How much does ammunition really matter?

That is one of the questions I keep coming back to here at Dayattherange. We spend a lot of time testing rifles, optics and ammunition, but .22 LR has a unique characteristic that makes ammunition selection particularly interesting: a rifle can shoot dramatically differently with different loads and, more importantly, different ammunition lots.

For this test, I took a heavily modified Ruger 77/22 and put six different ELEY .22 LR loads to the test, ranging from more affordable ammunition to considerably more expensive competition-grade offerings.

The goal was simple:

Does spending more money on ELEY ammunition actually produce smaller, more consistent groups?

In this particular rifle, the answer was surprisingly clear.

The more expensive ELEY ammunition produced the smallest average groups.

But as always with rimfire testing, there is more to the story than simply looking at the price on the box.

The Rifle: A Very Different Ruger 77/22

This isn’t a factory Ruger 77/22.

This rifle has been heavily modified with accuracy testing in mind.

At the heart of the rifle is a Ruger 77/17 receiver, which brings one feature I particularly like to this build: the three-position safety.

The receiver is fitted with a 20-inch Shilen barrel, giving the rifle a much more substantial target-rifle feel than a standard 77/22.

Because the Shilen barrel is a bull-barrel profile, the barrel channel in the stock had to be modified. The Boyds thumbhole stock was carefully sanded to accommodate the larger diameter of the Shilen barrel.

For optics, I went with a Vortex 6.5-20x target scope.

The rifle also retains one of the practical features that makes the Ruger 77/22 platform interesting: it uses the familiar 10/22-style rotary magazines.

So while this rifle started life with Ruger DNA, what sits on the bench today is very much a dedicated accuracy-oriented .22 LR.

Why Test ELEY?

ELEY has built its reputation around .22 LR accuracy, and its ammunition lineup gives us an interesting opportunity to test the relationship between price, ammunition grade and actual performance.

ELEY describes its competition products as being separated according to measured accuracy, while other products such as its biathlon ammunition are designed around specific disciplines and requirements.

That makes this a perfect Dayattherange test.

Rather than simply assuming the most expensive box must be the best, I wanted to put the ammunition on paper and let the groups tell the story.

And that’s exactly what happened.

The ELEY Accuracy Test

For this test I used five different ELEY loads:

• ELEY Target
• ELEY Club
• ELEY Match
• ELEY Match with a flyer
• ELEY Biathlon
• ELEY Team

The groups were measured and averaged to establish an overall ranking.

The Results

Rank	ELEY Ammunition	Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4	Average
1	ELEY Team	.394″	.347″	.444″	.302″	.371″
2	ELEY Biathlon	.388″	.388″	.749″	.370″	.473″
3	ELEY Match	.253″	.615″	.276″	.809″	.488″
4	ELEY Club	.725″	.641″	.527″	.359″	.563″
5	ELEY Match + Flyer	.253″	.615″	.677″	.809″	.588″
6	ELEY Target	.990″	.690″	.552″	.549″	.695″

All group measurements are in inches.

1. ELEY Team — .371″ Average

The clear winner of this particular test was ELEY Team, averaging just .371 inches across the four groups.

The individual groups measured:

• .394″
• .347″
• .444″
• .302″

That is an impressive result from the Ruger 77/22.

More importantly, there wasn’t a single massive group that pulled the average down or up. The four groups were relatively consistent, with the largest measuring only .444″.

That consistency is exactly what I’m looking for in an accuracy test.

Average: .371″

2. ELEY Biathlon — .473″ Average

Biathlon ammunition is an interesting addition to this test because it isn’t simply another rung on a conventional price ladder.

ELEY designs its biathlon ammunition specifically around the requirements of the discipline. Its Match Biathlon ammunition, for example, uses a flat-nose projectile and specialized lubrication intended for cold-weather operation.

In the Ruger, the Biathlon ammunition averaged .473 inches.

The groups were:

• .388″
• .388″
• .749″
• .370″

Three of the four groups were very respectable, with the .749″ group keeping the overall average from challenging the ELEY Team result.

Average: .473″

3. ELEY Match — .488″ Average

ELEY Match came in third with a .488-inch average.

The individual groups were:

• .253″
• .615″
• .276″
• .809″

This is where the importance of multiple groups becomes obvious.

Two of the groups were excellent:

.253″ and .276″.

But the .615″ and .809″ groups opened things up considerably.

That doesn’t mean the ammunition suddenly became inaccurate. It demonstrates why I don’t like declaring a winner based on a single group.

One tiny group can make ammunition look spectacular.

One flyer can make ammunition look terrible.

The more groups we shoot, the more useful the overall picture becomes.

Average: .488″

4. ELEY Club — .563″ Average

ELEY Club averaged .563 inches in this rifle.

The four groups measured:

• .725″
• .641″
• .527″
• .359″

There was again a significant spread between the smallest and largest groups.

The final .359″ group demonstrates that this rifle clearly has the ability to shoot very well with the ammunition.

ELEY describes Club as a cartridge intended to provide enhanced performance over its entry-level products, with lots tested to higher accuracy standards for club shooters.

In this particular test, however, it couldn’t match the performance of ELEY Team.

Average: .563″

5. ELEY Match With the Flyer — .588″ Average

I also wanted to show what happens when we account for the flyer.

Using the results designated for the Match test with the flyer included, the average came out to:

.588 inches

The measurements were:

• .253″
• .615″
• .677″
• .809″

This is an excellent example of why I believe consistency matters as much as the smallest group.

If we only looked at the .253″ group, we could easily conclude that the ammunition was exceptional.

But the other groups tell us there is more going on.

That’s why Dayattherange tests aren’t based on finding one spectacular group and declaring a winner.

We’re looking for repeatable performance.

6. ELEY Target — .695″ Average

At the other end of the results was ELEY Target, with an average of .695 inches.

The groups measured:

• .990″
• .690″
• .552″
• .549″

The first group was nearly an inch, while the final two were considerably tighter.

That variation is interesting because it shows that even the lower-priced ammunition was capable of producing respectable groups from this rifle.

But when compared directly against ELEY Team, the difference was significant.

Average: .695″

ELEY positions Target as a value-oriented training cartridge designed to deliver reliable performance and accuracy.

And that’s exactly where I think it fits in this test.

It doesn’t have to beat ELEY’s higher-grade ammunition to be useful.

The question is whether the additional cost buys additional precision.

For this rifle, it did.

The Final Ranking

When we put all six results together, the ranking is clear:

🥇 1. ELEY Team — .371″

🥈 2. ELEY Biathlon — .473″

🥉 3. ELEY Match — .488″

4. ELEY Club — .563″

5. ELEY Match + Flyer — .588″

6. ELEY Target — .695″

Does More Expensive ELEY Ammunition Shoot Better?

In this Ruger 77/22, yes.

That is the most important conclusion from this particular test.

The ammunition at the top of the performance ladder produced the smallest average groups, while the less expensive ELEY Target ammunition produced the largest average.

But there is an important qualification:

This is the result from this rifle, with these ammunition lots, under these test conditions.

It should not be interpreted as proof that every rifle will produce exactly the same ranking.

In fact, ELEY itself emphasizes that the most accurate .22 LR ammunition is the lot that performs best in a particular firearm. Its current guidance describes ammunition selection as a combination of the ammunition, firearm and shooter, and recommends batch testing to identify the best lot for a particular barrel.

That’s an important point for anyone serious about rimfire accuracy.

The Ruger 77/22 Is Still the Other Half of the Equation

It’s easy to look at this test and focus entirely on the ammunition.

But the rifle deserves some credit.

This isn’t a standard configuration Ruger 77/22. The 20-inch Shilen barrel, modified Boyds thumbhole stock, Ruger 77/17 receiver and Leupold 6.5-20x target scope create a platform capable of showing meaningful differences between ammunition.

The barrel channel on the Boyd Stock required modification, and the result is a rifle is free floated and looks considerably more like a dedicated precision rimfire than the traditional hunting oriented 77/22.

And that’s exactly what makes it such a useful test platform.

What This Test Really Tells Us

The most interesting result isn’t simply that ELEY Team won.

It’s that the ammunition ranking wasn’t determined by one perfect group.

Look at the Team results:

.394 — .347 — .444 — .302

That’s a remarkably tight spread.

Compare that with Match:

.253 — .615 — .276 — .809

Match produced some outstanding individual groups, but Team was much more consistent in this test.

And that distinction is critical.

When I’m testing ammunition, I’m not just looking for the smallest group I can possibly produce.

I’m asking:

What ammunition can I depend on to produce small groups repeatedly?

That’s the difference between chasing a single great target and actually testing ammunition.

The Dayattherange Takeaway

So, does expensive ELEY ammunition shoot better?

In this Ruger 77/22 accuracy test, the answer was yes.

ELEY Team produced the best overall performance with a .371-inch average, while ELEY Target finished at .695 inches.

That’s a meaningful difference.

But this test also reinforces something I’ve said many times here at Dayattherange:

There is no universal “best” .22 LR ammunition.

There is the ammunition that performs best in your rifle.

Ammunition grade matters.

Ammunition lot matters.

The barrel matters.

The rifle matters.

And the shooter matters.

That’s why accuracy testing is so much more interesting than simply looking at the price tag on the ammunition box.

For this particular Ruger 77/22, however, the data made the answer pretty easy.

The more expensive ELEY ammunition earned its place on the target.

Watch the Full Accuracy Test

Want to see the rifle, ammunition and targets for yourself?

Watch the complete Dayattherange video:

“Does Expensive ELEY Ammo Shoot Better? — Ruger 77/22 Accuracy Test”

And if you enjoy this kind of rifle + ammunition + measured accuracy testing, subscribe to Dayattherange. The goal is simple: put the rifles and ammunition on paper and let the targets tell the story.