224 Valkyrie “Here to stay or flash in the pan?”

Let me just start by saying “Game changer”  well there you have it, one of the most overused terms in the firearm industry.   This term gets thrown around so often it has become a parody. I remember a little over a year ago hearing this and speculating with a friend what company X could possibly be releasing that would be so revolutionary.  I was hoping for some new form of propellant, but instead I just got some new tips for my projectiles. (Joking aside though I do enjoy shooting the new bullets and think they are quite good.)  I will not tell you the .224 Valkyrie is going to change the AR-15 long range game, but I will say that it may have some things going for it few other cartridges do.  

Here is a brief description of this cartridge.  It is based off of the 6.8 SPC round.  It has been necked down to .224” the shoulder is steeper at 30 degrees and the length to datum at the shoulder is shorter.  Federal is claiming it will push a 90 Sierra Matchking at 2700 feet per second.  

It seems like the AR-15 platform is riddled with wildcat cartridges that just never gained traction, 30 ar, 25-45 sharps, 7.62x40 WT, .450 bushmaster, and I could go on.  There have also been a few cartridges that have managed carve out a niche for themselves, .300 blackout, 6.5 grendel, and to a lesser extent 6.8spc.   Why so many cartridges for the AR platform you may ask, and why are some successful and some languish in obscurity?   First the AR itself is like the lego set of the gun world. You get to add parts and pieces where you want how you want so, the appeal of being able to swap an upper and get a new set of capabilities is just too tempting to resist.  Why are  some cartridges successful and some not?  If we examine the cartridges I mentioned earlier we will see some common trends with the successful ones.  First components were readily available in the early stages, which meant reloading and experimenting with them was reasonably cheap and easy.   Having an ample amount of components also kept the price for factory ammo down.  Second, each had the support of large company.  Bill Alexander, a brilliant firearms designer and stand-up guy, had support from the brass giant Lapua before he even launched the Grendel at shot in 2004.  The blackout was created by Advanced Armament Company and thusly had the support of Remington/Freedom Arms Group right out of the gate.  Finally the successful new cartridges offered something that appealed to a wide range of AR shooters that had not previously been offered.  The 6.5 could shoot beyond 1000 yard and had better exterior ballistics than some .308 rounds.  The .300blk could be reliably suppressed with heavy projectiles or shoot lighter bullets to mimic the knock down power of the 7.62x39 AK round.  

As I mentioned earlier AR15s are the legos of the gun world you can build them up to do just about whatever you want.  Want to shoot hyper fast projectiles at prairie dogs?  There is a cartridge for that.  Want to shoot a thick skinned boar?  There is a cartridge for that.  Personally, I have even taken an Alaskan Black Bear with the platform.  The ironic thing about this game, however, is once you start playing it you quickly realize that those new capabilities are hampered by one common limitation, mag length.  2.26 inches seems to be the not so magic number.  Even if you go with the coveted HK magazine the extra $50 only buys you about .04 inches, and those can’t feed the fatter cartridges.  The Valkyrie has addressed this limitation very intelligently.  The folks over at Federal first identified what they wanted their new cartridge to do.  They wanted it to be the best long range cartridge you could stuff into the AR15 platform.   There are 2 primary factors necessary to achieve this ballistic superiority, velocity and ballistic coefficient.  The latter being the primary driver.  Knowing this they looked for the most streamlined bullet that would still leave enough room for powder.  The 90gr smk was that bullet.  Now comes the part I really appreciate.  Unlike the 22 Nosler which prioritizes powder capacity, the Valkyrie put the focus on making enough room for the bullet while still staying under that 2.26” mark and let the powder capacity fall where it may.  Thusly the shoulder is set back significantly to accommodate the lengthy projectile.  This leaves less room for powder which leads to slower muzzle velocities but the higher BC for the longer projectiles being used allow the Valkyrie to outpace its competition somewhere around the 300 yard mark.

So back to the Valkyrie, If you buy the new barrel, bolt, and magazines you need to shoot the .224 Valkyrie will you be the envy of all you your shooting buddies because you have an AR-15 that can reach out past 1000 yards, or will you be the butt of the jokes a year from now because you bought into some “fad” cartridge that died off leaving you with a bunch of parts you never use. In the interest of full disclosure, I may not be the guy to take advice from on this subject since I have chased the tail of a few failed wildcats, or maybe my experience has made me all the wiser.  You decide.  

To speculate on the future we have to look athe the past.  So what does the .224 Valkyrie have to offer.  Well quite a bit if federal can live up to their claims.  The initial match/long range load is the 90gr Sierra Matchking leaving the muzzle at 2700 fps, which gives this cartridge an edge over even the 6.5 grendel regarding external ballistics. Ok, so the cartridge’s performance  sounds enticing but will it be able to stick around?  Most likely yes the AR15 market is huge and long range shooting is one of the fastest growing shooting sports, so targeting both of those markets Federal should find some demand for their new cartridge.  Finally, Federal is part of a larger group called ATK also know as Vista Outdoor, and they have deep pockets and lots of resources available concerning both R&D and ammunition manufacturing capacity.  What this will lead to is a well thought out cartridge that doesn’t die on the drawing board.  ATK already has 4 factory ammunition offerings slated to be released as well as several complete rifles, so it looks like there will be plenty of commercial offerings, which leads to increased popularity which leads to longevity. 

So, will this cartridge stick around?  Yes.  WIth a steady rise in the amount of shooters getting into the long range game and the boom in the AR-15 world in the past 10 years this cartridge will appeal to a lot of folks.  If it performs as advertised it will be the best performing factory round (regarding exterior ballistics) to ever leave the muzzle of an AR-15.  I can honestly say as a long range shooter I am excited to see what the future holds for this purpose driven cartridge.

Written by Author/Content Provider, Marcus Hom

Custom Action (Defiance Deviant) and Accuracy International AT/AX Action Comparison.

Garrett Gee
2/6/17

Choosing an action or rifle can arguably, be the single most difficult decision a shooter can make.  The other difficult choice is that of choosing an optic, which will be covered another time.  Breaking this choice down even further is choosing an action, hence the title.  This isn’t meant to be a versus article or a review but more a comparison, looking at the pros and cons of each.  Here I will focus primarily on the short action variety as they are most often used for competition.  Choosing an action is very much a personal preference.  My aim is to give you some insight into how I made that choice and some considerations when you choose yours.



Pattern

For the most part there are only two choices when choosing which “pattern” action you’d like to choose.  That of the 700 or it’s clones or an AI pattern.  Some companies such as Badger Ordnance or American Rifle Co. have attempted to blend several different models of action with varying degrees of success.

700 “Clones”
The two most popular models of 700 pattern custom actions are the Defiance Deviant and Surgeon 591.  There are many other actions out there but these two are the most popular custom actions on the precision rifle circuit right now.  I have owned both and both are stellar actions.  The Deviants are more blocky in their shape and thus feel a bit more robust, while the Surgeon 591 is rather traditional looking with exception to the bolt design.  The largest benefit of the 700 pattern custom actions is that the list of aftermarket parts and accessories is seemingly endless.  For example, an individual can choose a Manners or McMillan stock if they feel they like the look and feel of the traditional style stocks.  They can choose any number of chassis systems if the shooter wants more adjustability out of the stock.  If the shooter wants the look of an AI rifle but likes the feel of the Surgeon 591 or Deviant actions, AI has a chassis that the barreled action can be dropped into.  If the shooter wants the look of an M2010 rifle, Cadex makes a chassis for that.  

Accuracy International AT/AX
The AT/AX action is essentially an AW action with a quick change barrel options.  The quick change barrel allows for caliber swaps on the short action rifles to occur in about 1 minute with only one tool.  This is a huge benefit for those who run hot loads and run the risk of piercing primers.  For me the benefit is being able to have a practice 6.5 Creedmoor barrel and a competition 6.5 Creedmoor barrel that can be quickly swapped out.  I also have a .308 barrel that can be used for cheap practice or deer hunting should I choose.  Now barrel changes can be done at home with 700 pattern actions though it is a little more time consuming and involved but totally doable.  

Another benefit of the AT/AX action is it’s durability.  This action is not designed for the competition, it was designed primarily as a sniper rifle intended for the battlefield.  It’s design has translated well for competition use but that is coincidence more than design in my opinion.  The AI action is designed to take a beating and work in every environment imaginable.  I shoot in a place known for bitter cold winters and a team that prides itself on being “Kings of the North”.  I’ve shot my AT in sub-zero degree weather with zero sluggishness in the bolt cycle or trigger issues.  Both of my Deviants had some bolt sluggishness, though I think that could possibly be remedied by switching to a different grease.

Stocks/Chassis

“700 Clones”
As mentioned above there are endless possibilities for which stock or chassis your custom action can ride in.  The list includes but is not limited to:

Manners
McMillan
MDT
McCrees
Accuracy International
Cadex
MPA

Even Desert Tech has a prototype for a 700 pattern chassis that has made an appearance at SHOT show for a couple of years.

The only downside to this, is that to use some of these stock or chassis, they may or may not need to be inlet for your specific action.  

Accuracy International AT/AX
There are really only two chassis options for the Accuracy International pattern rifles.  The AT rifles come with a AW style stock that has a pistol grip, though there's a “thumbhole” skin set available for the AI AT chassis. The cheek piece and but stock adjusts much like traditional style stocks.  There are mounting capabilities on the stock for accessories at the 3, 6 and 9 positions as well as the ability to mount an NVD rail to the top of the stock if needed.

The AX chassis is on a whole different level itself.  Rather than a traditional style forend AI opted for a shorter front grip and a long fore end tube that has their proprietary key slot adapters that can be added to mount accessories such as bipods, range finders and red dots.  The top of the tube can be modified with a full length 20 MOA night vision rail that aligns with the 20 MOA optic rail on the action.  The butt stock is full adjustable for comb height, length of pull and shoulder pocket angle.  The stock also folds to the right capturing the bolt for a small signature.

Bolts

The biggest difference between the two is that the 700 clones use a 90* bolt throw while Accuracy International actions use a 60*  I like the 60* better due to its speed but the bolt does get hung up on clothing a little bit easier than the 90* bolts on the 700 clones.
The 700 clones are slightly easier on the bolt lift as well, though the difference is hard to pick up.  The AI bolts are extremely easy and require no tools to disassemble which is a nice bonus.  The AI’s also have a  3 position safety on the bolt as well.

Magazines

Both types of action accept the nearly universally accepted AI pattern magazines.  Though the AT and AX run on AW and AX magazines whereas the 700 pattern clones tend to run best on the AICS pattern AI mags.  Though some actions are cut for AW mags, I have had feeding issues in both of my Deviant actions running the AW pattern magazines.

Triggers

700 Clones
As with stocks, the options for triggers is endless for the 700 clone actions.  Timney seems to be the most popular.  However, Jewel and Huber Concepts triggers are also extremely popular.  

Accuracy International AT/AX
The AT and AX rifles use Accuracy International’s 2 stage drop in trigger.  The plus side to this trigger is that it is extremely robust and has a great pull weight and feel.  The downside to it is that only an AI certified armorer should be working on the weight adjustments.  However the trigger shoe position is user adjustable.



At the end of the day I went with the AI AX.  It matched what I needed in a rifle.  My shooting partner and girlfriend prefers the 700 clone actions.  The choice is totally personal and comes down to what type of features the shooter is looking for.  I hope this helps you make yours.