224 Valkyrie...newest AR cartridge from Federal

[gpkon66]

Out of a 24" you should be able to push 80gr ELds to 3000fps with 25gr H4895. With the velocity you can get out of the 88s, 90s and 95s they will not catch up to the 80s. The 80s will have less drop and drift and they are easier to find an accurate load for. If the X-caliber has a SAAMI length freebore try the 80s around 2.285" OAL. There are some new bullets in the works for early 2019 but we can't say anything specific yet.

Thanks for the help.

[MadMatt]

Definitely going to try this cartridge, but I am holding out for the LWRCI 20" DI Gun. To me this just makes a lot of sense, since this platform was custom designed for 6.8 SPC and has the PMAGs and custom lower receiver etc. (and no, I have no affiliation whatsoever with them. Never even owned one).

https://lwrci.com/p-5302-lwrci-valkyrie-224-di.aspx

Has anyone heard anything about performance from this rifle?

[Turnkey11]

I was planning on buying a seekins 224 upper for shooting prairie dogs, until I saw the numbers for lighter weight projectiles. It seems the only real advantage over .223 is with the longer heavier bullets that have to be single fed with an AR, which I don't use on varmints. If this cartridge could get a 60gr nosler out the muzzle above 3300 I'd be all over it, but all the load data that I've seen lists around 3100 max, which I can already do with .223 at 5.56 pressures.

[1168]

I was planning on buying a seekins 224 upper for shooting prairie dogs, until I saw the numbers for lighter weight projectiles. It seems the only real advantage over .223 is with the longer heavier bullets that have to be single fed with an AR, which I don't use on varmints. If this cartridge could get a 60gr nosler out the muzzle above 3300 I'd be all over it, but all the load data that I've seen lists around 3100 max, which I can already do with .223 at 5.56 pressures.

Might be able to do that with a .22-250 barreled AR10.

[Turnkey11]

Might be able to do that with a .22-250 barreled AR10.

22-250 will definitely do it, but that entails building a entirely new rifle, vs a upper swap. I'll do it eventually, just not a priority this year.

[constructor]

I was planning on buying a seekins 224 upper for shooting prairie dogs, until I saw the numbers for lighter weight projectiles. It seems the only real advantage over .223 is with the longer heavier bullets that have to be single fed with an AR, which I don't use on varmints. If this cartridge could get a 60gr nosler out the muzzle above 3300 I'd be all over it, but all the load data that I've seen lists around 3100 max, which I can already do with .223 at 5.56 pressures.

Don't believe the books or BS. The lawyers have those books watered down. 80s will do 3000 out of a 24" barrel. 55s will do 3400 and 60s 3350. Try stick powders between H322 and H4895 You should top out around 27-27.5gr.

[constructor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmcD...ature=youtu.be

[burtonb]

This is an article with James Gilliland that just came out about 224 Valkyrie...interesting discussion and he mentions 3 new loads from Federal coming later this year perhaps.

https://www.arbuildjunkie.com/224-va...mes-gilliland/

[sasquatchoslav]

Any Valkyrie owners have anything to add to the 224 rifle discussion? I'm phasing out my serious hunting days slowly and long range seems like I'd enjoy it. We can stretch to ~ 575 at our steel and I've loved that would be great to hit the 1000 yard joint down the road. Just looking for thoughts like 'sucks wish I hadn't done it because' or 'best move I ever made'. I'm looking for something I will use bench rest shooting off bags only and suppressed so it doesn't need to be light or multi-role in any capacity. Don't care about knock down power or energy delivered it's simply dinging steel and accuracy I'm interested in. Thanks for anything extra to add to the thread!

[constructor]

Any Valkyrie owners have anything to add to the 224 rifle discussion? I'm phasing out my serious hunting days slowly and long range seems like I'd enjoy it. We can stretch to ~ 575 at our steel and I've loved that would be great to hit the 1000 yard joint down the road. Just looking for thoughts like 'sucks wish I hadn't done it because' or 'best move I ever made'. I'm looking for something I will use bench rest shooting off bags only and suppressed so it doesn't need to be light or multi-role in any capacity. Don't care about knock down power or energy delivered it's simply dinging steel and accuracy I'm interested in. Thanks for anything extra to add to the thread!

There are a lot of bad barrels out there. Bad meaning chambered with reamers that were not to SAAMI spec. IF you decide to get a Valkyrie BE SURE it has the SAAMI spec chamber. 90gr SMKs should touch the lands around 2.276 in a SAAMI spec chamber. If they do not touch until 2.325" the chamber is not SAAMI spec and you'll have a hard time loading long enough to get decent accuracy except with shorter nosed bullets.