There’s always a new cartridge out there. Some grow legs while others remain relegated to small communities of Wildcat enthusiasts. Meet the Valkyrie.
Earlier this year, the folks at Federal Ammunition announced the 224 Valkyrie. Its purpose in life is effective and accurate long-range shooting. What makes it different is that it fits into the same “gun form factor” as the pervasive .223 Remington. Let’s explain that.
When I say form factor, I’m referring to the practical limitation – magazine dimensions. The well in AR-type lower receivers is only so big, so a cartridge that’s longer simply won’t fit and your rifle becomes a single-shot breech loader. The 224 Valkyrie, like the .223 Remington, uses a .224 diameter bullet but the brass case is different. The Valkyrie is based on the .30 Remington / 6.8 SPC cartridge. In fact, you can think of the Valkyrie as a necked-down 6.8 SPC. So, even though the bullet is the same diameter, you’ll need a 224 Valkyrie barrel due to the different chamber dimensions. You’ll also need a 6.8 SPC bolt although the upper receiver is the same.
A 6.8 SPC cartridge (left) and 90-grain 224 Valkyrie (right).
Like the 6.8 SPC, the Valkyrie will expect a tweaked magazine made for the round since the geometry is different. So, the practical takeaway is to use 6.8 SPC magazines for your Valkyrie rifles even though the lower receiver and the corresponding magazine well are the same as any other .223 Remington rifle. You might get a .223 mag to work, but you also might find erratic feeding. Spend the extra few bucks and get the right ones.
Read the rest: What You Need to Know About the New 224 Valkyrie – The Mag Life
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