The 22 ARC is a new cartridge released by Hornady and is part of the same lineup as the 6.5 ARC. However, because the 22 ARC is not a very established cartridge, there is no information about its ballistics. So in this article, we will look at 22 ARC’s ballistics and the best uses for 22 ARC.
Ballistics charts
Here are some ballistics charts for the 22 ARC in its different bullet weight offerings.
Wind Drift is 10 MPH*
22 ARC Hornady 62 gr ELD-VT V-Match:
| RANGE (YD) | DROP (IN) | WIND DRIFT (IN)* | VELOCITY (FPS) | ENERGY (FT-LB) |
| 0 | -1.5 | 0 | 3300 | 1499 |
| 50 | -0.3 | 0.2 | 3170 | 1383 |
| 100 | 0 | 0.7 | 3044 | 1275 |
| 150 | -0.6 | 1.5 | 2921 | 1174 |
| 200 | -2.3 | 2.7 | 2802 | 1080 |
| 250 | -5 | 4.4 | 2686 | 993 |
| 300 | -9 | 6.4 | 2572 | 911 |
| 350 | -14.2 | 8.9 | 2462 | 834 |
| 400 | -20.9 | 11.8 | 2354 | 763 |
| 450 | -29.2 | 15.3 | 2250 | 697 |
| 500 | -39.2 | 19.4 | 2147 | 635 |
22 ARC Hornady 75 gr ELD Match:
| RANGE (YD) | DROP (IN) | WIND DRIFT (IN)* | VELOCITY (FPS) | ENERGY (FT-LB) |
| 0 | -1.5 | 0 | 3050 | 1549 |
| 50 | -0.3 | 0.1 | 2946 | 1445 |
| 100 | 0 | 0.6 | 2844 | 1347 |
| 150 | -0.8 | 1.4 | 2745 | 1255 |
| 200 | -2.8 | 2.6 | 2648 | 1167 |
| 250 | -6 | 4.1 | 2553 | 1085 |
| 300 | -10.6 | 5.9 | 2460 | 1007 |
| 350 | -16.5 | 8.1 | 2368 | 934 |
| 400 | -24.1 | 10.9 | 2279 | 865 |
| 450 | -33.4 | 14.1 | 2192 | 800 |
| 500 | -44.4 | 17.7 | 2107 | 739 |
22 ARC 88 Gr ELD Match:
| RANGE (YD) | DROP (IN) | WIND DRIFT (IN)* | VELOCITY (FPS) | ENERGY (FT-LB) |
| 0 | -1.5 | 0 | 2810 | 1315 |
| 50 | -0.2 | 0.2 | 2725 | 1237 |
| 100 | 0 | 0.6 | 2642 | 1163 |
| 150 | -1.1 | 1.4 | 2561 | 1092 |
| 200 | -3.5 | 2.5 | 2481 | 1025 |
| 250 | -7.2 | 3.8 | 2402 | 961 |
| 300 | -12.6 | 5.6 | 2325 | 900 |
| 350 | -19.5 | 7.8 | 2249 | 842 |
| 400 | -28.2 | 10.4 | 2175 | 788 |
| 450 | -38.7 | 13.3 | 2102 | 736 |
| 500 | -51.1 | 16.7 | 2030 | 686 |
A look at the 22 ARC
Now that we have looked at the ballistics of the 22 ARC, we can look at what you could potentially use a 22 ARC for.
Hunting: The 22 ARC would be best used for hunting varmints such as coyotes. If you were at close range, you could use the 22 ARC on deer. However, the 22 ARC would not be nearly as effective at taking deer as a slightly larger round such as the 6.5 Grendel or 243 Winchester.
Target shooting: Because of the smaller size of the 22 ARC, it is not going to have much kick so it could easily be used as a close range target shooting round. However, you do have to consider price, and because the 22 ARC is a newer round, it is going to be more expensive to shoot than the more established, and popular, 556 NATO.
Overall, the 22 ARC is a very effective close range target shooting/varmint hunting round. However, time will tell if it will die out to the more popular 556 NATO, or will be known as the new and improved 556 NATO.