224 Valkyrie...newest AR cartridge from Federal

[ToeheadAR]

I'm on board with 224V and already started my upper build. I will be using an 18" Criterion barrel withe 1:7 twist. From what I've seen 1:7 is fine for the 90-grains until velocity drops below around 2,200 fps then the ballistic coefficient changes and requires more twist.

[constructor]

If you run the ballistics at proven velocities the 95gr SMK is really needed to get great ballistics. There are several easy wildcats around that beat the Valkyrie with a 90gr or even an 80gr Berger. The 6mmAR/6mm Grendel/6mm Predator or TAC 6(6mm 6.8)shooting 105s, The 224AR/224 Grendel/224 Predator will beat the 224 Valkyrie regardless of what bullet is used in the Valkyrie since it can use the same bullets. 5.56x42/224-6.8 shooting 80gr Bergers at 3000fps (20") barrel easily beats the Valkyrie with the same length barrel. Federal left apx 150fps on the table by not moving the shoulder forward .050 and not making the max PSI 58000.
It's a good factory offering but those that compete and search for all advantages there are other better cartridges.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

But that is the key, in a commercial loading. There is always a better wildcat round, that pretty much is the definition. If you are looking for a practice RPS round for a bolt gun, it seems a 223AI would be a better round. Lots of wildcat ar15 rounds. You just don't have commercial ammo.

They need to figure out the whole twist-chamber-ammo, or what ever issue is causing JP to see something they don't like. It will be interesting to see when other ammo comes out. A Hornaday Superperformance round would be interesting.

To me, the 224V and 6.5PRC are oddly just short of what they could be.

[constructor]

But that is the key, in a commercial loading. There is always a better wildcat round, that pretty much is the definition. If you are looking for a practice RPS round for a bolt gun, it seems a 223AI would be a better round. Lots of wildcat ar15 rounds. You just don't have commercial ammo.

They need to figure out the whole twist-chamber-ammo, or what ever issue is causing JP to see something they don't like. It will be interesting to see when other ammo comes out. A Hornaday Superperformance round would be interesting.

To me, the 224V and 6.5PRC are oddly just short of what they could be.

Hornady is loading 88gr ELDs...again should have been something with a .600BC. If they are going to advertise the V as being something that will beat the Creedmoor it needs to beat the Creedmoor. Of course millions will believe it and buy one without checking for themselves, then 90% of the people buying one will never shoot past 300 yds.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Hornady is loading 88gr ELDs...again should have been something with a .600BC. If they are going to advertise the V as being something that will beat the Creedmoor it needs to beat the Creedmoor. Of course millions will believe it and buy one without checking for themselves, then 90% of the people buying one will never shoot past 300 yds.

I think that would be a little loaves&fishes to get the 224V to outperform a 6/6.5CM. It is an acceptable alternative when shooting a gas gun. I do agree that very few 224V rounds will ever go subsonic....

[SomeOtherGuy]

Hornady is loading 88gr ELDs...again should have been something with a .600BC.

The 88gr Valkyrie load:
https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/r...r-eld-match#!/
24" test barrel
ME 1424 ft-lbs
500 yard V/E/drop: 1941/736/ -46.4"

5.56 NATO Superformance options (75gr is older, 73gr is newer):
https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/r...mance-match#!/
20" test barrel
ME 1410 ft-lbs
500 yard V/E/drop: 1848/569/ -43.4"

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/r...mance-match#!/
20" test barrel
ME 1372 ft-lbs
500 yard V/E/drop: 1855/558/ -44.6"

The 88gr bullet in the Valk will have slightly less wind drift, and beyond 500 yards its advantage will rapidly increase, but at 500 yards and less neither paper nor deer/coyotes are going to know the difference, and getting a slightly flatter trajectory from a 4" shorter barrel in the 5.56 NATO loadings is pretty attractive.

Not trying to be an echo chamber, but the people who will benefit from this option are shooting paper targets at 600 yards and further, exclusively, and are either recoil sensitive or shooting such a high volume that the cost benefit will add up. I'll bet 90% of the buyers actually shoot this inside of 300 yards like others have said, and get no tangible benefit from it, they just spend more on ammo and mags while burning up barrels faster. Like so many of the privately created new cartridges from the 1950's through today (here's looking at you, Nosler, Weatherby, and Ruger/Hornady). I originally thought this was going to be a significant player for F-Class and PRS type competitions, but I no longer see that happening - the serious competitors will stick with the 6 and 6.5mm established cartridges.

[constructor]

But that is the key, in a commercial loading. There is always a better wildcat round, that pretty much is the definition. If you are looking for a practice RPS round for a bolt gun, it seems a 223AI would be a better round. Lots of wildcat ar15 rounds. You just don't have commercial ammo.

They need to figure out the whole twist-chamber-ammo, or what ever issue is causing JP to see something they don't like. It will be interesting to see when other ammo comes out. A Hornaday Superperformance round would be interesting.

To me, the 224V and 6.5PRC are oddly just short of what they could be.

Agree, a commercial loading will make a lot of people jump and there are 3 specialty loaders already testing a lot of different bullets. This thing is taking off like the 300BO did. I'm starting to see a lot of good targets with 60s, 77s, 80s and even some 95s. The 90SMK seems to be a problem. The 80 Berger and ELD will beat the 90s to 600 and maybe 800 depending on the velocity, I've seen some reports of the 80s hitting 2950+. If the accuracy is there with the 95smk at 2600fps (G7 BC of .307 and SD of .270)then that will have better ballistics than the 90 at 800+ so there may be no reason to shoot the 90. It beats the closest Grendel load by quite a bit, even the energy is close. For only being 5 months old there is a lot of testing going on.

[09stanggt]

If you are looking for a practice RPS round for a bolt gun, it seems a 223AI would be a better round. .

I think the intent is to have a match rifle, not a rifle for practice. There are semi only classes and I believe barrel life claim is sufficient to run an entire season.

Also, did you ever get to try the borrowed JP?

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I think the intent is to have a match rifle, not a rifle for practice. There are semi only classes and I believe barrel life claim is sufficient to run an entire season.

Also, did you ever get to try the borrowed JP?

Yes, son shot it the first day. It had an issue so we moved him to a bolt gun the next day. Brian worked it out, but I don't know what root cause was at issue. It didn't turn me off on the round and definitely not on JP guns. I was going to order through Brian, so I was going to follow-up then. I've cut my gun budget for the year and the hold-up with JP made me hold off for now. Brian's gun was an original batch and he was happy with the accuracy. My son just did 100 yards and some positions, but got some really good groups.

[constructor]

This last week has uncovered a bad reamer probably several bad reamers floating around. Large contract barrel makers are making barrels for many companies using the incorrect reamers. The case length of factory brass as made is 1.585 +- the wall in the chamber where the case mouth should stop should be 1.610(SAAMI) plus the cone angle of .016 for a total gap of .041. The bad reamer has a dimensional error which makes the gap another .013" longer for a gap of .038" plus the cone of .016" for a total gap of .054". The bullets must span that gap from the case mouth to the start of the freebore. The freebore as measured in the bad chambers is .045 longer than the SAAMI chambers meaning the bullets have an extra .045" jump to the lands. That is likely hurting the accuracy with the factory loaded VLDs that need to be set close to the lands.

The chamber will likely help those who plan to use lighter bullets in the 55-77gr range because they can seat them out further and gain powder capacity.
You can figure out if you have a longer than SAAMI freebore by sticking a .224 inspection pin into the chamber and relating the length to the rim of the case or everyone can load the 90gr smk out to where they touch the lands and compare that measurement with others of different brands of barrels.
SAAMI print below-
Attachment 52408