Does anyone know about the 224 Valkyrie. Seems to have some great long distance energy. Any Valkyrie owners here that can give me any info would be appreciated. Wanting pros and cons.
Want to build another AR in 224Valkyrie
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OP
I have a lot of experience so far with this round.
My phone is about to die so I’ll make this first post quick then update it
I handload 99% of my ammo but occasionally I do test a new factory load (the 80.5gr Bergers by Federal are on my radar)
I have shot up to 90gr SMKs, haven’t tried 95s and probably won’t. Just too much velocity loss for the little bit of gain in BC over 90gr SMK and 88gr ELD
As a handloader, this round was much more picky than say 223 Rem/5.56 to finding a sweet spot, and handloading is almost a must to squeeze all the capability out of the caliber unless you’re one of the lucky few who gets a barrel that works extremely well with a specific factory load.
I’d definitely start with a quality barrel and work around it. Something like a Criterion or JP; I was given a Rainier Arms 20” Ultramatch Mod 2 barrel to test and the twist rate (1:7.5) scares people off (most are going with 1:7 or 1:6.5 for heavier bullets) but like I said, I’ve shot factory Federal 90gr SMKs and handloaded the same bullets with zero issues of stability and solid MOA (Federal) and sub MOA (handloads) groups. I love the Rainier barrel and it shoots exceptionally well, and the twist rate is great for lighter Varmint bullets as well as heavies
As I mentioned, my barrel is 20” but if you want to maximize speed, 22-24” would probably be ideal. I’m pushing 80gr ELDs over H4895 very close to 3000fps and I think my 77gr TMK/RE15 load is screaming fast. Just haven’t been able to chrono that one
Brass life is low-ish. Primer pockets start failing between 3-6 loadings, depending on how hot the load is and how hard you prep the brass. At around 8 loadings, the primers fall out and stop seating.
Feel free to ask any more questions as there’s a ton of info I’ve got, I just can’t recall it all at one time. If you plan on buying factory ammo or handloading that would help steer the convo a little
My phone is about to die so I’ll make this first post quick then update it
I handload 99% of my ammo but occasionally I do test a new factory load (the 80.5gr Bergers by Federal are on my radar)
I have shot up to 90gr SMKs, haven’t tried 95s and probably won’t. Just too much velocity loss for the little bit of gain in BC over 90gr SMK and 88gr ELD
As a handloader, this round was much more picky than say 223 Rem/5.56 to finding a sweet spot, and handloading is almost a must to squeeze all the capability out of the caliber unless you’re one of the lucky few who gets a barrel that works extremely well with a specific factory load.
I’d definitely start with a quality barrel and work around it. Something like a Criterion or JP; I was given a Rainier Arms 20” Ultramatch Mod 2 barrel to test and the twist rate (1:7.5) scares people off (most are going with 1:7 or 1:6.5 for heavier bullets) but like I said, I’ve shot factory Federal 90gr SMKs and handloaded the same bullets with zero issues of stability and solid MOA (Federal) and sub MOA (handloads) groups. I love the Rainier barrel and it shoots exceptionally well, and the twist rate is great for lighter Varmint bullets as well as heavies
As I mentioned, my barrel is 20” but if you want to maximize speed, 22-24” would probably be ideal. I’m pushing 80gr ELDs over H4895 very close to 3000fps and I think my 77gr TMK/RE15 load is screaming fast. Just haven’t been able to chrono that one
Brass life is low-ish. Primer pockets start failing between 3-6 loadings, depending on how hot the load is and how hard you prep the brass. At around 8 loadings, the primers fall out and stop seating.
Feel free to ask any more questions as there’s a ton of info I’ve got, I just can’t recall it all at one time. If you plan on buying factory ammo or handloading that would help steer the convo a little
How much H4895 are you using to get close to 3000 in a 20"?
I am at 3000 in the heat with my 26", 2945 this weekend. I could go a little hotter, but 2x is all I get out of pockets.
That being said, 500 yards on steel is fairly boring, the rifle shoots so we'll.
I am at 3000 in the heat with my 26", 2945 this weekend. I could go a little hotter, but 2x is all I get out of pockets.
That being said, 500 yards on steel is fairly boring, the rifle shoots so we'll.
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24.8gr with a CCI BR4. 20” barrel plus 6” of suppressor for some freebore boost
What kind of brass are you using? I mainly use Federal but I make sure not to do anything during case prep but use a uniforming tool to clean out the base of the pocket around the flash hole (no decrimping type bit)
Varget is a little slower but I’ve seen some good accuracy from it.
Quickload shows my 77gr TMK and RE15 load in the mid 2800s but Sierra is saying it’s more like 2900fps
jmccracken1214
Well-Known Member
Must be the caliber. I’ve run starline in all my rifles, 223, grendel, 6CM, 6.5CM and it’s been great.
