Hunting & Fishing 22 arc and deer hunting. Anyone used it?

[Jmccracken1214]

After seeing the huge number of people using the 77 smk with 223 for deer with good success… has anyone tried the 22 arc?

I’ve got a Ruger that shoots 80gr Hornady so much better than a $500 rifle shooting Hornady bullets should. .25-.4” groups on the regular.

Thought about letting my kid run it, where we hunt 350 yards is about max. At 350, my 80gr load going 2900 at the muzzle is impacting at 2250 with 900ft lbs.

I’d keep this within 200 which is 2519fps and 1127 energy.

Worth of deer sized game at 200 and in?

 

[powdahound76]

Sounds like it would be great. Esp for a younger shooter.

Most guys I know would say go with the TMK vs SMK for hunting.

My sample size is small with the 77 SMK and deer and it does work just fine, but we were running 2600ish and long shot was 100ish yds.

 

[Jmccracken1214]

Sounds like it would be great. Esp for a younger shooter.

Most guys I know would say go with the TMK vs SMK for hunting.

My sample size is small with the 77 SMK and deer and it does work just fine, but we were running 2600ish and long shot was 100ish yds.

I haven’t tried 77’s in it. I do run 77 smk handloads for my ar’s though.

My load is with 80 eld but shoots the 80 eldx equally as good.

 

[gopherslayer]

223 works so why wouldn’t the ARC? Use a tipped bullet.

Energy means nothing. Bullet makers have a velocity threshold for bullets not an energy threshold. You’ll be able to take deer far beyond 250 yards with an 80gr ELD.

 

[powdahound76]

I dont know about the 80 eldm and the 6.5 version drops deer as well as the AMAX did.

Bang, flop, DRT.

Longest shot to date is 534 and died in her tracks

 

[CA48]

I’ve killed quite a few pigs and deer with 80eldms. 2650fps MV out of my 16” 223 bolt gun out to 200yards, 2930fps MV out of a 20” ruger 22arc out to 200yds, and 3050fps mv out of a 18” 22creed out 350yards. They have worked great.

 

[diggler1833]

1) Shot placement.

2) Bullet construction.

An 80gr ELD-X that is STILL going 2,519 FPS and carrying 1,100+ lb/ft of energy is more than capable of killing any deer-sized game that is hit correctly. It might have a little further run than if you popped it with a 300 PRC and 212 ELD-X... but it will be just as dead within a few extra seconds on a double-lung, and CNS shots will drop them just as well.

When I shot a bunch of hogs with stuff like the 6.8 and 6.5 Grendel, they killed just as well as a .308. The biggest difference was more lethality on MEDIOCRE hits, and shorter runs on good hits. Zero difference on if they died or not.

A 22 ARC in the hands of a kid should make a pretty decent little rifle.