ELEY AMMO QUESTION

[butchlambert]

I will shoot a club RF match next Sunday. I have a couple 40x tin can shooters. One is by Richard Gorham and the other by Gene Davis. They are woodstock hunting type rifles. I have a couple bricks of Eley Tenex that I bought 25 years ago. I opened one box and the lube appears dry. I have a lot of different ammo, but thought it might work. Most of mine is old, Fiocchi V315 Super Match, Russian Olimp, and a couple others. I will not have time to test.
What do you suggest I try?

 

[jpretle]

I would give the 10X, a go. Might as well get it used up, and in my experience it will shoot just fine. I think though, cleaning the bbl sooner than one normally would, is a benefit.

 

[JoeMcNeill]

Butch,
I had the same problem last year with some old ammo that had dried lube on the
bullets. I asked about how to reconstitute it over on rimfire central and got several
suggestions on how to do it, an oil or a lube, can't remember now the names but I
would start there. I'll look it up tomorrow if you want.
Regards,

Joe McNeill

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Since the lube is most likely wax, I would not be too worried about it. As it goes through the barrel, it will heat up and should melt as it was designed to do. At least that's my opinion.

 

[LeeA]

I will shoot a club RF match next Sunday. I have a couple 40x tin can shooters. One is by Richard Gorham and the other by Gene Davis. They are woodstock hunting type rifles. I have a couple bricks of Eley Tenex that I bought 25 years ago. I opened one box and the lube appears dry. I have a lot of different ammo, but thought it might work. Most of mine is old, Fiocchi V315 Super Match, Russian Olimp, and a couple others. I will not have time to test.
What do you suggest I try?

I have a couple of boxes almost twice that old, and it still shoots great. I'd just use it and assume it's like new.

 

[butchlambert]

I think that I will try it as is first. I have never shot a rimfire match and hope not to be humiliated.

 

[Walt Krafft]

Humiliation at shooting matches is always self induced. Go shoot, have fun, and know that improvement is always possible no matter how good you did.

 

[butchlambert]

Humiliation at shooting matches is always self induced. Go shoot, have fun, and know that improvement is always possible no matter how good you did.

Walt, I've shot a lot of matches all over the USA for a lot of years, but it was all short range CF BR. This will be a new game and I will be shooting a tincan hunting rifle.

 

[bennett ford]

I have seen some good scores fired in NRA SB prone matches using old Tenex using the following method. Keep a small container of Hoppe's at your firing point(something like a baby food jar). Dip the bullet in the Hoppe's as you load each round. This should be a lot easier on a bench then it was laying prone in a sling. Don't try to do it ahead of time since there is possibility of the Hoppe's migrating into he powder.

Good luck

 

[dc.fireman]

I will shoot a club RF match next Sunday. I have a couple 40x tin can shooters. One is by Richard Gorham and the other by Gene Davis. They are woodstock hunting type rifles. I have a couple bricks of Eley Tenex that I bought 25 years ago. I opened one box and the lube appears dry. I have a lot of different ammo, but thought it might work. Most of mine is old, Fiocchi V315 Super Match, Russian Olimp, and a couple others. I will not have time to test.
What do you suggest I try?

Butch -

the evening before the match, wipe each round with the dried lube down with a patch moistened with Hoppe's. It will re-soften the lube.

Enjoy the match!

-tc

EDIT: @bennett ford beat me to it.

 

[Lesloan]

Since the lube is most likely wax, I would not be too worried about it. As it goes through the barrel, it will heat up and should melt as it was designed to do. At least that's my opinion.

Most .22 LR ammo uses paraffin wax for lube, including the lower-price lines of Eley. If memory serves, though, Eley Tenex and Match both use a proprietary blend of beeswax and lanolin. Eley used to say that in their specifications table but now they just say it's beeswax based. I seriously doubt that the graying (from oxidation, presumably) of older ammo will make a difference. I've shot a fair amount of Eley Match that had grey bullets and it seemed to shoot just fine. I don't shoot Tenex normally since it doesn't seem to shoot any better than lot-selected Match and costs more. I should add, though, that I just shoot at the club level. If I were shooting in the big time I'd probably shoot Tenex.

 

[mongo chicago]

Why don't you try and contact Eley?

 

[Kookie]

Dip the Tenex bullets in Mobile 1 or STP and they will shoot fine.

The Russian Olimp is some of the best rimfire ammo ever made, so use that if you don’t want to mess with the Eley.

 

[Rob01]

I was given a bunch of older Tenex by a buddy of mine and the bullets have a greyer look just like the Match I have. I tested out the Tenex in my Vudoo and it shot like below at 50 yards with 5 rounds. SD was 6. I wouldn't worry about messing with the bullet. Shoot it as is.

What type of match are you shooting? NRL22?

 

[Center10]

I have a lot of older Tenex that was given to me with greyed bullets and have just shot as is and it holds a tight group in the X and 10 ring at 50 and 100 yards. The big variable is me and the wind. It shots as well as my 2015 and 2019 lots.

 

[Mike_Carter]

I will shoot a club RF match next Sunday. I have a couple 40x tin can shooters. One is by Richard Gorham and the other by Gene Davis. They are woodstock hunting type rifles. I have a couple bricks of Eley Tenex that I bought 25 years ago. I opened one box and the lube appears dry. I have a lot of different ammo, but thought it might work. Most of mine is old, Fiocchi V315 Super Match, Russian Olimp, and a couple others. I will not have time to test.
What do you suggest I try?

How much Olimp do you have left? And would sell it?

 

[butchlambert]

How much Olimp do you have left? And would sell it?

Only a brick left. Not for sale. Thanks for asking.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

The old Tenex white tip? Very common. Not a problem, the old lube will be fine.

 

[boltman13]

Butch, be careful, RF-BR can be addicting, you may fall down the worm hole and come out lusting for a Vodo or Rem 40X with Shillen Ratchet barrels. Poverty awaits you.

 

[Kings X]

The problem I have with ammo like that is to get it jammed into the match chamber.
Butch we shoot a fun match Saturday the 10th in Mansfield at the ARLINGTON Sportsman Cub Range. A few of us are shooting the FCass targets. We let you shoot off the bench or on the ground F Cass style. We shoot 50 and 100 yards.