# .22 Creedmoor
The .22 Creedmoor (22 CM) is a centerfire rifle cartridge created by [necking down](https://www.edgepedia.org/necking-down) the 6.5 Creedmoor case to accept .224-inch (5.7 mm) bullets, standardized by the [Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/sporting-arms-and-ammunition-manufacturers-institute) (SAAMI) in early 2024 after years as a wildcat round (non-commercial cartridge made by individuals, not standardized).[1](https://saami.org/saami-accepts-two-new-cartridges-22arc-22cm/) • [2](https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/22-creedmoor-cartridge-handloading-tips/502213) It was introduced by Hornady Manufacturing with an 80-grain bullet at 3,285 fps and a Maximum Average Pressure of 62,000 psi.[1](https://saami.org/saami-accepts-two-new-cartridges-22arc-22cm/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Centerfire rifle cartridge, 6.5 Creedmoor case necked down to .224-inch bullets[2](https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/22-creedmoor-cartridge-handloading-tips/502213) |
| SAAMI standardization | Accepted February 7, 2024; drawing issued 01/21/2024[1](https://saami.org/saami-accepts-two-new-cartridges-22arc-22cm/) • [3](https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAAMI-Z299.4-CFR-2025-Centerfire-Rifle-Approved-2-10-2025.pdf) |
| Reference load | 80-grain bullet at 3,285 fps instrumental velocity[1](https://saami.org/saami-accepts-two-new-cartridges-22arc-22cm/) |
| Maximum Average Pressure | 62,000 psi (piezoelectric transducer system); crusher pressure limits not established[4](https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Public-Introduction-22-Creedmoor-2024-01-29.pdf) |
| Case length | 1.920 in (48.77 mm); cartridge overall length 2.450 in minimum to 2.700 in maximum[3](https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAAMI-Z299.4-CFR-2025-Centerfire-Rifle-Approved-2-10-2025.pdf) |
| Twist | 1 turn in 8.00 inches (203.2 mm), right-hand, optional per SAAMI drawing[3](https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAAMI-Z299.4-CFR-2025-Centerfire-Rifle-Approved-2-10-2025.pdf) |
| Intended use | Predator and varmint hunting, small and medium game, and long-range target shooting[5](https://www.hornady.com/22creedmoor) |
## Origin and standardization
Necking the 6.5 Creedmoor case down for 0.224-inch bullets was a natural wildcat step, and the round circulated in wildcat form for over a decade before commercial standardization.[2](https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/22-creedmoor-cartridge-handloading-tips/502213) • [6](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/load-data/22-creedmoor.pdf) Derrick Ratliff, founder of Horizon Firearms of Brazos County, Texas, is credited with driving the cartridge from unknown wildcat to mainstream status, building rifles and ammunition for it and developing a close relationship with Hornady.[7](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/hornady-22-creedmoor-cartridge-review/496793) • [8](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/Horizon-Firearms-Venatic-Rifle-New-Texas-Treasure/515948) Hornady submitted the cartridge to SAAMI in 2023, and SAAMI announced its acceptance, together with the 22 ARC, on February 7, 2024.[7](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/hornady-22-creedmoor-cartridge-review/496793) • [1](https://saami.org/saami-accepts-two-new-cartridges-22arc-22cm/)
## Design and dimensions
The SAAMI maximum cartridge and minimum chamber drawing, issued January 21, 2024, specifies a case 1.920 in (48.77 mm) long with a 30-degree shoulder, a neck cylinder diameter of .256 in (6.50 mm), and a bullet diameter of .224 in (5.70 mm).[3](https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAAMI-Z299.4-CFR-2025-Centerfire-Rifle-Approved-2-10-2025.pdf) Cartridge overall length runs from 2.450 in (62.23 mm) minimum to 2.700 in (68.58 mm) maximum.[3](https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAAMI-Z299.4-CFR-2025-Centerfire-Rifle-Approved-2-10-2025.pdf) The chamber drawing calls for a .219 in (5.56 mm) bore and .224 in (5.69 mm) groove diameter, six grooves, and an optional 1:8 right-hand twist.[3](https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAAMI-Z299.4-CFR-2025-Centerfire-Rifle-Approved-2-10-2025.pdf)
The fast twist is the cartridge's defining choice. Standard twist rate is 1 turn in 8 inches, substantially faster than the 1-in-12 or 1-in-14 twists traditional in the [.22-250 Remington](https://www.edgepedia.org/22-250-remington) and .220 Swift, and it lets the rifle stabilize the long, heavy-for-caliber .224 bullets that long-range shooting favors.[9](https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/22-arc-vs-22-creedmoor/) Handloaders seeking the heaviest projectiles sometimes opt for custom 1:7.5 or 1:7 barrels.[2](https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/22-creedmoor-cartridge-handloading-tips/502213)
## Factory ammunition and ballistics
Hornady's launch load data lists four factory loads: a 69-grain ELD-VT at 3,560 fps (V-Match, aimed at varmint and predator hunters), an 80-grain ELD-X at 3,285 fps (Precision Hunter), a 65-grain monolithic CX at 3,660 fps (Superformance), and an 80-grain ELD Match at 3,285 fps.[5](https://www.hornady.com/22creedmoor) Peterson Cartridge produces match-grade brass for the round with a choice of Large Rifle or Small Rifle primer pockets.[10](https://hodgdonpowderco.com/articles/22-creedmoor-versus-22-250/)
The performance case for the cartridge rests on bullet weight and aerodynamics rather than raw muzzle speed. Compared with a classic 55-grain bullet from a .22-250, the .22 Creedmoor with an 80-grain bullet shows half the wind drift and more than double the impact energy at 500 yards.[2](https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/22-creedmoor-cartridge-handloading-tips/502213) Recoil is moderate: roughly 11 to 12 ft-lb of free recoil energy in an 8-pound rifle, more than the .22-250's roughly 8 ft-lb but well below the parent 6.5 Creedmoor at approximately 14 to 15 ft-lb.[11](https://myreloading.com/22-creedmoor-the-complete-guide/)
## Comparison with the .22-250 Remington
Both cartridges fire .224-inch bullets, but they were designed for different bullet classes. The .22-250, standardized by Remington in 1967 after decades as a wildcat, was designed in the 1930s to push light 50-to-55-grain bullets to maximum velocity, and its chamber throat was cut accordingly; most factory rifles carry 1:12 or 1:14 twists that cannot stabilize the long 75-to-90-grain match and hunting bullets the .22 Creedmoor exists to shoot.[10](https://hodgdonpowderco.com/articles/22-creedmoor-versus-22-250/) • [9](https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/22-arc-vs-22-creedmoor/)
The Creedmoor case also holds more propellant. Published figures put its water capacity at about 52.6 grains against 44.6 grains for the .22-250 with [Winchester](https://www.edgepedia.org/winchester) brass, roughly 11 percent more powder behind the bullet.[10](https://hodgdonpowderco.com/articles/22-creedmoor-versus-22-250/) • [12](https://hopmunitions.com/22-creedmoor-vs-22-250/) The longer chamber throat of the 22 Creedmoor lets heavy bullets seat without intruding deeply into the powder space, though with modern long-ogive bullets this advantage is smaller than commonly claimed.[10](https://hodgdonpowderco.com/articles/22-creedmoor-versus-22-250/) The Creedmoor case's straighter profile also feeds more reliably from detachable box magazines than the tapered .22-250 case.[13](https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/22-creedmoor-or-22-250.7066865/)
## Uses
Hornady positions the cartridge for predator and varmint hunting, small and medium game, and long-range target shooting, emphasizing flat trajectory, minimal wind deflection, and low recoil.[5](https://www.hornady.com/22creedmoor) In field testing with two factory loads in a suppressed 18-inch-barrel rifle, Shooting Times contributor Joseph von Benedikt, a longtime firearms writer and editor, recorded sub-half-MOA groups in cold, windy conditions and described the round as a capable deer cartridge, noting that a 0.224-inch 80-grain ELD-X carries energy comparable to a 0.243-inch 80-grain bullet with higher sectional density (.228 versus .194).[7](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/hornady-22-creedmoor-cartridge-review/496793)
## References
1. [SAAMI Announces Acceptance of Two New Cartridges (February 7, 2024), SAAMI](https://saami.org/saami-accepts-two-new-cartridges-22arc-22cm/)
2. [Roll Your Own: Handloading Tips for the Excellent .22 Creedmoor, RifleShooter](https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/22-creedmoor-cartridge-handloading-tips/502213)
3. [SAAMI Z299.4-2025, Voluntary Industry Performance Standards for Centerfire Rifle](https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAAMI-Z299.4-CFR-2025-Centerfire-Rifle-Approved-2-10-2025.pdf)
4. [New Cartridge & Chamber: 22 Creedmoor, SAAMI public introduction package](https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Public-Introduction-22-Creedmoor-2024-01-29.pdf)
5. [22 Creedmoor, Hornady Manufacturing, Inc.](https://www.hornady.com/22creedmoor)
6. [22 Creedmoor load data and cartridge drawing, Hornady](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/load-data/22-creedmoor.pdf)
7. [Hornady's 22 Creedmoor Ultimate Predator Cartridge, Shooting Times (May 29, 2024)](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/hornady-22-creedmoor-cartridge-review/496793)
8. [Horizon Firearm's Venatic Rifle: A New Texas Treasure, Shooting Times (January 30, 2025)](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/Horizon-Firearms-Venatic-Rifle-New-Texas-Treasure/515948)
9. [22 ARC vs. 22 Creedmoor: An In-Depth Range Test, Outdoor Life](https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/22-arc-vs-22-creedmoor/)
10. [22 Creedmoor Versus 22-250, by Layne Simpson, Hodgdon Powder Company](https://hodgdonpowderco.com/articles/22-creedmoor-versus-22-250/)
11. [22 Creedmoor: The Complete Guide to Performance, MyReloading](https://myreloading.com/22-creedmoor-the-complete-guide/)
12. [22 Creedmoor vs 22-250: Which Is Better?, HOP Munitions](https://hopmunitions.com/22-creedmoor-vs-22-250/)
13. [22 Creedmoor or 22-250?, Sniper's Hide Forum](https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/22-creedmoor-or-22-250.7066865/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Firearms and ammunition › Ammunition and cartridges › Rifle cartridges*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license