ODIN Works 22 ARC Build

Hornady’s 22 ARC was designed for the AR platform. I’ve done a lot with this cartridge in a bolt-action, but am just now building a semi-auto with ODIN Works!

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About ODIN Works

ODIN Works is a world-class manufacturer of full rifles, AR-15 components, suppressors, accessories, and tools.

From ODIN Works:

ODIN Works makes products that our team has personally experienced a need for or that we have seen an improvement we could make and use ourselves.

We have developed some of the most cutting edge designs on the market today. Some designs may look similar but it is really when you get your hands on our product that you experience the difference.

Part of our mission statement is to make our customers better shooters through the use of our products.

“FORWARD with PURPOSE”

The ODIN Works team are competitive shooters that are constantly improving and advancing our products. As we use them the process continues.

Build Components

ODIN’s wide range of offerings allowed them to supply nearly everything for this build. I started with an ODIN OTR-15 complete lower equipped with extended bolt catch, beveled mag well, integral trigger guard, and B5 pistol grip. This lower has a variety of ambidextrous features including an ambidextrous sling QD plate, bolt release, and modular safety. I added the ODIN Zulu 2.0 adjustable buttstock and an adjustable buffer.

ODIN offers two types of adjustable carbine buffers: light and heavy. I have the AR-15 light version. It comes with three aluminum weights, three stainless steel weights, and one tungsten weight. A total three can be combined with pads between them to reach your desired performance.

Rather than put together a full upper from scratch, I opted for a 21” ODIN billet 7075 aluminum upper complete with 17.5” MLOC R2 forend, 1:7.5” 222 ARC DMR barrel, and adjustable gas block.

The rifle +2” gas system allows for higher velocities through shorter dwell times, resulting in a lower pressure system. The upper also includes the ODIN XCH, eXtended Charging Handle, for easier racking.

I also have an ODIN Badlands 7.62 QD suppressor composed of titanium and 17-4 stainless. This 19 ounce suppressor measures 8.25” long with a 1.5” diameter. It is semi-auto rated and comes with an ODIN Works suppressor (OSM) mount.

I have both mount choices on hand, ½ x 28” and ⅝ x 24”, as well as some TRAX ARCA rails to maximize accessory compatibility.

About the 22 ARC

Just approved by SAAMI this year, this mild-recoiling cartridge is fun to shoot and effective on varmints. I’ve observed extremely small SD’s and made impacts out to 1,390 yards with my bolt-action build!

From Hornady:

The 22 ARC (Advanced Rifle Cartridge) brings exceptional power and performance, elegantly packed into a compact cartridge that fits into your AR-15 but is equally at home in a bolt action. By utilizing the new 62 gr. ELD-VT™ bullet, the 22 ARC brings extraordinary performance, that rivals the 22-250, to the AR-15 platform.

The 22 ARC was engineered to use modern, high-BC bullets. Designing the cartridge and chamber in unison provides consistent accuracy, great velocity spreads and an outstanding shooting experience. This cartridge is the result of careful and meticulous design, following the same proven methodology as the highly acclaimed 6mm ARC.

Putting it Together

Though I have a number of combinations with the adjustable buffer, I decided to use the three stainless weights as they are right in the middle.

I put the buffer together and secured the plug.

Setting this aside, I mounted the lower on my vise block and began buttstock installation.

Favoring a longer length of pull, I secured the pinch clamps. These are very easy to tighten and fine-tune. With the stock mounted, I installed the buffer, completing the lower assembly.

Before mating the upper and lower, I placed the upper in the vise to install my TRAX ARCA rails. I put one on the bottom of the forend for use with a bipod, then mated the upper to the lower with the appropriate pins.

To save some time and get out on the range faster, I decided to use an Athlon 5-24 x 55 scope I had pre-mounted in a cantilever mount.

Once I set eye relief, I torqued the bases with Wheeler F.A.T. Stix and the 65 inch-pound torque limiter.

The last step was to swap the thread protector for the 1/2 x 28” suppressor mount, add some TW-25B grease to the threads, and screw on the BADLANDS suppressor.

The mirage cover is also a nice touch.

Sight-In

I headed to our 100 yard range to sight-in with the aid of the Longshot Hawk spotting scope camera.

Shooting off a bench with bipod and rear bag resulted in some impressive groups with Hornady factory ammunition. Hornady’s 88 grain ELD-M ammunition grouped the best, five shots going into 0.741”.

Hornady’s 88 grain ELD-M Ammunition – 5 Shots at 100 Yards with ODIN Works 22 ARC

I compared the velocities of this same ammunition from my bolt gun and new ODIN Works AR.

I expected to see at least 100 fps velocity loss between the platforms with the shorter barrel. The 24” bolt gun saw 2,822.3 fps; the 21” AR saw 2797.4 fps. This is a difference of only 24.9 fps!

I also tested Hornady’s 62 grain ELD-VT and 75 grain ELD-M Black ammunition.

The 62 grain five-shot group measured 0.874” with a 3,191.1 fps average velocity.

Hornady’s 62 grain ELD-VT Ammunition – 5 Shots at 100 Yards with ODIN Works 22 ARC

I pulled my first shot with the 75 grain ELD-M Black ammunition to the left, completely throwing my group. The next four measured 0.730”. Average velocity was 2988.7 fps.

Hornady’s 75 grain ELD-M Black ammunition – 5 Shots at 100 Yards with ODIN Works 22 ARC

Though I haven’t done any hunting or extensive shooting yet with this rifle, I do like there are QD slots across the rifle for convenient sling carry.

Conclusion

I have spent much more time with bolt-action rifles than AR’s, but thoroughly enjoyed this project. This rifle was fun to shoot and has been 100% reliable thus far.

I observed stellar, similar performance with both Hornady 75 grain ELD-M Black ammunition and Hornady 88 grain ELD-M ammo. With load development and some gas block adjustment, I’m sure I could get some better results.

If you don’t want to put it together yourself, ODIN Works is one of the few companies offering a complete 22 ARC rifle! They do have an upgrade available with a Ballistic Engineering trigger adjustable from 2.5 lbs. to 5 lbs.