Nothing much posted on this in a while. Here we are in 2024.
I managed to come up with Three Box's of Hornady Black Box 75 ELD Ammunition.
I also called Saturn and I have a 20", Rifle Gas, .750 Gas Fixture Size, 5/8-24 Muzzle Thread Barrel in the mail. I was a little surprised at the 5/8-24 Muzzle Thread on a .224 Barrel. I am pretty sure this will not end up being an Ultra Lite build.
I have been doing a lot of research on the 22 ARC the last month or so. From what I understand the 22 ARC is a 22 Grendel. It is a full length 6.5 Grendel necked down. Brass for the 22 ARC can be made the old fashioned way, by necking down 6.5 Grendel. A little searching will result in information on making 22 Grendel Brass from 6.5 Grendel. I would wait at this point to find Hornady Loaded Ammunition. If my local Gunsmith got some in, Midway, and other sources should be getting ammunition in shortly. Hornady Reloading Dies are already out.
Doing the math, buying new Hornady Brass (When it gets on the shelf), Bullets, Primers, and Powder is very close to the cost of buying Hornady Loaded Ammunition. Until Starline gets brass out, buying loaded ammunition for brass is not that bad a way to get a 22 ARC up and running.
I will know for sure shortly what it will do. Trying to do an Apples to Apples comparison about the only bullet in common (With Load Data) would be the 80 Grain ELD-M. Which would have to be single loaded in an 5.56 AR15. Running Numbers to convert published (24") 22 ARC Load Data to 20 Inch Barrel Numbers. My research indicates that the 22 ARC will push 80 Grain ELD-M Bullets 200 fps faster than single loaded rounds in an 5.56. That does not sound like much, until you start looking at numbers down range. That 200 fps is knocking lots of MOA off dialing the scope up. It is also Magazine Fed, Not a Single Shot.
Getting away from Apples to Apples. The 22 ARC will Magazine Feed lots of HIGH BC Bullets that will not Magazine Feed in a 5.56. The NEW Hornady 62 ELD-VT bullet is a very good example. This should be about as good a Coyote bullet as you can get. I have seen this bullet, and it does look good. My plan so far is to run 80 grain Berger VLD and 80 grain A-Max bullets in it for a few years. I have a very good supply of 80 grain bullets on hand for my 223 Remington 600 yard F Class rifle.
I am looking forward to getting it up and running. More to come on the Build.
Bob R
I managed to come up with Three Box's of Hornady Black Box 75 ELD Ammunition.
I also called Saturn and I have a 20", Rifle Gas, .750 Gas Fixture Size, 5/8-24 Muzzle Thread Barrel in the mail. I was a little surprised at the 5/8-24 Muzzle Thread on a .224 Barrel. I am pretty sure this will not end up being an Ultra Lite build.
I have been doing a lot of research on the 22 ARC the last month or so. From what I understand the 22 ARC is a 22 Grendel. It is a full length 6.5 Grendel necked down. Brass for the 22 ARC can be made the old fashioned way, by necking down 6.5 Grendel. A little searching will result in information on making 22 Grendel Brass from 6.5 Grendel. I would wait at this point to find Hornady Loaded Ammunition. If my local Gunsmith got some in, Midway, and other sources should be getting ammunition in shortly. Hornady Reloading Dies are already out.
Doing the math, buying new Hornady Brass (When it gets on the shelf), Bullets, Primers, and Powder is very close to the cost of buying Hornady Loaded Ammunition. Until Starline gets brass out, buying loaded ammunition for brass is not that bad a way to get a 22 ARC up and running.
I will know for sure shortly what it will do. Trying to do an Apples to Apples comparison about the only bullet in common (With Load Data) would be the 80 Grain ELD-M. Which would have to be single loaded in an 5.56 AR15. Running Numbers to convert published (24") 22 ARC Load Data to 20 Inch Barrel Numbers. My research indicates that the 22 ARC will push 80 Grain ELD-M Bullets 200 fps faster than single loaded rounds in an 5.56. That does not sound like much, until you start looking at numbers down range. That 200 fps is knocking lots of MOA off dialing the scope up. It is also Magazine Fed, Not a Single Shot.
Getting away from Apples to Apples. The 22 ARC will Magazine Feed lots of HIGH BC Bullets that will not Magazine Feed in a 5.56. The NEW Hornady 62 ELD-VT bullet is a very good example. This should be about as good a Coyote bullet as you can get. I have seen this bullet, and it does look good. My plan so far is to run 80 grain Berger VLD and 80 grain A-Max bullets in it for a few years. I have a very good supply of 80 grain bullets on hand for my 223 Remington 600 yard F Class rifle.
I am looking forward to getting it up and running. More to come on the Build.
Bob R