Eley Priming Compound Question
- Thread starter Gjmen22
- Start date
I did not know that. I guess it would be the last or most recent change I am inquiring about.
Depending on what info you are actually looking for, you will probably get your best information by asking Eley directly. There is usually lag in the supply chain so product may be sold long after any production change occurs. The first that I remember was about 1979 and more or less coincided with the change from the paper box packaging. That said, the last change was mid-late 90's if I recall correctly and had something to do with the chemical composition of the primer compound to eliminate lead compounds.
While not giving a direct answer to your question, there's this. Eley developed Eley Prime in 1979 and won a Queen's Award for Technology for that development nine years later. Additionally, although always shrouded in mystery, vagueness, and the secrecy of proprietary information, Eley reveals that a significant part of the "company’s technological innovation is the ELEY Autoprime System developed by the company in the early 1980s. It remains to this day the only fully automated dry priming system in the world." Perhaps the Autoprime System is how Eley Prime is applied.
See The history of ELEY and About ELEY ammunition | and The Best of The Best Gets Better (shootingtimes.com)
Well...........................................................................I got to ask................................................any particular reason you want to know this? Just curious is all.
We were at the club one afternoon and someone mentioned the old priming compound being a little more corrosive on the barrels than the current priming compound. I remember these posts and read a few of them. A few of the gentlemen, including myself, have some older Eley and wondered if we should stay away from it or use it.
Thank you,
Gjmen22
While it's not clear what degree of corrosiveness, if any, the previous Eley priming compound may have had, the first non-corrosive primer in .22 rimfire ammo was developed in the 1920s and became available on at least some brands of ammo beginning around 1928. As a result, I suspect that Eley ammo that's half-a-century old or so can be used without issue. Of course it never hurts to clean.
Peters Ammunition, for example, had what it termed "Peters Rustless" ammo with non-corrosive priming as of about 1928. While the date of the following informational flyer is not known to me, the ammo was revolutionary enough that if a rifle was thoroughly cleaned before using Peters Rustless it would never need to be cleaned again.
Significantly, it also might be the beginning of the idea that .22 rimfire barrels don't need to be cleaned -- but only if non-corrosive ammo was used.
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Peters Ammunition, for example, had what it termed "Peters Rustless" ammo with non-corrosive priming as of about 1928. While the date of the following informational flyer is not known to me, the ammo was revolutionary enough that if a rifle was thoroughly cleaned before using Peters Rustless it would never need to be cleaned again.
Significantly, it also might be the beginning of the idea that .22 rimfire barrels don't need to be cleaned -- but only if non-corrosive ammo was used.
