Which ELEY Ammunition Suits a Tikka T1x?
ELEY’s recommendation for a Tikka T1x is ELEY club or ELEY sport. Both are round-nose cartridges built for exactly the shooting most T1x owners do: club target work, practice and general range use. ELEY club is the more accurate of the two, and ELEY sport is the entry-level option.
From there the rifle opens the rest of the range, because a manually operated bolt-action chambers each round by hand. For competition and precision work that means the patented flat-nose cartridges: ELEY tenex, ELEY match and ELEY team. For PRS and NRL22 style shooting at extended distances, ELEY ultra extreme long range is the round engineered for the job. For field and pest control, ELEY subsonic hollow and ELEY high velocity hollow are the hunting cartridges, with ELEY contact where a subsonic round with a softer report is wanted.
Which of those your particular rifle shoots best is a question only your barrel can answer. Every barrel has its own unique dimensions and harmonic characteristics, and each batch of ammunition performs differently, so what performs flawlessly in one barrel may not deliver the same results in another.
The Options
| Product | Bullet | Weight | Velocity | Maximum RSD | Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELEY tenex | Flat nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s) | 3.75 mm | Top-level precision competition |
| ELEY match | Flat nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s) | 4.74 mm | Competition and serious practice |
| ELEY ultra extreme long range | Round nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s) | 4.00 mm | Extended-distance precision |
| ELEY team | Flat nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s) | 5.50 mm | Entry to the premium range |
| ELEY club | Round nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 317-330 m/s (1040-1085 ft/s) | 5.50 mm | Club target rifle and volume practice |
| ELEY sport / target | Round nose | 2.59 g / 40 gr | 305-332 m/s (1000-1090 ft/s) | 7.00 mm | Entry-level target shooting and training |
| ELEY contact | Round nose | 2.7 g / 42 gr | 317-332 m/s (1040-1090 ft/s) | 7.00 mm | Subsonic, softer report, reduced recoil |
| ELEY subsonic hollow | Hollow point | 2.46 g / 38 gr | 305-317 m/s (1000-1040 ft/s) | 43 mm group* | Quiet vermin control |
| ELEY high velocity hollow | Hollow point | 2.46 g / 38 gr | 344-381 m/s (1130-1250 ft/s) | 30 mm group* | Small game and pest species |
*Group size is used when statistical precision is not required.
Radial Standard Deviation (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. ELEY tests 200 rounds from every batch across four different firearm brands to calculate it.
Why club and sport
ELEY club and ELEY sport begin life as the same round-nose cartridge; following factory testing the highest-performing lots become ELEY club. club is the parent product and sport is derived from it, which makes club the more accurate of the two. ELEY describes it as the natural progression for shooters ready to advance their performance, with each batch tested against enhanced accuracy standards.
ELEY sport, marketed as ELEY target in some regions, is the ideal introduction to precision shooting: ELEY’s absolute entry-level cartridge, delivering reliable performance at an affordable price, which is what makes it the sensible round for training volume through a T1x. Both use a paraffin wax lubricant, which is thinner, harder and drier in feel than beeswax-tallow and less prone to picking up debris.
Precision Work
ELEY tenex is the world’s most consistently accurate .22LR cartridge, and ELEY match is second in the world of flat-nose .22LR accuracy and performance. Both use the patented flat-nose profile, which pulls the centre of pressure forwards as the projectile cuts through the air, aerodynamically stabilising it and increasing accuracy at the target. Both are lubricated with beeswax-tallow, a softer, thicker, stickier wax chosen because it minimises the effects of chambering in a manually operated action.
ELEY team is ELEY’s entry-level premium cartridge, sharing the flat-nose projectile and adding precision-engineered trimmed case technology, which makes it a sensible volume round alongside tenex or match.
Extended Distance
Where a course of fire pushes a .22LR well past 50 metres, ELEY ultra extreme long range is the cartridge engineered for it. The relaunched ultra sets a new benchmark in rimfire performance, crafted using advanced ballistic technology with a refined bullet profile and optimised visibility, and held to a maximum RSD of 4.00 mm. Every ELEY .22LR shares a ballistic coefficient of 0.112 and the RA4 drag model, so ballistic solutions sit on a common footing across the range.
Field Use
ELEY subsonic hollow is a hunting cartridge with target shooting accuracy and reduced velocity, offering a quieter muzzle report compared with other .22LR hunting rounds, with unequalled expansion characteristics giving short penetration and outstanding stopping power for vermin control. ELEY high velocity hollow is built around a low-antimony, soft-lead hollow-point projectile that accelerates to high velocity while retaining the structural characteristics needed for controlled expansion and deep penetration on small game and pest species.
Check the Rifle Before You Judge the Ammunition
Two published ELEY figures apply to any rifle, and both are worth confirming before you conclude anything about a batch.
| Specification | Published ELEY figure | What it governs |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended headspace | 0.040-0.041 in | How the rim is held between barrel face and bolt face |
| Ideal strike depth | 0.012-0.015 in | Firing pin indent, and therefore reliable ignition |
Strike depth is the indent left by the firing pin. A minimum strike depth is necessary to transmit sufficient energy to the primer to cause ignition and ensure the cartridge does not misfire, and it is measurable with a strike depth gauge. A rifle sitting outside either figure will flatter no ammunition.
Then Test in Your Own Barrel
Because every barrel is individual, a thorough testing process is essential. ELEY operates batch testing centres in the United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, the United States and Canada, where shooters evaluate up to 20 batches through their own barrel: ten shots from each batch, the best performers shortlisted, then a further 30 shots until a 40-shot group size and consolidated score is recorded for each. Testing is open to anyone and is booked at eley.co.uk/vip. For shooters who cannot travel, the free Lot Analyser at eleyxshot.com holds ELEY’s proof data for every lot of ELEY club, tenex, tenex pistol, tenex biathlon, tenex rapid fire pistol, match, semi-auto .22LR benchrest precision and ultra, including the 200-shot proof group with X and Y coordinates for every shot.
The Bottom Line
For a Tikka T1x, ELEY recommends ELEY club or ELEY sport. Beyond that, match the ammunition to the job: ELEY tenex or match for precision, ELEY team as the flat-nose step up from club, ELEY ultra extreme long range for extended distances, and the hollow points or ELEY contact for the field. Then confirm headspace and strike depth against ELEY’s published figures and test lots through your own rifle. The best ammunition is the production lot that performs best in your barrel. That is the answer for any rifle, and it is the only answer worth acting on.