Eley. I should have known better!

[perazman]

Years ago I was lured into buying Eley Firsts whilst on an economy drive. Dirty barrels don't bother me but unburnt powder does. The action of my gun was literally full of unburnt powder. I vowed then never to use them again. Fast forward a few years and I needed a case of .410's in a hurry for an event. All I could get was Eley Trap. We chewed our way through the case. Numerous misfires,some going pop and others that wouldn't even chamber.

A few months ago I was given a case of the new Eley First Select. I was actually impressed. Good breaks,moderate recoil and available for £150 a thou in fibre. I'll have a thousand!

They arrived in different packaging to the last lot (outer stickers similar to the Imperials and stacked on their sides like Rio's) Possibly loaded for Eley by Maxam in Spain?

Lo and behold the first handful put in my pocket have bulges in them. Opened one up and the over powder cards are wedged in at 45 degrees! I give in!  Never again will I buy Eley. Either they're producing terrible cartridges or I'm just cursed?!

Does anyone else have issues with them?

 

[CharlesP]

Yes...

 

[Salopian]

I think Maxam have problems with Eley !

Just the fact that Eley exist in the UK.

Maxam are doing their very best to kill the brand off.

Why would a parent company produce Rio's , Claybusters and Olympic Blues  all identical , but Olympic Blues have lots of quality issues and are dearer?

 

[Les]

Very strange, because Eley's rimfire ammunition is still as good as ever. Two totally different animals, I know, but ............... ! :???:

 

[chippy]

I use eley first select 9s for skeet and sporting and never had a problem with them.

 

[perazman]

Very strange, because Eley's rimfire ammunition is still as good as ever. Two totally different animals, I know, but ............... ! :???:

The Eley that produce rimfire ammunition are now in no way connected to the manufacture of the shotgun cartridges. Sadly!

I can't believe i can be that unlucky. I use thousands of cartridges a year and very rarely have a dud yet every time i use Eleys there's an issue. I used an old pigeon hide the other day. The scruff before me had used a right mixture of brands and left the empties. I tidied them up and picked up one unfired one. Primer hard hit but hadnt gone off. Another Eley!

Even this years Diary has mistakes in it!

 

[bugsey hogan]

Been shooting olympic blues for about 5yrs probably 8000 a year. I 'm guessing would have had less than half a dozen misfires a year due to low set primers.  H ave been very pleased both with performance and price. Have tried all kinds of makes over the last thirty years but only three  brands seriously. Only cartridges I disliked were subsonic.  

 

[Doctor Lecter]

hull superfast or f blacks  soooooooooooooo much better than eley !

 

[Will Hewland]

I quit Eley 8 years ago for the same reasons mentioned by the OP. Rios are fantastic quality, so the Maxam thing is not the controlling factor clearly.

 

[Hamster]

I've used plastic wad Eley Superbs and a fair few Olympic Blues for at least ten years and had next to no problems. Wonky felt wads are a serious issue, dirty barrels aren't, what do you expect your barrels to look like after a hundred explosions ? 

 

[Will Hewland]

I've used plastic wad Eley Superbs and a fair few Olympic Blues for at least ten years and had next to no problems. Wonky felt wads are a serious issue, dirty barrels aren't, what do you expect your barrels to look like after a hundred explosions ? 

Clean if you use almost any other brand ?

 

[wylye]

A terrible waste of the best known name in shooting.

 

[webber]

Very strange, because Eley's rimfire ammunition is still as good as ever. Two totally different animals, I know, but ............... ! :???:

The metalic ammunition manufacturer is a seperate company, and as far as I am aware is not owned by Maxam.

webber

 

[Hamster]

Clean if you use almost any other brand ?

Honestly I can't see that much difference, mine look clean when I use Superbs but a few months ago when I was having a serious go with one or two other makes such as Velocity+ I noticed they looked a bit dirtier than usual but my point is what does it matter.

If you're the cleaning type then you no doubt will scrub out the worst with a brush then Clenzoil the hell out of the rest, if you're not the cleaning type then it matters even less. 

How clean a shell leaves the barrels is about number 11 on my list of requirements.

 

[Will Hewland]

Honestly I can't see that much difference, mine look clean when I use Superbs but a few months ago when I was having a serious go with one or two other makes such as Velocity+ I noticed they looked a bit dirtier than usual but my point is what does it matter.

If you're the cleaning type then you no doubt will scrub out the worst with a brush then Clenzoil the hell out of the rest, if you're not the cleaning type then it matters even less. 

How clean a shell leaves the barrels is about number 11 on my list of requirements.

I actually dumped Superbs because I was fed up with the unburned propellant flakes everywhere. It was only when I started using other brands that I was so pleasantly surprised with how clean barrels were left. Sure, none of this will make us hit more clays.

 

[chippy]

Out of interest do any of the shooter's who have misfire problems shoot berettas. 

 

[Hamster]

I actually dumped Superbs because I was fed up with the unburned propellant flakes everywhere. It was only when I started using other brands that I was so pleasantly surprised with how clean barrels were left. Sure, none of this will make us hit more clays.

I had the unburnt powder thing for a short while a few years ago but it's been addressed and even at the time apart form looking odd made no difference.

 

[Will Hewland]

I had the unburnt powder thing for a short while a few years ago but it's been addressed and even at the time apart form looking odd made no difference.

Sure. But I'm somebody who cleans a gun after every shoot and pushes cleaning paper around the ejectors and action with sharpened match to remove specs of dirt. Unburned propellant around the ejectors felt like a dog poo on the barrels would do to you. ?

 

[ips]

I am always wary of dirty cartridges its a sign of poor general quality I also am concerned that what is stuck in my barrell should have burnt well enough to have come out the pointy end. What I am most concerned about is an occasionally dirty cartridge as this is even worse as its proof of inconsistency.

the above is assumin the ammunition has been stored correctly