224 Valkyrie, why not more interest?

[liber]

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[eaglemike]

I've been interested in this (Valk) cartridge for a while.

I took a look at the linked page on PTG and don't see a disclaimer about safety. There's been at least a couple of 6.8 SPC chamber designs out there.It could be there's a disclaimer due to these historical differences.
Good luck!

[sigstroker]

Maybe they're talking about in an AR because there's not a lot of metal left in the bolt face.

When the Valkyrie first came out I was all gung-ho about it, but then a lot of new rifles had mediocre accuracy. I don't know if that was because of twist or freebore, or what. If I were putting together that sort of rifle now, I would do 6 ARC. It uses more expensive bullets, but only a little more powder. You get more authority at the target by a big amount. There is bolt gun data that gives almost 2900 fps with 108 gr bullets.

[liber]

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[liber]

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[waveslayer]

The biggest issues the 224 had was bad ammo that was recalled, and subpar performance in regards to accuracy.

Yes you can hit at 2100 yds, saw that on the Hide and Frank is now pushing it big time.

There are tools that will work and the right tools make it that much easier. Is it the right tool for ELR ? No, but anything can hit at 2100 yards.... I'd prefer a 300 Norma, 33XC or maybe my .338 Norma AI, but my Grendel isn't my first choice.

For an all around plinking gun, they are great, but again it's who builds the AR. I've seen guys struggle to get there 224 to group worth a Biden Supporter. A total joke of performance, while my Grendel made some amazing groups as low as thr atrump employment numbers

My wife thinks I only have 3 guns

[liber]

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[sigstroker]

I guess I'm starting to see why this round is not more popular. It seems it's just not got a lot of punch. More than not it seems people are shooting the 224 Valkyrie at 600 - 1000 yards.

In the end it seems better to repurpose an LR-308 into 6.5 Creedmoor.

In my defense on not being up on this stuff, I really haven't gone to the rifle range in several years, so don't keep up on this stuff. But the video I saw shooting the 224 Valkyrie at over 2000 yards is not norm, best I can tell, which would explain it.

I am struggling to build a new home/shop to retire to, and won't be able to get to anything on my mills or lathes until I get the shop in...In the meantime I could slap together a 6.5 Creedmoore on an LR-308 with only a barrel, bolt, mag, and shoot it local at 200 yards.

To take a strange twist on this thread (barrel pun not intended), would a semi-auto Creedmoor build on an LR-308 receiver (DPMS) be able to reach out far enough for the ELR in Upper Lake, CA ? I don't have as much interest in shooting in the Bay Area, and up in Lake County where I'm building there is an outdoor range down near Middletown which I'm not sure how long is. Also the ELR in Upper Lake. Once I have my shop setup I can get some time to work on my bolt action, I have a couple tools to make and a couple parts to get still, but have most of what I need.

What do you guys say on a semi-auto?

Why? You can buy a whole bolt action for about what a bare autoloader receiver set costs.

[sigstroker]

Seems it really depends on what type of shooting one does.

I don't know if this makes sense or not, but my original plan was 6.5 Creedmoor using large primers, so that I could use the same reloads in DPMS style AR lower with a 6.5 Creedmoor upper. I was thinking since I like 308 for up to about 600 yards, it can get out to 1000...but the 6.5 Creedmoor could comfortably get out to 1500...so maybe I could use the same loads in semi-auto and bolt. Maybe that's far fetched?

Comfortably? Look up the ballistics with the barrel length you have planned. If it doesn't stay supersonic at a certain distance, I don't know if I would say "comfortably". I'm happy that the cheap Savage I bought a couple years ago has a 26" barrel though.

[liber]

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[ar15barrels]

Guys,

I did find the right reamer by calling PTG and speaking to Pete. I know some people don't care to use the PTG reamers and bolts, but they make the Redding reamers that they use for their dies, so I figure using the micrometer Reddings on a manual press on a barrel chambered with the PTG is going to get me a good match.

Is this still the case? I've seen that said in this forum over the past couple years.

As I said, this is really all about punching paper at 2000 yards, it just seems amazing that we can get a bullet out to that far with only 25 grains...

Here's the proper reamer for the 224 Valkyrie per Pete at PTG. He says everyone is using the SPC II.

https://pacifictoolandgauge.com/6-mm...er-reamer.html

6.8 SPCII is not a 224 valkrie.
224 Valkrie is a necked down 6.8SPC.

[ar15barrels]

Seems it really depends on what type of shooting one does.

I don't know if this makes sense or not, but my original plan was 6.5 Creedmoor using large primers, so that I could use the same reloads in DPMS style AR lower with a 6.5 Creedmoor upper. I was thinking since I like 308 for up to about 600 yards, it can get out to 1000...but the 6.5 Creedmoor could comfortably get out to 1500...so maybe I could use the same loads in semi-auto and bolt. Maybe that's far fetched?

In hindsight it probably would have been wiser to just have gone 338M had I known I wouldn't be shooting at the 200 yard range nowadays, but our State has taken the enjoyment out of it for me, and some of the folks at the range.

I'm going to try and meet LynnJr up in Upper Lake in a couple weeks with the NorCal ELR and check it out. That should give me a better idea of how a 6.5 Creedmoor vs 338 might work. I have a stock for short action, and a stock is a big part of a bolt action build.

You really want a bolt gun to be able to take advantage the extra pressure you can run with small primer 6.5 Creedmoor brass.
The 6.5 creedmoor is a little 6.5 case.
I would not waste the powder and primers to shoot a little 6.5 at 2100yds.
6.5 Creedmoor is about as done at 1400yds as a 224 valkrie is at 1000yds.

Take the right tool for the job.
The 338 Ackley is a good start.
From there, you will get even better performance with larger cases and shorter barrel lives.

[ar15barrels]

All this said, LynnJr offered me to meet with the NorCal ELR in Upper Lake in a couple weeks.
That will at least give me a chance to talk with some of the other shooters and understand what others are shooting for 2000+ to understand if the 6.5 Creedmoor is just the wrong choice and maybe I should jump tracks to a long action 338M...

I can save you the 2 weeks right now.
The 6.5 creedmoor is the wrong choice if you want to actually play the game.
Build a 32" 338 ackley as your "starter" 2000yd rifle.

You can certainly go try with a 6.5 creedmoor if that's what you have, but you will be that guy with the bald tires on his stock 1987 honda civic showing up at a track day.
You will enjoy your attempt but everyone else will be laughing behind your back.

[sigstroker]

There are lots of short-action cartridges with more reach than 6.5 Creedmoor. 6.5 PRC, the SAUM line, probably 6mm Creedmoor, and a bunch of others.

[kriller134]

224 Valkyrie, why not more interest?

Yes, I agree. But that doesn't give me the right to manufacture one myself, and that would require I purchase through an FFL which places me in the State database. I realize a bolt action is difficult, but people have built them and it is entirely possible to cut the cam action by hand. Aside from that one piece, all of the parts are available off the shelf, tools as well...for this reason sticking with a PTG bolt using PTG reamers with Redding dies seems a safe bet to me as PTG provides Redding with their reamers also.

Let's say I was to buy a completed bolt action receiver from PTG, you can get a blueprinted action for 338M for the same price or cheaper than the 6.5 Creedmoor from PTG. So that's what I would do. But this would require I invest in the long action stock/chassis.

The reason I want the short action to work for me is I have a chassis to use for a short action (AICS non-folder 1st gen, with pistol grrip skins), and the chassis is a big chunk of a bolt action build. I think it would be very difficult to charge anyone with illegal manufacturing for a bolt action receiver, but the State and Fed at this point is saying otherwise. None of this has been tried in court either, so at least some grey area on both sides, iMO. EDIT: AFAICT, the 6.5 Creedmoor is possibly the only short action cartridge that could get out to 2000 yards, unless the 224 Valkyrie can as I thought when I started this thread, but that is a fluke, IMO.

Without question, a bolt action rifle will most likely be the last firearm to be illegal in all states, not just California.

All this said, LynnJr offered me to meet with the NorCal ELR in Upper Lake in a couple weeks. That will at least give me a chance to talk with some of the other shooters and understand what others are shooting for 2000+ to understand if the 6.5 Creedmoor is just the wrong choice and maybe I should jump tracks to a long action 338M...

You might wanna reconsider PTG. Do your research on them. Also, for a couple hundred more you can get a Zermatt origin with better features than a trued 700 from PTG.