.224 Valkyrie. Other options?

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  • DRob

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    I jumped on a PSA complete upper in .224 Valkyrie a while back and I'm not exactly ecstatic with the results. It's on a Rock River lower with a good trigger and I've been shooting it off a Magpul M-Lok bipod. The bipod definitely has to go. If this thing doesn't come around shooting off bags, I'll have to exercise other options. I am considering switching barrels to either a quality barrel (I don't know the source of the PSA barrel) or another caliber. A Krieger Valkyrie barrel from White Oak Armament is going to cost twice what I paid for the complete upper. WOA's "standard" barrel is $230 less than the Krieger. Either of those options may be throwing good money after bad. The BCG and magazine are both the same as 6.8 SPC so that's a possibility but I'm wondering what other caliber options are out there. Bearing in mind that we are target/bench/prairie dog shooters, what do you think?
     

    DadSmith

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    What ammunition have you tried so far?

    6.5 Grendel is a very accurate cartridge if you want something that has the same ballistics as the 308 Winchester from an AR15.
     

    billybob44

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    Bearing in mind that we are target/bench/prairie dog shooters, what do you thin

    A lot of variables to this statement..

    With the HUGE option list for .223 Rem., 5.56 NATO, .223 Wylde barrels, loads of Cheap/Free brass, what is not to like?

    For me--on the small frame AR's, these above and the .300 BlackOut get me by just fine.

    When I want to reach out at a longer distance, My 22-250 Rem, 6MM Rem, and .308 Win, in my Remington 700's do the job.

    For your use in the title above these calibers work and have done so for a long time, and have a lot more choices...Bill.
     

    BIGE7.62

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    Factory ammo or hand loads ? 224 Valkyrie factory ammo is pretty inconsistent. The cheap 75 gr fmj seems to shoot better than most .
    The 224 V is bullet jump sensitive also .
    80 gr eld's over 4895 is a great combo .
    As far as barrels look at Ar Performance .
    Sorry for the choppy reply.
    Late night ,early morning , not enough bean juice
     
    Last edited:

    DRob

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    Thanks for the replies. I know there's not a lot of interest in the Valkyrie but I appreciate the info.

    DadSmith, see below. I'm not looking for larger calibers.

    BIGE7.62. Some 55 gr VMax I loaded has been decent but the Federal American Eagle 75 gr FMJ shot 4-5" at 100 yards. I attribute some of that to the shooter and some to the bipod. My .223 Savage LRPV and a Savage M12 in .17 Fireball were both shooting 1/2" but I can basically lock them into the front rest. Gonna' find a way to stabilize the front end of the Valkyrie. Looked at AR Performance. I'm impressed and hope they're up to their own billing. I may place an order there. Just about everybody else's barrel are 7 or 6.5 twist. They say their 7.7 twist will shoot 55s to 80s very well. They also state that lighter bullets should be loaded less than magazine length in their barrels. Hmmmmm. We have several guns that will shoot the 55s. I wanta' shoot the 70-80s.


    Bill. Guess that was kinda' vague. More specifically, we shoot prairie dogs and the occasional informal/social competition. All of our rifle shooting is from a bench either in those events or in preparation for them. We shoot .22, .20, and .17 caliber bolt guns as well as a .223 Wylde-chambered 7 twist AR varminter. I don't really see a need for larger calibers. I've got so much .223 brass I just gave a 3 gallon bucket of it to my BIL. We never shoot any of the inexpensive 5.56 ammo. The places where we shoot p dogs don't allow FMJ. We practice with what we use in the field. VMax or HP.

    The Valkyrie upper was an impulse buy since I had an orphan AR lower. Now, I'm just looking to get it to shoot better than one minute of refrigerator.
     

    jrh84

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    I jumped on a PSA complete upper in .224 Valkyrie a while back and I'm not exactly ecstatic with the results. It's on a Rock River lower with a good trigger and I've been shooting it off a Magpul M-Lok bipod. The bipod definitely has to go. If this thing doesn't come around shooting off bags, I'll have to exercise other options. I am considering switching barrels to either a quality barrel (I don't know the source of the PSA barrel) or another caliber. A Krieger Valkyrie barrel from White Oak Armament is going to cost twice what I paid for the complete upper. WOA's "standard" barrel is $230 less than the Krieger. Either of those options may be throwing good money after bad. The BCG and magazine are both the same as 6.8 SPC so that's a possibility but I'm wondering what other caliber options are out there. Bearing in mind that we are target/bench/prairie dog shooters, what do you think?

    Obviously hard to diagnose what you're seeing based on a forum post, but I'd recommend trying the Hornady Black ammo if you're set on factory stuff (heard it got some of the early bugs lined out and is good to go for factory stuff), or if you're a handloader, try some known good bullets (Sierra 69, 77, or 80 matchkings, or Bergers). I dont know enough about the round to recommend any powders for the .224.

    Sounds like you're sorted out on your shooting, so don't take offense to any of my suggestions here. Grip the rifle like you mean it, and pull it firmly into your shoulder. I haven't shot an AR that doesnt shrink groups in half with a firm grip vs. light grip/free-recoil. Just too much going on in that action that needs to be man-handled, not allowed to wag around freely.

    I agree with your assessment on the magpul bipod. Good piece of kit, but I prefer something that allows you to get the rifle lower. I wouldn't recommend it for real precision shooting, but like I said, I like to get the rifle as low as possible. I've seen one used to put up clean scores on a prone target at 300 and 600 yards at Atterbury.

    Hard to go wrong with WOA's standard barrels. Best value going (at least in the high power/service rifle world). Their $230 barrel is capable of winning anything at Camp Perry in the right hands (and has).
     

    BIGE7.62

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    You need to measure your chamber . Than figure out at what aol each type of bullet you want to shoot hits the lands .
    My cousins PSA 1/7 chamber measured
    2.330 . We ended up seating 80 gr eldm's @ .030 off the lands . It will shoot 1" or just under if the nut behind the trigger doesn't malfunction.
    At .035 it shoots 2"+
    The 55 grains at mag length in the Ar performance barrels will be in the lands
     

    phylodog

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    I changed direction with a build recently and have an assembled/disassembled but unfired Larue .224V barrel and bolt I'll be putting up for sale soon if you decide to try a different barrel.
     

    gglass

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    I recommend the 6.5 Grendal as a proven round that can deliver on the promises of the .224 Valkyrie.

    If you can wait just a bit, it looks like we can soon have some .224 ammo that finally delivers on the Valkyrie's promise. The results in the article below shows a 10-shot, .5 MOA group shot at 300 meters. I'll take that any day of the week.

    https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog...nces-new-85-5-grain-projectile-in-22-caliber/
     

    DadSmith

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    I recommend the 6.5 Grendal as a proven round that can deliver on the promises of the .224 Valkyrie.

    If you can wait just a bit, it looks like we can soon have some .224 ammo that finally delivers on the Valkyrie's promise. The results in the article below shows a 10-shot, .5 MOA group shot at 300 meters. I'll take that any day of the week.

    https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog...nces-new-85-5-grain-projectile-in-22-caliber/

    My 6.5 Grendel out shoots my 5.56 at 300 yards and beyond. Inside 300 yards they are both shooting 0.5-0.75 moa if I do my part every group.
     

    roscott

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    I did an 18” 5.56 for prairie dogs and paper, and I love it. With a rifle length gas system, it’s a very soft shooter, and it was hell on prairie dogs out to 300. That’s clearly been a winner for you in the past, so perhaps stick with that for under 300?

    If your skills and/or competition exceeds 300 yards, the wind drift can become a challenge. Valkyrie would be a good round for what you are doing, but if you’re still searching for more accuracy than what 5.56 can offer, I suspect that “PSA” is the limiting factor here rather than caliber. Cheap accuracy is generally an oxymoron.

    Try the reloading advice posted above, or take Phylodog up on his barrel and bolt. A really accurate barrel and bolt can make an average shooter look pretty dang good.
     

    1nderbeard

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    I can only contribute what I've seen on a few different youtube channels on the 224; it sounds like the 224 has accuracy issues with everyone.

    I recently acquired a 6.5 grendel and accuracy is fantastic. Shots basically touching, and I didn't spend a ton on the components. Just a bear creek barrel and basic mil trigger.
     
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