How Do I Lot-Test ELEY Ammunition, and Can I Test at the ELEY Test Range?
Yes. ELEY batch testing is open to anyone, from club champions to Olympic medallists, at five test ranges worldwide. Each year hundreds of target shooters visit these facilities to find the perfect ammunition match for their barrel.
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. This is why batch testing is critical to achieving world-class performance.
Where the ELEY Test Ranges Are
| Country | Location |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ELEY Ltd, Selco Way, off First Avenue, Minworth Industrial Estate, Minworth, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BA |
| Hungary | Nemzeti Lőtér, Fehér út 9, Budapest, 1106 |
| Germany | Olympia Schießanlage Garching, Hochbrück, 85748 |
| United States | Whidden Gunworks, 2264 Mark Watson Road, Nashville, Georgia, 31639 |
| Canada | Korth Group, 64186 393 Loop E, Okotoks, AB T1S 0L1 |
If you would like to book a test range visit, the quickest way is to go online, at eley.co.uk/vip. All five locations are booked through the same route.
What Happens During a Test
You bring your own rifle. Testing is conducted through your barrel, because the objective is to match a batch to that specific barrel rather than to a reference gun.
Shooters can evaluate up to 20 batches using a proven test methodology. Ten shots are fired from each batch, and the best-performing batches are then shortlisted. A further 30 shots from those selections are fired until an overall 40-shot group size and consolidated score is recorded for each.
Testing uses electronic targets and bespoke ELEY software, managed by trained Customer Range Officers who work closely with every shooter. The software makes analysing results fast, simple and accurate.
How to Read Your Results
ELEY’s report gives several measures, and understanding each one is what turns a printout into a decision.
Consolidating score. The 40-shot score on an ISSF target at 50 m. The best possible score for 40 shots is 436, which is 10.9 multiplied by 40.
Group size. The overall edge-to-edge group size for the 40 shots taken.
Radial Standard Deviation (RSD). The average distance of each individual shot from the mean point of impact. Unlike extreme spread, which considers only the two furthest shots, RSD uses every shot fired. The lower the RSD, the closer the group and the more consistent the performance.
Expected Score (ES). The estimated 60-shot score, from a maximum available of 654.
Percentile ranking. How your batch and barrel combination compares against every combination in ELEY’s database. A result reported as 99.8 per cent means that pairing outperformed 99.8 per cent of everything ELEY has tested.
Shot distribution. A bar graph showing where your shots fell within the ten ring, in decimal rings from 10.4 to 10.9.
Testing at Home
Not every shooter can travel to a test range, and a disciplined home protocol still produces useful results.
Use enough shots. Ten shots per batch is the minimum ELEY uses for its own first-round screening, and the shortlist is then decided on 40. Small samples of three or five shots are dominated by chance and will lead you to the wrong batch.
Control everything except the ammunition. Same rest, same position, same day, same conditions. Test in weather representative of the competition you are preparing for.
Keep barrel condition constant. Clean to the same standard between batches and fire fouling shots before recording, so the bore is in a comparable state for each batch tested.
Record the batch number on every target. The batch code is printed on the end panel of every box. Without it, a good result cannot be repeated.
Use the Lot Analyser Before You Buy
Every ELEY batch carries a code, and ELEY publishes the proof data behind it. Create a free account at eleyxshot.com and enter the batch number to see ELEY’s own proof range data for that batch.
The Lot Analyser publishes the full 200-shot proof group, with an X windage coordinate and a Y elevation coordinate for every shot, together with velocity, group size, shot distribution, date loaded, ballistic coefficient, trajectory and radial dispersion across four barrel types. All lots of ELEY tenex, tenex pistol, tenex biathlon, tenex rapid fire pistol, match, semi-auto .22LR benchrest precision, ultra and club are covered.
This is the most underused resource ELEY offers. It allows a shooter to compare candidate batches on ELEY’s own data before committing to a case, and to find a batch with characteristics closest to one that has already performed well in their rifle.
Why ELEY’s Own Testing Comes First
Batch testing works because ELEY has already done a great deal of testing before the ammunition leaves the factory. ELEY tests 200 rounds from every batch across four different firearm brands to calculate RSD. Every batch of ELEY tenex has therefore already demonstrated a maximum RSD of 3.75 mm before it earns its place in the red box.
Batch testing does not correct a manufacturing variable. It identifies which of several already-proven batches suits the harmonics of one particular barrel.
The Bottom Line
Book online at eley.co.uk/vip, bring your rifle, and evaluate up to 20 batches through your own barrel with 10 shots each, followed by a further 30 shots from the shortlist to produce a 40-shot group size and consolidated score. Before you go, use the Lot Analyser at eleyxshot.com to understand the proof data behind the batches you already own. Most medals at world class events are won with batch-tested ammunition.