The Hornady .22 Caliber .224" 80 Grain ELD-X (Extremely Low Drag – eXpanding) bullet is an inert reloading projectile engineered for handloaders pursuing all-range terminal performance. Designed with a secant ogive profile, a boat-tail base, and Hornady's Heat Shield tip, this 80-grain projectile resists aerodynamic friction heating to maintain meplat shape across flight. Terminal performance is regulated by an AMP (Advanced Manufacturing Process) jacket and an InterLock ring. At high-velocity impacts within 400 yards (approximately 365 metres), the projectile continually expands while retaining 50% to 60% of its weight. At extended ranges beyond 400 yards, the tip drives backward into the core to deliver controlled mushrooming with 85% to 90% retained weight.

• Heat Shield Tip: Features a heat-resistant polymer tip that prevents meplat deformation caused by aerodynamic heating, preserving trajectory and aerodynamic efficiency over long-range flight paths.
• AMP Jacket and InterLock Ring: Uses a concentric jacket paired with an internal InterLock ring to mechanically lock the lead core to the jacket, preventing core-jacket separation during deep penetration.
• Aerodynamic Ballistic Profile: Combines a streamlined secant ogive and boat-tail base to yield a high ballistic coefficient of 0.485 (G1) and 0.244 (G7).
• All-Range Expansion Envelope: Engineered to provide reliable expansion and weight retention across both high-velocity close impacts and lower-velocity impacts past 365 metres.

Specifications

• Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 22833
• Calibre / Bullet Diameter: .22 Calibre / 0.224 in (5.7 mm)
• Bullet Weight: 80 grains (approx. 5.18 g)
• Bullet Profile: Heat Shield tip, secant ogive, boat-tail expanding projectile
• Overall Bullet Length: 1.160 in (29.46 mm)
• Ballistic Coefficients: G1 BC: 0.485; G7 BC: 0.244
• Sectional Density: 0.228
• Minimum Barrel Twist Rate: 1:8" to 1:7"
• Quantity: 100 projectiles per box

Who is the Hornady .224 80 Grain ELD-X Bullet for?

• Handloaders with fast-twist .22-calibre rifles — requires a minimum barrel twist rate between 1:8" and 1:7" to stabilise this 80-grain, 1.160-inch-long 22-calibre reloading bullet across modern cartridges like the .22 Creedmoor, .22 ARC, and fast-twist .22-250 Remington.
• Long-range hunters targeting medium game and feral pests — leverages an aerodynamic 0.485 G1 ballistic coefficient (0.244 G7) alongside an expanding InterLock core to maintain terminal mushrooming and 85% to 90% weight retention on impacts beyond 400 yards (365 metres).

Less suitable for: Standard legacy .22-calibre rifles featuring 1:12" or 1:14" twist barrels, which cannot stabilise an 80-grain projectile; short-range varmint shooting requiring explosive fragmentation without meat retention, where lightweight 40-grain to 60-grain thin-jacket varmint bullets are better suited; and magazine-fed AR-15 rifles limited to standard 2.260-inch internal dimensions, which require shorter, magazine-length projectile profiles or single-feeding.