Anyone running .224 Valkyrie?

balttigger said:

Ever since Ruger pooched my Mini-30 barrel and I decided to spend the money to re-barrel it, I was split between 6.8 and .224 - I think I would have better results with the Valkyrie. Gotta be 1:7 though.

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lazarus said:

What are you looking for? .224V is very much a long range target round. Ruger Mini platform is not a platform that is easy to develop high levels of accuracy on. ID long range is going to be difficult.

I’d go 6.8SPC. If you were choosing between the two.

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balttigger said:

I want it to be deer capable and I would likely load heavier rounds than Federal offers, hence the need for a 1:7 barrel. Otherwise it would be a medium range varmint hunter or longer range fun gun. If I send it to Accuracy Systems, it's gonna cost a butt ton of money, but they do a lot of work on it and with the 18" barrel they guarantee a sub 1.5MOA weapon.

Looking at the .850 barrel with adjustable gas block in the Arch Angel Precision stock that will be triple pin bedded. They also do some other machine work and a trigger job.

Using Federal's own ballistics calculator, the two cartridges are near neck and neck out to 250-300 yards but after that the Valkyrie starts pulling away.

I have a .223 Wylde, 6.5 Grendel and a .358 Yeti in AR as well as .277 Wolverine, .243 and 6.5CM bolt guns (et. al.). So either cartridge would fit a niche I really already have covered. I just think the Valkyrie would be useful in more situations and distances than the 6.8SPC.

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lazarus said:

Are you comfortable using .223 Remington against deer? Because if no, .224V isn’t particularly better. Surejt has much higher sectional density, but wound cavity size and shock aren’t particularly different. You are just likely to get a longer wound channel. Which only really matters on quartering shots as most good 75gr .223 soft points are capable of through and through on typical maryland sized deer after penetrating a shoulder (maybe not both shoulders) from a direct broadside hit.

I’d personally only be comfortable with .223 within about 60 or 70yds. Maybe 100 or so if I had good support and the deer wasn’t moving. Less the energy of longer distance shots and more how critical shot placement is with a smaller caliber bullet. IMHO .224V doesn’t solve that.

That doesn’t mean it can’t do the job against a small elk at 200yds...but I don’t want “it’ll probably be lethal, maybe after a bit if the shot isn’t perfect”.

Just my 2 cents. It sounds like you’ve got a ton covered already, but IMHO .224V really wants a highly accurate platform and used at longer ranges. Otherwise at short ranges it is an expensive .223. As a varmiter, same deal on extremely accurate. If I am shooting ground hogs I’d want 1MOA accuracy or better if I am trying to pop them at 300yds. Flat shooting helps with that of course (and I wouldn’t use 6.8SPC as a varmiter).

I guess I am a bit prejudice against the mini 14 as I’ve never seen a factory one manage better than about 2MOA. Even the newer “we fixed our issues” ones. But then again, with work done, maybe it is quite capable of 1MOA or better.

Just my thoughts. Worth exactly what you paid for them.

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KRC said:

I am also toying with the idea of an AR based .224 Valkyrie build. Strictly a target/bench rifle, for 100 to 600 yards, with high quality, tuned handloads. (Pleeze no talking up the 6.5 Grendel as I am not interested.) I like low recoiling rifles, will not use a muzzle brake, and my two RRA .223 Wylde Varmint models are very precise shooting guns.

The Valkyrie seems to have no significant advantage over the .223 Wylde's unless/until 90gr.+ bullets are loaded. Problem is, there is so much poor/useless information out there on the precision potential of rifles with this chambering that I am not sure this cartridge can be loaded to an acceptable (to me) level of precision. Video's of Valkyries are virtually all done with commercial ammo, are obsessed with chronograph values, or are done shooting at long distances that results can only be considered "weather reports". Anybody and everybody seem to be making and posting (mostly useless) videos.

Has anyone that actually has a Valkyrie with a decent (heavy) barrel been working up handloads? And if so, what have you been able to achieve at 100 yards from a bench? (I know this is not a 100 yard cartridge, but load development should be done first at shorter distances to attenuate wind effects, especially with a .224.) Anybody have a Valkyrie that is seriously accurate, or one that is proving to be disappointing, even with handloads? Thanks.

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