My first post here. New to the forum but not so new to AR's. I'm not seeing much on the Valkyrie lately. Has it become obsolete? I built one that has been the nemesis of coyotes on my lease. Anyone else shooting one?

It's not obsolete, but lack of availability of ammunition has put a damper on new builds/purchases.

*I am not a reloader and do not shoot .224 valkyrie, this is a recounting of what I've found when researching it.*

Only bullet that's always available is the american eagle 75gr tmj.
It's supposedly a finicky round that has no performance plateaus, as in if you're off a quarter grain more than other rounds you get a vastly different POI with the .224 valkyrie.
Therefore it is also an OCD reloaders nightmare.
People really don't want a long range round that's just a faster 5.56 bullet with guaranteed fliers.

A couple of my thoughts:

If you’re throwing charges that are a .25 grain off, you’re not an OCD reloader. Most precision loaders are looking for .1grain or less, but target a tolerant load that can be +/- .1 in either direction. If you’re into BR/F class, you’ll want it to be dead nuts every time.

Having built 3, I haven’t noticed that it’s extremely finicky compared to other rounds. One of the last times I took one of my Valk’s out I won a local tactical match in the gas gun division with it. The biggest thing to hurt the valkyrie was that the initial reamers weren’t in spec. Ppl really struggled if they had a bad barrel/reamer combination. Overall, it’s a very capable round for targets/long range and varmint hunting. If you’re only shooting inside of 300-500yds with known distances, it’s not vastly better than a 223/5.56. If you’re shooting at game and the yardage isn’t always known, it’s an upgrade since it’s flatter. If you’re shooting beyond 600+ yds, the extra power and ability to magazine feed 80+gr bullets is an advantage.

Load development. Right at 0.7gr difference in loads and the POI didn’t shift too dramatically.


IIRC, this was confirmation testing with various charges.
Edit: confirming loads from the first Rainier Arms 224Valkyrie in my second RA 224Valkyrie barrel.


Factory fodder


The AE can do decent in certain chambers. This is the best I’ve ever done with it, but it tends to hold under 1.5moa pretty consistently

I'll amend my post to better represent the fact that I am neither a reloader, nor experienced in shooting .224 valkyrie.

I was really interested in it awhile ago, but when I really dove into it before buying, those were the problems I consistenly read across multiple boards. I didn't mention the reamers because I figured by now that that should've been ironed out. Ironically reminds me of the same crap start it's parent case (6.8spc) got.

Great shooting Super. Good info as well. I built one also but now am considering re barreling to 6.8. At least that way I'd have both calibers available if I wanted.

I have a psa 20 inch 1/6.5 twist barrel .  I purchased it with the sole intent to shoot 90 grain fusions at deer . It has performed well in it's intended role . I average right at .9 moa at 100 yd's sometimes the groups are smaller and on occasion just a bit over . I was pleasantly surprised at how well it shoots 60 grain nosier and 60 grain hornady v-max . 75 grain federal will shoot sub moa very easy . the only thing I can say that isn't that great is the 90 grain Sierra matching . it just plain ole sucks with groups around 1.25 - 1.50 being the best I can get . the buck I killed this year was a typical south east missouri deer around 175lbs . I made a high shoulder shot at 105 yds and dropped him where he stood smashed spine and a nice size exit wound .

One of the issues I've read about that's kept me from jumping on the bandwagon is brass life. Reports of loose primer pockets after 2-3 firings. Any updates on this?

Have any new hunting bullets come out for the 224V since it’s inception? Or has has development stopped? I mean heavy for caliber projos.

Spoken like a True Reloader! I’m still a novice but know enough to say that unless you reload you are not really qualified to comment on the topic, which why I rarely comment.

I’ve used Match 75, 88, 90’s with a Rem. 700 Build and AR, just moved the Bolt onto a AICS Stock

For the record, I'm already a 6.8 user/believer, and have always been tempted by .224 valk for the shear ease and promised flatter shooting, but this article also kills it for me.

https://rifleshooter.com/2018/02/224-valkyrie-effect-of-barrel-length-on-velocity/

The case size is really optimum for the 80gr bullets. The 80’s are the sweet spot for velocity and high BC (80 eld is my choice). Yes, you can nuke the primer pockets if you push the velocity envelope, but that’s true with most cartridges. I will say that if you’re trying to push 80’s at 2950+fps you’re likely only going to get 2-3 firings on that brass.

I haven’t used the factory 80.5’s past 500yds, but they hit the plate much harder than my 223 with 75 eld’s.

The 90’s work well, but aren’t optimum in my opinion unless you’ve got a short barrel. Here’s a video of my 22” with FGMM 90’s at 850yds. As you can see from the mirage, it wasn’t exactly a calm day.