March 27, 2025
By Brad Fitzpatrick
Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.
The .223 Rem.’s life began when the U.S. Army began searching for a small-caliber, low-recoil combat round. Remington was instrumental in the development of the cartridge, which was based on a .222 Rem. case lengthened by .06 inch. Remington applied for SAAMI specification in 1962 and introduced its first rifle chambered for the cartridge a year later. The round was adopted by the military as the 5.56mm in 1964.
The commercial version, the .223 Rem., was a success almost from its inception, but it did have some early design issues that had to be addressed. The earliest military and sporting versions came with slow 1:14 twist barrels, which would only stabilize light-for-caliber bullets. That twist rate was eventually changed to 1:12 to handle 55-grain projectiles, and later the military used 1:7 twist barrels for use with 62-grain bullets—but light varmint bullets fired in such barrels would break apart due to the high spin rate.
Despite those early hiccups, the .223 Rem. not only survived but thrived . The AR-15 rifle certainly helped popularize the .223 Rem., but it became a popular choice for varmint and predator hunters because it offered light recoil and good accuracy. It was—and is—also a popular choice for bolt-action varmint rifles.
Advertisement
The .223 has faced competition from many newer .22 rounds, but Hornady ’s release of the .22 ARC (Advanced Rifle Cartridge) poses perhaps the most significant challenge to the .223’s popularity. The concept for the .22 ARC started as early as 2011 when Hornady’s Neil Davies and Mitch Mittelstaedt began tossing around the idea of a .22 cartridge that could beat .223 Rem. ballistics in an AR-15.
Cartridge/Chamber Synergy As Hornady engineer Joe Thielen points out, the .22 ARC’s chamber, cartridge and bullets were designed simultaneously, with the 62-grain ELD-VT leading the way. Other, heavier bullets quickly followed.
So how much of a performance advantage does the .22 ARC offer? It simply leaves the .223 Rem. in the dust. Hornady’s .22 ARC 62-grain ELD-VT ammo hits 3,300 fps at the muzzle. The company’s .223 Rem. 55-grain V-Max bullet manages 3,240 fps from the same length barrel. However, with a 100-yard zero the .223 Rem. load drops 27 inches at 400 yards compared to a 20.9-inch drop for the ARC’s heavier ELD-VT bullet. At 800 yards, the .22 ARC’s drop is almost 88 inches less than the .223.
Advertisement
In a 10 mph full-value crosswind, the .223 drifts 20.8 inches at 400 yards compared to 11.9 inches for the ARC. At that distance the .22 ARC carries 765 ft.-lbs. of energy compared to just 429 ft.-lbs. energy for the .223 Rem.
In other words, the farther you shoot the greater the performance disparity, and if you’re looking for a long-range .22 there really is no comparison. The .22 ARC can handle 88-grain bullets in a standard AR-15 rifle, something the .223 Rem. cannot accomplish except in some custom bolt guns, but even in that case velocity lags well behind the ARC.
Pros and Cons (Chart provided by the author) If ballistics were the only factor that sold guns, the .223 Rem. would be dead in the water. However, there are other considerations. At 300 yards the .223 Rem. 55-grain V-Max drops only 2.2 inches more than the .22 ARC—not enough to matter.
There are scads of .223 rifles available in every design and at every price point. Not so much for the .22 ARC.
Midway USA lists just five .22 ARC loads, the least expensive costing $1.38 per round. The same site lists 125 .223 Rem. loads—with some costing less than half as much per round as the least expensive .22 ARC load.
We’ve seen .22 centerfire cartridges try to unseat the .223 Rem. before. The .22 ARC certainly has better ballistics, but only time will tell whether it will have mass appeal.
