Hunting & Fishing 224 Valkyrie vs 300 blackout

[Toney198]

First off I know these are two wildly different animals on paper.

My son was 5 last year and shot a deer with a 223, it was effective however I’m looking for a lil more damage while keeping recoil in check. So my question is for a 6,7,8 year old that will realistically not shoot passed 100 yards but will most likely grow up to appreciate the longer range, what round would you choose?

 

[loveha]

Never shot a 224 Valk, but it's still a 22. Faster and more efficient than 223 Rem, but still a 22. I would go with a 16-18" 300 Blk with the Barnes 120gn bullets. Very capable of taking deer and has a soft recoil. Killed a 10 point last year with a 16" barrel and the Barnes 120gn offering. Shot was 90 yards and dead in 20.

 

[Toney198]

Also of note, it will be for Tx,OK deer none of them 300lb monsters up north.

 

[shooter65]

6.8

 

[Toney198]

6.8

are those reliable in an AR platform with recoil for a young one?

 

[shooter65]

are those reliable in an AR platform with recoil for a young one?

Extremely

 

[shooter65]

90 grains are very low recoil.

 

[Abbotm2]

+1 for 6.8 with 90gr gold dots, I do love my blackout with Barnes 110gr black tip though.

 

[Prebanpaul]

6.5 Grendel all the way. I have both 224 Valkyrie, 6.5 Grendel, 5.56. I shoot suppressed. Unsupptessed You can use a variety of bullets from coyotes and ground hogs to elk and deer. Yes it has been done, I am not a fan of 224 on a deer. Just so many better options.

 

[sea2summit]

I haven’t used a Grendel in deer yet but man it smacks steel every bit as hard as my .308. I had a 224 barrel but never got it put together because the Grendel was scratching the itch. I’d go Grendel.

 

[Toney198]

6.5 Grendel all the way. I have both 224 Valkyrie, 6.5 Grendel, 5.56. I shoot suppressed. Unsupptessed You can use a variety of bullets from coyotes and ground hogs to elk and deer. Yes it has been done, I am not a fan of 224 on a deer. Just so many better options.

I like the looks (of the grendel) but was concerned on the recoil for a child. I was started on a 30-06 and don’t want him to develop a flinch. I have come to really enjoy the long range and hope he does too.

thank you all for the opinions. I will most likely get a cheap upper just to get him by until it’s time to get serious. I have a can on order but that won’t be till next season.

 

[Prebanpaul]

If it fits in a small ar platform and has a break or a suppressor, your good.

 

[athanasios23]

Is it a bolt action rifle your looking for? I know this isn't the caliber you asked about but what about a 243 bolt action with a break. Should be soft recoil and it kills deer. If your hunting out of a blind or stand I assume he will put on ear protection so the break won't be too bad. The 243 is a classic caliber that's been around for years. Shot my first deer with one. The barnes 80gr ttsx is a hammer on deer.

 

[12Bravo]

Any of the cartridges mentioned already will work for the typical smallish - sized deer in the SE USA within 100 yd. The Valkyrie works pretty well with an 80 gr soft point and recoil is minimal, especially if you have a brake on the rifle.

 

[Toney198]

was looking at AR platform, mainly for recoil management but I shoot a brake so I’m definitely not against that. Just don’t want to buy 5 guns to check em

 

[Chips26]

Is it a bolt action rifle your looking for? I know this isn't the caliber you asked about but what about a 243 bolt action with a break. Should be soft recoil and it kills deer. If your hunting out of a blind or stand I assume he will put on ear protection so the break won't be too bad. The 243 is a classic caliber that's been around for years. Shot my first deer with one. The barnes 80gr ttsx is a hammer on deer.

They make factory low power loads as well for just this reason. Hornady Custom Lites

 

[SigSauerkraut]

I think the Grendel is pretty low recoil and the 6.5 is great on deer. If you want to lighten up recoil further, the 100-110 grain bullets will do the trick. It also gives him something to grow into as the grendel is plenty capable as a target cartridge at long range, especially with the heavier pills.

 

[Toney198]

I think the Grendel is pretty low recoil and the 6.5 is great on deer. If you want to lighten up recoil further, the 100-110 grain bullets will do the trick. It also gives him something to grow into as the grendel is plenty capable as a target cartridge at long range, especially with the heavier pills.

Funny you say that, I’ve pretty much decided that route, just don’t have any in my area of friends to shoot or know the recoil comparison for one.

 

[OlDirtyDeadEyeDan]

I'm definitely a fan of 300 blackout. Very well thought out round. I was jonesin' for one not long ago. After more research, I came to realize I would go with 6.5 Grendel over the 300 for deer. But if you're ever thinking about going quiet and suppressed, the 300 Blackout is a dream.

I've heard of the 224 V but haven't looking into it much. If recoil is a concern than the 223 may be a better round for a few more years because its only putting out around 3.lbs of recoil. Which is literally nothing. An 8 .lb 300 Blackout is putting out 7 .lb of recoil, which by the way, is still nada but still maybe too much for a youngster.

The 6.5 Grendel is putting out about 8.5 .lbs of recoil, 1.5 more than the 300 but the increased effective distance and modest recoil more than outweigh the thump. And 8.5 .lbs of recoil is still nothing. Once you get into 15+ lbs of recoil, that's when it may become noticeable. You probably know this already.

I would honestly stick to the 223 for a while, its more than capable inside of 100 yards and at 6 years old, he's already far ahead of the game.

 

[Toney198]

He shot the 300 this year with no problem, so the 1.5 lb shouldn't be a concern by next year.

Thank you

 

[deersniper]

223 should be fine.

Shot placement is the most important part. They don’t go anywhere with neck shots. And lung shots equal dead within 50 yards.

 

[Danno_]

My son has shot a 6.8 SPC since he was 9 years old. Recoil is mild in semi auto, never was an issue. He is 16 now and my daughter is 13. They both shoot deer with 6.8, IMO best caliber for medium sized game out to 300-350 yards. I load 120gr Hornady SST with great results.

 

[Liberator52]

If you reload, consider the 6x45. Light recoil and easy to reload for. Hits hard. If you don't reload, have him shoot the 223 a lot to get good with it.

 

[alpine44]

5.56 will kill deer
6.8SPC does it with more oomph
6.5G adds a little range (compared to 6.8SPC)
300AAC is great for short barrels but it is slower and will drop faster than the other 3 options. Barnes Tac-TX 'black tip' bullets are proven killers. Anything more solid from a 300AAC will act like an FMJ in a deer.

.224V was conceived to get an AR15 out to 1000. I don't see the point for hunting. If you have a (slightly modified) 6.8SPC case you might as well lob a 6.8mm 110 gr hunting bullet.

 

[diggler1833]

6.8, muzzle brake, electronic muffs. This is what I use for hunting hogs 2-3 times per week. I'll let my girls hunt with this setup when they're old enough too.

Recoil is just a touch more than a 5.56. Very good at killing within 200yds, and gives a little room for error in shot placement over the 5.56.

 

[shooter65]

6.8
ARP barrel. BCM upper

 

[JAMER]

I have a couple of 224V ARs, a 223R bolt-action, and a 300 BLK AR15. Some comments:
- The 224V and the 223R have about the same amount of energy. The brass volumes are very close.
- The main thing the 224V has over a 223 is that it can shoot heavy 80gr+ bullets and still load at magazine length for an AR15. This is essentially its whole reason for existence, that is shooting high BC supersonic bullets from an AR15 platform.
- A 223 can shoot heavy bullets as well (with the right twist rate) but not at magazine length, and it usually requires single bullet loading and a long freebore barrel. I never shoot anything heavier than 60gr out of my 223, and I have hand loaded 95gr SMKs for the 224V with good results. As of right now the 95 SMK is the heaviest, highest BC .22 bullet I am aware of.
- So for hunting white tails either a 223R or a 224V will work. If you already have one, no need to get the other unless you just want both.
- As mentioned the 300 BLK with the Barnes 110gr (supersonic) TTSX is deadly. The TTSX has brutal terminal ballistics and with good shot placement will take down a white tail or a hog say under 200 lbs.

Which has less recoil... it depends on the bullet weight, the muzzle velocity, and the gun weight. A heavy barrel 223 bolt-action rifle shooting light bullets fast (like a 50-60gr) will typically have a really light recoil, less recoil than say a short, skinny barreled AR15 shooting 110gr bullets supersonic. Both will be manageable. MY 12 year old daughter has shot my Savage 223R bull barrel bolt-action with Black Hills 50gr bullets with no problem.

 

[msstate56]

I like the 6.8 SPC as well. I’ve been using a 16” AR platform with the Hornady factory 120 SST to great effect for years. It is great on deer and hogs out to 250-300. Very low recoil.