Bought a 22ARC AR - Mistake ?

[Nomosendero2]

I bought a AR Upper in 22 ARC with upper end components for $500.00 last night from a friend. I say a glowing report from
Vortex nation about the cartridge, yet many say that in an AR the performance is not much more than a .556 AR.
I will be shooting 88gr ELDM, 80 ELDX or 77TMK. This will be used on Varmints and Hogs.
Did I make a mistake, thinking I would get increased performance?

 

[searcher]

I'll preface by saying "I don't know". I'd give it a workout with the bullets you want to use. Your own experience will tell you better than the "mixed reviews" on the net. Most of what I've read has been pretty positive.

 

[K22]

I have a few questions:

Are those bullets designed for varmints? In other words, can you drive them fast enough to create rapid expansion on small critters like varmints? Will these heavy bullets created increased risk of ricochets due to their failure to expand?

I have hunted eastern groundhogs for over 50 years, and I found that 50 to 55 grain bullets in 12 to 14" twist rifles produce the most reliable results on small critters like varmints in a 224 caliber rifles. However, all my experience in this caliber has been with 223 and 22 250 bolt rifles.

 

[DHD]

Do you have a 223 AR as a comparison? The bullets you mentioned are not going to work in a 223 AR, so you are ahead there already if they are what you plan to use.

I am not positive of the capacity of the 22ARC, but it will be 5-6 grains more powder and the ability to shoot heavier bullets. There is no more real room for improving the 223 in an AR.

I do not think you made a mistake if you want to shoot heavy bullets or lighter bullets incrementally faster.

 

[jelenko]

Just to clarify. The 88gr ELDM, 80 ELDX or 77TMK all will work fine with an AR but do require loading single round at a time - i.e., they won't fit in a mag.

 

[Mike Powers]

I had poor performance with factory 88eld ammo out of a 20" barrel. Seemed to be way too hot for my setup. 75gr shot fine, my handloads shot 597-27X at Perry this year. Those loads don't seem designed for expansion.
Mike