Which ELEY Ammunition Is Best for Rabbit and Squirrel Shooting?
For rabbit and squirrel, the two ELEY cartridges built for the job are the hollow-points: ELEY subsonic hollow and ELEY high velocity hollow. Both are loaded with a 2.46 g / 38 gr hollow-point bullet engineered to expand on quarry rather than pass through it. Choose ELEY subsonic hollow when a quiet muzzle report matters: a moderated rifle, farm buildings, woodland roosts, close-range vermin control. Choose ELEY high velocity hollow when you want the faster, harder-hitting option with controlled expansion and deeper penetration.
ELEY force and ELEY contact sit alongside them as round-nose recreational rounds: force for supersonic power and knock-down, contact for quiet, low-recoil semi-automatic shooting. Neither is a dedicated quarry cartridge; both answer the different question of informal range shooting and volume practice.
The Four Cartridges Compared
| Product | Bullet | Weight | Velocity | Published accuracy | Lubricant | Designed for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELEY subsonic hollow | Hollow-point | 2.46 g / 38 gr | 305-317 m/s (1000-1040 ft/s), subsonic | 43 mm group* | Paraffin wax | Quiet vermin control and hunting with target shooting accuracy |
| ELEY high velocity hollow | Hollow-point | 2.46 g / 38 gr | 344-381 m/s (1130-1250 ft/s), supersonic | 30 mm group* | Paraffin wax | Small game and pest species needing controlled expansion and deep penetration |
| ELEY force | Round-nose | 2.7 g / 42 gr | 344-381 m/s (1130-1250 ft/s), supersonic | 7.00 mm RSD | Paraffin wax | Recreational shooting with high velocity and maximum knock-down power |
| ELEY contact | Round-nose | 2.7 g / 42 gr | 317-332 m/s (1040-1090 ft/s), subsonic | 7.00 mm RSD | Paraffin wax | Subsonic semi-automatic shooting with a softer report and reduced recoil |
*Group size is used when statistical precision is not required.
All four share the universal ELEY .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.
ELEY subsonic hollow: The Quiet Choice
ELEY describes subsonic hollow as a hunting cartridge with target shooting accuracy and reduced velocity, offering a quieter muzzle report compared with other .22LR hunting rounds, and as one of the quietest and most accurate subsonic rounds on the market.
ELEY’s stated design intent for the innovative hollow-nosed profile is unequalled expansion characteristics, giving short penetration with outstanding stopping power. That combination is what makes it a vermin control cartridge first and foremost. Short penetration is a feature, not a compromise: around buildings, grain stores and livestock, energy that stays in the quarry is energy that does not carry on.
At 305-317 m/s (1000-1040 ft/s) the bullet stays below the speed of sound, so there is no supersonic crack downrange to add to the muzzle report, which makes it the natural partner for a moderated rifle. ELEY publishes its trajectory chart zeroed at 100 yards. That is a plain statement that this is a cartridge meant to be used and understood out to sensible hunting distances, not just across a barn.
ELEY high velocity hollow: Flatter and Deeper
ELEY high velocity hollow is built around a low-antimony, soft-lead hollow-point projectile. That metallurgy is the whole point: the bullet accelerates to a high velocity of 344-381 m/s (1130-1250 ft/s) while retaining the structural characteristics needed for controlled expansion and deep penetration on small game and pest species.
Where subsonic hollow prioritises quiet and short penetration, high velocity hollow prioritises reach and penetration. Its published accuracy standard is a 30 mm group*, the tighter of the two hollow-point figures, and ELEY publishes its trajectory chart zeroed at 50 m.
Where force and contact Fit
ELEY force is a recreational power round. A purpose-designed propellant with a distributed pressure curve accelerates a 2.7 g / 42 gr round-nose bullet to supersonic velocity, delivering greater energy on impact and the pronounced kickback expected from a power round: high velocity and maximum knock-down power with precision, rather than an expanding hunting bullet.
ELEY contact is the opposite philosophy at the same bullet weight: a purpose-engineered subsonic round for semi-automatic platforms, offering extreme accuracy with a softer report and reduced recoil, faster target re-acquisition and a smoother shooting rhythm.
Both are round-nose, which is ELEY’s recommended profile for semi-automatic rifles, and both carry paraffin wax lubricant: thinner, harder and drier than beeswax-tallow, less prone to picking up debris, and it does not clog semi-automatic mechanisms.
Choosing by Quarry, Range and Moderator
By quarry. Rabbit and squirrel are both classic hollow-point quarry. Squirrels in a wood you want to keep shooting, or rabbits around buildings, call for a close shot and a quiet, contained result, which is precisely what subsonic hollow’s short penetration with outstanding stopping power is designed to give. Where you want the harder-hitting option on pest species, high velocity hollow’s controlled expansion and deep penetration is the design intent.
By range. Read the two published trajectory charts as a statement of intent: subsonic hollow zeroed at 100 yards, high velocity hollow zeroed at 50 m. Subsonic hollow sheds velocity from a lower starting point, so holdover becomes the limiting factor sooner; high velocity hollow starts 39-64 m/s faster and shoots flatter. Whichever you choose, confirm your own zero and drop on paper at the distances you actually shoot.
By moderator. If your rifle is moderated, subsonic ammunition is what lets the moderator do its full job, because a subsonic bullet produces no sonic crack for the moderator to fight. That points to ELEY subsonic hollow for quarry and ELEY contact for quiet recreational and semi-automatic shooting. Fire a supersonic round such as high velocity hollow or force through a moderator and you still hear the bullet, however good the moderator is.
Prove It in Your Own Rifle
Every barrel has its own characteristics and every batch of ammunition performs differently. ELEY tests 200 rounds from every batch across four different firearm brands to calculate its published standards, and batch testing through your own barrel is open to anyone: book at eley.co.uk/vip.
The free Lot Analyser at eleyxshot.com 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. The hunting rounds are not part of that data set, so for subsonic hollow and high velocity hollow the evidence that counts is what they do on your own target, at your own quarry distances.
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 rabbit and squirrel, choose between ELEY’s two hollow-points. ELEY subsonic hollow is the quiet option: target shooting accuracy, reduced velocity, a quieter muzzle report and short penetration with outstanding stopping power, ideal with a moderator. ELEY high velocity hollow is the faster option: a low-antimony soft-lead bullet giving controlled expansion and deep penetration on small game and pest species. ELEY force and ELEY contact are recreational round-nose cartridges: force for supersonic knock-down, contact for quiet semi-automatic work.
Buy a box of each hollow-point, shoot them over the same target at your normal quarry distance, and let your barrel cast the deciding vote. The firearm, the ammunition and the shooter are the Triangle of Success, and only your rifle can tell you which lot completes it.