Tag Archives: 22 arc

22 ARC: The little ARC

January 8, 2026blog22, 22 arc, arc, cartridge, Hornadycoldboremiracle

Preface

The newest member of Hornady’s Advanced Rifle Cartridge family also happens to be the smallest yet. The 22 ARC is the little ARC, made by necking the popular 6 ARC down to .224 caliber. But do we need another centerfire .224 cartridge? Or perhaps the better question is what does the 22 ARC offer that we don’t already have? Today we will dive straight into the subject and get some answers so grab a drink and a notepad.

The Case for the ARC

The 6mm ARC was designed for many of the same reasons as its parent case, the 6.5 Grendel. Both were designed to shoot heavier bullets out of a case that could fit in an AR-15 magazine. The 6 ARC shoots bullets in the 60-110 grain class at velocities much higher than the popular .223/5.56 cartridges that most AR style rifles use. This gives a very big advantage at further distances or up close.

22 arc, 6 arc, 6.5 Grendel, hornady, — the 22 ARC (left) seen with the 6 ARC and 6.5 Grendel

Shooting heavier bullets has a great effect on power delivered to downrange targets. And it also greatly improves ballistic performance, shooting flatter and preventing deviation from wind. All of this from a cartridge that can fit into most any AR-15 receiver, of course using a different magazine and giving up a few rounds of capacity.

Making the 22 ARC was a natural evolution, as it seems handloaders are fascinated by making new cartridges out of existing ones. But the ARC isn’t just another .224 caliber cartridge, there is more to it than its neck. With it’s short body, and faster specified twist-rate, this chubby little cartridge was also built for pushing bigger bullets.

The 22 ARC feeds well from various magazine systems, you can read more about my Howa Mini 22 ARC here

A Different Approach

Cartridge designers made the case shorter than cartridges like the .223 Remington, this helps fit the longer heavier bullets into the case. And also allows these cartridges to cycle in actions when loaded with these long bullets. In order to boost capacity to make it worth the trouble, the cartridge was also enlarged to the case-head size .441. Making it larger in diameter and shorter gave it the capacity and proportions needed to exceed the performance of other cartridges.

22 arc, 22-250 remington, .223 Remington, — As you can see, the 22 ARC has much more seating room than the 22-250 (center) and .223 Remington (right)

For example, when compared to the .223, the 22 ARC case is shorter, allowing longer bullet seating. The popular 22-250 is even longer than the 223, which allows even less room for seating bullets out. Most 22-250’s use slow twist rates like 1:12 or 1:14 which means they can’t shoot heavier bullets anyways. Limiting their use to 40-55 grain bullets for the most part.

22 ARC Specifications

22 Advance Rifle Cartridge Specifications
Max O.A.L.	2.260 inches
Bolt Face	.441 inches
Trim Length	1.525 inches
Shoulder Angle	30 Degrees
Case Capacity (H2O)	34.6 grains
Barrel Twist	1:7 standard
Bullet Weight Range	60- 90 grain (typical)

So why would you want to shoot heavier bullets? I’ve been loading 75-grain BTHP bullets for AR-15 rifles for decades. Because they simply perform better at further distances. Once upon a time, many years ago my brother and I were shooting a steel target at roughly 700 yards if I recall correctly. I was dinging the steel repeatedly using my AR loaded with 75-grain bullets. My brother shooting his 22-250 was having trouble hitting it with 50-grain bullets. This made a lot of sense once we retrieved the target and found his bullets barely sticking into the wooden target hanger like a dart.

The much higher velocity of the 22-250 burns off too fast in a small bullet for long-range shooting. That’s why in this case my .223 chambered AR was superior, and a rifle chambered in 22ARC would have been even more superior. Shooting 70-90 grain bullets at higher velocities than the .223 can hurl.

my 22 ARC is a **Howa Mini**, seen here with a **Lucid Optics MLX** scope

But what if you don’t wanna shoot far you might be asking? Well, then the 22 ARC still has a lot to offer you. Shooting lighter bullets up close, the 22 ARC gives devastating performance just like the aforementioned 22-250.

Loading the 22 ARC

Rolling your own 22 ARC cartridges is easily done, getting brass from Hornady. You can also get it from Alpha Munitions and Petersen Cartridge Company. Small rifle primer pockets are used in the ARC, and modest charges of powder will get you excellent velocities.

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The 6.5 Grendel

July 15, 2025blog22 arc, 6 ARC, 6.5, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 grendel ammunition, bca, bear creek arsenal, bolt-action, handloadingcoldboremiracle

History

Its not every day that I get to write about a cartridge that I remember coming out, but today is one of those. It was twenty something years ago, I was a much younger fella recently married and a son on the way when I first learned about the 6.5 Grendel. Even back then 6.5’s were hot, so when I heard about the 6.5 Grendel I paid attention.

The little Grendel came from Alexander Arms, and the whole idea was to put higher Ballistic Coefficient (BC) bullets into an AR-15. Bumping up the case size was also necessary in order to get these 6.5 Bullets up to a respectable speed. All this to create a cartridge that would make the AR-15 more lethal at distances beyond 500 yards or more.

The popularity of the Grendel has led to similar cartridges gaining fame as well. The 6 ARC has become extremely popular for similar reasons, and now the 22 ARC is following its footsteps.

22 ARC, 6 ARC, and the 6.5 Grendel

6.5 Grendel Dimensions

The 6.5 Grendel inherited a similar volume from it PPC/220 Russian parent case, the case volume is approximately 35 grains of water. Typical Grendel powder charges run between 20-ish and 30-ish grains of powder, depending of course on the powder and bullet choice. These mild charges are not too different from charges used in the .223 or other comparable cartridges. This allows the 6.5 Grendel to propel 100-140 grain bullets up to velocities like 2300 to 2600. These are some pretty general numbers, that obviously are subject to change.

Left to Right: 308 Winchester, 6.5 Grendel, 223 Remington

The odd size of the Grendel case has some other consequences as well. With its .449 bolt-face it falls between the .223 bolts used in most AR-15 rifles and the very common 308 sized bolt-face in larger rifle platforms. Luckily due to popularity of the Grendel and similar cartridges, this has become less of a problem. 7.62×39, .224 Valkyrie and others have made the midsized bolt-face more mainstream.

I’ve used great mag options from both Duramag and Amend 2

Additionally, due to its shape and proportions, the Grendel requires a different magazine to feed from AR rifles. There are a few different options out there including followers and complete mag-housings that have been altered to fit the Grendel and its offspring.

My Test Rifle

The rifle featured in this article for testing purposes is a Bear Creek Arsenal bolt-action upper. A handy and cost effective way to convert from one firearms type to another. It features one of their eighteen-inch heavy barrels and threaded 5/8-24 which fits perfect for my suppressor. The 1:8 twist works great with bullets commonly loaded for the Grendel. I used a Maven RS.3 5-30X50 scope which was probably a little more than necessary, but welcome.

bear creek arsenal, bca, bc-15, bolt-action, ar15, bolt-action AR15, 6.5 Grendel, Maven optics, — the **Banish Meateater suppressor** did a fine job of suppressing the Grendel

Ballistics

Part of the idea behind the Grendel was improved ballistic performance from the AR-15 rifle. With 5.56/.223 chambered rifles, most were shooting bullets from 55grains up to 75-80 grains. Which can be very useful for a great many things, but at 800 yards they have significantly deteriorated performance. That is where the Grendel comes in, even with a light for caliber bullet like a 123 grain 6.5, the Grendel far exceeds even the heavy .224 bullets. For comparison, a couple loads shown below; an average and heavy 5.56 load compared to an average and heavy Grendel load.

Load Data	Velocity/Energy @400yds	Velocity/Energy @800yds
5.56 55gr FMJ 3250 FPS	1800fps/395lbs	1000fps/120lbs
5.56 75gr BTHP 2910 FPS	2025fps/680lbs	1340fps/300lbs
6.5 Grendel 123gr 2450 FPS	1875fps/965lbs	1380fps/520lbs
6.5 Grendel 140gr 2330 FPS	1880fps/1100lbs	1475fps/680lbs

The Grendel loads can have thirty percent or more energy at further distances, which could be vital when incapacitating a target. While velocities are comparable, the energy of the heavier bullets carries further, and better.

Check out a variety of 6.5 Grendel rifles Here

Popular Components

Making brass for the little Grendel has come a long way from forming your own from something else. Whether it be Hornady or Starline, you can get some great brass for the Grendel. You can even get Lapua 6.5 Grendel cases now, so you know its serious.

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I use Starline Brass for loading my Grendel (and for my 6 ARC for that matter

L to R the 22 ARC, 6 ARC, and their parent the 6.5 Grendel

Howa Mini 22 ARC

May 9, 2025Product review, Shooting hardware22 arc, howa, legacy sports, m1500, mini, mini actioncoldboremiracle

Preface

Howa has been making firearms for longer than most of us have been alive, but that isn’t the only thing the company shares with other big names in the gun industry. The Howa brand has become well known for quality and affordability, and because of that solid record, Howa rifles have become a dependable option for hunters and shooters of all kinds. Today we are taking a look at one of Howa’s newest models in their M1500 Mini action line. That rifle is the Howa Mini 22 ARC, the 22 ARC is a new cartridge offering from Hornady. And a perfect fit for the very popular Howa Mini action that already has a variety of micro-action cartridges. The model we tested here today is the HS-Precision version of the Howa Mini, with a fiberglass stock and detachable box magazine.

The Howa Mini Action

Howa has been making the Model 1500 action for decades, with popular models in nearly every common caliber and even some that weren’t. In much more recent years, Howa release the Model 1500 Mini. A scaled down version of the action, made specifically for smaller cartridges. The Howa Mini is currently available with chamberings in .223Rem, 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendel, 350 Legend, 7.62×39, and of course now in the 22 ARC.

The Mini action uses a two-stage match trigger, and a three-position thumb safety. It is a push-feed action that utilizes a one-piece two-lug bolt. The bolthead houses an M16 style claw extractor, and a single plunger style ejector. These features are popular and have become the standard for quality rifle actions.

Feeding the Mini action is done by a detachable polymer box magazine. The trigger-guard and floorplate are comprised of a single piece of polymer, with a magazine release at the front of the magwell. The magazine itself holds five rounds of the 22 ARC cartridge.

Adding to the quality feel of this rifle by housing it all in the HS -Precision fiberglass stock was a nice touch. The lightweight stock has a beautiful finish and an aluminum bedding block built into it for rigid support and accurate shooting.

Additional Features

Stock: HTI® synthetic, pillar-bedded stock & recoil pad
Mag: 5 or 10-round detachable magazine (Depending on Caliber)
Forged, lightened, one-piece bolt w/ two locking lugs
Tool-less Firing Pin Removal
Machined Receiver and Forged Bolt
Large Internal Bolt handle and pressure vent holes
One of the safest actions on the market
Reliable M-16 Style Extractor/Ejector
Stringent and Exacting Headspace specs
Bolt Faces are True and Square to Chamber
Two Stage Match Trigger
3 Position Safety
SUB MOA – 3 Shot Group @ 100 yds with premium factory ammo
Sling Swivel Studs

Range Preparation

With its twenty-inch barrel, the Howa Mini in 22 ARC would be an excellent varmint rifle. With that in mind, I figured I would set the rifle up for that kind of activity. I do quite a bit of varmint hunting here in the intermountain west, mainly hunting Marmots and prairie dogs, with the occasional coyote or badger tossed in.

Riflescope

First off, I would need a good rifle scope. For a good match and application, I decided to use the Lucid Optics MLX 4.5-18X44, I’ve used it on a variety of rifles and therefore knew it would work well on the Mini. The rifle had come with a 30mm set of Nikko Stirling scope rings that bolt directly to the receiver, and with a touch of thread-locker I torqued them down. After setting the eye-relief and level, I torqued the ring-caps down as well. Before leaving to the range, I would boresight the combo on my kitchen table using my toolless boresighting meth o d.

Suppressor

With the threaded muzzle of the Mini, I was absolutely going to take advantage of adding a suppressor. The petite thread protector comes off easily and was barely noticeable until you did. I threaded on my Yankee Hill Machine Turbo T3, having first installed a 1/2-28 direct thread at the breech of the can for a simple connection.

Ammunition

I have to give a huge thanks to Hornady, who provided ammunition for this review. Several boxes of their three different ammo lines. The Hornady Match line features the new 88 grain ELDM bullet, the Hornady Black line uses a 75 grain ELDM, and lastly the V-Match line uses the 62 grain ELD-VT. With this great variety I expected I would have some great results

On the Range with the Howa Mini 22 ARC

This wasn’t my first time shooting a Howa Mini, as I also have a different model in 6mm ARC. I’ve had great experiences with that rifle, so I was expecting this one to go as well. Running the short cartridges through the rifle felt fantastic, and watching the bullets impact on target was extremely satisfying.

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Accuracy

Modern bolt-action rifles don’t need much to shoot well. Mostly all it takes is trying a variety of ammunition types to see what the barrel shoots best. Of course with newer cartridges like the 22 ARC there are fewer options to test, that said we had some great results from the three Hornady options.