Just when you thought years would pass before we saw another new cartridge designed for long-range shooting, here come the latest from Federal: the .224 Valkyrie. German speakers will note the name should be spelled “Walkure,” with an umlaut on the “u.” Linguistic semantics aside, the .224 Valkyrie promises do for 5.56 platform ARs what the 6.5 Creedmoor has done for 7.62 platform ARs: hit targets way out there with tedious precision and mild recoil. Move over Creedmoor fan boys, the Internet is about to melt-down with everyone stampeding to this new cartridge. At least, Federal’s marketing department hopes so.
Personally, I struggle to imagine why we need yet another cartridge, but I’ll reserve final judgement until I can get my hands on one and test it. While Federal will release a load Valkyrie load intended for whitetail hunting (where legal), based on the bullet weight and its low sectional density, I don’t see it as a viable elk round. So, it might get a tepid reception west of the Mississippi, although predator hunters should like it. It will, however, prove much better for hunting big game than the .223/5.56×45 which has always been on the borderline for such a task in my opinion (yeah, I’ll get hate mail).
For all the details, here’s a piece Mark Keefe just wrote for American Rifleman about Federal’s latest brain child.
American Rifleman .224 Valkyrie Article by Mark Keefe
