SK or Eley?

SK or Eley Ammo?

  • SK is better

    Votes: 8 19.5%

  • Eley is better

    Votes: 14 34.1%

  • They are both just as good

    Votes: 14 34.1%

  • Other brand not mentioned

    Votes: 5 12.2%
  • Total voters
    41
ssapach

ssapach

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As a general rule, between these 2 brands, which is considered the higher quality .22 ammo?

If you want me to be more specific, I'm thinking of high velocity solid and hollow point.

Prices seem very close, if not the same. I've only used SK so far, and haven't had any complaints. Just wondering if Eley is generally better, or worth at least trying?

I'm adding a poll, just because I can and polls are fun.
 
I've had 2 FTF with Eley Sport from the same 50rd box this past Monday
Not what I've expected
they both fired on second strike but... why pay the price?
 
SK is a subsidiary of Lapua. One of the three major match ammo manufacturers, Lapua makes many excellent .22LR match ammos which are for many shooters a step or two up from SK-branded ammo. Eley is another major match ammo maker. RWS is the third. Each of the three make a variety of ammo grades, from practice to serious competition ammo, with a variety of HV, hollow point, and low velocity ammo as well.

SK ammo is less expensive than its Lapua brethren. Both Eley and RWS make ammos that is priced competitively with SK varieties. It is probably a good idea to compare apples to apples among the match ammos. Of course, even among apples some are better for baking and some for fresh eating, so price point is not the only basis on which to compare.

Some varieties of ammo may perform better in a particular rifle. Not all individual rifles of a particular model of rifles will necessarily shoot the same ammo equally. And one kind of ammo may well perform differently in a given rifle depending on the ammo's lot number, which is determined by the particular machine on which it was made among other things.
 
Haven’t tried any SK yet but I will say this about Eley.

Eley Club seems to work great in a lot of guns at my club. We run matches we call .22LR Precision Tactical and Eley Club has never given anyone a bad group. That being said obviously there are different loads that different guns like better both cheaper and more expensive than Eley Club, but it just seems to shoot well across the board.
 
I also didn't know SK and Lapua were connected.

Never heard of RWS before either, so I might have to check into that too.
 
It is mostly a matter of what YOUR rimfire prefers. I have several HB Match 22 rifles.
2 of them dote on ELEY Black Box EPS, one is a Lapua user, and the last likes RWS R50 best.

I have tried several different lot numbers of ELEY Tenex in my rifles, but none has equalled
the Black box lot that I have and use here. In my Suhl, this ammo will hold in the .1"-.2" at 50 Yards, and
will shoot under 1" at 200 on a dead calm day. My 40X is very, very close to the same.

Even the Mossberg 144LSB will show its stuff when fed the right ammo. SK has been good,
but not as good as the ELEY in my rifles. Interestingly, I have some Lapua Speed Ace [HV] 22LR
stuff here that shoots around ¾moa out to 100yards. An old lot of PMC unplated "Zapper" [HV]
Shoots similarly in an accurate 22. Eagleye.
 
grauhanen said:
SK is a subsidiary of Lapua. One of the three major match ammo manufacturers, Lapua makes many excellent .22LR match ammos which are for many shooters a step or two up from SK-branded ammo. Eley is another major match ammo maker. RWS is the third. Each of the three make a variety of ammo grades, from practice to serious competition ammo, with a variety of HV, hollow point, and low velocity ammo as well.

SK ammo is less expensive than its Lapua brethren. Both Eley and RWS make ammos that is priced competitively with SK varieties. It is probably a good idea to compare apples to apples among the match ammos. Of course, even among apples some are better for baking and some for fresh eating, so price point is not the only basis on which to compare.

Some varieties of ammo may perform better in a particular rifle. Not all individual rifles of a particular model of rifles will necessarily shoot the same ammo equally. And one kind of ammo may well perform differently in a given rifle depending on the ammo's lot number, which is determined by the particular machine on which it was made among other things.
Click to expand...

That pretty much nails it.

Apart from accuracy, most Eley lines have a stiff waxy coating that clogs up the chamber area and magazines. Don't know why they use that stuff. Lapua uses a softer, oily sort of lube that doesn't require as much cleaning. My guns seem to prefer Lapua although SK+ isn't as consistent as it used to be. I've switched to Center X for matches.
 
Lot number has more effect on group size and consistency then the name on the box, but a simple rule of thumb is that SK and Lapua have slightly larger case measurement and work better in factory cut chambers that can be on the generous side, eley is held to tighter tolerances and you'll find that most of us swearing by it are also running custom match chambers, it may not perform as well in a factory forgiving chamber.

Your only limited to time and money, when you have tested every lot number of everything out there you may find a lot number of blazer that shoots as good or better then lapua center X, and with that said.....you may find a lot number that shoots lights out at 100 yards doesn't hold itself to anything at 50, and of course vice versa.

I run 4 different lot numbers of eley match, I pick my lot number based on temperature and humidity, and what I start with at 10am may not be what I am shooting at 11:30 when the sun comes up, air gets both warmer and dryer......but if your not this serious about your groups then buy the most expensive ammo you can afford and test all the lot numbers
 
yodave said:
Your only limited to time and money, when you have tested every lot number of everything out there you may find a lot number of blazer that shoots as good or better then lapua center X, and with that said.....you may find a lot number that shoots lights out at 100 yards doesn't hold itself to anything at 50, and of course vice versa.
Click to expand...

While lot testing Blazer must be for those with truly too much time on their hands, I'd like to see the ammo that improves its accuracy as it goes downrange. Is it physically possible for a bullet to become more accurate the further it travels?
 
grauhanen said:
While lot testing Blazer must be for those with truly too much time on their hands, I'd like to see the ammo that improves its accuracy as it goes downrange. Is it physically possible for a bullet to become more accurate the further it travels?
Click to expand...

I know from the smallbore silhouette group that you can get ammo that shoots meh at 60 and 100 meters yet shoots lights out at 77, I think it's the same kind of going to sleep of the bullet we experience in the centerfire world when shooting long distances
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm just going to have to try a few boxes of each brand and see what each gun prefers. Just good to know I'm not completely wasting time and money, if the brands are fairly equal.
 
this past summer i picked up a couple bricks of SK.
4 in total.
ran them through 3 of my better 22's.
was surprised to see one shoots Blazer better then it shoots SK match.

im going to pick up 4 bricks of Eley and some RW this coming summer and run the guns through them as well.
its expensive but it certainly is neat when your gun finds a ammo that makes a tight ragged hole.
well worth the investment.
 
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