224 Valkyrie ???
- Thread starter SWR
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NikA
Buckeye
Heavy bullets in AR platform at long range. I don't have one but did help my cousin get set up with one.
There are factory AR rifles available. Not sure about anything else.
There are factory AR rifles available. Not sure about anything else.
loaded round
Hunter
I recently built a 224 Valkyrie on a stripped AR15 receiver, national match inner parts, and a Palmetto Arms upper assembly last fall, and so far I've enjoyed playing with it. Been able to shoot 1 1/8 '' groups at 100 yards so far, but expect this rifle to shoot under 1'' with the right handload. I have not bought, nor tried any factory ammo, nor do I intend too. Cold weather stopped my shooting for the year, but expect to be shooing my 224 Valkyrie in another month or so. More later. Consider building your own rifle.
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Enigma
Hunter
The Valkyrie has been something of a disappointment to its owners, as I understand it, as the velocities that are actually obtained are significantly slower than what is advertised. IIRC, it is also prone to break bolts.
I believe Savage produced some bolt actions chambered in .224 Valkyrie. The cartridge case is based on the 6.8 SPC, which IIRC was based on the .30 Remington (also parent to the 10mm Auto & .40 S&W). Building a .224 AR15 is a fairly straight forward task - an acquaintance with just a few AR projects under his belt managed it without issues, and has enjoyed shooting the rifle he assembled.
I know the few bolt action 6.8 SPC rifles I've seen have been pretty pricey, and I would guess the same is true of any Savage .224s out there. HOWEVER, the new 400 Legend cartridge has the same rim diameter as the .224Valk/6.8SPC, and will use the same bolts, so I'm hoping Ruger might "piggyback" some .224 & 6.8 American Ranch rifles on their 400 Legend production run. Not holding my breath, but who knows? Maybe one of the distributors will step up and make something happen!
As always IMHO, etc., etc.
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I have two 224 Valk AR platform rifles. One is a 20" and the other 22"--both are fairly heavy for hunting use. The 22" was used in 2023 for antlerless deer hunting. The 90 grain MSR bullets punch deep but don't expand much. Multiple one shot kills out to 200 yards. I have varmint loads but haven't tried either on coyotes. The Valk seems aimed toward the heavier bullet, long range paper shooter.
The 22 Nosler leans more toward the lighter bullet varmint hunting group. It does put the AR into the 22/250 performance arena.
IMHO, I'd much prefer a 22/250 for hunting if I was using a bolt action. Modern bullet design removes the need for heavy bullets to achieve medium game taking performance that required more weight in the past.
The 22 Nosler leans more toward the lighter bullet varmint hunting group. It does put the AR into the 22/250 performance arena.
IMHO, I'd much prefer a 22/250 for hunting if I was using a bolt action. Modern bullet design removes the need for heavy bullets to achieve medium game taking performance that required more weight in the past.
I have a .224 AR that is currently being rebarreled from a 20" to a 24". With the 20" I was sub 1" at 200 yards, upgrading to the 24" to try and get that supersonic out to 1300 yds as advertised. It's a niche caliber for sure, but if you want to "reach out and touch some....thing" at >1000 yds, it is a fun one.
It was all the rage a few years ago but has lost popularity. I built one on an AR lower receiver because I like to play with unusual cartridges. It turned out to be accurate although I usually don't keep numbers and that is a gestalt estimate. I don't have a chrono so can't say it reaches published velocity. If you like building unusual cartridge AR's and reload it is a good one otherwise it does not appear to have staying power. At least not so far.
The Valkyrie is based on the 6.8 SPC, which was developed as a special purpose military cartridge (probably with hopes that it might see widespread adoption). Rather than adopt a new cartridge, I've read that the US military attempted to deal with the perceived shortcomings of the 5.56 by increasing bullet weight (77 gr Mk262, etc.). The Valkyrie would certainly make a decent military cartridge, by pushing those heavier bullets to higher velocities (or a 'general purpose' civilian cartridge, if a civilian owner was interested in that kind of performance).
Last I heard, the military was looking at 6.8mm again, with the 6.8x51mm/.277 SIG Fury being adopted on some sort of trial basis. It uses a three-piece cartridge case with stainless steel case head, and runs at some astronomical pressure level to reach the velocity they want in a .308-size cartridge. I guess you can buy a civilian-legal SIG chambered for it (for the price of a used car ;^), but a civilian can get similar performance with one of the existing .270 cartridges, for a lot less money.
I will probably build a Valkyrie if I stumble across a good barrel at the right price (I already have AR bolts & mags that will work). Or maybe buy one if Ruger makes an American rifle in the caliber (which I don't expect).
As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.
Last I heard, the military was looking at 6.8mm again, with the 6.8x51mm/.277 SIG Fury being adopted on some sort of trial basis. It uses a three-piece cartridge case with stainless steel case head, and runs at some astronomical pressure level to reach the velocity they want in a .308-size cartridge. I guess you can buy a civilian-legal SIG chambered for it (for the price of a used car ;^), but a civilian can get similar performance with one of the existing .270 cartridges, for a lot less money.
I will probably build a Valkyrie if I stumble across a good barrel at the right price (I already have AR bolts & mags that will work). Or maybe buy one if Ruger makes an American rifle in the caliber (which I don't expect).
As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.
Savage, Mossberg, and a couple of others make bolt actions in .224, but yeah, I too would love to see either the American or Precision in .224.
A couple of years back when .224V was the latest and greatest, I sank a lot of money into building an AR platform. Custom billet upper and lower from Northtech Defense, engraved "American Patriot" and serial 01776. Faxon fluted 22" barrel and brake, FailZero bolt group, BAD handguard, Aero adjustable gas block, POF flat trigger module, Athlon FFP scope, etc. However, I never got to shoot it. We moved shortly after completion and I lost my long range shooting spot. Been at the new place for over a year and I've never taken it out. It looks good in the safe…I guess you could say I sorta lost interest. 5 20 rd mags and a couple hundred rounds of ammo. If I could get remotely close to what I have in it I'd gladly sell her.
