Has anyone tried Eley Match EPS with the funny looking bullet?  What  results did you get at 100 and 200 yards?   

David
Montezuma, IA

Hi Dave,

Back in 2004 at the ISSA match in Raton, I was shooting next to Greg Molendyk during rimfire bench match, both of us were using Eley EPS Black, I shot a 1233.34 and Greg shot a 1243.43, Eley EPS is very good ammo provided your gun likes it!

Bob

"and my degree of testing is somewhat more rigorous than most folks"

You sure are one smart fella Jessie, and what amazes me is that you also know what degree of testing is done by "most folks" and that your testing is more rigorous than what they do.  I am certain that you can tell us how you know what level of testing is done by "most folks" and why your methods are more rigorous, yes?  

Dave

I shoot a 22 inch Bullberry barrel with a match chamber on a TC Contender frame and in that barrel, the Federal Gold Medal Match has a smaller velocity standard deviation (with my current lot of ammo) with a smaller group size correlation than the Eley EPS (with that lot of ammo) when spread over ten, ten shot groups.   The Eley was not as consistent in my barrel and my scores are no better using it.  I guess that is because I can't look at a box of cartridges and pick out those that will give the least velocity deviation.  Others using the Eley ammo where I shoot are doing very well with it and they seem to like it a great deal.  The only way you are going to know if it shoots in your rifle is to . . . well, as Paul Harvey would say, you know the rest of that story.

David
I've tried it in a BSA Mk III and ISU both at 100yds and 200yds. It shot slightly better than my old lot (3-4 years old) of Wolf Match Target ammo but at 3x the price I went with the Wolf. I'll be running out of the Wolf soon and will have to see where to go next.

Doug, it's interesting that Lapua Midas L shot best in my old BSA as well.  Did not do nearly so well in my Ballard or low wall.  I've wondered if BSAs routinely like the oversized Lapua due to bore dimensions.  Don't have enough data on other BSAs however.

Brent

hi ho black prince,,

i can guaruntee, brents  testing is waaay more rigorous than my testing. as a matter of fact, any ones testing is better:D

i am known as being held out as a bad bad example for almost anything..


howsomever, the flat point of the ely is great for tree rats. it drops them like a hollow point. but, doesn't tear up the meat. best hunting ammo i've ever used..

..ttfn..grampa..

For an excellent overall view of 22 rimfire ammo get Steve Boelter's "Rifleman's Guide to Rimfire Ammunition." He covers 22 and 17 rimfire, testing each one and gives a full report. Also discusses such topics as chambers and tuners.

The chambering of your barrel makes a big difference when it comes to ammo.  There are a lot of other factors as well.   My Anschutz prefers the Eley EPS.  I have a Stevens Favorite that does much better with the Lapua Midas L.

Pete

Hi ho xxgranpa,

I use the excellent Haned Line Tool that puts a flat on the bullet nose to increase terminal effectiveness.  One of the additional benefits of it when used on almost any brand of cartridge is that is also reduces the group size.  The group size reduction seems to be directly related to the price of the ammo in that the cheaper the ammo, the greater the effect on accuracy the tool has.  By that I mean it has a greater percentage effect on cheap ammo and not that it makes cheap ammo more accurate than better quality stuff.  

The tool has a much smaller overall effect on the Federal Gold Medal Match ammo, but even there, the effect is measurable when testing is done and accomplished in an organized manner.  That was the claim when the tool was offered and being the skeptic I am, I didn't believe it.  Both claims of increased acuracy and terminal performance have proven to be true.

I do not have the technical engineering skills to be able to explain why that flat point does what it does, but I am able to validate that it does and Eley knows that too.  If you want to save yourself a few bucks on accurate ammo, you might look into that flat point phenomenon.

Here is a report on the tool taken from a google search on the Internet for The Hanned Line.  As it happens, I know Homer Bloomfield very well and have known him for years.  He is a retired federal prison guard from Ohio, and he has a LOT of shooting experience.  He is detailed and meticulous in everything he does, but he is not a technical writer as his report will show.  
 
This is a Product Test Report by Homer Bloomfield.
Final report on the SGB tool test by Homer Bloomfield. 

Manufactured by, The HANNED LINE, "Simple Solutions", P.O. 2387, Cupertino, CA 95015-2378. 

This will summarize my testing of the SGB tool on .22 ammo. I had previously posted interim reports. If anyone wants those reports, please E-mail me at thtwit@zoomnet.net and I will provide them. They are too lengthy to re-post unless there is sufficient interest in the numbers crunching. 

There were a few surprises. One very good, one bad and not so small. Testing of the .22 short modified ammo pretty well followed the lines of the .22 LR test. 

Rather than quote 'chapter and verse' on the ballistics data I will attempt to shorten this report substantially by hitting on what I found most significant. I will list all ammo. both LR and short, that I have tested. At the end of the report in the order of most accurate first. With few exceptions, I found the following to be consistent: 

All average velocities increased after the SGB tool was used, as might be expected since it was lightening the load so to speak. 

All extreme spreads were reduced. 

All standard Deviations were reduced. 

All showed a measurable improvement in accuracy. 

I must make a confession here. After I finished the range testing, I could not make myself use 'factory ammo.' on varmints, vermin, black birds and game! I used the first four in the list, [see below] interchangeably on black birds, starlings, and garden munching bunnies. Most of these shots were under 40 yards, since I was using a rabbit ears bag on the window sill. The results were almost always lights out! Our old cat really laid around and got fat this summer. When I started squirrel hunting I went to the first two in the list and took squirrels out to 60+ yards. I took somewhere between twelve to fifteen squirrels, all but one were head shots. All dropped instantly and stayed where they dropped! The one exception was a NOSE shot on one that was looking straight at me, it pealed his incisors and took out both shoulders! 

I found that the application of the SGB tool created a much more accurate bullet. In fact one very pleasant surprise that I got out of this test was learning that the CCI HP short bullet after the SGB tool application, had a higher average velocity than some of the LR ammo. It was the second most accurate tested, coming in behind only the CCI LR HP mini-mag. It very quickly became the ammo of choice in my 14" T/C .22 LR match barrel. It shoots almost hole for hole as good as the CCI LR ammo without a scope change, makes less noise, does less damage to the meat and except for the federal valu-pak, it is cheaper by at least half than most of the other ammo. 

If you really want to raise some eye brows? Set down at the range with a box or two of SGB modified CCI HP shorts and your T/C contender and go to work at the 100 yard line!   

Problems I did have or find with the SGB tool: 

Availability? Even though mine were sent to me in order to do the test, I have been on constant lookout for these 'gadgets' from the time I first read about them. I have yet to find one in any sporting goods store, reloading or sporting catalog or at Wal-Mart? Had I found the tools I doubt seriously that I would have paid the $30.00+ retail price quoted in literature sent to me with the ones I have for the tools, that's over $60.00 if you buy both LR and Short versions. 

All the best to you xxgranpa.