62 gr ELD-VT
Hornady’s lightweight tipped factory example in this catalog.
THE CARTRIDGE LIBRARY · SMALL-BORE CENTERFIRE
.22 ARC
Hornady’s .22 Advanced Rifle Cartridge pairs a compact case with .224-caliber bullets for AR-15 and bolt-action rifles. It has its own specification and guide, separate from .22 Creedmoor.
2A Ledger reference desk · Sources checked October 18, 2026
Read the dimensions
- Overall · min–max
- 2.060–2.260 in
52.324–57.404 mm - Case length · max
- 1.525 in
38.735 mm - Bullet maximum
- 0.2244 in
5.700 mm - Rim diameter · max
- 0.441 in
11.201 mm
Know the exact name
At a glance
- Cartridge family
- Small-bore centerfire
- Bullet maximum
- 0.2244 in / 5.700 mm
- Case length maximum
- 1.525 in / 38.74 mm
- Overall length maximum
- 2.260 in / 57.40 mm
.22 ARC expands to .22 Advanced Rifle Cartridge. The SAAMI drawing lists its bullet maximum as .2244 inch; the familiar .224-caliber description is nominal.
Origins & evolution
Background & development
Hornady announced the .22 Advanced Rifle Cartridge in October 2023 in its new-products lineup for 2024. The project followed the 6mm ARC’s approach: design the cartridge and chamber together around modern, streamlined bullets while staying within a compact rifle platform. Hornady explicitly promoted the .22 ARC for both AR-15 and bolt-action rifles.
Its original ammunition range showed two related priorities. A new 62-grain ELD-VT load in the V-Match line addressed varmint and target use, while 75- and 88-grain ELD Match offerings emphasized longer, heavier .22-caliber projectiles. SAAMI announced acceptance of the .22 ARC in February 2024, alongside the separate .22 Creedmoor. That timing helps explain its rapid move into factory rifles and ammunition: it launched as a coordinated commercial cartridge, rather than spending decades as a wildcat. The ARC and Creedmoor share a general interest in modern .22-caliber bullets, but have different cases and development histories.
Compare .22 Creedmoor, .223 Remington, and 6mm ARC as separate chamberings. Shared bullet diameter or the ARC name does not make their cases the same.
Historical sources: Hornady: original .22 ARC announcement and initial ammunition lineup ↗ · SAAMI: February 2024 .22 ARC acceptance ↗
Compare the actual ammunition
Loads & variations
70 gr CX
The catalog’s monolithic CX offering; construction differs from the lead-core examples.
75 & 88 gr ELD Match
Two distinct factory match loads. Weight alone does not identify a SKU.
80 gr ELD-X
A separate expanding-bullet factory offering, rather than the 80-grain .22 Creedmoor SKU.
| Load | SKU | Muzzle velocity | Test barrel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 gr ELD-VT® | 81542 | 3,300.0 fps | Not stated in cited table |
| 70 gr CX® | 81539 | 3,125.0 fps | Not stated in cited table |
| 75 gr ELD® Match | 81541 | 3,075.0 fps | Not stated in cited table |
| 80 gr ELD-X® | 81544 | 3,010.0 fps | Not stated in cited table |
| 88 gr ELD® Match | 81543 | 2,820.0 fps | Not stated in cited table |
Explore the measurements
Ballistics & barrel length
Select a legend entry to add or remove its line. Hover or tap a plotted point, or use the position slider. With the graph focused, arrow keys move the inspector. Solid dots identify source points. The two-rifle comparison uses dots only; the factory downrange view uses dashed interpolation. Load construction, pressure category, and test setup can differ even at the same grain weight.
Read the original values as accessible tables
.22 ARC: 16-inch AR-15 and 20-inch bolt-action measurements
| Exact load | Source | Published points |
|---|---|---|
| 62 gr Hornady ELD-VT — test handload | MDT · February 28, 2026 | 16: 3076; 20: 3216.9 |
| 70 gr Barnes TAC-TX — test handload | MDT · April 3, 2026 | 16: 2694.1; 20: 2790.5 |
| 77 gr Sierra MatchKing — test handload | MDT · March 6, 2026 | 16: 2917.2; 20: 3037.3 |
| 77 gr Berger OTM — test handload | MDT · March 14, 2026 | 16: 2779.1; 20: 2903.4 |
| 85.5 gr Berger Hybrid — test handload | MDT · March 22, 2026 | 16: 2657.2; 20: 2744 |
| 88 gr Hornady ELD-M — test handload | MDT · March 28, 2026 | 16: 2655.9; 20: 2779.6 |
.22 ARC factory-load comparison
| Exact load | Source | Published points |
|---|---|---|
| 62 gr Hornady ELD-VT® | Hornady 2026 | 0: 3300; 100: 3044; 200: 2803; 300: 2574; 400: 2357; 500: 2150 |
| 70 gr Hornady CX® | Hornady 2026 | 0: 3125; 100: 2877; 200: 2643; 300: 2421; 400: 2209; 500: 2008 |
| 75 gr Hornady ELD® Match | Hornady 2026 | 0: 3075; 100: 2868; 200: 2672; 300: 2483; 400: 2302; 500: 2129 |
| 80 gr Hornady ELD-X® | Hornady 2026 | 0: 3010; 100: 2814; 200: 2626; 300: 2447; 400: 2274; 500: 2108 |
| 88 gr Hornady ELD® Match | Hornady 2026 | 0: 2820; 100: 2652; 200: 2491; 300: 2335; 400: 2185; 500: 2040 |
MDT original test · August 11, 2026 ↗ · Hornady factory data ↗
Direct answers
Questions about .22 ARC
Is .22 ARC the same as .22 Creedmoor?
No. They have separate cases, chamber drawings, and factory loads. See the .22 Creedmoor guide for its own measurements.
Is the barrel graph a controlled barrel-cutting test?
No. MDT compared a 16-inch AR-15 and a 20-inch bolt-action rifle. The chart preserves that distinction and supplies no intermediate barrel-length predictions.
Why do the factory and test curves use different bullet weights?
They are separate datasets. The factory view uses catalog SKUs; the two-rifle view uses the test author’s handloaded ammunition. No handload recipes are reproduced.
Trace the facts
Sources & methodology
Compiled by 2A Ledger from the linked standards, manufacturer publications, and identified test records. Checked October 18, 2026. Historical tests and older catalogs retain their original dates; a listing here does not establish current availability.
- SAAMI .22 ARC drawing ↗
- Hornady .22 ARC ↗
- Hornady 2026 catalog · PDF p. 183 ↗
- MDT / David Henry: original two-rifle test ↗
- Hornady: original .22 ARC announcement and initial ammunition lineup ↗
- SAAMI: February 2024 .22 ARC acceptance ↗
Diameter figures preserve the cited drawing convention. Inch–millimeter conversion uses exactly 25.4 mm per inch. Factory specifications describe the maker’s test setup; your firearm, ammunition lot, temperature, and measuring method can produce different results. This is an educational factory-ammunition reference, not a reloading manual.