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  1. #1
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    224 Valkyrie adventure

    I recently was able to put together a 224 Valkyrie build.

    UWone set me up with a 20” Rainier Arms 224V Ultramatch Mod 2 barrel and a 15” Midwest Industries M-Lok rail and it was off to the races

    One interesting thing about the barrel (to me) is that it’s a rifle length +2” gas system. I knew WOA had used longer than rifle gas systems but haven’t personally used one until now. Should I not run a suppressor, I probably wouldn’t have opted for an adjustable gas block.

    I’m running some new parts that I haven’t used before, namely a Magpul Bipod (talked about this briefly on here before), a Geissele Airborne charging handle, and a CMC 2.5# flat trigger.


    I was slightly curious at Rainier’s choice of twist rate and even emailed their tech support over it a while back. While a lot of high end barrel companies have chosen to produce nothing SLOWER than 1:7, and some say to make the most of the 90/95gr bullets you really should opt for the 1:6.5 twist, Rainier is sticking by the 1:7.5 twist rate (at least for the time being). And honestly, I was surprised at the results I got with 88gr Hornady ELD bullets (1.245” length) since the 90gr SMK is shorter at 1.171”.

    This is an extremely busy time of the year for work and family stuff but with the couple range trips I’ve made, Ive been able to do some testing already and I see a TON of promise with this caliber with a wide variety of bullets and powders.

    I will likely be sticking with either 77gr Tipped Match Kings or 80gr Hornady ELDs for the long haul but I’m testing (in no particular order) 60gr Ballistic Tip, 69gr SMK/TMK, 70gr Barnes TSX for hunting, 73gr Hornady ELD, 75gr Hornady BTHP, 77gr SMK/TMK, 80gr Hornady ELD, 88gr Hornady ELD, and 90gr SMK.

    Powders are: CFE 223, RE15, Varget, and 2000-MR. I’ve already tried (and ruled out) 8208XBR; it may be better for this cartridge running 60gr Varmint bullets (3200-3400fps prairie dog exploders) but with heavier bullets it’s been a dud.


    Here are a few photos to start off with. I will be continuously updating this thread with new posts, pictures, and data.



    During assembly I became aware at just how snug the slim profile Midwest rail was with the +2 gas system and the gas block on the .875” seat.




    The total package as it sits:

  2. #2
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    A buddy of mine is building up one of these as we speak. I think he just needs one or two more parts.

    Curious if you experienced any of the reported problems shooting some of the heavier pills? I am not all that versed but apparently the twist, powder type and burn speed, velocity, bullet type and design would lead to jacket separation.

    On a side but related note, I talked to a tech at Sierra a while back and he explained to me that it's not so much grain weight of the bullet but rather the physical length of the bullet that needs the twist rate. According to him a somewhat slower twist, but in a overall longer length of barrel will achieve the desired results of stabilization without having torque that is too much for the physical bullet or it's jacket to handle.

    When they work out the kinks of this caliber I might visit it again as a long ranger plinker. Until then, it's a pass from me.

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    Quote Originally Posted by alamo5000 View Post
    Curious if you experienced any of the reported problems shooting some of the heavier pills? I am not all that versed but apparently the twist, powder type and burn speed, velocity, bullet type and design would lead to jacket separation.

    On a side but related note, I talked to a tech at Sierra a while back and he explained to me that it's not so much grain weight of the bullet but rather the physical length of the bullet that needs the twist rate. According to him a somewhat slower twist, but in a overall longer length of barrel will achieve the desired results of stabilization without having torque that is too much for the physical bullet or it's jacket to handle.
    .
    The only jacket separation I’ve heard are from over spinning a bullet with an extremely thin jacket.

    As far as what the Sierra tech mentioned, that’s why I constantly check bullet lengths (and usually mention them) in my selection and reports. Like the 88gr ELD being lighter but longer than the 90gr SMK, which do stabilize in my barrel.

    Quote Originally Posted by SINNER View Post
    To me the only appeal of this round is shooting the heaviest pills. 77’s and down might as well stick to a .223 Wylde. To properly stabilize and not spin the heavier bullets apart you Need a 6.5” twist for that.
    Name:  E9DF1D0F-3B01-446C-AB26-5308AEAC351C.jpeg
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    I also like the ability to put 2-300 extra FPS on the same bullet, whether for hunting (70gr TSX for example) or just added capability.

    I only had a small amount of the 88s but so far so good

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    To me the only appeal of this round is shooting the heaviest pills. 77’s and down might as well stick to a .223 Wylde. To properly stabilize and not spin the heavier bullets apart you Need a 6.5” twist for that.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SINNER View Post
    To me the only appeal of this round is shooting the heaviest pills. 77’s and down might as well stick to a .223 Wylde. To properly stabilize and not spin the heavier bullets apart you Need a 6.5” twist for that.
    I am with you in concept. If I were to get into this it would be to shoot the heavy high BC bullets.

    From my geeking out on this subject the rest is not necessarily all depending on just one thing to make it work. This round is probably one that could benefit from a slower twist and longer barrel, or those fancy graduated twist rate where it say starts a 1:9 and ends up 1:7 or 1:6.5 or something like that depending on the total barrel length.

    The ultimate crux of the problem as I understand it is you have high BC bullets that are both skinny, long and brittle, and they get put under extreme torque for their length and hardness.

    Also heavier jacketed (like thicker beefier jackets) bullets could be good too, or even if you really want to get down to it, full copper bullets (which would make the weight less, add velocity, but add OAL and hence even faster twist rates). Even the blend of how hard they blend their lead could make a difference.

    Basically there are a lot of wheels turning here and I have no doubt in a year or two they will have the kinks worked out and people that are smarter than me and have more money to put into will figure all that out. Eventually whether it's via barrels or bullets somebody is going to hit the button for the right formula here.
    Last edited by alamo5000; 26 December 2018 at 12:32.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SINNER View Post
    To me the only appeal of this round is shooting the heaviest pills. 77’s and down might as well stick to a .223 Wylde. To properly stabilize and not spin the heavier bullets apart you Need a 6.5” twist for that.
    The UltraMatch 2 will likely get a twist change in the future from what I hear.

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    What’s your formula on the 88s on that target?

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    Quote Originally Posted by fledge View Post
    What’s your formula on the 88s on that target?
    Those were factory rounds

    I’m going to try to replicate it at some point with CFE223 or 2000-MR

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    Looks like that barrel has treated you well. Can't wait for the ongoing long term!

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    One issue for me is brass life.

    I’ve been trying to load the same handful of Federal pieces to see how it holds up compared to Hornady or Starline. After three loadings, the pockets are still holding up. I read they get loose pretty quick but we’ll see.

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    Barrel life can’t be great either

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    Quote Originally Posted by tact View Post
    Barrel life can’t be great either
    Not an invalid point but I feel if I’m spending the money to launch 5-8k “match” projectiles ($2800-$4300 with the cost of brass included) the barrel is sort of inconsequential to that. Sort of like a suppressor when people worry about wearing them out.

    Weeding out bad brass, however, is a tedious process that requires a lot more energy than a barrel. Just how I look at it more so than a cost basis I guess.

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    Quote Originally Posted by tact View Post
    Barrel life can’t be great either
    I think the barrel is the cheap part of the equation here. We're not talking about a CHF 5.56 barrel you're trying to get 30k rounds out of.

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    Craddock says 5k rounds from their Valkyrie Bartlein barrels.

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    Quote Originally Posted by fledge View Post
    Craddock says 5k rounds from their Valkyrie Bartlein barrels.
    Sounds about right for his barrel in this caliber.

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