A guide to 22 Creedmoor ballistics including velocity, energy and bullet drop data for the top commercially produced loads for American shooters.

There’s a new .22 on the market. It just might be your next varmint and target round.

Hornady submitted the .22 Creedmoor to SAAMI in 2023. Shortly thereafter, ammo makers ramped up commercial production.

But the history of this round is much deeper.

The first .22 Creedmoor was built back in 2014 by Horizon Firearms, the main pioneer for this round. This company, primarily a rifle maker, performed significant testing on the round, which was a wildcat at the time.

Essentially, they took a 6mm Creedmoor and necked it down to a .22 caliber while adding long, heavy bullets. (Heavy, that is, for a .22-caliber round.) They loaded the cartridge into a rifle with tight rifling twist and created one of the fastest, flattest .22-caliber rounds currently available.

The company vigorously backed the round. They released loaded ammo as well as reloading dies.

Like Tesla and the electric car, Horizon Firearms and the .22 Creedmoor are now inseparable; when consumers think of one, they think of the other. But other companies have pushed the cartridge along. Notably, Hornady released .22 Creedmoor brass in 2019, putting a large name behind the growing cartridge. Texas Ammunition began selling factory-loaded .22 Creedmoor rounds in 2021, and in 2023 the round was submitted to SAAMI, cementing the round’s status as a legitimate commercial cartridge.

Its future now depends on how well it does in the market.

22 Creedmoor Ballistic Chart

		Velocity (Feet per Second)						Energy						Bullet Drop						Ballistic Coefficient		Sectional Density
Ammo	Barrel Length	Muzzle	100 yards	200 yards	300 yards	400 yards	500 yards	Muzzle (ft-lbs)	100 yards	200 yards	300 yards	400 yards	500 yards	Muzzle	100 yards	200 yards	300 yards	400 yards	500 yards	G1	G7
Hornady 80 Grain ELD-X Hunter	24"	3,285	3,076	2,877	2,687	2,505	2,330	1,917	1,680	1,470	1,282	1,114	964	-1.5	1.1	0	-5.3	-15.4	-31.1	.485	-	-
Hornady 80 Grain - ELD-MATCH	24"	3,285	3,076	2,877	2,687	2,505	2,330	1,917	1,680	1,470	1,282	1,114	964	-1.5	1.1	0	-5.3	-15.4	-31.1	.485	-	-
Nosler 70 Grain Accubond	18"	3,400	3,180	2,975	2,770	2,570	2,375	1,825	1,579	1,355	1,152	968	801	-1.5	0	-1.0	-5.3	-15.8	-32.6	.370	-	-
Nosler 85 Grain RDF Match	18"	3,175	3,042	2,911	2,782	2,655	2,530	2,433	2,199	1,979	1,773	1,580	1,401	-1.5	0	-1.2	-5.7	-16.6	-33.6	.498	.245	-

Velocity

The .22 Creedmoor is heralded as one of the fastest .22-caliber rounds on the market. Even when packing bullets as heavy as 90 grains, it pushes them at muzzle velocities over 3,200 feet-per-second. For example, Copper Creek’s 90-grain Sierra MatchKing round has a muzzle velocity of 3,210 fps. Their 60-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip flies out of the barrel at 3,600 fps.

But of greater importance to long-range shooters, it maintains high speed. For instance, the 90-grain Sierra MatchKing round, thanks to an excellent B.C. (.563) is still cruising at 2,388 fps when it passes 500 yards. Even the lighter rounds maintain over 1,800 fps at 500 yards.

We tested a handful of 22 Creedmoor rounds with a Horizon Firearms Villain bolt action rifle with an 18″ barrel. Our hope is that the real world test results would provide a valuable second data point for hunters and shooters.

In the case of Hornady’s ELD-Match bullet, our 18″ barrel is significantly shorter than the 24″ barrel Hornady uses as its test barrel for ballistic data. So, it should come as no major surprise our results are considerably slower than Hornady’s as we found velocity sat around 3042 feet per second from our 18″ test barrel.

The Precision Hunter from Hornady showed similar velocity differential with our shorter 18″ barrel. No huge surprises here – though the ELD-X Hunting load did appear more consistent than the Match load.

The 85 grain Nosler consistently failed to deliver the same kind of velocities advertised on the Nosler website from an 18″ barrel. In this case, our chronograph testing found about a 10% difference.

Energy

Sheer power is not the goal for the .22 Creedmoor, but it carries an impressive charge, especially with heavier bullets. Most muzzle energy stats are around 1,700 to 2,000 fps, with larger bullets going above 2,000. The 70-grain VLD loaded by Copper Creek, for instance, is rated for 1,893 ft-lbs and hits with 940 ft-lbs at 400 yards.

Some cartridges can deliver over 1,000 ft-lbs at 500 yards. The 90-grain A-TIP from Copper Creek has 1,159 ft-lbs of energy at 500 yards. That’s an impressive number for a .22-caliber bullet.

.22 Creedmoor: Physical Dimensions

Parent case	6mm Creedmoor
Primer	Centerfire
Bullet diameter	.224 inches
Neck diameter	.254 inches
Shoulder diameter	.462 inches
Rim diameter	.468 inches
Case length	1.920 inches
Overall length	2.825 inches (Varies by bullet)
Typical firearm	Bolt-action rifle

Physically, 22 Creedmoor ammo is larger than most .22-caliber rounds, including rimfire and centerfire cartridges. It’s wider and longer than the .223 Remington, .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, and (of course) the .22 Long Rifle. It’s most similar in overall size and shape to the .22-250, although the Creedmoor has a larger overall length.

The overall length, in fact, is probably the most notable characteristic of the round. The cartridge was developed with longer bullets, which generally have better aerodynamics (higher ballistic coefficient) so they maintain flight stability for greater distances.

The Current Market for .22 Creedmoor Ammo and Rifles

Before adopting the .22 Creedmoor, it helps to understand the market. Frankly, this is a new round, so market adoption is an ongoing process. Because the round was only recently submitted to SAAMI, there is potential for major manufacturers like Fiocchi, Federal, Winchester, and Remington to produce the round. But that’s only potential.

Available ammunition options are limited to a few manufacturers, but these ammo makers offer a surprisingly large number of options. The biggest name, Hornady, has two products: an 80-grain ELX-X from their Precision Hunter brand, and a 80-grain ELD Match.

Nosler also manufactures a pair of loads for 22 Creedmoor shooters.

Copper Creek is another manufacturer currently producing .22 Creedmoor. They offer a long list of custom-order cartridges, allowing buyers to select the brass that best fits their needs. They have options ranging from 60-grain to 95-grain bullets.

The cartridge is also produced by Mead Industries, which has two options: a 77-grain and an 85-grain round. Both are boat-tail hollow point cartridges made for target and match shooting.

Currently, Horizon Firearms is the major company for .22 Creedmoor guns, and they manufacture some slick-looking bolt-action rifles for this round. The cartridge is limited to bolt-action, and some smaller custom shops, such as Fierce Firearms, have started offering rifles chambered for the .22 Creedmoor.

Best Uses for the .22 Creedmoor

Varmint and target. If you’re considering the .22 Creedmoor, that’s all you need to know.

While the cartridge has potential for deer and other medium-sized game (whitetails have, after all, been harvested with smaller bullets), the main driving force behind the .22 Creedmoor is greater length and killing potential on coyote and varmints. Longer shots, more varmint removal. That’s the best use for the .22 Creedmoor.

But it also has potential as a world-class target cartridge. With excellent trajectories, the .22 Creedmoor could become a regular visitor to local gun ranges across the country. Eventually, it may become a common match round as well.

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