At this time, only Federal and Sierra have published load data for the .224 Valkyrie. I assume I was responsible for the one dropped shot.) Hornady developed a new 88-grain ELD Match bullet specifically to meet the Valkyries performance requirements. I have used Starline cases in numerous cartridges for years and have been impressed with their performance and uniformity. I will post future results as I get them. While the standard twist for the Valkyrie is 7 inches, both test rifles have 6.5-inch twists to see if a little extra spin improves accuracy. 0000034850 00000 n We obtained this information with a MagnetoSpeed chronograph, which has alwaysprovided consistent results in our testing.Speed is important for this particular cartridge, as it plays a major rolefor this round's intended purpose. Upgrading to a premium barrel made all the difference in this test. The new round's maximum case length is 1.600 inches, as compared to the 6.8's case length of 1.686 inches. The 22-inch, stainless steel barrel includes a medium-contour, 1:7 twist, full-length flutes and is threaded to hold a muzzle brake or suppressor. SPF Bighorn .223 Wylde barreled action $1500. The load data contained on this site is intended for use with Barnes Bullets. Overall, these are very respectable results for sportier-weight rifles. Using bullets from Sierra BlitzKing, Nosler Boat Tail, Swift Scirocco, Sierra Tipped MatchKing, Hornady ELD-Match, Sierra HPBT, Federal Fusion. 0000002213 00000 n (Above) The new Starline .224 Valkyrie cases were checked for length with a digital caliper, and were right at the trim length, ready for loading. If the case is 1.620, then loading it to 2.260 puts the ogive below the case mouth. Shooting heavier bullets, in an AR-platform rifle, that maintain supersonic speeds beyond 1,300 yards has captured the interest of shooters and handloaders everywhere, says Ron Reiber, Hodgdon product manager and ballistician. RifleShooter Magazine editor Scott Rupp breaks down all the features of the Mossberg Patriot Predator rifle chambered in 6.5 PRC. The Remington Model Seven is ready, willing and able to handle just about any task. For more details (with data charts), read Jeremy's FULL STORY on Sierra Bullets Blog. 0000003643 00000 n (Above) Several powders performed well in Starline .224 Valkyrie brass handloads, although Hodgdons CFE 223 is probably the best powder overall. One case had an ES of 0.000 no variation. The Hornady 88-grain ELD MATCH bullets finally gave us some clustering with 23.4 grains of Varget. 0000035008 00000 n There are thinner walled steel mags available that will accept 2.290-2.300 . It may not display this or other websites correctly. Starline and Hornady are also offering .224 Valkyrie, so I obtained 50 pieces of Starline brass and several boxes of Hornady ELD-Match ammo. Luckily, this was just a few days before SHOT Show 2019, where I would be immersed in a wealth of gun knowledge and industry information. : 40,800 49,900 Hodgdon C 50 gr BK (Sierra) 0.224" Powder: H335 (Hodgdon) Primer: FED 205m Case: FED Trim Length: 1.590" C.O.L. The .223 is limited by powder capacity, but not the usual 7- to 9-inch twists. 0000009347 00000 n The company distributes gunpowder under the Hodgdon, IMR, Winchester and Goex brands. The correct shellholder is the same as the 6.8 SPC. The Valkyrie has spawned a crop of new, high-tech bullets, including (from left): Hornady 70-grain GMX, Hornady 75-grain ELD Match, Hornady 80-grain ELD Match, Hornady 88-grain ELD Match, Sierra 77-grain Tipped MatchKing, Sierra 80-grain MatchKing, Sierra 90-grain MatchKing, Nosler 64-grain Bonded Solid Base, and Nosler 77-grain Custom Competition. The .224 Valkyrie (5.641 mm) [5] cartridge is a .22 caliber (5.6 mm) rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge, developed by Federal Premium Ammunition to rival the performance of the .22 Nosler, while still being compatible with modern sporting rifles (MSRs). (Above) Test handloads were prepared with RCBS dies. The average accuracy of all loads in Rifle #1 was .82 inch, and all but three loads averaged under an inch. They loaded smoothly and held up well over many reloads. I have been through the wringer on a few different load developments, but this one really had us thrown for a loop. Federal has created a safer, easier and more reliable way to shoot a muzzleloader. var _gaq = _gaq || []; Sierra has published loads for a broad range of bullet weights from 52 grains all the way up to 95 grains. As a bullet passes through the air, it is dropping at a rate of 9.8 meters per second. One is a 24-inch, heavyweight, target barrel configured for my switch-barrel DRD Tactical CDR-15 AR. 0000006041 00000 n Interesting data, thanks for taking the time to post. Starting our journey, we looked at what was already commercially available. I am able to "real world" test at every range from 100-1000 yards so velocity is not important to me. (Above) Case weights were uniform, and similar capacities contribute to consistent ballistics. New Starline cases are treated with a corrosion inhibitor. 0000042641 00000 n Fortunately, I had a stuck-case-remover kit on hand and was able to undo my mistake. The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action. Logged. August 16, 2018 By G&A Online Editors. Hodgdon Powder Company announced the launch of load data for the new 224 Valkyrie cartridge, now available on Hodgdon's Reloading Data Center at www.HodgdonReloading.com. Their availability will certainly contribute to the successful Flight of the Valkyrie. Basically a 6.8 SPC necked down to .22, the Valkyrie has a shorter case than the .223 Remington (and 5.5645 NATO). Round two, here we go. Journey to Find a .223 Rem F-Class Load. Fortunately, this is a one-time step in the reloading process. Using bullets from Nosler Varmageddon, Speer Gold Dot, Nosler Custom Competition, Hornady ELD-Match, Berger VLD Target. Valkyrie means chooser of the slain, so we may assume that the connotation is that the .224 Valkyrie cartridge is going to go forth to a battlefield, and choose the dead with its accuracy and long-range power. Established in 1947 by Bruce and Amy Hodgdon, today, sons JB and Bob have grown Hodgdon Powder Company into the largest US supplier of smokeless, blackpowder and blackpowder substitute propellants. Reduced recoil. The 22-250 has plenty of powder capacity, but its standard 14-inch twist pretty much rules out heavy bullets. Powders include Hodgdon, IMR 0000034585 00000 n These features include a longer neck, a shoulder thats pushed back a bit, and rifle chambers with longer throats. This removes the lube and rounds out any dings that can occur in bulk-packed brass. Montrose, CO. Apr 4, 2022. 0000008830 00000 n Good stuff, I have my hands on a couple boxes of Nosler 85s and have been wanting to test them I also have 6.5 twist , I will give them a try. The maximum length of the Valkyrie case is listed by SAAMI as 1.600 inches. Berger also offers several suitable, high-BC target bullets. A very economical American Eagle load with a 75-grain FMJ bullet is available for blasting ammo, and the varmint hunter is covered with a Nosler 60-grain Ballistic Tip load. While it can accept bullets up to 90 grains in weight, they often need to be seated so long that they cannotfit inside an AR-15 magazine. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. We installed this drop-in trigger in minutes right at the bench and were just about ready to go.We rested our build on a Champion V-Bag in the front and a Champion Wedge Bag in the rear. Use load data at your own risk. Introduced by Federal in 2017 and approved by SAAMI in 2018, the new 224 Valkyriehas been quickly adopted by long-range shooters. scope set at 10x.3. Federal Premium initially offered 60-, 75-, and 90-grain offerings to cover a variety of hunting and target applications. Scott Rupp gets a chance to talk to Aaron Oelger about a few new products from Hodgdon and why reloading store shelves are empty. 4 . But IMR-8208XBR did very well with varmint-weight bullets. If looking to acquire an automated powder-charge dispensing unit to speed up precision reloading, don't judge the RCBS ChargeMaster Lite powder scale and dispenser by its name; the Little Green machine packs a heavy-weight punch with speed and accuracy. The average weight of the sample cases was 115.1 grains, with an ES of 2.5 grains, and an SD of .7198 grain. To reduce shooter error, we installed a RISE Armament RA-535 APT match-grade trigger, which broke cleanly at just 3 pounds. 0000006404 00000 n .458 Winchester Magnum History: The Complete Story, A World Record Attempt: Practice Round and Media Day, Interview with Israeli Defense Forces, Part 1. Graciously, the company supplied me with one for testing and I left with it that day. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-6323545-2']); I selected 50 new, unfired Starline .224 Valkyrie cases, and measured their lengths with a digital caliber to 0.0005 inch, weights with an RCBS Charge Master 1500 electronic scale to 0.1 grain, and neck-wall thickness with a Hornady digital caliper to .0005 inch. The .224 Valkyrie operates at its best with sleek, high-ballistic-coefficient (BC) bullets weighing up to 90 grains to achieve optimal, long-range ballistic performance. One1Bravo Ops4. Subscriber Services. 80.5's still have some possibilities with small changes. At 26.9 grains of CFE223, the author found his best load with the 60-grain V-Max. This is available to consumers in 100-round bags. "Shooting heavier . 0000098223 00000 n : 2.110" Powder: 28.8 gr 31.1 gr Vel. Primer: Federal 205 Small Rifle. .224 Valkyrie Load Data for 52gr to 95gr Bullets from Sierra If you own an AR, you've probably heard of the hot, new .224 Valkyrie cartridge. Federal Premium drove it home with the 224 Valkyrie at the 2018 SHOT Show, and a number of barrel manufacturers quickly started churning out barrels chambered in this overnight success. Subscriber Services. Federal's .224 Valkyrie was designed to fit, feed, and fire in the popular AR-15 platform. ALL Bulletin content is copyrighted, 2023 AccurateShooter.com. Interestingly, both rifles shot most loads with varmint-weight bullets pretty well. Moving on to the 88-grain ELD MATCH rounds, we decided to change from IMR 8208 to Hodgdon Varget. The best groups were turned in by the Barnes 70-grain TS-X BT, Nosler 60-grain Ballistic Tip and 70-grain RDF, and the Sierra 65-grain Semi Spitzer. (I fully admit that shooter error is a potential factor.) .224 Valkyrie vs 6.8 SPC Some writers have described the Valkyrie as a "scaled down Creedmoor." However, the Valkyrie case is derived from a slightly shortened 6.8 SPC case, necked-down to .22 caliber. 0000100414 00000 n 243 WINCHESTER . The .224 Valkyrie is indeed a high-tech, purpose-designed cartridge, and the handloads I tested in Starline cases delivered excellent performance with a wide range of components. As far as potential uses go, outside of target-shooting, I personally wouldn't use a light bullet for deer-sized game, but people certainly have done it over the years, and the 224 Valkyrie would indeed make a clean kill with good shot placement. Hodgdon, the Brand Thats True, is pleased to announce the launch of load data for the new 224 Valkyriecartridge, now available on Hodgdons Reloading Data Center at www.HodgdonReloading.com. DOWNLOAD Complete Sierra .224 Valkyrie LOAD DATA PDF , Sierra Bullets Load Data for .224 Valkyrie (Partial Sample), Lastest Load Data for .224 Valkyrie from Sierra, Hodgdon Releases Load Data for .224 Valkyrie, Load Data for .224 Valkyrie Optimizing the Cartridge, 6mm Creedmoor Load Data from Sierra Bullets + BONUS. [4] See also [ edit] 5 mm caliber List of AR platform cartridges Just an armorers wrench and a torque wrench were needed to make the swap. For. Hornady's match-grade 224 Valkyrie load features an 88-grain ELD Match bullet with a polymer tip that, unlike standard polymer-tipped ammo, won't melt in flight at extreme velocities. Mikey Hartman, Lt. Col. At Hodgdon, weve been researching this cartridge since before its introduction and are excited to release load data for the Valkyrie featuring powders like Hodgdon CFE 223, IMR 8208 XBRand Hodgdon Varget. I just thought it might be helpful to some even though everyone has a different setup. Let me know how the 8202 works I have that on hand and its performed well the Nosler 80s custom competition. CFE 223 yields top velocities in many cartridges such as the 204 Ruger, 223 Remington/5.56mm NATO, 22-250 Remington and the 308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO, plus many, many more. Powder Bul Weight C.O.L. Powerhouse .224 Valkyrie Features The cartridge case is arguably the best .224-caliber, AR-compatible design ever engineered. The other is a 22-inch tube that is threaded and profiled to replace the factory barrel of my CZ-USA Model 527 bolt-action rifle thats chambered for the 7.62x39mm.