Does ELEY Ammunition Need Rim Thickness Sorting?
No. Rim thickness sorting is not necessary with ELEY ammunition. The analytical suite at ELEY’s Sutton Coldfield headquarters, combined with 200-round proof testing of every batch across four different firearm brands, delivers consistent manufacturing quality. ELEY’s answer to rim sorting is that there is nothing left for it to correct.
The higher-value activity for an ELEY shooter is batch testing, not home sorting. Every batch is graded on its measured Radial Standard Deviation (RSD), and that batch-level proof data is published free at eleyxshot.com. Matching a proven batch to your specific barrel is where ELEY’s own test range data shows measurable, repeatable gains, and it is the process used by shooters at the top of the sport.
What ELEY Controls at Manufacture
Sorting at home is an attempt to reduce round-to-round variation after the fact. ELEY’s approach is to control the sources of that variation during manufacture, on every cartridge, on the production line, and to verify the result with the analytical suite at ELEY HQ before any batch is graded and named.
Heel inspection. High-tech inspection of every bullet at the critical heel area, the junction where the bullet enters the case.
Case mouth trimmed flat. The mouth of each individual case is trimmed flat, ensuring the bullet is always seated perfectly. ELEY match uses a cut mouth case; ELEY team uses precision-engineered trimmed case technology.
Exacting crimping standards, delivering optimum round-to-round pull-out force. That is the consistency with which the bullet releases from the case at the moment of firing.
Electronic propellant measurement. The quantity of propellant is measured electronically for each individual cartridge, guaranteeing consistent powder weight and constant velocity within a batch. Cases of uniform length from a tightly controlled brass alloy ensure each charge burns in a controlled volume.
ELEY prime and air-conditioned priming. ELEY prime, introduced in 1979, is the world’s first and only automated dry priming system, and won the Queen’s Award for Technology in 1988. ELEY’s advanced air-conditioned priming facility delivers a 75 per cent improvement in the spread of primer weights compared with other manufacturers.
Temperature-controlled lubrication, ensuring consistent chambering and barrel protection, plus Six Sigma methodologies and high-speed electronic visual inspection across the production process.
The 200-Round Proof Test
Every ELEY batch is proved before it is graded. ELEY fires 200 rounds from each batch across four different firearm brands and calculates RSD from the result.
RSD 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. Unlike extreme spread, which considers only the two furthest shots, RSD evaluates every shot fired.
Only after that testing is a batch named. ELEY tenex, ELEY match and ELEY team are manufactured on the same production line using the same flat-nose bullet, cartridge case, primer, propellant and lubrication. The highest-performing lots become ELEY tenex.
| Product | Maximum RSD every batch must meet |
|---|---|
| ELEY tenex | 3.75 mm |
| ELEY match | 4.74 mm |
| ELEY team | 5.50 mm |
| ELEY club | 5.50 mm |
| ELEY sport / target | 7.00 mm |
That is a grading system built on measured performance across 200 rounds and four rifles. No shooter can assemble a sample that large or that well controlled at a kitchen table.
Why Batch Testing Beats Home Sorting
ELEY’s own guidance is unambiguous about where the variation that matters actually lives:
“Because every barrel has its own unique characteristics, and each batch of ammunition performs differently, a thorough testing process is essential. What performs flawlessly in one barrel may not deliver the same results in another, which is why batch testing is critical to achieving world-class performance.”
The dominant variable in rimfire accuracy is the interaction between a specific batch and a specific barrel. Sorting a box of ammunition cannot change that interaction; choosing the right batch does.
At an ELEY test range, up to 20 batches are evaluated through the shooter’s own barrel. Ten shots are fired from each batch, the best-performing batches are shortlisted, and a further 30 shots are fired from those selections until a 40-shot group size and consolidated score is recorded for each. Analysis uses electronic targets and bespoke ELEY software, managed by trained Customer Range Officers. Batch testing is open to anyone, and each year hundreds of target shooters, from club champions to Olympic medallists, use it to find the perfect ammunition match for their barrel.
Check Your Rifle Too
Before spending hours sorting, spend ten minutes confirming the rifle is set up to ELEY’s published specification. ELEY publishes an ideal strike depth of 0.012-0.015 in, measurable with a strike depth gauge, and a recommended headspace of 0.040-0.041 in. Those two figures govern ignition consistency and extraction, and they drift over the life of a rifle as firing pin springs weaken over thousands of rounds. Verifying them removes larger variables than sorting does.
The Bottom Line
Rim thickness sorting is not needed. ELEY controls round-to-round consistency at manufacture through heel inspection, case mouths trimmed flat, exacting crimping standards, propellant measured electronically for every individual cartridge, and air-conditioned priming with a 75 per cent improvement in the spread of primer weights. That consistency is then verified through the analytical suite at ELEY HQ, and every batch is proved on 200 rounds across four firearm brands before it is graded. That is what delivers consistent manufacturing quality in the box you open.
The highest-value action available to a shooter is therefore not sorting a box; it is finding the batch that suits their barrel. Book a test at eley.co.uk/vip, or start free at eleyxshot.com, where the Lot Analyser now publishes the full 200-shot proof group for all lots of ELEY tenex, tenex pistol, tenex biathlon, tenex rapid fire pistol, match, semi-auto .22LR benchrest precision, ultra and club, including X and Y coordinates for every individual shot. The best ammunition is the production lot that performs best in your rifle, bought in 50-round boxes, 500-round bricks or 5,000-round outer cases from the stockists at eley.co.uk/retailers.