You can tell SHOT Show is right around the corner. Everyone is slowly starting to drop new guns, new gear, and new calibers. New calibers are a bit tricky. How do you upset the current crop of established calibers with guns, fans, and a market for them? It’s not easy, but every year someone tries it. Sadly, for every .300 Blackout, we have half a dozen .224 Valkyries. Hornady has released a new caliber, the .338 ARC, and will it become a .300 Blackout or a .22 TCM?
The .338 ARC is an AR-15 cartridge, which is an interesting take. When I hear .338, I picture this great big cartridge designed for long-range shooting. Many high-powered rifles use .338 caliber projectiles, and even the military has looked at a .338 replacement for the .50 BMG in infantry roles. When you translate .338 from freedom units to metric, we get an 8.6mm bullet. That’s a big round to put through an AR-15.
The cartridge has an overall length of 2.62 inches. It’ll work in ARs, as well as short action bolt guns. The primary purpose seems to be hunting, specifically hunting with a suppressor. While supersonic loads exist, the main selling point is heavy-duty subsonic loads. The engineers at Hornady tailored the design of the cartridge and projectile for subsonic performance. As you’d imagine, the cartridge doesn’t have a ton of case capacity.
The .338 ARC – But Why
It seems like Hornady wants some of those sweet, sweet-shooting suppressed monies. The cartridges use the same overall principle as the .300 Blackout but with a much larger bullet. In fact, it seems to mirror both the .300 Blackout and 8.6 Blackout, as long as that mirror is at a county fair.
The .300 Blackout is designed to be used in an AR with minimal changes, and the 8.6 Blackout does the same with an AR-10. The .338 ARC takes the AR-15 design from the .300 Blackout and the 8.6mm bullet from the 8.6 Blackout, and we get something entirely different, like a bizarro in-between of the two cartridges.
The .338 ARC promises to retain excellent ballistics and hard-hitting, deep-penetrating power. The subsonic line will use a SUB-X bullet that weighs a mighty 307 grains. The Hornady Black line will offer a 175-grain round with a hollow-point design. According to Hornady, their focus is on giving you the best terminal ballistics for a subsonic bullet.
We know that heavy 220-grain subsonic .300 Blackout is basically a .45 ACP with a spitzer tip. The .338 ARC throws a much heavier bullet at the same velocity. That makes the .338 ARC a hammer on both sides. I haven’t shot it yet, but Hornady’s promo video makes it look like it packs some stiff recoil.
Will the .338 ARC Work?
The .338 ARC does have some things going for it. It’s a more powerful .300 Blackout, but you don’t have to leave the AR-15 platform. You can swap uppers and go, mostly. You’ll need to swap to a new bolt and magazine. Speaking of magazines, ARC mags have never been cheap and require a distinct curve.
If you don’t want to run it in an AR, then a bolt gun is an option. Honestly, I would probably prefer the bolt gun route over an AR with this cartridge. Why deal with expensive mags, new BCGs, and gas systems when a bolt gun works? The cartridge seems to be aimed at hunting and suppressor use. Bolt guns excel at both of those tasks.
This is not a long-range cartridge. It’s a close range, 200 yards and in, with subsonic cartridges. For people who don’t hunt or shoot beyond 25 yards, it might seem that 200 yards is short range. For hunting, it’s not. For field accuracy, it’s not. It’s perfectly adequate.
Will It Succeed?
Isn’t that the question? I always want companies I enjoy to succeed, and I hope Hornady does. Am I the best customer for this round? Probably not. I’m not a heavy suppressor user, and to be honest, when it comes to hunting, I’m a fudd with a .30-06 Winchester Model 70.
Even so, suppressor nerds have another caliber to play with, and more is better than less. I’m no industry expert, but I hope the cartridge can succeed and find its niche. I also hope Hornady brings it to the range and lets us cook some off.
For more information, please visit Hornady.com.
