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SKU: 5165450031
UPC: 5165450031
MFR#: 5165450031
Barrel Length: 18"
Gas System: Rifle-length
Barrel Profile: A2 Style
Barrel Steel: 416R
Barrel Finish: Stainless Steel
Chrome Lining: No
Muzzle Thread: 1/2-28
Chamber: 224 Valkyrie
Twist Rate: 1:7"
Barrel Extension: M4
Diameter at Gas Port: .750
Bolt Carrier Profile: Full-Auto
Bolt Steel: 9310, Nitride Coated
PSA 224 Valkyrie & BCG Combo Package: The PSA 224 Valkyrie barrel was created with a 416R Stainless Steel with a 1:7 twist rate for optimal accuracy over long distances. Cycling reliability is achieved with a rifle length gas system. The bolt carrier group is a full-auto profile, nitrided BCG with a 9310 bolt. The side of the carrier has been marked with the PSA Cross Cannons logo and 224 Valkyrie.
SKU: 5165450031
UPC#: 005165450031
Comments (9)
One may put it together a little cheaper than this. AIM 15" M-Lok hand guard $40 when on sale at Optics Planet, Anderson Upper on sale $30 (Primary Arms), Aero Upper Parts $15 on sale, rifle length gas tube and block on from inexpensive vendor $25, CH $10, flash hider $6. Total $276 if you enjoy deal shopping or have previously purchased components on sale and are not super focused on the best of components available. You also need to enjoy putting together your own uppers.
Don't forget the gas tube and block. about $25-$40 there.
I don't own a .224 setup but it seems as though it's not quite ready for prime time. I've seen a lot of evidence that people are having accuracy issues with the heavier bullets. I've seen some good results being reported with the 60gr Nosler and 75gr Federal, but that sort of kills the point of 224. You can build a 223 AR to shoot 60-75gr bullets and have an exponentially wider array of components to chose from. 224 is marketed as a 1200+ yard round, and it really needs the heavier bullets to make that happen. They need to sort out why the heavier loads aren't performing. My guess is next year we'll start seeing 22-24" .224 barrels with 1:6.5 twist and a +1 or +2 gas system, and maybe then it will start consistently performing the way they claim it should.
Also, I think PSA misjudged who would be interested in this round. For months it's all they talked about, and it seems like an awkward pairing to me. I'm not knocking PSA, but they are a budget oriented company. You can get an excellent value AR from them, but 224 isn't really a round geared for the value segment. If I were looking to build a rifle who's sole purpose was to shoot accurately at extreme distances, I would not be shopping at PSA. I don't think their products can deliver what .224 claims it can do. If I were looking to build an inexpensive range toy, I would (and do) shop at PSA, but I wouldn't build it in a boutique caliber. I think between the problems .224 is exhibiting and the fact that PSA doesn't typically deliver the sort of performance that serious users of this round would expect, they just ended up making more than they could sell.
Interesting point of view. You seem to have some experience with this round. Thanks for the recommendation on the barrel/gas/ammo profile. What would you recommend to make the AR-15 a 1200 yard platform? 6.5 Gren? I was thinking about going a cheap route to turn my 5.56 into a .224 Valkyrie caliber rifle. What do you think?
For long range out of an AR-15, 6.5 Grendel or .224 Valkyrie seem to be the logical choices. Both require the same upgrade path if you're coming from a 5.56 upper... new barrel, new bolt, new mags.
As to which would be better, that's a tough call. Bear in mind I don't personally own either caliber, so anything I say needs to be taken as speculation based on what I've read about them. On paper, .224 seems to be the more capable round if you're trying to shoot beyond 1,000 rounds. That said, it has been on the market for less than a year, and quite honestly I think it needs more time for this round to really be pushed to it's limits. The more components that are made available, and the more factory loads and/or reloading components that are made available, the more we're going to learn what does and doesn't work. Everything I've seen is that so far people are having trouble getting reliable results out of the heavier bullets, and that's exactly what needs to get sorted out to get the long distance performance this round promises.
With 6.5 Grendel, you have a much wider variety of building components as well as factory loads or bullets if reloading. This increases the likelihood that you're going to find a combination that you can push to it's limits.
If you had to build something right now, I'd probably lean towards 6.5 Grendel. If you aren't in a rush, I think .224 Valkyrie is a really interesting round that could be capable of really great things, but I do think it needs more time to really figure out how to maximize it's performance. If you're handloading, then I might lean more towards 224 as the availability of factory ammo doesn't factor in, but i'd still look for a high end barrel that meets the specs discussed above. White Oak makes a 24", 1:6.5 twist, +2" gas length barrel, but at $585 you're paying dearly for it.
Another potential option if you're anxious is to think about 6.8 SPC. My belief is that it's the least capable of the three at long distances, but at least you would have a BCG and mags that you can use with .224 once the platform becomes more consistent.
That's what I came up with. It's actually pretty cheap. Would you recommend 6.5 Gren or .224 Valk?
Clearance... looks like they made too many for the market. I believe their 20" barrel has been a bigger seller in 224. Yesterday, they had over 450 of these in stock and this morning they are down to 169, so they are moving them out at this price. The BCG is listed at $119.99 so that means you are only paying $30 for the barrel. The real question is whether this is the better deal over their 20" complete 224 upper for $299.99, which would provide the complete upper receiver ($60+ value), a 15" m-lok rail/handguard ($100+ value), plus flash hider ($5) and charging handle ($10) for only $150 more.