform under the same controls: propellant measured electronically for each individual cartridge, case mouths trimmed flat, high-tech heel inspection, and priming in an advanced air-conditioned facility giving a 75 per cent improvement in the spread of primer weights compared with other manufacturers.

ELEY tenex biathlon launched in 2012. It was not designed from a blank sheet; it was designed by taking the world’s most consistently accurate .22LR cartridge and asking what breaks when you take it to -20°C and ski to the firing point.

Supporting Change: A Reduced Cartridge Diameter

Examination of bullet and chambering characteristics at freezing temperatures led ELEY to reduce the diameter of the cartridge to aid cycling in bolt-action and straight-pull biathlon rifles.

The reason is mechanical. Biathlon rifles are cycled hard and fast, often with gloves and cold hands, in a discipline where a stoppage costs far more than a fraction of a millimetre of group. Trimming the cartridge diameter buys back the clearance the cold takes away.

Supporting Change: An Increased Propellant Charge

The biathlon target is a mechanical knock-down plate, not a paper card. A shot that would score a ten on paper still has to physically drop the target.

ELEY tenex biathlon carries an increased propellant charge giving enhanced terminal energy and greater knock-down force. That is where the higher published velocity band of 335-354 m/s (1100-1160 ft/s) comes from, roughly 18 to 24 m/s above the tenex band at each end. It is a deliberate trade: more energy at the target, and a published RSD of 4.50 mm rather than 3.75 mm.

Which Should You Buy?

Biathlon competitors at any level. tenex biathlon, without qualification. It is the ELEY round built with the cold lubricant, the biathlon bullet profile, the reduced cartridge diameter and the increased charge together, and every one of those features solves a problem you will meet on the range.

Club and development biathletes, or anyone training in volume. Look at ELEY biathlon club: a round-nose 2.59 g / 40 gr cartridge at 323-330 m/s (1060-1085 ft/s) and 5.50 mm RSD, with a refined bullet and case design for reliable cycling in extreme winter conditions, a specialised cold-weather lubricant and an increased propellant charge.

ISSF and Olympic smallbore rifle, 50 m prone and three-position, and benchrest. ELEY tenex, the round ELEY’s discipline guidance points to for those events, with match as the alternative. Its 3.75 mm RSD is the tightest published standard in the range, and paper targets do not need knocking down.

Target shooters who simply shoot in cold weather. This is where people go wrong. Biathlon ammunition is engineered around cold cycling in a biathlon rifle and knock-down energy at a biathlon target. If you shoot paper in winter, the answer is still tenex or match, on a batch proved in your barrel.

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

The differences between ELEY tenex and ELEY tenex biathlon are the lubricant and the bullet profile, because biathlon operates at much lower temperatures. Around those two decisions sit a reduced cartridge diameter for reliable cold cycling and an increased propellant charge that lifts velocity to 335-354 m/s (1100-1160 ft/s) and drops the target. Same platform, same patented flat nose, same 2.59 g / 40 gr bullet weight. ELEY tenex remains the pinnacle of pure accuracy at 3.75 mm RSD for paper disciplines.

Choose by discipline first, then by lot. Every barrel has unique characteristics and every batch performs differently, so once you know the product, prove the batch. The free Lot Analyser at eleyxshot.com now carries every lot of ELEY tenex, tenex pistol, tenex biathlon, tenex rapid fire pistol, match, semi-auto .22LR benchrest precision, ultra and club, so the proof data behind both rounds in this comparison is open to you free of charge. Batch testing through your own barrel can be booked at eley.co.uk/vip. The firearm, the ammunition and the shooter are the Triangle of Success.