.22 ARC

[Raptor]

Ok, I had an old McMillan stock laying around and decided to get an "Origin" action for it. I then picked up a pre fit Benchmark barrel. The problem was the only one I could find was a 1-8 twist. I actually wanted a 1-7.5 twist. I was assured that it would still shoot an 80gr bullet with no issues. My goal was to be able to shoot the 70 to 80gr bullets at 3000+fps out of a 22" barrel. This was going to be my coyote rifle, so I didn't want a heavy barrel and went with a Rem. Varmint style barrel.
When I started my load testing, I started off with CFE and it shot really well with all the bullets I tried. It also hit my velocity goals and even exceed them!! Since it was a temp sensitive powder, I decided to try IMR8208 it shot really well too and gave me nearly identical velocities. The only problem is 8208 is really hard to find!! I tired the 73ELDs, they shot really well too probably the 2nd best shooting one. Then the 80VLD and 80.5 Bergers and they also shot really well. But the best most consistent shooting bullet was the 77MKs. Almost all of the 5 shot groups were in the .4s to .2s!! And this was with both powders. I honestly have other powders to try but at this point, and the way it is shooting, I am pretty much done wasting components. Since this will be a 600yd varmint rifle I ran ballistic programs on all of the bullets that I shot and even others that I could not find to see what the difference would be at 600yds with the different BCs. It was actually only right at one MOA difference between all the different bullets. If I was going to shoot to 1000yds I might play with some different bullets.
Now for the loads, I found the best results (So far) with 28.5 grs of 8208 with the 80 and 80.5 Bergers and the 77SMKs. With the CFE it was 30.5grs and the same bullets with the 73ELD also really shooting well with it. My last trip out I bumped these up .3 and they shot about the same. I didn't have the chronograph so didn't get a speed. Speed with the CFE load and the 77s averages 3113fps. With the 8208 load it averages 3116fps!! 30.8 of CFE with the 73ELDs was 3182fps. With the 80 and 80.5 Bergers and 28.5grs of 8208 I was getting 3058fps, and 3016fps with 30.0 of CFE. I use the CCI 450s for all my loads. I hope this answers all of your questions and thank you for the nice comments. You should see how my heavy barrel 6ARC shoots!! It is a solid .2 or better gun with 90 Bergers doing 3040fps!!!

 

[Rtheurer]

Impressive, you are a better shot than I am. Have you found the cartridge easy to tune? I'm not interesred i.n varmits, only sreel and targets

We can shoot out to a mile pretty regular if we want. I noticed that Knorthcutt above is having issues with finding a load. I did not, I shot one in competition until i used up the barrel around 2000+ and this barrel is around that area as well. CFE is the big velocity producer for it, but i have great success with H4895, and even Varget, Staying away from the Ball powder for Temperature variation's sake. I would like to try the New STA ball that has about the same burn rate as Varget some day. However it was easy to get 1/2 MOA groups out of both barrels with very little effort.

 

[Raptor]

We can shoot out to a mile pretty regular if we want. I noticed that Knorthcutt above is having issues with finding a load. I did not, I shot one in competition until i used up the barrel around 2000+ and this barrel is around that area as well. CFE is the big velocity producer for it, but i have great success with H4895, and even Varget, Staying away from the Ball powder for Temperature variation's sake. I would like to try the New STA ball that has about the same burn rate as Varget some day. However it was easy to get 1/2 MOA groups out of both barrels with very little effort.

Personally I would NOT use the 22ARC for banging steel. I would go with the 6ARC if you are staying with the ARC cartridge. I used to shoot a lot of long range matches over the years and started off with the 308s but with recoil and ballistics the smaller calibers were way better. I went to the 6.5s in a 260 and loved them. Then the 6.5x284s came out and went to those. Loved them but it was a new barrel every damn year if not two. Then the 6s came along and they were very accurate "BUT" and it was a big "BUT" when you got out past 800yds you had one hell of a time telling if you even hit the target because you could not see movement of the steel or splatter on a shot up piece of steel. So, I gave them up and went to the straight 284. Great round for banging steel but can be stiff on recoil too. For banging steel out to a 1000 I like the 6.5 Creedmoor. Good barrel life, accurate and you can see you hits fairly easy. Now back to the ARCs I have shot my 6ARC using 90 Bergers at 3040+fps out to 1000yds on steel. Unless your targets are freshly painted you can not see your hits. My 2 son in laws give me shit about "Chipping the paint". I can't understand how you have shot a barrel out of an ARC at 2000rds either?? My big draw to it was the 5000+rounds for a barrel before having to replace it. The one thing I have noticed doing load testing with mine is I can shoot 4 or 5 groups in a row and the barrel is only warm to the touch. I can lay my hand on it anywhere and not have to take it off. If you really want to bang steel at 1000+yrds and are wanting to stay with the 6mm I would go with the XC or the GT. I actually got my best barrel life out of a 6mm with the 243SLR using H1000. I got over 3000rds out of my last one with a set back at around 1800rds.....

 

[wboggs]

Thanks for you ideas. I kinda wanted a .22 cal.in an AR

 

[spaniel]

22 ARC 62gr ELD-VT factory ammo... had to get brass somehow to start. 7.5twist 22" Proof steel barrel on an AR. I'll take this from an AR even if I can't tighten it up.

 

[wboggs]

I'd take it too. Good shooting

 

[Raptor]

I got a chance to get out and shoot my ARC at 300yds today. Wanted to do 600 too but it was to windy for load testing at 600. I did shoot those same loads listed above at 300yds. Pretty happy with them so far!! I shot 4 groups and didn't take a picture of the 4th group because I didn't think it looked all that great. After measuring it, it turned out to be a .588 MOA group!! Pretty damn sad when you think a half MOA group at 300yds sucks!! These are the three others that I shot at 300yds. The pasters are 2"....

 

[Rtheurer]

Personally I would NOT use the 22ARC for banging steel. I would go with the 6ARC if you are staying with the ARC cartridge. I used to shoot a lot of long range matches over the years and started off with the 308s but with recoil and ballistics the smaller calibers were way better. I went to the 6.5s in a 260 and loved them. Then the 6.5x284s came out and went to those. Loved them but it was a new barrel every damn year if not two. Then the 6s came along and they were very accurate "BUT" and it was a big "BUT" when you got out past 800yds you had one hell of a time telling if you even hit the target because you could not see movement of the steel or splatter on a shot up piece of steel. So, I gave them up and went to the straight 284. Great round for banging steel but can be stiff on recoil too. For banging steel out to a 1000 I like the 6.5 Creedmoor. Good barrel life, accurate and you can see you hits fairly easy. Now back to the ARCs I have shot my 6ARC using 90 Bergers at 3040+fps out to 1000yds on steel. Unless your targets are freshly painted you can not see your hits. My 2 son in laws give me shit about "Chipping the paint". I can't understand how you have shot a barrel out of an ARC at 2000rds either?? My big draw to it was the 5000+rounds for a barrel before having to replace it. The one thing I have noticed doing load testing with mine is I can shoot 4 or 5 groups in a row and the barrel is only warm to the touch. I can lay my hand on it anywhere and not have to take it off. If you really want to bang steel at 1000+yrds and are wanting to stay with the 6mm I would go with the XC or the GT. I actually got my best barrel life out of a 6mm with the 243SLR using H1000. I got over 3000rds out of my last one with a set back at around 1800rds.....

If your smart. you take a cheap two way radio and attach it to the back of the Gong set the mode on VOX. When the bullet hits the gong ( those that are way out there) it keys the mike and rings like your standing right next to the dang thing. Or the Flashing light stuff that is out there.
I think i will shoot at steel with what ever i want to thank you very much.

 

[Raptor]

If your smart. you take a cheap two way radio and attach it to the back of the Gong set the mode on VOX. When the bullet hits the gong ( those that are way out there) it keys the mike and rings like your standing right next to the dang thing. Or the Flashing light stuff that is out there.
I think i will shoot at steel with what ever i want to thank you very much.

I wasn't telling you, you couldn't or shouldn't!! I was only giving you my experience with shooting steel at long range. If you have the means to do that then by all means do it. I was only telling you what I had experienced with the 6s while shooting steel matches at long range. They did not have indicators of any kind nor did they paint them between competitors, so it was very difficult to see your hits. Some matches would NOT score you a hit unless they actually could see the splash or the target move. My understanding is now most matches have some form of what you're talking about. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I wasn't telling you, you couldn't do anything. I will keep my experiences and opinions to myself in the future.....

 

[Walt Krafft]

I shot a stretched out 22PPC in an AR space gun for several years XTC. Accuracy was great. Function took a lot of tinkering to get full function without trashing the brass. In a bolt gun it will be a hoot. I just bought an action and will build a rifle to use up a thousand rounds of ammo left over from the spacegun.

 

[Raptor]

I shot a stretched out 22PPC in an AR space gun for several years XTC. Accuracy was great. Function took a lot of tinkering to get full function without trashing the brass. In a bolt gun it will be a hoot. I just bought an action and will build a rifle to use up a thousand rounds of ammo left over from the spacegun.

Walt, just curious, what kind of barrel life did you get out of your rifles?? And what bullet weights were you shooting and powder?? What did you get for an action?? Thanks!!!

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I've got a 20 PPC bolt rifle...thinking maybe there will be a 20 ARC in my future

 

[Klong]

What does .22ARC have that .22PPC doesn't? They look pretty similar.

Factory AMMO!

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The factory ammo pricing isn't too bad on the ARCs either. I ordered dies and whatnot for my 6 ARC, but figured at $24 per 20 rounds of factory ammo, compared to brass, bullets, powder, and primers to handload rounds, I might as well buy some boxes factory ammo. When virgin brass is around $0.65 - $1 each, and loaded factory ammo is $1.20 each, it makes financial sense to shoot factory ammo to build up my brass supply. Plus I'm not eating into my component supply of powder, primers, and premium bullets on barrel break in rounds.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I mostly used N140 and Varget, some N550. A variety of 75-77 gr bullets at 200 yards. 80 and 85 gr bullets for 300 and 600 yards. 2-3000 rounds per barrel, a little less than a 223 match barrel. Got a BAT to play with.

 

[RCE1]

Factory AMMO!

Good to know. I was just curious. I have a good supply of .22PPC brass so factory ammunition isn't that important to me, personally.

 

[rsbhunter]

Walt, would you share some load info on the N140? Is it comparable to Varget? Thanks....rsbhunter

 

[Walt Krafft]

My chamber was not a true ppc so I don't want to give numbers. N140 and Varget use similar, not the same, loads. Work up as usual.

 

[rsbhunter]

No problem, I thought it was 22 arc . But the info on the N140/Varget was a big help. thanks, rsbhunter

 

[Raptor]

I mostly used N140 and Varget, some N550. A variety of 75-77 gr bullets at 200 yards. 80 and 85 gr bullets for 300 and 600 yards. 2-3000 rounds per barrel, a little less than a 223 match barrel. Got a BAT to play with.

Thank you for the reply. It surprises me that you were only getting 2 to 3000rds out of a barrel!! I had a 22PPC I bought off of an estate sale early in my shooting carrier, and not sure how many rounds it had on it before I got it, but it had won the Minn. benchrest championship the year prior to his passing. I put right at 3000rds through it and it was still a "Hammer" when I sold it!! I had talked to others who had shot them, and they all claimed they were good for over 3000 accurate rounds. Now they were shooting the 65gr or so bullets, most with VV and I guess I don't know if that little difference would really matter. We all know that barrel life depends on HOW you shoot it and how hot it gets....