22 ARC, By the Numbers
22 ARC is Hornady’s 2024 answer to a question the AR-15 has asked for decades: how to push long, heavy .224 bullets at velocities a .223 cannot reach. It is the 6.5 Grendel case necked down to .224, built with the same concurrent cartridge-and-chamber design as 6mm ARC, with a 2.260″ maximum overall length so it feeds from a standard AR-15 magazine well and a 1:7 twist specified to take full advantage of the heaviest .22-caliber bullets. Hornady’s comparison is to the 22-250: 22 ARC brings that class of performance to the AR-15 and is equally at home in a bolt action.
The 88 gr ELD Match leaves Hornady’s 24″ test barrel at 2,820 fps and is still doing 2,040 fps at 500 yards, which is why the cartridge has become a favorite for long-range varmint and PRS-style AR work. The 22″ MATCH-X Target gives it the length it needs, with the 1:7 twist that stabilizes the 80, 88, and 90 gr bullets, and a rifle-length gas system for a soft impulse.
Hornady factory data — 22 ARC 88 gr ELD Match, 24″ test barrel
| Range | Velocity | Energy | Drop (200 yd zero) |
| Muzzle | 2,820 fps | 1,554 ft-lb | — |
| 100 yd | 2,652 | 1,375 | +1.7″ |
| 200 yd | 2,491 | 1,212 | 0 |
| 300 yd | 2,335 | 1,066 | −7.3″ |
| 400 yd | 2,185 | 933 | −21.1″ |
| 500 yd | 2,040 | 813 | −42.1″ |
Source: Hornady published ballistics from a 24″ test barrel. Expect roughly 40–60 fps less from the 22″ MATCH-X Target.
What You Need to Build It
6.5 Grendel-pattern bolt (.136″ bolt face) and Grendel magazines; carrier, upper, buffer, and barrel nut are standard AR-15. .750″ gas block and a rifle-length gas tube. Headspaced with a 22 ARC go/no-go gauge.
What Every MATCH-X Barrel Shares
416-R stainless bar stock, drilled, reamed to 32 Ra, honed to 8 Ra before the rifling button goes through, 5R button rifled, stress relieved at 1150°F, contoured, chambered, then lapped back to a uniform 16 Ra from throat to crown. Bore and groove air-gauged at three points, honed finish read on a profilometer, borescoped, chamber verified on a CMM, magnetic-particle inspected, nickel-Teflon extension torqued to 150 ft-lb, pinned, and headspaced. Exterior left as bare stainless blasted with S110 media. Made in Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, backed by the Faxon Lifetime Guarantee. See the whole MATCH-X line and the process video ›
MATCH-X 22 ARC FAQs
What bolt and magazines does 22 ARC use?
A 6.5 Grendel-pattern bolt with a .136″ bolt face and 6.5 Grendel magazines. A standard 5.56 bolt will not headspace.
Why a 1:7 twist?
22 ARC exists to push 75 to 90 gr .224 bullets, and those need a fast twist. 1:7 handles the 80, 88, and 90 gr match bullets and still shoots 62 to 75 gr loads fine. It is not a barrel for 40 and 50 gr varmint bullets.
Why 22 inches?
Velocity. 22 ARC gains from every inch, and 22″ is where the 80 to 90 gr bullets reach the speeds the cartridge is advertised at while the rifle-length gas system keeps the impulse soft.
Do I need an adjustable gas block?
Faxon recommends one for 22 ARC. Factory loads range from light varmint bullets to 90 gr match, and suppressor use is common, so being able to meter the port is worth having.
