We could earn income from the merchandise obtainable on this web page and take part in affiliate applications. Learn More ›
The 22 ARC is an attention-grabbing cartridge that occupies a selected area of interest. The promise it makes is to ship .22-250 Remington efficiency from a spherical that feeds by AR-15 sample rifles and magazines.
As well as, it has a case design that accommodates heavy-for-caliber .224 bullets which are optimized for long-range taking pictures and searching medium sized recreation.
It has a pair different methods up its sleeve, too. The cartridge is tuned to work properly in sure aggressive taking pictures video games—suppose run-and-gun sniper matches—and for searching predators at evening with thermals.
The 22 ARC goes to should battle for its place on the desk, nevertheless. The sphere of excessive efficiency .22-caliber centerfire cartridges is crowded and contains beloved classics just like the .22-250 Remington and .223 Remington, in addition to relative newcomers just like the 22 Nosler, 22 Creedmoor, and 224 Valkyrie.
22 ARC Specs
- Bullet Diameter: .224 inches
- COL: 2.260 inches
- Case Size: 1.525 in.
- Case Head: .441 inches
- Shoulder Angle: 30 levels
- Twist: 1:7
- SAAMI Max Strain: 52,000 psi
22 ARC Overview Highlights
- Minimal recoil
- Equals or betters .22-250 efficiency by a shorter barrel
- Affords “level, shoot, and hit” efficiency on targets at prolonged ranges
- Manufacturing facility ammo delivered excellent accuracy and constant velocities
- Common accuracy with 5-shot teams at 100 yards: 0.852 inches
Historical past of the 22 ARC
The 22 ARC has an attention-grabbing origin story. You may moderately assume that it’s a spin-off from the 6mm ARC, which Hornady launched in 2020. However you’d be improper.
The 22 ARC predates the 6mm ARC and may hint its lineage by the 6.5 Grendel, which is the mum or dad case for each ARCs.
Ballistic tinkerers have been necking down the 6.5 Grendel to .22-caliber for a few years, and one one who embraced the 22 Grendel wildcat was Greg Hamilton, Director of Particular Tasks at Proof Analysis.
Hamilton is a high aggressive shooter, significantly within the realm of dynamic two-person sniper matches, and appeared on the cartridge as a method to get most efficiency from an AR-15.
He needed an correct .224-caliber spherical with glorious downrange ballistics that might interact arrays of distant targets rapidly with out the necessity to vary each bit of metal.
His experimentation led him to neck down 6.5 Grendel brass and pair it with Hornady’s 75-grain ELD-M bullet.
The primary group he put downrange with the 75-grainers—on November 18, 2018—measured .570 inches at 3136 fps out of a 22-inch barrel. What makes that much more spectacular is that it was a ladder take a look at with CFE223 and the group had an excessive unfold of 120 fps. The cartridge was off to a great begin.
In competitors, the wildcat delivered on its promise. Hamilton was capable of maintain excessive, or simply barely over, metal targets and rating hits due to the forgiving nature of the spherical’s trajectory.
For example, primarily based on his information, should you zero a rifle 2.5 inches excessive at 100 yards, it will likely be lifeless on at 275 yards and be simply 8 inches low at 375 yards. A two-thirds IPSC goal measures 12 inches extensive by 20 inches tall and is a typical kind of goal encountered in subject sniper matches. So by holding on the goal’s head you’d have the ability to rating hits at 450 yards with none have to dial or vary. After all, you might modify your zero offset as wanted for particular situations, however you get the concept.
Potential for Searching
Hamilton labored with Hornady all through his experimentation, and his counterparts there recognized alternatives for the spherical past the competitors realm.
The qualities that the yet-to-be-named 22 ARC delivered to sniper matches additionally translate to searching and that’s the place Hornady noticed the larger play.
A selected area of interest that the 22 ARC is optimized for is searching coyotes at evening. Image a pack of coyotes transferring towards your name at the hours of darkness and making an attempt to circle downwind, as they all the time do. You may by no means depend on them standing nonetheless for greater than a second or two, and also you’ll hardly ever know their actual vary, which is very arduous to discern by the flat picture generated by thermals and evening imaginative and prescient.
To reinforce the 22 ARC’s virtues for this (and different) forms of searching, Hornady created a brand new projectile.
Hornady 62-grain ELD-VT: The 22 ARC’s Secret Sauce
When Hornady introduced the 22 ARC final fall it indicated it might be obtainable in three manufacturing unit masses: the 88-grain ELD-M, the 75-grain ELD-M, and a brand new projectile, the 62-grain ELD-VT.
The ELD nomenclature stands for “extraordinarily low drag” and the three flavors of ELD bullets within the Hornady ecosystem are match bullets (ELD-M), increasing searching bullets (ELD-X), and the new varmint/target series (ELD-VT).
What’s attention-grabbing concerning the 62-grain ELD-VT is that it’s designed with a considerable hole cavity behind the polymer tip. By eradicating that lead, the bullet maintains the size and normal profile of the smooth 75-grain ELD-M, whereas dropping weight.
(As a facet word, Hornady has added this and the opposite new VT bullets to their 4DOF library, in order that constructing a ballistic profile with the free 4DOF app is a snap.)
The advantage of the burden loss is that it may be pushed at sooner velocities whereas retaining a excessive ballistic coefficient (BC). It additionally improves the bullet’s stability, as a result of it strikes the projectile’s heart of gravity to the rear.
Middle of Gravity and Middle of Strain
When a bullet flies by the air it experiences strain on the ogive, which is the curved portion of the bullet between the shank and the tip. The precise location of that spot—often called the middle of strain (CP)— shifts a bit relying on how briskly the bullet is touring.
With out getting too nerdy, the CP creates instability on projectiles by pushing the nostril of the bullet (the ogive) to the facet. Take into consideration a horse transferring in a straight line. The CP is just like the bit within the horse’s mouth. Strain on the bit from the reins will flip the horse to the facet. When the horse goes slower, it takes much less strain to show the animal. When it’s galloping, it takes plenty of strain to get it off its straight line.
The identical is true with the bullet. When it’s spinning sooner it has extra gyroscopic stability, and can resist the destabilizing affect of the CP. When spun slower (as from a slower twist price), it’s extra inclined to yawing and going off target.
Right here’s the place the bullet’s heart of gravity is available in. The space between the middle of strain and the middle of gravity (CG) is sort of a lever that enables the bullet to withstand CP-induced instability. The extra distance between the CP and CG, the extra steady the bullet.
(Brief and stubby bullets will naturally have a shorter CP-CG lever, making them much less steady than lengthy, heavy-for-caliber trendy bullets that, amongst different issues, have an extended CP-CG lever.)
By eradicating lead from the entrance of the bullet and shifting the middle of gravity rearward, the 62-grain ELD-VT lengthened the CP-CG lever much more and that, mixed with the quick 1:7 twist, improves stability and accuracy.
ELD-VT Terminal Efficiency
One other good thing about that open-air cavity behind the polymer tip is that it initiates violent fragmentation on affect. On light-skinned recreation like coyotes, antelope, and deer this can result in devastating hemorrhaging.
I haven’t had an opportunity to hunt with this bullet but, however a bunch of my associates have, and their stories have been universally constructive.
The Magic Combo for After-hours Coyotes
If we got down to design the right cartridge and bullet for searching coyotes at evening, it might be arduous to enhance on the 22 ARC with the 62-grain ELD-VT. Will other cartridges and bullets work? After all. And I’m not about to inform you that your favourite heavy barreled varmint rifle is out of date. However I feel it’s truthful to say that the 22 ARC hits a candy spot like no different spherical in the intervening time.
- Works in AR-15 platform rifles making it helpful and quick
- Has negligible recoil for fast follow-up photographs
- Delivers related trajectory and higher wind resistance than a .22-250 Remington
- ELD-VT bullet anchors coyotes rapidly with glorious terminal ballistics
- Cartridge and bullet are inherently correct and steady
22 ARC Accuracy
Quite a few rifle producers have jumped on the 22 ARC bandwagon, however few rifles have been produced but. I obtained a rifle from Proof Analysis, nevertheless, and have put a good amount of rounds downrange by it.
Of the three manufacturing unit masses, I’ve been capable of take a look at two: the 88-grain ELD-M and the 62-grain ELD-VT. In complete I’ve shot 16 teams for accuracy, following the Out of doors Life protocol of 5-shot teams at 100 yards. I shot half with the 88s and half with the 62s.
The typical 5-shot accuracy at 100 yards of all of the teams is .852 inches. The 2 bullets shot practically identically, with the typical of all teams with the 62-grain ELD-VT at .844 inches, and the typical of all of the 88-grain ELD-M teams at .859 inches.
One factor that caught out at me was how constant all of the teams have been. Of the 16 teams, solely two measured over one inch—1.107 and 1.121 inches. One of the best teams have been .556 inches and .614 inches. All the pieces else fell neatly in between.
Muzzle velocity of the 2 masses averaged 2713 fps for the 88-grain bullets and 3175 fps for the 62-grain ELD-VT. With the 88-grain ELD-M the acute spreads (ES) and commonplace deviations (SD) averaged 43.5 and 14.3, respectively. The ES of the 62-grainers averaged 60 and the SD averaged 17.7. All these figures are good for factory-loaded ammunition.
Rifle | Caliber | Load | Total Group Avg. (in.) | MV | ES | SD |
Proof Elevation | 22 ARC | Hrn 88-gr ELD-M | 0.859 | 2713 fps | 43.5 | 14.3 |
Proof Elevation | 22 ARC | Hrn 62-gr ELD-VT | 0.844 | 3175 fps | 60 | 17.7 |
Proof Elevation MTR Check Rifle
I’ve owned and shot a handful of Proof Elevation MTRs over time. They’re stiff, succesful, helpful, correct, and light-weight. In the event you’re going to go along with a bolt gun for a varmint cartridge, it is a wonderful platform.
I did most of my taking pictures with a Banish Backcountry suppressor connected. Topped with a Nightforce 7-35×56 ATACR scope—a hefty however succesful brute—the rifle weighed 10 kilos, 13 ounces. Capturing this rig off sandbags generated hardly any recoil.
This rifle got here with a single-stack AICS journal made by MDT that had been modified with a spacer to cope with the stubby 22 ARC cartridge. It fed the quick spherical reliably and I had no biking points through the take a look at.
22 ARC vs 22-250 Remington
Since one of many promoting factors of the 22 ARC is that it performs on par with the .22-250 Remington, I needed to check the 2 a little bit extra intently.
I’ve owned a Savage Mannequin 12 BVSS-S for a pair many years, and that heavy-barreled single-shot .22-250 Remington has despatched extra prairie canines and floor squirrels to the Nice Alfalfa Subject within the Sky than I can tally. (Savage now not gives it in single-shot trim, however you may get it with a four-round journal within the Model 12 BVSS.)
It has a 26-inch barrel with a 1:12 twist, which is definitely sooner than the usual 1:14 twist most old-school .22-250s include.
That leisurely 1:12 twist is greatest fitted to basic .22-caliber varmint bullets within the 40- to 50-grain vary. It can nonetheless drive 55-grainers okay, however the precision begins to fall off. Bullets heavier than that received’t stabilize sufficient to ship good accuracy and are additionally too lengthy to work properly in a regular .22-250 Remington chamber.
And to reply a query that’s certain to happen to the extra ballistically-savvy reader: No, you can not run the 62-grain ELD-VT bullet in a .22-250. It will likely be too lengthy to chamber and received’t stabilize.
This goes for all of the bullets within the VT line. Whereas they could seem like a great choice for legacy cartridges that predate the arrival of Modern Cartridge Design as a result of their weights are in line with what an older cartridge can shoot, that isn’t the case. Typically talking, they’re too lengthy to run in cartridges just like the .22-250 that have been constructed to drive shorter, lighter bullets as quick as potential.
For this comparability, I shot some Winchester 55-grain Ballistic Silvertips and a few 40-grain varmint masses from Sig Sauer.
Cartridge | Bullet | MV | Drop and Drift in 10 mph Wind (inches) | ||||
200 yards | 400 yards | 600 yards | 800 yards | 1000 yards | |||
22 ARC | 62-gr. ELD-VT | 3175 fps | 2.2 / 2.5 | 21 / 10.9 | 64.7 / 26.9 | 143.1 / 52.6 | 271.3 / 91.4 |
22 ARC | 88-gr. ELD-M | 2713 fps | 3.5 / 2.4 | 29.2 / 10.4 | 85.3 / 25.1 | 181.3 / 48.1 | 330.1 / 81.4 |
.22-250 Rem. | Win. 55-gr. BST | 3598 fps | 1.6 / 3.6 | 18.6 / 16.1 | 63.5 / 41.3 | 156.3 / 84.9 | 331.7 / 151.7 |
.22-250 Rem. | Sig. 40-gr. Varmint | 4386 fps | .64 / 3.7 | 12.5 / 16.9 | 48.1 / 44.2 | 130 / 94 | 303.1 / 172.4 |
As you may see, the 22 ARC from the shorter barrel (20 inches versus 26 inches) does a great job hanging with the a lot sooner .22-250. The 62-grain ELD-VT principally runs neck and neck with the 55-grain Ballistic Silvertip, till round 700 yards at which level the Hornady VT bullet runs flatter.
It isn’t till about 900 yards that the 62-grain Hornady catches as much as the blazing quick 40-grain varmint bullet from Sig Sauer. And the 88-grain ELD-M lags behind all of them, solely besting the 55-grain .22-250 on the 1000-yard line.
However drop is simply a part of the story. Within the wind division, which is the actual key to long-range taking pictures, the 22 ARC beats the brakes off the .22-250 at each distance.
The radically higher BCs on the Hornady projectiles give the 22 ARC higher wind forgiveness. Each 22 ARC masses have lower than 11 inches of drift at 400 yards, in comparison with the greater than 16 inches of drift within the .22-250.
At prolonged distances the variations grow to be extra pronounced. At 800 yards, the 22 ARC drifts about 50 inches, whereas the .22-250 masses drift 85 inches (55 grains) and 94 inches (40 grains).
These numbers paint the image of how the 22 ARC achieves the efficiency objectives specified by its design.
From Russia With Love
I stated the 22 ARC and 6mm ARC each come from the 6.5 Grendel, and that’s true. However going again additional in time you’ll see that the unique mum or dad case for all these cartridges is none apart from the 7.62x39mm, the basic Soviet AK-47 army cartridge.
The 7.62x39mm isn’t often called an inherently correct cartridge— it was designed to be minute-of-insurgent on the battlefield—so it’d seem to be an odd alternative the place precision is a aim.
However an offshoot of the 7.62x39mm was the 5.6x39mm, often known as the .220 Russian. And that’s a special story. The .220 Russian is probably the most profitable mum or dad case within the historical past of benchrest competitors.
Different rounds primarily based on the .220 Russian embrace the 6mm PPC (arguably probably the most correct 100- to 300-yard cartridge on this planet), the .22 PPC — one other benchrest standout— and others.
So you may see why the .220 Russian held attraction for Invoice Alexander, who created the Grendel, and for Hornady with the 22 and 6mm ARCs.
Reloading the 22 ARC
Hornady is making 22 ARC dies—I’ve some on order—and the spherical ought to work properly with a wide range of high quality powders. Whereas I wasn’t upset by the accuracy of my manufacturing unit ammo within the Proof Rifle, I’d wager actual cash that after I begin reloading the 22 ARC the accuracy will enhance considerably.
Powders to contemplate embrace CFE223—which runs nice on progressive presses—Varget, H4350, Staball 6.5, Staball Match, and BL-C(2).
In case you are operating the 22 ARC by a fuel gun, you’re going to wish to be aware of the SAMMI max strain of 52,000 psi and cargo accordingly. You probably have a bolt gun, you’ll have the ability to safely run at increased pressures, most likely on the order of 200 fps sooner than a fuel gun from a given barrel size.
What the 22 ARC Does Effectively
One of the best information is that the 22 ARC achieves what it claims it does. It shoots comfortable, it’s correct, and it runs by AR-15 magazines and rifles. With the brand new VT line of bullets from Hornady it actually shines for work on predators and different recreation.
The place the 22 ARC May Enhance
The largest downside is availability after all. It’s going to be some time earlier than gun makers get 22 ARC chambered rifles to market in enough numbers. There may be a pinch on finding ammo on-line and at shops as properly.
Last Ideas
Every time a brand new cartridge seems the commonest criticism (and query) is why? What’s the rationale? Why ought to we care? A big swath of shooters and hunters reflexively dismiss any new spherical as a result of they like no matter it’s they shoot, and don’t give a hoot about the rest. There’s no level in listening to these bellyachers.
However the 22 ARC does have to reply that query from curious, however understandably skeptical, shooters contemplating a big outlay of cash to undertake the cartridge.
After taking pictures it, I get it. Sure, it’s a area of interest cartridge, and for the one who is deep into different centerfire 22s it most likely received’t sway them to buy one. However for somebody who’s new to varmint taking pictures, or who actually desires to go arduous into searching with thermal scopes or who participates in competitions the place you need each benefit you may squeeze from an AR-15, it has its attraction.
I doubt it’ll catch hearth proper out of the gate, however I’m guessing it’ll be with us for a great spell and can most likely eclipse a number of the different high-performance 22s available on the market.