224 Valkyrie rechamber from 1-9 twist Howa 223

[Perry41arms]

Good day all,

I know another 224 Valkyrie post.

I need some help from the gunsmiths here. I want to build a fun project.
I have a brand new Howa KRG Bravo 223 rem 1-9 twist stainless 24" bull barrel.
I want to convert it to a 224 Valkyrie and shoot the 70gr RDF. I know the cartridge was designed to have a 1-7 twist but I do not have the luxury of buying another barrel or shoot the expensive hornady/sierra bullets. I want this to be a plinking rifle out to 800 yards that is cheap to reload.

Now I want to know:
1) Is it possible ?
2) Will it stabilize?
3) willI be able to keep at least 23.75" of mu barrel

Unfortunately I am not living in the states so resources are scares in terms of barrels with the correct twist.

Thanks in advace

QUOTEREPLY

 

[XLR308]

Your simplest and most expedient path would be to rechamber to 22 Nosler since you wouldn't have to have the bolt face opened up.
The biggest problem with both the 224v and 22nosler is they are both shorter than your 223 chamber and would require you to have the barrel set back on either. Unless you have a very good gunsmith friend that is very reasonable on labor it may be best just to start with a new blank as your labor costs for changing your existing chamber and setting back the barrel may add up quickly as opposed to just having a new blank turned and chambered.
You could also recoup some cost by selling the factory barrel, it being chambered in 223 is a good thing as far as being easier to resell.

 

[supercorndogs]

Cartridges are not designed for twist rates, bullets are. 1 in 9 could be marginal with 70RDF. Only way to know for sure is to test it.

I deleted the rest of what I was typing because its what XLR308 typed.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

No offense man, but if hornady and sierra bullets are too expensive, and a barrel blank is too, then why spend the money to ream it to 224V for little to no gain over what the 223 can do? You're probably looking at $400 minimum by time you have the bolt face opened up and the extractor reworked assuming you confined someone that can/will do that on a Howa.

Sounds like a waste of money, I'd leave it 223 and run it.

 

[steve123]

Shoot the 223 until next year when the Rifle Co's have 224V offerings and mags made to feed the cartridge. Then sell the 223.

 

[BR7.62]

How about 223ai if you want a little more performance?
Still need set back but a lot easier conversion.
And way cheaper in many other ways.
No factory ammo though I don't think.

 

[Beeckie]

You’re probably not going to be able to get the original barrel of your howa to set the shoulder back.

 

[Matt @ LSI]

From a liability standpoint i cannot advise anyone alter a product from stock form.
with that said,
there are a few obstacles here
1. bolt face, extractor and ejection, i cant guarantee that ejection will go smoothly, havent tried this yet
2. setting back the barrel and rechambering. the shank on the howa isnt long enough to set back, these are sporter profiles. also rechambering a cold hammer forged barrel (from what i hear) isnt an ideal thing to do.

you may want to go the way of a pre-fit or having a gunsmith just spin you up a new barrel.
also, please consult with a competent gunsmith on this topic to avoid any issues.