Going Scientific On 224 Valkyrie

Mr. Revolverguy and 224 Valkyrie History

For 3 years this rifle has sat in the back of the safe after firing 40 factory rounds thru it.

Fact of the matter is I was not as impressed as I thought I would be for such a build. Then again this was a build and not a major manufacturer, so a franken 224 Valkyrie it is.

Magpul PRS Gen3 Stock, Magpul MOE grip, Windham Weaponry Rifle Length Buffer Tube, Windham Weaponry Rifle Recoil Spring, CTS Aktive Recoil Buffer, Bushmaster Upper Receiver, Forward Assist, Anderson Lower Receiver, Magpul Curved Trigger Guard, Toolcraft BCG 6.8SPC, Windham Weaponry Lower Parts Kit, Larue MBT 2 Stage trigger, 24in Barrel Melonite, 5/8-24 3 prong flash hider, MLOC 12.5 Steel Barrel Nut, Magpul M-LOC Swivel mount, Fulton Armory Clamp on Steel Gas Block, Fulton Armory Rifle Length Gas Tub, 7075-T6 Forged Charging Handle

My good friend never let’s me go on a mission alone was able to get a 224 Valkyrie produced by Wilson.

More than anything I think I may have believed in the hype I had read on the internet about the 224 Valkyries troubles. Brass being unreloadable after 3 firings, barrel chambers being cut with out of spec reamers, you must have an adjustable gas block, Sierra’s 90gr bullets are not correct and out of spec, and it just goes on. Though our first outing could be considered a success I knew I was caught up in HYPE as I was focused more on speed myself over accuracy, which is totally opposite of my general stance, ACCURACY is always first in my book.

224 Valkyrie On Life Support

The first outing with reloads were ok it was not good at all with factory ammunition. My theory was because of Federal’s claims of launching heavy 90gr freedom pills at 2700 fps everyone was focused on speed and less on accuracy. Then Federal President made this statement,

“As with any product innovation that pushes performance boundaries, there are often adjustments that need to be made to the offering to continually improve. We have found that some of our Sierra 90-grain MatchKing rounds are not performing to the accuracy levels we expect. Although they are still shooting MOA out of our test barrels and will function to our specifications, we hold our Premium Gold Medal products to the highest standard. As a result, we are recommending the following products as we work to improve the MatchKing load …”

In response Sierra came out with their own statement,

“The Bulletsmiths at Sierra Bullets typically recommend a 6.5-inch twist barrel for the #9290 22 cal 90 gr HPBT bullet. However, for cartridges like the .224 Valkyrie that can push them over 2,650 fps muzzle velocity, a 7-inch twist barrel will stabilize the bullet correctly.”

Then came Retired Army Snipper Gillian who says the jackets were separating on the 90gr SMK’s because the jackets were to thin.

If this were not enough then it all came crashing down around me. One of my favorite reloading manual brands Lyman did not spend any ink at all on the 224 Valkyrie in their latest manuals. Understanding these were prior to the 224 Valkyrie becoming really hot, when you can’t find it any place else I have always counted on Lyman. I guess I was just looking for a reason.