.224 Valkyrie Ammo

.224 Valkyrie: In Depth

It’s pretty wild to read about the way certain cartridges were developed – it seems like everyone just followed the same unbeatable formula for decades. The recipe for success in the past was dead simple. Start tweaking an existing case as follows: neck it down, change the shoulder angle, try to stuff a little more powder in, and then (most important of all), reap the rewards. Lately, however, the real MVP of new cartridge design has been bullet tech. Bullets are just better now.

Specifically, VLD (very low drag) projectiles – which are long and heavy-for-caliber – have seriously impacted the way we all think about cartridge performance. Nowadays, thanks in part to these awesome bullets, there’s a lot of potential to be squeezed out every 0.010” of case length. Nowhere is that a better value proposition than in the AR-15 platform. The 2.260” OAL (overall length) limitation of the platform has spurred the development of cartridges big and small over the last few decades, including some that weren’t really meant to go that that far – fatties like .460 Bushmaster and .458 SOCOM, for example. Then middle of the roaders like .300 Blackout, and 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Grendel and 6mm ARC, and the spicy .22 caliber cousin of .223 Rem / 5.56 NATO: .22 Nosler. And, while each of these rounds was slated for some unique mission, the last four on the list all share at least one thing in common. They’re all good for shootin’ at far away stuff. 

At the tail end of 2017, Federal brought forth the .224 Valkyrie as the latest long-range addition to the AR-15’s compatible cartridge corps. The release, so soon after .22 Nosler’s earlier the same year, could not have been a coincidence. Unlike the .22 Nosler, which has no parent case, the Valkyrie is based on a necked-down 6.8 SPC case, but perhaps more importantly uses long and heavy bullets – maxing out at a considerable 90-gr., compared to 77-gr. for a heavyweight .223 Rem. Most loads stay supersonic far past 1,000-yds, with some only going transonic after 1,300-yds or so, which is comparable to the performance from 6.5 Grendel or 6mm ARC. Flatter trajectories vs. .223 Rem – with less recoil than the larger AR-15-compatibles – make this an appealing target cartridge. Many also see a medium-range / semi-auto varminting cartridge here, while others have had success with hogs and deer. Whether this one will ever achieve greatness, however, is hard to predict. Shooters are finicky, and there’s still other cases out there that haven’t gotten “the treatment” yet.

.224 Valkyrie: Guns

Guns in this chambering are certainly out there, but not in the biggest numbers. Since we’re talking about an AR-platform cartridge, the logical choice is one of the handful of ARs still being produced, or perhaps a complete upper. The main thing is, you’ll want to bring enough barrel to the fight. .224 Valkyrie will shine brightest out of a 22” or 24” barrel. In fact, this characteristic makes it a fine choice for chambering in a bolt gun – Savage, at one time, offered a bolt-action, but it might only be available on the used market at present. 

Semi-Auto Rifles

• Black Rain Ordnance Cardiac
• Bear Creek Arsenal BC-15
• Rock River Arms LAR-15M

Why Choose .224 Valkyrie?

This round makes a .22 caliber bullet go way out there – aided in no small measure by modern bullet designs. For target shooters, 1,300-yds or more before hitting the transonic barrier means this is an able performer for long shots. For hunters, small varmints up through coyotes and small deer are likely quarry. If things keep going the way they have been for the past few years, this might be a rare / boutique cartridge soon, so if you’re on the fence about grabbing an upper or a complete rifle, do it now! Who knows, though, this might be one of those “dark horse” rounds that comes back with a vengeance in fifteen years. If you want to shoot long in an AR without a lot of recoil, definitely check it out.

Target

• Low recoiling, flat and long shooting .22 caliber cartridge that runs in an AR-15.
• Stays supersonic out past 1,300-yds. with most loadings.

Hunting

• Small varmint up through coyote hunting, and even smaller deer with the correct load.

.224 Valkyrie: Ammo Brands and Loadings

There’s still a pretty good selection of loads for .224 Valkyrie: from 60-gr. to 90-gr. – mostly featuring HPBT projectiles. Almost all of them double as long-range target and varmint loads. Valkyrie’s original developer, Federal, also makes a 78-gr. TSX HP load for hunting deer that weigh in on the lighter side of the spectrum. The lightest of the crew featuring 60-gr. bullets really get some stink on ‘em: 3,300/fps, which is only a bit faster than the AR-15’s standard fare of 5.56 NATO. Valkyrie’s downrange energy blows 5.56 NATO out of the water, however.

Brands

• Federal, Hornady, Sierra

Standard Loading

• 90-gr. BTHP @ 2,700/fps

Bullet Types

• HPBT (Hollow Point Boat Tail) - Target, hunting
• Polymer Tip / Ballistic Tip - Target, hunting
• TMJ (Total Metal Jacket) - Target, varmint hunting

Bullet Weights

• 60-gr. - Target, hunting
• 69-gr. to 80-gr. - Target, hunting
• 88-gr. to 90-gr. - Standard loading, target, hunting

Velocities

• 60-gr. - 3,300/fps
• 69-gr. to 80-gr. - 2,800/fps to 3,100/fps
• 88-gr. to 90-gr. - 2,700/fps to 2,750/fps