New rounds appear to be popping up everywhere, particularly in the AR platform. The .224 Valkyrie was introduced by the Federal Ammunition in 2017. At that time, it caught the attention of many long-range target rifle shooters.
- The first supersonic 1,300-yard MSR 15 cartridge
- Recoil is 50 percent less than the 6.5 Creedmoor
- Muzzle velocity of up to 3,300 fps
Despite the enthusiasm for the .223 Remington and 22 Nosler cartridges, there was a huge wave of support for the newest .224 Valkyrie, which seemed to be crafted for a specific reason.
The.224 Valkyrie was designed to unlock long-range capacity and push ballistic performance to new heights. Now let’s dig into this “new” favorite caliber and learn why it is a great choice for standard AR platform users. This author being one of them.
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Photo Credit: Huntingmark from Wikimedia
Brief History of the .224 Valkyrie
Back in 2017, in response to an overwhelming demand for .224 calibers, Federal created the .224 Valkyrie. It was produced with the goal to create bullets that are heavier and more aerodynamic. In addition, the .224 Valkyrie is designed to be a fast-moving round with great speed and straight flight out to 1,000 feet.
The .224 Valkyrie premiered at the 2018 Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT). From then on, it became widely known for its significantly less wind drift and drop capabilities compared to similar loads.
.224 Valkyrie Specs
| Parent Case | 6.8 SPC |
| Case Type | Rimless, Bottlenecked |
| Primer Type | Small Rifle |
| Bullet Diameter | 0.2245 inches (5.70 mm) |
| Rim Diameter | 0.422 inches (10.7 mm) |
| Base Diameter | 0.4207 inches (10.69 mm) |
| Case Length | 1.6 inches (41 mm) |
| Length Overall | 2.26 inches (57.4 mm) |
| Maximum Pressure (SAAMI) | 55, 000 psi (379.2 MPa) |
| Bullet Size | Approximately 60-90 grain bullet |
A Glance at the Design
These AR-15-compatible cartridges have a smaller projectile, flat trajectory, and bigger ogive space. The place for its gunpowder is noticeably shorter and fatter. Thereby reducing standard deviation (SD) and extreme spread (ES), which helps with long-range accuracy.
According to Federal, the .224 Valkyrie uses the 6.8 SPC casing necked down but falls on the line of other .22 calibers. Although it’s similar in shape and looks at first glance, they are of a very different, stronger caliber.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the .224 Valkyrie, which is built on the 6.8 SPC casing, would fit well in a 6.8 SPC magazine.
(Image from Wikimedia)
If you’re wondering what magazine to use for this caliber in an AR-15, check out our article on the Best .224 Valkyrie Magazines.
Features & Capability
Federal promised the world that the .224 Valkyrie would be the first supersonic 1,300-yard MSR 15 cartridge. In addition, Federal developed this incredible cartridge to expand the range of the MSR 15 platform, allowing you to shoot 900, or even 1,300 yards on a consistent basis, and it succeeded.
The .224 Valkyrie is a lightning-quick cartridge. It can also withstand air resistance, allowing it to maintain its trajectory better before reaching the target.
Both the 6.5 Grendel and 6.8 SPC II offer decent terminal ballistics up to 800 yards when fired from a regular AR-15, but neither is good for the Valkyrie’s 1,300 yards.
The 90-grain bullets are extremely common as well. As a result, the .224 Valkyrie has a major advantage due to its excellent ballistic coefficient of the 90-grain bullets it uses.
If you’re interested, the Federal official website has a list of .224 Valkyrie products, all of which are good options.
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Recoil
The .224 Valkyrie recoil is 50 percent less than the 6.5 Creedmoor, making this gun ideal for recoil-sensitive shooters. As a result, using the.224 Valkyrie makes it simple to get back on track and make the required adjustments.
Almost all Valkyrie barrels must be 22 to 24 inches long to achieve full velocity. It also fires a lighter bullet due to its smaller bore. Because of this, it should come as no surprise that many hunters are eager to try the Valkyrie.
In short, the long-range capabilities of the.224 Valkyrie is incredible. It has far less recoil and better ballistics than equivalent calibers.
Testing
Despite the fact that almost all other bullets being compared to the.224 Valkyrie were true and tested with decades of use many MSR fans went wild for the .224 Valkyrie. These are venerable bullets such as the .223 Remington (1962) and the 6.5 Grendel (2003).
However, the type of .224 Valkyrie you fire, as well as the AR platform you use, has a significant impact on your results.
Federal came up with the concept of creating something exceptional from an existing caliber, rather than starting from the ground up. The .224 caliber is definitely a shift from the previous calibers, but it is a shift we like. The testing showed clearly why this caliber is great.
Federal tested the 90-grain Sierra MatchKing and the result is amazing. The guys who shoot precision rifle series (PRS) with semi-automatics will love it. It fired consistently at 2,700 feet per second (fps), remains at 1,950 fps shooting at 500 yards. Approaching the 1,000-yard line, it remains at 1,268 fps. Finally, it remains supersonic at 1,300 yards as Federal advertises. These results were achieved with a 1:7 twist barrel.
Part of this performance is due to the heavy weight of the .224 Valkyrie. It adds momentum for better wind resistance, ballistic coefficient, and muzzle velocity of up to 3,300 fps. Thus allowing the user to connect reliably with targets at greater speed and distance.
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How Accurate Is the .224 Valkyrie?
When shooting a target from a long distance, accuracy in ammunition is crucial. When a bullet slows down from supersonic to subsonic speeds, it loses all its precision. Because of the minimal drop, experienced shooters may use the .224 Valkyrie to strike targets with pinpoint accuracy. The.224 Valkyrie is likely to be useful both in hunting and target shooting.
We’ve seen how well it performs in long-range shooting in terms of accuracy and strength. At 1,000 yards, striking the target or game animal is easy. As a result, many hunters appreciate the advantages of using this caliber to hunt deer and coyotes. This load is ideal for shooters who want a projectile that expands quickly and provides a burst of power into their prey.
You may also want to look at the videos below. These demonstrate how precise the Valkyrie is:
Conclusion
In my opinion, the .224 Valkyrie is one of the best AR-15 cartridges ever made. This is due to the performance characteristics that set it apart from other cartridges.
Hitting targets accurately at long range is fun. Therefore, testing and reviewing this high-quality cartridge was fun. If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend that you try the .224 Valkyrie at a range with enough distance to really put it through its paces.
If you had the pleasure of shooting the .224 Valkyrie let us know your thaughts in the comment section below.
What a bunch of nonsense. .224 can be decent under certain circumstances. It took me a lot of work to design loads. Many of my loads are now standards. The industry, severely let us down with this caliber. They failed to do basic research or testing.
The only way I ever got sub moa accuracy was when I worked up handloads. This was after first trying Federal and Hornady factory loads. 224 Valkyrie never lived up to the hype for me.