.223 Wilde vs .224 Valkyrie.

[Dead Eye Dick]

Just suppose a fellow wanted to build a Bolt Action .224 caliber trainer. What are the opinions of the .223 Wilde vs the .224 Valkyrie? Why build one over the other? (Excepting the obvious, .223 components are common as grass in a pasture, are less expensive and much more likely to be available.)

The real question is, does the Valkyrie offer any real advantages?

 

[Supersubes]

No

 

[Rocketvapor]

IF you wanted to shoot F-T/R the .223.
224V puts you into F-Open.
Like my 22N.

 

[bpd459]

Just suppose a fellow wanted to build a Bolt Action .224 caliber trainer. What are the opinions of the .223 Wilde vs the .224 Valkyrie? Why build one over the other? (Excepting the obvious, .223 components are common as grass in a pasture, are less expensive and much more likely to be available.)

The real question is, does the Valkyrie offer any real advantages?

.223 Wylde is a chamber, not a cartridge.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

.223 Wylde is a chamber, not a cartridge.

DUH, I realize that, but trying to make a distinction between the two without having to write a dictionary.

We have one that is on loan from our son and has a .223 Wilde chamber and is listed on the barrel as such.

Yes its a left handed rifle because its on loan from our son who is left handed and she is right handed, I realize that as well.

 

[Simonsza1]

I did a Valkyrie in a bolt rifle throated out to mag lenght in a br mag and it’s freaking amazing. I would only say from experience that this is definitely a route worth pursuing if you like the idea of a Valkyrie. Fritz at black canyon is the gunsmith to speak with if you decide to head that direction. He is very familiar with how to make that combo tick, he did mine for me.

 

[Basher]

No

Short, sweet, and to the point lol.

IMO, I think the .224V had a lot going for it, but the launch was muddied by different chambers/throats, improper twists, and poor support in general. If you chambered it right, picked the right twist for the weights you want to shoot, and handloaded everything for it, it would likely be a wonderful little rifle! That being said, the short action flavor of the month now seems to be the .22CM, or if in a mini action or AR then it’s the .22ARC. Those are what I’d probably be chasing right now if I wanted something other than a .223Rem.

I’m picking up a Tikka T3 in .223 soon, and intend to keep it as-is (chambering-wise) for now. I’ve had a few folks tell me the .223AI is worth it from a brass trimming perspective so I’ll spend a few months doing my due diligence to see if I think it’s right for me. But frankly, with a few other rifles in .223 I’ll probably leave it alone so they can share brass. If I really needed additional performance above what a .223 shooting 80-88gr ELDM could give me, I’d suck it up and make the jump to .22CM.

 

[Supersubes]

Short, sweet, and to the point lol.

IMO, I think the .224V had a lot going for it, but the launch was muddied by different chambers/throats, improper twists, and poor support in general. If you chambered it right, picked the right twist for the weights you want to shoot, and handloaded everything for it, it would likely be a wonderful little rifle! That being said, the short action flavor of the month now seems to be the .22CM, or if in a mini action or AR then it’s the .22ARC. Those are what I’d probably be chasing right now if I wanted something other than a .223Rem.

I’m picking up a Tikka T3 in .223 soon, and intend to keep it as-is (chambering-wise) for now. I’ve had a few folks tell me the .223AI is worth it from a brass trimming perspective so I’ll spend a few months doing my due diligence to see if I think it’s right for me. But frankly, with a few other rifles in .223 I’ll probably leave it alone so they can share brass. If I really needed additional performance above what a .223 shooting 80-88gr ELDM could give me, I’d suck it up and make the jump to .22CM.

He kinda answered his own question in the OP. There are “obvious” advantages to the 223 as a trainer.

 

[Basher]

He kinda answered his own question in the OP. There are “obvious” advantages to the 223 as a trainer.

This is true lol.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

If it's a trainer, seems like the obvious choice is 223.... if it's not actually a trainer, just do your preferred 6mm instead

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

If it's a trainer, seems like the obvious choice is 223.... if it's not actually a trainer, just do your preferred 6mm instead

Already have two 6GT’s. Gonna rebuild a 6.5, just thinking about the MS. who is an avid shooter and maybe a fun gun when the 6’s and the 6.5 are cooling down. (And there are no reasonable rimfire targets available. Which is to say, nothing between 50 yards and 600 yards)

 

[RFutch]

I have a valkyrie bolt gun. Its awesome but it was a finicky bitch at the beginning. Mags sucked and just recently thats been worked out by using MDT 6 arc mags with the lips bent in. Took forever to find a load it liked.

I wouldn't do it again. I'd do a 223 throated for the bullet you want to use and get pretty much the same performance.

 

[steve101610]

224 Valkyrie in a bolt gun is a fun gun to shoot and will walk all over a 223. The load data out there for the Valkyrie is for the AR platform and in a bolt gun you can push it a lot harder. My 26” Valkyrie bolt gun pushes 85.5 Berger’s at 2975. Almost identical wind and elevation to my 6.5 creedmoor. Starline brass is pretty easy to find and will last a long time.

 

[Simonsza1]

224 Valkyrie in a bolt gun is a fun gun to shoot and will walk all over a 223. The load data out there for the Valkyrie is for the AR platform and in a bolt gun you can push it a lot harder. My 26” Valkyrie bolt gun pushes 85.5 Berger’s at 2975. Almost identical wind and elevation to my 6.5 creedmoor. Starline brass is pretty easy to find and will last a long time.

Spot on information!

 

[Evlshnngns]

I would go 22 arc, grendel, ppc.... better boltface options down the road than the Valkyrie. 22br would work also, but brass is very expensive compared to free .223 on the ground.

Anyone who enjoys shooting should have a 223 bolt gun. Start there.

 

[Basher]

Anyone who enjoys shooting should have a 223 bolt gun. Start there.

Well said. I shot an old 700PSS in .223 YEARS ago and it was stupid fun. It took me almost 15 years before I got my own, and even then I didn’t truly appreciate it for what it was because I always wanted more performance, more reach. Only recently have I really started to enjoy smaller calibers as much as they deserve, somewhat out of necessity. But the .223 is the perfect small caliber centerfire IMO. Ammo of all types is plentiful (all things considered), and they’re so versatile. Load up a 40gr or so and go vaporize prairie dogs. Drop in an 80gr and shoot to 1000 all day long. They burn relatively small amounts of powder and give a large return.

So that’s what I’d suggest as well. Start with the .223 and grow from there, unless the “mission” drives things towards something more specific.

 

[Newbie2020]

Same. My smith put me together a 223 on the cheap. On less windy days I’ve gotten first round hits at 700-900 yds. Cheap fun.