224 Valkyrie ..? what is your opinion ?

[milprileb]

Gents,

On the subject of 224 Valkyrie off the standard AR platform. Has anyone mastered this caliber and proven its a 1000 yd accurate caliber ? If so , please shine some light on barrel length & Twist, load and brass life.

A friend of mine who put a White Oak barrel on his AR for this caliber, been load testing and shooting from 1000 yds has yet to see credible accuracy and his brass is short lived. He is a great shot and very experienced reloader using Berger and Lapua components. Others at our club are getting 2 to 3MOA
from this caliber at 1000 yds which begs in my mind if this caliber is as good as Federal advertised two years ago. Seems I never hear of performance any more on internet.

Thank you in advance /

 

[Ledzep]

From what I've seen it's a very touchy cartridge. I tried helping a couple friends with them and from what I recall, RL-15 was the only way to get the 88-90gr bullets to work.

Much easier to get to shoot with 75-77gr bullets, which kind of kills the buzz over a .223/5.56 in an AR.

 

[GetReal]

Everyone I've talked to has had a hard time getting it much better than 1.5 @ 100yd.

I've got my bolt Valkyrie at under 2" at 400 yd with 80.5 Bergers. And 85.5 Bergers a little larger than that. It took me 750 rounds fired to find the right load. 1:7 twist. 2980 fps with 5-7 SD's. AR-Comp powder.

 

[Southpaw Shooter]

I just built one on a Savage 10 action and it's an awesome shooter. Still breaking it in and working on load development but what I have shot so far is working great. This picture is a 10 shot group at 200 yards with 68gr Hornady HPBT and RL15 while dialing in the scope. Currently working on loads with 75gr and waiting on my 88gr to arrive. This is a 26 inch 1-7 twist McGowen barrel.

 

[Steel+Killer]

I bought the 224V Kool-Aid wish I hadn't......never could get it to taste right.....LOL

 

[tomcatfan]

I just built one on a Savage 10 action and it's an awesome shooter. Still breaking it in and working on load development but what I have shot so far is working great. This picture is a 10 shot group at 200 yards with 68gr Hornady HPBT and RL15 while dialing in the scope. Currently working on loads with 75gr and waiting on my 88gr to arrive. This is a 26 inch 1-7 twist McGowen barrel.

To each his own but a 224V out of a bolt gun is completely useless. Out of an AR, maybe. I get better results than what you are posting with a 223 rem using Lapua brass and 80gr eld’s. I have no problem getting to 1000 yds. If you aren’t mag limited like with an AR, there are FAR better options in a bolt gun. 223 rem and 6mm creedmoor just to name a few.

 

[TACC]

I just received my Krieger/ white oak 24 inch barrel. Going to start with some factory hornady 88 grns, then move from there.
I've already got long distance in 6.5, 308, 223, and 22 nosler, so was looking for a new challenge.

 

[Steel+Killer]

To each his own but a 224V out of a bolt gun is completely useless. Out of an AR, maybe. I get better results than what you are posting with a 223 rem using Lapua brass and 80gr eld’s. I have no problem getting to 1000 yds. If you aren’t mag limited like with an AR, there are FAR better options in a bolt gun. 223 rem and 6mm creedmoor just to name a few.

I agree 100% especially If you reload why not just go with a 22-250, it makes as much sense as a 300BLK out of a bolt as well.

 

[Triple D]

I’ve built 3 to date in AR platforms, one 22” 6.5t WOA and two 24” 1:7.5t Rainier Arms Ultramatch. All 3 have been under sub moa. For loads developed, I had a load figured out or damn close within 50rds or less. The WOA shoots the FGMM 90’s sub moa, as well as my handloads (80 eld’s and 95smk’s). I’ve ran the FGMM 90’s out to 850yds with repeatable hits; haven’t had the chance to go further.

The RA barrels shoot the 80elds, 80.5 and Bergers sub moa. I need to test the Berger 85.5’s a bit more, but the first groups showed a lot of promise. I tried the FGMM 80.5’s yesterday and averaged .67moa across 20 shots. I then went to my club’s 500yd range and rang the 6 or 8” plate consistently, starting off with a first round hit using the velocity listed on the box and stacking the next 4 right on top of it.

For stretching out at 800+, I’d go with the 80elds over the 88/90’s. The BC and added velocity make for it to be a better option in most situations. Higher BC and weight doesn’t always mean the best ballistics.

The 80 eld’s like to be jumped 35 thou.
The 85.5’s like to be 15-30 thou.
The 80.5’s are like the 85.5’s, but seem to jump ok out to 50 thou from what I’ve seen.
Never loaded the 90’s because they just can’t be pushed fast enough to be worthwhile imo.

Brass will be trashed at 1-3loadings depending on how hot you run it.

The Valkyrie can work, just choose the right bullet with the appropriate reamer. That said, there are several other cartridges that will also work.

 

[Southpaw Shooter]

I've owned and shot most everything and like playing with different rounds. I even when back old-school and built a 221 Fireball, great little round and fun to shoot. Currently I'm waiting for my barrel maker to finish my 6.5 Grendel barrel as I'm going to build one of those as well. Besides I like to build obscure calibers and beat those "know-it-alls" with the latest and greatest store bought precision whatevers.

 

[briang7511]

agree with southpaw. enjoy shooting a different flavor. is it the most optimal 1000y caliber? NO. But i have others that are. I bought a craddock precision upper and it has performed great. it loves the cheap federal 75 tmj that easily plink away at 500yd and hit a 12in plate every time. i also use the 88eldm, still working a load that performs significantly better than box hornady, but box ammo isnt bad.

 

[fdkay]

To each his own but a 224V out of a bolt gun is completely useless. Out of an AR, maybe. I get better results than what you are posting with a 223 rem using Lapua brass and 80gr eld’s. I have no problem getting to 1000 yds. If you aren’t mag limited like with an AR, there are FAR better options in a bolt gun. 223 rem and 6mm creedmoor just to name a few.

I've seen this basic comment in regards to several cartridges like the 6.8, 6.5 grendel, .224 valk.
According to that line of thinking ANY bolt action in .222, .223 etc... Are stupid.
A bolt gun in .308, .243, .260, 6.5 cm are also stupid since the .308 was originally a military round used in a semi/full auto rifle.
You get improved performance without the barrel burning of a 22-250.
I easily get 3100 fps with 80 grain bullets in my .22 nosler bolt gun.
How's that compare to your .223?

 

[Long Range 338]

The 224 Valkyrie is a nice little round. I bought a cheap upper and with the American Eagle stuff it shoots about MOA. I came to the table with no expectations and haven't been disappointed. First time out I wasn't even properly zeroed and was making hits out to 900 yards. I'm not an AR guy per se but its fun as hell. I've not shot the 88gr ELD load yet but don't see any need to, if I want to shoot to 1200 yards I'm gonna grab a rifle I am more capable with.

It seems the expectation is the Valkyrie is some kind of magic pill that is fast as hell and accurate as a benchrest rifle. The numbers were always out there and it is what it is. There is the whole public fiasco about chambers, bullets, and barrel twist but while many floundered many were successful.... I'm not sure if the expectation is too high or the hype too much from Federal? My experience is that the 224 Valkyrie is a worthwhile investment for what it is.

 

[Ledzep]

In my experience with others' rifles it wasn't uncommon to get 2-5 MOA results with the heavies. I think that's where the disappointment lies. 1-1.5 MOA most folks are fine with an AR. But for something supposedly meant to run heavy bullets, it seems to be extremely picky.

And again, with 75gr bullets I don't think anyone has issues, but it does beg the question if it's really worth it over 75-77gr .223. Performance vs. cost vs. availability.

 

[tomcatfan]

I've seen this basic comment in regards to several cartridges like the 6.8, 6.5 grendel, .224 valk.
According to that line of thinking ANY bolt action in .222, .223 etc... Are stupid.
A bolt gun in .308, .243, .260, 6.5 cm are also stupid since the .308 was originally a military round used in a semi/full auto rifle.
You get improved performance without the barrel burning of a 22-250.
I easily get 3100 fps with 80 grain bullets in my .22 nosler bolt gun.
How's that compare to your .223?

How many threads on this forum do you see for building rifles in .222? How many factory bolt action rifles do you see in the U.S. in .222 vs .223. You are making my point.

If you want to talk 30 cal projectiles, I would say it would be equally as silly to buy a 30-06 bolt gun just to shoot WWII loads out of it. Granted, modern 30-06 loads pack way more of a punch compared to what they did 70 years ago. But if you wanted to shoot m1 garand 30-06 loads, the 308 win does just about the same thing.

And your .22 nosler, 22-250, and 22 creedmoore are in a different conversation than 224V. How many small frame AR's are shooting those rounds. The 224V was purpose built for small frame AR's. Bolt guns, not so much.

 

[fdkay]

How many threads on this forum do you see for building rifles in .222? How many factory bolt action rifles do you see in the U.S. in .222 vs .223. You are making my point.

If you want to talk 30 cal projectiles, I would say it would be equally as silly to buy a 30-06 bolt gun just to shoot WWII loads out of it. Granted, modern 30-06 loads pack way more of a punch compared to what they did 70 years ago. But if you wanted to shoot m1 garand 30-06 loads, the 308 win does just about the same thing.

And your .22 nosler, 22-250, and 22 creedmoore are in a different conversation than 224V. How many small frame AR's are shooting those rounds. The 224V was purpose built for small frame AR's. Bolt guns, not so much.

No. You are failing to comprehend the point.
The .308 was specifically designed for military use in a grepeating rifle and machine guns, ergo, according your definition, bolt guns chambered in .308 are stupid.
In addition, please explain to me what the philosophy was in designing .22 nosler?
And you still haven't told me the performance benefits of the .223 over the .22nosler.gas operated

 

[Steel+Killer]

No. You are failing to comprehend the point.
The .308 was specifically designed for military use in a grepeating rifle and machine guns, ergo, according your definition, bolt guns chambered in .308 are stupid.
In addition, please explain to me what the philosophy was in designing .22 nosler?
And you still haven't told me the performance benefits of the .223 over the .22nosler.gas operated

I think the reason 308 makes sense in a bolt gun is because it has enough case capacity to push .30 cal bullets of a given weight as fast needed for specific applications when you don't need or want the velocity/recoil of a cartridge that could push said bullet faster. Take for example a 300BLK in a bolt, to me that would only make sense if you were going to shoot it subsonic / suppressed all the time. In that case then why not go with a smaller case that will get the job done. Back to the 224V it was designed to push a .224 bullet as fast as possible with sub MOA accuracy out of a AR platform rifle. IMO I just don't see its usefulness in a bolt rifle.

 

[fdkay]

I think the reason 308 makes sense in a bolt gun is because it has enough case capacity to push .30 cal bullets of a given weight as fast needed for specific applications when you don't need or want the velocity/recoil of a cartridge that could push said bullet faster. Take for example a 300BLK in a bolt, to me that would only make sense if you were going to shoot it subsonic / suppressed all the time. In that case then why not go with a smaller case that will get the job done. Back to the 224V it was designed to push a .224 bullet as fast as possible with sub MOA accuracy out of a AR platform rifle. IMO I just don't see its usefulness in a bolt rifle.

So then, what is the use of a .223 bolt gun. The cartridge was specifically designed for the AR platform, therefore it makes no sense to put it in a bolt action.
Look, the reason for it doesn't matter. Notwithstanding the fact that some folks are prohibited from owning self loading rifles, a bolt gun in .224 makes sense.
You have increased performance without the governor of a .22-250 available in factory ammunition.
When's the last time you saw .22-250 FACTORY ammo loaded with 80-90 grain bullets?

 

[tomcatfan]

I think the reason 308 makes sense in a bolt gun is because it has enough case capacity to push .30 cal bullets of a given weight as fast needed for specific applications when you don't need or want the velocity/recoil of a cartridge that could push said bullet faster. Take for example a 300BLK in a bolt, to me that would only make sense if you were going to shoot it subsonic / suppressed all the time. In that case then why not go with a smaller case that will get the job done. Back to the 224V it was designed to push a .224 bullet as fast as possible with sub MOA accuracy out of a AR platform rifle. IMO I just don't see its usefulness in a bolt rifle.

Exactly, I agree 100%. I thought of building a 300 blk bolt gun and shooting suppressed with it. I abandoned that idea when I found that trailboss is a great powder for subsonic 308. Given trailboss and 308, 300 blk in a bolt gun made as much sense to me as 224V in a bolt gun.

No. You are failing to comprehend the point.
The .308 was specifically designed for military use in a grepeating rifle and machine guns, ergo, according your definition, bolt guns chambered in .308 are stupid.
In addition, please explain to me what the philosophy was in designing .22 nosler?
And you still haven't told me the performance benefits of the .223 over the .22nosler.gas operated

If I remember correctly the 308 was designed to replace the 30-06 in repeating rifles. The 308 had very similar performance to 30-06 at the time and required smaller frames for the rifles. 308 was designed to push the same bullets at similar speeds in a smaller cartridge. The 308 is way more efficient than the 30-06.

That is not the case for 224v. 224v is not designed to shoot the 55 gr class bullet. The 223 wasn’t designed to shoot 90 gr bullets.

I can’t speak to 22 nosler. I don’t know much about it. However, in a small frame AR, 224V has a significant performance advantage over 223. When magazine length restrictions go away, like when using a bolt gun, that advantage goes away. That’s all I’m saying.

 

[Lowlight]

I love it in bolt action and shoot it all the time

The bullet is the same as a 6.5CM to about 500 yards, 600 yards here, and then changes a little bit

You all just went the wrong direction early on and didn;t listen. Sure the 90gr was an issue, but it works great in the better rifles.

The first week the Hornady 88s came out I top 15th a match with a 224V, and in Oct I shot the Competition Dynamics Team Safari with a 224V and it's clear how easy it was. Top 20 there as a last-minute addition shooting JP 224V.

And I have shot the 224V to beyond 2000 yards with success,

my Valkyries all rock but I paid attention and can actually shoot a semi-auto unlike most others out there, it's a 223AI without effort or work. And nobody out there is saying a 223AI is shit, which is odd

People keep going back to the original problem which has been solved, the 90gr bullet was changed, the reamers were updated if you are smart and there is no drama with a valkyrie

I am using a Gain Twist Barrel and even the old bad 90gr works in my rifles, nothing is shooting 1/2 MOA with either of my rigs
If you can't a Valkyrie to work it is you.

They work great

 

[HayStax]

If you don’t like it don’t buy one, pretty fuckin simple solution.

My Q Mini Fix shoots .75” MOA or better with factory Hornady match 88s and around that with Hornady factory 60 VMAX. I can consistently kill ground squirrels at 300 yds. Ammo is relatively cheap. My wife and son enjoy ringing steel at distance.

Can other calibers do the same things? Sure. But I find the 224V more versatile than most 22 calibers

 

[Lowlight]

Bolt Action Valkyrie with Factory Ammo

800 Yards with a Valkyrie

If you can't shoot it, don't pick something else,

 

[Long Range 338]

So then, what is the use of a .223 bolt gun. The cartridge was specifically designed for the AR platform, therefore it makes no sense to put it in a bolt action.
Look, the reason for it doesn't matter. Notwithstanding the fact that some folks are prohibited from owning self loading rifles, a bolt gun in .224 makes sense.
You have increased performance without the governor of a .22-250 available in factory ammunition.
When's the last time you saw .22-250 FACTORY ammo loaded with 80-90 grain bullets?

Agreed.

224 Valkyrie vs 223 and 22-250 - the Valkyrie is designed for the heavier bullets

224 Valkyrie and 22 CM are both designed for heavy bullets and long range. I see the Valkyrie as an affordable factory round for practice that is ballistically similar to the 6.5 CM. The 22 CM is for all out performance, damn the expense or barrel cost.

 

[C Renz]

Well Frank's rifle seems to be on. Yut!

 

[NY700]

I have a 24” craddock precision upper. It is a solid 1/2moa rifle and I’ve had no issues out to 800 yards. I have not had the chance to run it to 1K or beyond yet.

my last range session I did have an odd issue I’ve not seen before and it started short stroking and literally ripping off the ballistic tips on the 88gr hornady eldm bullets.

 

[GetReal]

I've seen this basic comment in regards to several cartridges like the 6.8, 6.5 grendel, .224 valk.
According to that line of thinking ANY bolt action in .222, .223 etc... Are stupid.
A bolt gun in .308, .243, .260, 6.5 cm are also stupid since the .308 was originally a military round used in a semi/full auto rifle.
You get improved performance without the barrel burning of a 22-250.
I easily get 3100 fps with 80 grain bullets in my .22 nosler bolt gun.
How's that compare to your .223?

Yup ! Why 224 Valkyrie in bolt ?

Bcuz it shoots good and bcuz I want to.

 

[Lowlight]

They why is

No recoil
No heat
Cheap to Shoot
Longer Barrels to get better performance
Long barrel life

I won't mention accuracy because some of you have issues with it, but done correctly they shoot.

Craddock has it right, MHSA is doing me solid, JP has it Right

The fact the bargain makers are taking longer to figure it out is, they are cutting corners to save you money and it's not working. Cutting corners with a AR in 223 is one thing, in other calibers you might not get away with it, clealry

 

[Ridenemwild]

I personally think the 6.5 grendel is a better choice than 224v. Have yet to see a 224v that shoots well thats not a custom build.

 

[Lowlight]

JP is not a custom, factory gun with no upgrades or changes.

I went to AK with my JP 224V and had them grab me 75gr American Eagle at $8 a box in Alaska

I went the range to zero it and was like WTF because there was only one hole in the paper, so I moved my POA up a tick to see if it changed, well yes,

This is 3 shots, not 2, made me laugh at all the complainers

Pretty funny the factory guns that people jumped on early was a Savage and it didn't work, well you bought a Savage before they figured out their stuff was wrong

 

[Ridenemwild]

No doubt that a JP rifle shoots well. At a touch over $2k price tag i would expect nothing less (and the few i have had the pleasure to handle have not disappointed) but you are still in the custom range in my opinion. Thats like saying one of your AIs are a standard factory gun. Yes they are made in a factory. No they arent average guns.

 

[GetReal]

No doubt that a JP rifle shoots well. At a touch over $2k price tag i would expect nothing less (and the few i have had the pleasure to handle have not disappointed) but you are still in the custom range in my opinion. Thats like saying one of your AIs are a standard factory gun. Yes they are made in a factory. No they arent average guns.

I guess I dont expect mass produced rifles to shoot like custom guns..

 

[tomcatfan]

And I have shot the 224V to beyond 2000 yards with success,

Honest question: How do you track hits and misses at that kind of range with something as small as 224V? I'm having problems tracking my 223 at 1000, I can't imagine 2x that.

 

[Lunchbox27]

No doubt that a JP rifle shoots well. At a touch over $2k price tag i would expect nothing less (and the few i have had the pleasure to handle have not disappointed) but you are still in the custom range in my opinion. Thats like saying one of your AIs are a standard factory gun. Yes they are made in a factory. No they arent average guns.

You don’t have to spend JP money to get an accurate/working 224 Valk, but don’t get a PSA upper/rifle and think you are going to sling them in the same hole.

Call up Craddock Precision and get one of his uppers. Throw it on your lower and enjoy the smile. If you want a Bartlein or Rock Creek, he has those too... but my Criterion is a hammer with the cheap 75 grain ammo or the 88 ELD ammo.

 

[Lunchbox27]

Honest question: How do you track hits and misses at that kind of range with something as small as 224V? I'm having problems tracking my 223 at 1000, I can't imagine 2x that.

He has a monkey in a helicopter that hovers over the target and radios back the data

 

[Ridenemwild]

I guess I dont expect mass produced rifles to shoot like custom guns..

I expect any modern rifle to shoot 5 shots inside 1 moa with ammo that it likes. And most are fully capable of this. Yes with cheaper options you run a larger risk of getting a lemon but more often than not this is not an unattainable goal.

 

[Lowlight]

I see hits no problem,

I had the Army guys at my Range for the Gathering last year 2nd round impact on demand in front of a crowd

Again this goes back to competence, a 224V is not a 223, it's different requires a different approach

I posted the videos you can see them clearly

All Valkyrie Hits

One Mile

2000 yards

Recovered Bullets

Seeing and spotting

 

[acudaowner]

I enjoyed shooting the 224 but with little chance to stretch the distance out I like the per shot cost of my 223 a lot more , and as I do not yet reload I have no experience on how easy or fickle they could be . The cost of factory ammo is more than the 223 and just slightly less than the 308 which I also enjoy . I found little to complain about it if I was shooting correctly and doing my job it was slightly harder to spot misses than the 308 but the holes are tiny on paper . On steel It was great enough of a mark to see pretty clearly on scrap paper .

 

[Lowlight]

2112 Yards


The key takeaway from both my videos, me calling splashes and hits in real-time, a few are confusing, but not all, we are able to resolve most in real-time.

 

[Steel+Killer]

There is that saying "You only get one chance to make a first impression" I think the biggest problem with the 224V is it didn't live up to the hype when it first came out and left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouth after a lot of time, money and effort put into it. I am not trying to talk anyone out of it glad the kinks have been worked out and its working great for some for me personally I will never do a bolt rifle with it, but I may readdress it in a AR.
Happy Shooting Gents!

 

[Jackomason]

Just finished up my 80gr load for my origin w/26" 1/7 twist.

This group was 1.25" tall @ 500 yards and wind was 6-10 mph.

I have no doubt this load is going to do great at 1k.

This was just playing around shooting fast.

The wind cheater & large target was for the sake of load development.

 

[Lowlight]

The initial screw up by Federal is a valid point,

but I jumped on it quick and when I did JP straight up said to me, avoid the 90s right now and I did. While I have shot them and have a case of the original ammo that was given to me. I never went that direction because the warning signs were clear.

once the changes were made, that issue was put to bed.

the issue was all the non shooting, poorly informed users who tried to blame the twist rate. Idiots and their I’ll informed opinions lead to the enhancement of the confusion on the subject and extended the problem.

the main issue, guys want to default to the heaviest bullet in class, this I speak about all the time in my podcast, heavies are not always the right answer, but hard headed fools keep chasing it, then wonder why it’s not as good as advertised

 

[GetReal]

I expect any modern rifle to shoot 5 shots inside 1 moa with ammo that it likes. And most are fully capable of this. Yes with cheaper options you run a larger risk of getting a lemon but more often than not this is not an unattainable goal.

I don't.

I've shot / seen others shoot too many rifles that won't. Or the shooter isn't capable of teh rifle's potential.

"You" want custom accuracy? Man up and pay a custom price. Don;t expect cheap guns to do 'spensive work.

 

[Steel+Killer]

I don't.

I've shot / seen others shoot too many rifles that won't. Or the shooter isn't capable of teh rifle's potential.

"You" want custom accuracy? Man up and pay a custom price. Don;t expect cheap guns to do 'spensive work.

1 MOA is not expecting to much from a modern factory rifle shooting modern factory match ammo. If you think that's custom rifle territory then I got some "custom" Tikkas that I will sell you for just a little under "custom" price. You are going to be very happy they shoot just a little under 1 MOA.

 

[Lowlight]

The point he is making,

you are making decisions in the dark, when a guy claims nothing factory shoots less than 1 MOA we have put that in context. For all we know he is a hot mess of a shooter who spends all his time shooting failure drills as fast as possible than talking accuracy.

the benefit of teaching mostly beginner classes you see that most people are really a hot mess when it comes to consistency

a bolt action is 3x more forgiving to shoot,, and all these guys are talking ARs, the majority of AR shooters suck when it comes to executing the fundamentals with a semi auto platform

combine that with all the, what’s the point posts above, these are the last people I would personally take advice from.

 

[Triple D]

No doubt that a JP rifle shoots well. At a touch over $2k price tag i would expect nothing less (and the few i have had the pleasure to handle have not disappointed) but you are still in the custom range in my opinion. Thats like saying one of your AIs are a standard factory gun. Yes they are made in a factory. No they arent average guns.

I’m using sub 450$ barrels on my AR’s and I’m getting sub moa performance. RA was selling their barrels for 224$ the other month. Ppl getting BCA and Palmetto state barrels or other out of spec barrels and expecting great precision are the issues.

It’s not the cartridge, it’s the barrel and reamer that makes or breaks this cartridge.

 

[Lowlight]

When I shot Team safari we paid attention to the 223 vs the 224, it was easily 5 to 1

guys with 223s were taking 5 more shots on average to hit the targets I dropped with 1 shot,

we had an apples to apples view and it was easy to see.

 

[GetReal]

For me ONLY (others do whatever works for you) -

I've seen lots of factory rifles NOT hold MOA. Sure some can. But its a crap shoot.

After all the testing and ammo purchased and range trips (My time IS $$$) ....I'd rather just buy a custom rifle from a reputable builder who stands WITH his work and know its gonna shoot from the drop, than to roll the dice, end up with a dog and then hafta sell the piece of crap to some unsuspecting sap (yeah, REAL nice :| ) or take the financial loss myself. And honestly, ONLY shooting moa *IS* a dog, far as I'm concerned.

But... you do you.

 

[Steel+Killer]

 

[Ridenemwild]

For me ONLY (others do whatever works for you) -

I've seen lots of factory rifles NOT hold MOA. Sure some can. But its a crap shoot.

After all the testing and ammo purchased and range trips (My time IS $$$) ....I'd rather just buy a custom rifle from a reputable builder who stands WITH his work and know its gonna shoot from the drop, than to roll the dice, end up with a dog and then hafta sell the piece of crap to some unsuspecting sap (yeah, REAL nice :| ) or take the financial loss myself. And honestly, ONLY shooting moa *IS* a dog, far as I'm concerned.

But... you do you.

Yes it absolutely is a crap shoot when buying a factory rifle (some less so than others) but not all applications need a custom bolt gun. My ruger is alot more at home in my jeep riding though the woods than my semi custom Rem 700. There are piles of tikkas, remingtons, savages, and rugers that will shoot 1 moa.

 

[Jackomason]

But if you keep an eye on the Facebook groups the valkyrie gets so much flak for its accuracy. Daily people ask about BCA, PSA and what ever other budget AR mfg. you can think of. And more often than not people dont ask they just buy and ask "did I do good?".

Just because cheap works for a blaster (sometimes) doesnt mean itll make little groups. I know we all understand this but the folks peddling this crap dont. A large part of this is a crappy chamber in a crappy barrel and that will make this caliber finicky as so many have claimed it is. If you plan to shoot 5-7k rounds then spend the money on a $400+ barrel. Look up the PSA PA65, trust me it's not the caliber.

Honestly the only real knock on the Valkyrie is its 55k PSI limit for regular brass life. At that point is it that much better then the 223ai for a reloader? Dont know...