Deciding on a 22 and is the ARC really that great?

If I was going to exclusively reload, I would definitely choose the 22 arc. If I wanted to get a ton of practice in with factory ammo and possibly reload for hunting, it would definitely be the .223.
 
Ok, it takes a lot of shots... and I never did figure out how big the target is, BUT... still insane. Sweet rifle.
 
Notice the moose kill took more than one shot. If a lot of your hunting is in timber there are many better cartridges to carry than the 223 or 22 ARC. None of the newest plastic tipped wonder bullets give the penetration say a 7-08 or 308 can give with properly constructed cup and core bullets. Also at virtually any range the 223 and 22 ARC do not make as wide or as deep a wound channel as similarly constructed bullets from 7-08/308 class cartridges. Shot placement is very important, meaning placed perfectly through the lung/heart area from broadside. I am a big fan of both the 223 and 22 ARC but they have limitations.
Did we watch the same video? That animal would have died from any one of those shots. And a .223 will leave a comparable wound channel, as well as penetrate as well. First hand observations on large game have confirmed.
 
Thanks, I don't hand load, probably won't for a long time, and was thinking a bolt action. There's probably a thread on this already, but what's the path to a 6m ARC on a Tikka platform?

You need to get a t3 223bolt opened up from .384 to .445” or get a .473 bolt bushed to .445”. Then get an ascension industries 6ARC Mag kit for $40 to run 22,6,or 338arc for factory plastic tikka bottom metal or for aics bm use an mdt 6ARC mag or ppl say an unmodified aics .308win magazine works also.
 
Ok, I have read a lot about the 22 ARC and with the recent AK Bull moose kill on youtube, combined of course with the 223 for deer, elk, moose, sasquatch, etc thread, I've been seriously considering stepping Up ;0) to a 22 for hunting. Very quick background, 2 years ago I switched from the trusty old 06' to a 6.5 Creed, wife from 308 to 6.5 Creed... in those two years we've put down 5 deer a bull and a cow elk. All with same results we ever got from the 30s.

Back to the 22s now. If the 223 is effective, and wowsa, it obviously is, out to absurd distances (lets say 700 yards with shorter barreled rifles and staying near that 1800 fps minimum with the 77 or 80s)... then the ARC with the 88s should just be pure death. I think 22 creed, then look at it shooting the factory 80s compared to the ARC shooting factory 88s and the ARC actually overtakes it at about 800ish yards. This blows my mind. I'm only going by internet/google research, but ballistics seem to indicate this is the case! Really?

It's also not super clear whether the ARC is a great bolt gun cartridge due to possible feeding issues??

Love to discuss this for a bit and hear from those with first hand experience!

I run multiple 5.56ars and 223rem bolt guns, 22creed bolt gun, a 22arc ar, an 18” 22arc tikka bolt gun, and I’ve had a 16 & 20” 22arc ruger gen2 bolt guns. Reloaded and shot factory ammo for all.

I say life’s to short not to get a cheap 16” 22ARC ruger bolt gun to run factory 88s. If I had to get rid of them all and choose one it’d probably a 22arc or 223rem bolt gun. I think the 22arc is a great cartridge. With Handloads I could run 80gr eldms at 2980fps with cfe223 getting over 10firings per case using Hornady once fired brass in the the 16” ruger bolt gun.

IMG_8981.jpeg
 
In the 20” ruger when pressure testing with Hornady brass I didn’t see an ej mark until
3215fps with the 80s and cfe223. My same cfe223 load in that rifle ran 3080fps with the 80eldm.
 
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