Every year there’s a new wonder cartridge that’s going to let us shoot further, faster, flatter or with more force.
The current flavor of the month is the .224 Valkyrie from Federal that’s been in the works for quite some time.
I’ve been hearing rumors and mutterings all over the place about what these new magic bullets are supposed to be able to do…
What did I find out?
Well, you’re just gonna have to keep reading, but I’ll give you a hint: I was impressed.
Let’s talk about why.
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What The Heck is .224 Valkyrie?
The .224 Valkyrie started out in life as a .30 Remington/6.8 SPC case. It’s basically a necked down 6.8 SPC with a .22-caliber bullet, in this case, a long and skinny .224-diameter bullet that has a high ballistic coefficient. We’ll talk more about what that means in a second.
The important thing to note here is that you have a bullet and casing that’s pretty similar to your .223/5.56 rounds (same bullet diameter, actually), but with a lot more *oomph*. For those of you playing along at home, that means that with a new bolt and a new barrel, your regular ole AR-15 can run .224 without a problem.
You can even use the same magazines, although I would suggest function testing them to make sure everything feeds okay first after a couple rounds.
I’ve heard of folks having problems getting .224 to feed reliably from metal GI mags. STANAG mags are great, but most of us have a few dozen packing peanuts PMAGS laying around anyway so it shouldn’t be too big of an issue. You just won’t be able to load the mags to their usual capacity.
6.8 SPC mags and bolts should work just fine.
The overall goal here is to get a round that is ballistically more kin to 6mm long-action cartridges you’d normally need an AR-10 for but in an AR-15 lower, which is cheaper. You can read more about the differences between the two in our AR-10 vs AR-15 Guide.
There’s a sizeable amount of ballistic witchcraft that goes into that, and we’ll also touch on that in a minute. If you’re just looking for the immediate rundown, the gist of it is the bullet goes really, really fast, and maintains that speed really, really well.
How Does the .224 Valkyrie Work?
Warning…nerdy stuff…skip if you don’t like numbers.
The .224’s real party trick is its ability to stay super-sonic (faster than the speed of sound) at longer distances than most (if not all) other short-action cartridges, and even a few big boy cartridges. This is important because while a bullet remains supersonic, we can use our ballistics calculators or even just some quick mental math (if you’re better at math than I am) to get some very predictable accuracy adjustments which will allow us to hit our target on the first shot.
You can, of course, estimate a bullet’s point of impact at ranges beyond where it drops below super-sonic speeds, but your estimations will be less accurate. Here’s where the most common bullet I use in my AR-15 stacks up against the Valkyrie at 1,000 yards according to my ballistics calculator.
| Bullet | Velocity at 1,000 Yards |
|---|---|
| .223 Remington 77-grain Matchking | 960fps |
| .224 Valkyrie 90-grain Matchking | 1,419fps |
The speed of sound at my elevation and current temperatures is about 1,118 feet per second, so while the 77gr Matchking .223 loses its supersonic status before it hits the 1,000 yard mark, the Valkyrie maintains that speed out for a few hundred extra yards, nearly making to the 1,300 yard line while still moving faster than the speed of sound.
This gives you more distance where you can accurately predict bullet impacts.
The shift from supersonic to subsonic speed makes a bullet behave more unpredictably, and at longer ranges where every little thing adds up to dramatically affect your accuracy, this can make a huge difference.
A faster bullet also, obviously, reaches its target faster. This, of course, means you have to compensate less to hit a moving target. Somewhat less obviously, a faster bullet also has less time to be affected by gravity and wind. This means less compensating for bullet drop and an easier time compensating for a crosswind.
For example, say you have a 10mph crosswind blowing directly from left to right across the path of your bullet. How much is that wind going to push that bullet to the right?
Bullet Wind Drift at 1,000 Yards
.223 Remington 77-grain Matchking 75.35 inches
.224 Valkyrie 90-grain Matchking 57.51 inches
As you can see, the Valkyrie has noticeably less drift, which means you have far less adjusting to do to get your shots to land where you want, and you’ll have less of a windage hold left or right of your target if you’re using a mil-dot reticle.
Finally, a faster moving, larger projectile is going to carry more energy into the target, which is important for hunters and other folks like military and law enforcement who need better terminal ballistics at range.
If you’re punching holes in paper, you can skip this section.
So, going back to our 77gr Matchking .223 bullet, how does the Valkyrie stack up when it comes to energy down range?
| Bullet | Foot Pounds of Energy at 1,000 Yards |
|---|---|
| .223 Remington 77-grain Matchking | 158 ft-lbs |
| .224 Valkyrie 90-grain Matchking | 402 ft-lbs |
Looking at this data, and assuming my math is right (it is, I used a calculator), we have a heavier bullet impacting with over twice the energy at 1,000 yards.
For hunters, that means long-range shots on medium game aren’t just possible, they’re relatively easy.
Basically, the Valkyrie makes absolute mincemeat out of the .223 in every category.
The Really, Really Nerdy Stuff
The reason the .224 Valkyrie has such superior ballistics is because of something called ballistic coefficient.
Ballistic coefficient is a function of the bullet’s weight, cross-section, and coefficient of form and tells you how well the bullet fights air resistance in flight. It is inversely proportional to negative acceleration, meaning a high number indicates a low negative acceleration, and in turn higher velocity at longer ranges
This is because the drag due to wind resistance facing the projectile is small compared to its mass.
If you’re shooting bullets in space or somewhere else without air, this is irrelevant.
You can read more about all this here, but the basics are: SD/i=BC where SD is the sectional density (Mass/cross-sectional area) and i is your bullets coefficient of form.
All of this means that a bullet with more sectional density compared to its coefficient will have a higher ballistic coefficient, which means it has an easier time fighting the drag from air resistance.
The Simple Explanation
Bigger numbers are better. The .224 Valkyrie 90gr Matchking has a ballistic coefficient that’s a whopping .563 compared to the paltry .372 of it’s nearest .223 competition.
That means you get a bullet that, ballistically, is more similar to the 6.5 Creedmoor with a 143-gr. Hornady ELD-X bullet has a ballistic coefficient of .623.
Which is what I told you at the beginning of the article, but now you have the numbers behind it (that you can easily verify with your own ballistics calculator) so you know I’m not talking out of my ass when I say that this new cartridge from Federal kicks a lot of ass.
Buying .224 Valkyrie Ammo
If you’re looking to buy .224 Valkyrie and get in on this new cartridge, you probably have a few questions.
First, is it worth it?
For me, I like the idea of being able to comfortably stretch an AR-15 caliber out to 1,000 yards. I know several hunters that are excited about being able to take larger game like whitetail more reliably with an AR-15.
If you don’t hunt and you don’t reach out past 500 yards ever, I’d say maybe wait awhile on this one. Sleep on it and maybe save your money.
If you shoot long range or want to start, absolutely get on this. You’re not going to find a cartridge with this kind of ballistic performance any cheaper or more accessible. It’s a light recoiling bullet backed by one of the biggest and most reliable names in the industry.
Which leads to the next question: what options has Federal put out there?
Our current .224 Valkyrie offerings are as follows: The 90-grain Gold Medal brand with a Sierra Matchking bullet that we’ve been discussing, a 60-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, a 75-grain American Eagle Total Metal Jacket, and a 90-grain Fusion MSR. There will also be a 100-grain bullet out shortly, but details on that are sketchy, so I’m sticking with what’s on the shelf right now.
This gives you a number of options, depending on your needs. First, we have the 90-grain Gold Medal option that is optimized to give you the optimal performance in a target shooting environment, whether you’re competing or just trying to better your long-range skillset.
Next, we have the 60-Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip which has a thin-jacketed, polymer-tipped projectile designed for maximum expansion and fragmentation on impact, making it perfect for clean, efficient terminal impacts against small game such as varmints and predators like coyotes.
The third option on the go is the 75-grain American Eagle Total Metal Jacket, which is full metal jacketed round that is going to be the go-to option for plinking at the range and training. You still get the superior .224 ballistics but in a slightly cheaper package. Think of it like you would a 55-grain FMJ .223.5.56. Basic, but will get the job done.
Finally, we have the 90-grain Fusion MSR. Federal’s Fusion MSR line is known for its accuracy and excellent terminal ballistics at longer ranges, but the new .224 offering gives you all the terminal ballistics of larger calibers, with about half the recoil. This is the option I’d recommend for law enforcement or hunters looking to bring down Whitetail-sized game.
Building a Rifle in .224 Valkyrie
Of course, all this fancy ballistics talk is useless if you don’t have a gun that can take advantage of this new cartridge, so let’s talk about how to get into the world of the .224 Valkyrie.
The easiest thing to do would be to just go out and grab an upper. Everybody seems to be jumping on the .224 Valkyrie train, so feel free to go with your favorite manufacturer. I’ve had luck with the PSA upper below, so if you can find those when they’re in stock, go for it.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
*Update* Check out our full review where we shoot it out to 1250 yards…and videos of fast hits at 600.
The other way to get into .224 Valkyrie is, like I said earlier, to just swap out your bolt and barrel. This is an awesome option for builders and those who are comfortable tearing down an existing upper, but I know not everybody is cool with that.
If you like, check out our guide to building an AR-15 upper for everything you’ll need to swap parts in and out.
If you’re going this route, I’d recommend trying established companies like Faxon or Ballistic Advantage or one of the carbon fiber barrel options I’ve talked about before.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
If you’re swapping bolts, companies like Stag make a complete BCG like the one above, and JP enterprises makes just a bolt assembly you can swap onto an existing BCG. Again, a 6.8 SPC bolt will work just fine…they’re the same case, just a different length.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Parting Shots
That about does it for this one.
The .224 Valkyrie is an awesome little cartridge that shows a lot of promise, and its backing by one of the biggest names in the industry, Federal, means that it’s here to stay. I for one am looking forward to using this round for years to come.
I’m impressed with the ballistics, and my wallet is happy that I can not only switch to .224 and still use a lot of my old gear, but also that I can leave the 6.5 Creedmoor and the .270 in the safe more often when I want to hit targets past 800 yards or so.
What do you think of the .224 Valkyrie?
Have any other questions I didn’t answer? Let me hear from you in the comments! Or check out our favorite guns & gear in Editor’s Picks.
71 Leave a Reply
I finally did a .224-V build and was excited to try it out. My first magazine selection jammed repeatedly, as did my second and third. Then I tried normal .223 mags and it was "better", but still jammed every other mag or so. After trying several other adjustments without success (buffer, gas block, ammo, etc.), my fifth magazine try was an E-Lander 6.8-SPC/V-224 magazine that has now fed flawlessly every time for hundreds of rounds. Interestingly, I experienced the same issue on a 6.5 Grendel build, where jams drove me nuts with multiple mag brands until the E-Lander 6.5-G mag worked flawlessly. Bottom line(s) ... (a) magazine brand matters, and (b) E-Lander just "works" (at least for me).
Ok I'm waiting to know if I go with a 1/10 or 1/12 twist with the Valkyrie would this basically be a 22-250 on a AR 15 platform with out having to go to a AR 10 I'm thinking 40-45 gr bullets for prairie dogs
Owning a .224 Valkryie for over a year. AR-15 .224 Valkyrie, 24” stainless match Rainer barrel, 1:7.5 twist, fluted, TNNi barrel support, gas system rifle +2” This rifle will shoot < 1 [email protected] 1300 yards. I reload my ammo using Starline brass 88 gr hornady eld-m R-17 26.7 gr Chrono data Avg 2701 High 2723 Lo 2690 SD 12 ES 33 I have used numerous barrels manufactures and starting from 20” barrel length up to 24” in length. Other manufactures barrels would not group bullets over 80 gr. The Rainer barrel is far the best barrel out of the group. I have also used a DPMS lo-pro upper receiver that has been designed for match barrels. This combination has good results.
It is possible. Sierra has load data for 52gr bullets, but so far that is the lightest bullets I can find load data for. I'm not sure why I can't find data for 40-45gr so there might be an issue that I'm not aware of when loading that light. I would strongly recommend trying to track down reliable load data before embarking on this experiment. You might want to look into .22 Nosler also. I know Nosler has published data for 40gr bullets pushing around 3,900fps, which would be very similar to .22-250.
I own a Valkyrie and I love it. I have not gotten it out to 1000 yards yet but I'm getting there. The trigger pull is great and as he said the kick is good too. Well worth the money. I reload all my own rounds using the .224 rcbs dies.
I was liking everything I read about this round to the point of almost making a purchase when I found an article deeeep into my research- I'm pretty troubled with the early data collected regarding gyroscopic drift at long (1000+) ranges. Can anyone who has spent decent time behind the trigger share anything about their experience on this? I would llve to hear what anyone has to share-even annecdotal. Thanks- Wilson
Should I use 6.8SPC dies to reload .224 Valkyrie rounds?
Has anyone had any success with 90gr. bullets and 1/7" barrels? My Stag won't cycle anything less than 60gr. and sprays anything more than 80 gr. Sierra advises 1/6.5" barrels for their 90&95gr. bullets. But, no one short of custom makers offer that twist rate. A Stag 'cause they make affordable left hand actions.
I have had my Valkyrie for 3 months. I hand load 90 gr Sierra Match king with Reloader 17 powder. I have a 22 in barrel 1/7 twist and shoot 100 yd groups that are MOA. I am fine tuning my powder charge to see if I can tighten the group. I am very happy with results
My experience with the .224 Valkyrie: Interest: Long range target shooting. Background: I'm new to the shooting sports, having purchased my first firearm at the age of 44. At 48, I've shot less than 4,000 rounds total in my lifetime. The spent cases that I collect from my shooting sessions don't even fill a 5 gallon bucket half full. I get the opportunity to shoot maybe twice per year. My eyesight isn't what it used to be. Summary? I'm an amateur with limited shooting experience and less than expert skill. Firearm: A CMMG Mk4 .224 Valkyrie, 24" barrel, 1:7 twist. Purchased only after having watched every YouTube video, read every review and blog, and studied at great length the published ballistics data for the .224 Valkyrie from Federal and Sierra. This wasn't an impulse purchase, but does represent my first AR-15 purchase. Cartridge: Federal Premium Gold Medal Sierra Matchking 224 Valkyrie 90 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail Scenario: Zeroing and sighting in the newly purchased CMMG rifle in the middle of Summer in the high desert. All shots from the prone position. Result: After having completed the zero sight in and shot from short to medium ranges, I decided to take the rifle out to increasingly longer ranges at 100 yard increments. I concluded with my first ever 5 shots at 1,200 yards. Let me repeat that: this was the first 5 shots I've ever taken with any rifle ever at 1,200 yards. The group was 8 inches; less than MOA if we assume 1 inch per 100 yards. Furthermore, this was shot in high desert, high wind, in the middle of Summer. The mirage currents looked like a fast moving stream of water in the air; the target was barely visible as it danced and hovered - fractured and ghostly - above the horizon. In the interest of full disclosure, the group was 3 feet low and 2 feet to the right of point of aim. I have no doubt that with further range sessions I will be able to compensate and bring the group closer to point of aim with time, patience, and practice. But keep in mind, this was my first 5 shots EVER at 1,200 yards. Not the best of 20, not a 5 shot group after 20 shots of trying to tighten up the group, but rather the very first 5 shots fired cold at that distance. Unfortunately, the range session was cut short by the appearance of the local sheriff, called in by a gun-hating Nervous Nelly who had witnessed my target shooting session (end result: no citation and told to carry on as I was on BLM land and had broken no laws; but it was late on my last day in the desert and I had to pack it in as I was down to my last 1/2 gallon of water). So no opportunity to bring the group closer to point of aim this time around. Next time, next time... Summary: A relatively new-to-the-shooting-sports, amateur, middle-aged shooter firing a newly purchased AR-15 for the first time (and which represents his first time owning and firing an AR-15) achieved an 8 inch, first-fire, 5 shot group at 1,200 yards in wind and extreme mirage using the 224 Valkyrie. Precision is there, accuracy needs work (that's on me, not on the rifle nor the cartridge). Still, I'm very happy with the result and I am confident it will only improve with time.
Thats great to hear. What barrel? load? Thanks
How does the 224 Valk compare to the 6.5 Grendel in terms of ballistics?
I too was wondering the very same thing. Also curious about throat erosion common with elevated velocities. Barrel life is an important consideration. I am a hunter so long range shots aren't of much importance. Low recoil with enough ft.lbs. to instantly drop a whitetail. I can put the bullet where it needs to go. The bullet needs to have enough energy to do the job. I know the 6.5 Grendel works very well on a 160 lb. Whitetail.
Just FYI PSA has Valkyrie uppers with 200rds of the federal fusion on sale for $449. I just ordered one
Good find! I was going to throw that on our daily deals today but I forgot with the huge sale over at Brownells. Thanks for the reminder, I'll add it now for people!
Why everyone wants to compare these AR-platform wonder cartridges to 5.56 (and each other) WITHOUT discussing short barrel performance is beyond me. Listen.. if we are sticking to 18", 20", 22", 24" barrels.. and only talking long range, fine. but if you want to compare to .223 & 5.56 or even .300 etc, you HAVE to discuss short barrel performance. 16" 14.5" 12.5" ... A lot of AR-15 AR-10 consumers want an ass-kicking round for close quarters, but one that can also reach out and touch something at distance, with effective terminal ballistics. That allows the AR to hunt, defend, and plink.
Stay away from airborne arms. I'm stuck with my piece of shit Airborne Arms "premium" pathfinder barrel . I've requested warranty work because they have a 1 MOA guarantee. The best group I've ever gotten in 650 rounds is not any better then a 4 year old could get with a sling shot. Its a ridiculous piece of junk and the owner Ryan Morgan is a bigger piece of junk. He is claiming that I abused my barrel and that he is voiding the warranty without being able to provide any evidence of this "abuse." Beware, if you have a problem he will be a weasel and blame you for his shitty product. He also has never test fired the barrel.
I just purchased a 20" Aero Precision complete upper and lower for 724. All I need is a mag and ammo and its range time. Look for deals out there, and stay away from PSA. Their track record is pretty shoddy.
I've dealt with PSA for more then the past year in both AR15 and AR 10 platforms and the only problem I have had is an oversized front take down pin which was a little pain but nothing worth losing time to even request a replacement over. For less then $5 I just ordered a new one and it fit fine. I have a .224 Val barrel and BCG coming so I'll report any shortcomings on those once I get out and try it out.
What twist 1:6.5 is the go to for the best results, but 1:7 seems the one that manufactures can build for reliable results. 20 vs 24 inch barrel? Want a complete upper and looking at the Bear Creek Arsonal in 24". The 90 grain is more for the 1:6.5 twist and hell this is confusing.
Bought a BCA 1in7, 18" upper and have terrible groups using 88 gr. Hornady ELD bullets. Going to try Hornady 75 gr. A-Max next. As for gun manufacturers using 1in7 twists, with gun sales down since the Trump election, I imagine they have a lot of 1in 7 barrels laying around that they have to get rid of.
1:7
I just ordered a White Oak 24” barrel for my build. We’ve used their barrels in the past on numerous AR projects and have had great results. Going to use a billet Wyoming Arms upper and lower with a Magpul adjustable stock and a Geissele trigger. Looking forward to seeing what this thing will do once it’s all together. Guess I’ll have to start looking for a long range scope to go along with the Valkyrie.
After fact checking for long enough/doing months of my own research then finding an article on here that covered all of said research in ten minutes I have come to trust y'all just about as much as any fanboy could. So here is my question- I have my competition 3 gun AR in 5.56 that is very versatile, by the fiance and I have always discussed getting her into long gun competitions as that is where she excels (vs the kinetic run and gun stuff), and after a few weeks of research I am convinced that the .224 Valkyrie is my next purchase. It'll be used for everything from crazy range plinking to hunting whitetail to competitions. I have narrowed it down to these four- basically because I do not want less than a 20" barrel (22"-24" ideally)- but I also want my fiance to stay my fiance- so here's my question. The first and second options are way budget- and seems like it could hold its own long enough for us to hunt with it and train at that crazy distance shooting- but in my experience you spend way more in the end upgrading a gun then just getting exactly what you want from the start. So go with A.) or B.) budget gun and upgrade over 1-2 years, or C.) what looks to me like a dang perfect rifle that would require little to no upgrades for what I need it for. Of course open to any other suggestions- but your input is much appreciated because saving money now sounds ok but I really like everything that comes on option C.) A.1) https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-20-rifle-length-224-valkyrie-1-7-stainless-steel-lightweight-m-lok-moe-ctr-2-stage-rifle-5165448568.html A.2) https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-20-rifle-length-224-valkyrie-1-7-stainless-steel-lightweight-m-lok-moe-str-rifle-with-2-stage-trigger-5165447926.html B.) https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/radical-firearms-ar-15-semi-auto-rifle-224-valkyrie-15-rounds-22-stainless-steel-barrel-15-free-float-mhr-handguard-mft-minimalist-collapsible-black-814034020602.do?sortby=ourPicks&refType=&from=fn&ecList=7&ecCategory=676514 C.) https://www.cmmginc.com/product/rifle-mk4-dtr2-224-valkyrie/ PS. Are there situations where a 20" barrel of higher quality will outperform a 22-24" of lower-medium quality? Not sure if I am too focused on barrel length to see other viable options around the same price that are right in front of my eyes. Thanks in advance-
If you/your better half are going to enjoy long range shooting, cry once; get the Wilson Combat 22" 1:6.5" with matching BCG, we are getting as good as .25 MOA out of ours. We are having a lot of fun shooting this along side our 220 swift, that said we are really enjoying the Valkyrie, plus the name is cool.
Yes, if you are going to shoot long range you will want an upper that groups well. All the gun magazines are talking about is how far the 224 valkyrie will shoot. I have been scouring the internet for reports on how well the valkyrie groups. Some seem to group well but more people are reporting that their uppers are not shooting well. Precision Firearms and CMT guarantee .5 moa at 100 yds. but I have not seen any reviews from any owners yet. I sent my BCA upper back and was refunded my money. They were very courteous and fast. Yes, it was a cheap upper but a lot of uppers at twice the price did not shoot any better. The 224 valkyrie may be a finicky cartridge. I will wait a little longer and may purchase a CMT, Precision Firearms or Wilson or maybe nothing and just chalk the dies and brass off as a small loss.
Hey Alex, .224 Valk is a little odd in that barrel length has an almost linear effect on muzzle velocity from top to bottom. At 20" you're going to be looking at around 2620fps and at 24" closer to 2720fps. How much that matters to you will depend on what you want to do with the rifle. Depending on your style of long range plinking and precision, the extra muzzle velocity might matter a decent bit - but if you plan on hunting a lot with this rifle then the extra inches can get really annoying and heavy to carry when you're stalking deer or even just sitting in a hide. As for the rifle itself, personally, I would go with the cheaper of the two PSA rifles and follow it up with $300-500 on some decent glass and ammo. Lots of ammo. Shoot that, get to know the rifle, and look at what might need upgrading. My first thing to change out would be the stock, fixed stocks are a lot more stable and help with long distance shooting - but since you're sharing this rifle with someone else, you might want to keep the adjustable stock and just get a *better* adjustable stock so that you can change the LoP between each user. For glass - I would highly recommend Vortex's new 4-16x FFP Diamondback Tactical. We havent finished our review of it yet but I can give you a sneak preview in saying that it is awesome and for the price point, best in class.
You fail to mention any regular bolt action rifles chambered for this round unless there are none. Otherwise keep up the good work.
The only bolt-action I've seen for it is from MPA and retails for $2,800. the .224 Valk was designed to be fired from the AR-15 platform so it is unlikely that anyone is rushing to make a bolt-action for it.
That’s a shame, “cos here in Australia we can only have bolt action....sniff :(
I am happy to hear you can have even a bolt action rifle; I was mislead to believe all firearms were prohibited and had previously been purchased from civilians by the government or later confiscated. I would hate to give up my semi auto rifles, but I suspect I could stil find contentment with a handful of bolt action rifles in 6.5; .338 Lapua; 308; .22; and say .243 or .260. Never been to your neck of the world but I am picturing some great open long range locations to make ELR shots.
What people forget to talk about is the barrel twist required for using the 90gr SMK effectively, which is 1:6.5 Most Valkyrie barrels offered out there are 1:7 twist which is not going to get it. Secondly an OTM or HPBT bullet will experience some form of concentricity issue from auto feeding, Why bolt guns are often more accurate. My 6mm and 6.5 Creedmoors are based on the more expensive heavier LR308 frame, but with the JP recoil eliminator the recoil is not an issue and you can keep you head in the scope for spotting and rapid follow-on shots.
No mention of the WSSM rounds? They fit in an AR-15 action, and offer the same crazy ballistics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.223_Winchester_Super_Short_Magnum
So what bolt do you use. 223, 243, 25 WSSMs all have a .535" casing rim diameter, 458 SOCOM and 450 Bushmaster have .473. You might be able to single stack rounds but not many. WSSM loses utility in an MSR-15 frame, The advantage of the Large Frame short action LR308 is mission utility for long range as well as classic battle rifle and hunting applications
For the .224 you use a 6.8 SPC bolt and mag
I'm impressed. Being terminally ill, I'd like to leave my wife with a decent Southwestern Rural Toolkit, and this seems just the ticket; the recoil of an SR-25 is punishing for her.
Very sorry to hear that Andrew. The .224 is definitely less recoil than the SR-25.
Mixed on my thoughts of this cartridge for hunting, as it is only slightly better than the 223/5.56 from the 200 yd mark and in. With a 75gr otm. I have had awesome results with this round in 223. On deer and hogs. It is absolutely devastating on them. Signed Not sure about this one.
I'd just get a ar10 in 243 win. Cheaper and easy to find ammo.
Is there an optimum barrel length for this round? One where all the energy/gas is expended, but at the minimum length (weight) to achieve this.
Commonly, a 20". There are longer ones available (22") but they sell out fast and most shooters use the 20".
Does this upper work well with the standard weight buffer and spring?
The .224 Valkyrie is a rifle cartridge I will pass on. If I wanted more range with an AR-15 I would get a 6.5 x 39 Grendel upper assembly as it whoops this round in energy with a heaver and larger caliber bullet. The AR-15 rifle round I decided on was .300 AAC Blackout and 9 millimeter Luger. The 9 millimeter is used for training. I wanted an intermediate range rifle with more power than 5.56 x 45. .300 Blackout in supersonic with 110 to 125 grain bullets is great out to about 275 yards in range and it is popular now.
For every bore diameter there seems to be a limit as to how much casing can be used before throat erosion becomes a concern. While the 224 Val case certainly isnt the size of the WSSM line is it big enough that erosion/barrel life are a concern inside of 2 or 3k rounds?
what about going the other direction with bullet weight? Suppose you would load a Hornady 50 grain V-Max bullet, or even a Hornady 35 grain V-Max, into a valkyrie cartridge? Would that not keep the bullet supersonic longer yet? also, would it not just destroy a prairie dog town?!
The light bullets start out much faster, but they slow down much faster too. At extreme ranges the heavy bullets end up being faster at impact... as well as being heavier at impact. Then again a lot of people will buy these guns who never shoot at over 400 yards.
How has it held up, I am thinking of getting the upper from Palmetto to put on my Colt M4 lower, wish I would have read this before I bought my Colt LE6920 3 weeks ago. still will be nice to have 2 rifles in one.
.224 Valk is still popular and enjoying a lot of market support. I think it will remain a niche cartridge, I don't see the military adopting it for any role anytime soon, but for a niche cartridge, it is going strong. I expect it to become very popular among the long-range competition crowds.
how has the Palmetto Upper held up.
I wanted to build a complete AR in .224, did the lower, posted a comment on your lower build page. But then found a complete Radical 22" .224 upper at Primary Arms, no way I could build one for that price. Got it mounted on the lower but don't have glass on it. Going to have to borrow for now from something else, can't wait to try this at long range, always wanted to try and this should be a good start. Will let you know how things work out. Wish I could afford $2,000 for a scope but probably more like $200-300 so I guess I won't be shooting the wings off a fly at 1,000 yards but I'll be happy if I find where they hit at that range!! PS Great site, lot's of good info, thanks again!
Hows that Primary Arms lower doing for ya, …
He bought a Primary Arms upper, not lower.
The .224 VLK has great promise, but not until there are more ammo manufacturers coming to market with their loads and until there are bonafide and accurate bolt action rifles available. I went in early on the .224 hype and bought a Savage MSR15 LRP in .224 VLK and that rifle is a huge disappointment! A 1.5-2.0 MoA rifle AT BEST no matter which of the Federal ammo I use. AR-15 rifles are anyways not the right equipment for long range shooting. You need a proper bolt gun for that. So I sold my disappointing equipment and continue to enjoy my BErgara HMR in 6.5 CDM that shoots < 0.5 MoA ... right now the .224 VLK is a lot of hype with great promise for the future .... if the industry swings in on it.
How about some suggestions on scoping one of these rifles? Somebody who wants to get into long range shooting with out having to get a second mortgage to put glass on a rifle could use some reference, Before wasting money on different scopes trying to find something suitable
Check out Athlon Optics, the ARGOS BTR. I just put one on my 224 build. Fantastic scope for $400. First focal plane, MOA or MILRAD options. Has everything the expensive scopes have but at a much better price. Also Mueller scopes have a lot of bang for the buck. I have an 8x32x44 on my Savage Bolt and love it..... Good luck with your selections.
Hows that Palmetto lower doing for ya, ...
Can you get this caliber in a standard bolt action?
I haven't gotten my hands on any yet but I know there are some smaller manufacturers offering bolt-action precision rifles in .224 Valk. Mossberg also had an MVP in .224 Valk at SHOT Show 2018, I don't know if it is on the market yet though.
Thank you for that. As alway Pew Pew is the best going and always gives a full and understandable read for those of us who are pretty good at this and want to be better.
Before I commit into the change I have this question. I have a nickel boron BCG, can I just switch out the AR15 bolt with a JP Enterprises Bolt 6.8 SPC II/.224? or do I have to purchase a complete BCG designed for the .224 Valkyrie?
Just swap the bolt
Thanks for the complete article Matt. I didn’t understand why the Valkyrie was so much better than the 223. Reading your article, its obvious.
Comparing the .224 ballistic to .223 or 5.56 isn't fair. How does it stack up to the 6.5 grendel? Lighter bullet so I'm sure it outperforms it 1200-1300 yards. What about mid range? Thoughts?
Honestly, it's more in line with 6.5 Creedmoor. Against Grendel it has less drop and drift at pretty much every distance past 100 yards, and maintains similar energy though the Grendel beats it there until about 800 yards. Here's some numbers from the Firearms Blog (I trust these guys as much as anybody in the industry. They compared Grendel, .22 Nosler, and the Valkyrie and charted each. Velocity: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sW7GpOO.png Energy: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/00yAlLF.png Drift: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/rRtTijH.png Drop:http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/XfUzS4R.png I hope that helps!
Neither of them for anything 1,000m+, at that range you need to step up to an AR-10 in .308win or 6.5Creedmoore, etc. The best way to describe it is .224Valk is to 6.5Gren as 6.5Gren is to 5.56. In raw energy, 6.5Gren will have more than .224Valk until about 800-850m where they even out, however, .224Valk will have less drift, less drop, and more velocity through its travel.
.224 valkyrie has cheaper ammo options too unless you like spraying wolf everywhere. I got a grendel barrel an was about to switch my ar over, but haven't been able to bring myself to do it because of the price of 5.56 is like 22lr for grownups.. Seriously thinking about selling the grendel barrel. Even reloading, you cant touch grendel brass for less than 70 cents a peice. compared to 28 cents a piece for .224 brass.
Gun noob here, What would it take to change a 6.8 spcII gun into a .224 Valkyrie?
A barrel chambered for .224 Valkyrie. Everything else would stay the same.
It looks like you have a typo in the terminal energy of the 224
Nice catch Peter, and thanks David for getting that!
Fixed it! Thanks for pointing that out!