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Is the .224 Valkyrie exploring new territory, or is it just treading in the footsteps of the .22-250 Remington?
There are two key reasons why the 224 Valkyrie (recently announced by Federal Premium) is unique and desirable. First, it is specifically designed to fit the limitations of the AR 15 platform. It does so even when loaded with gigantic projectiles, like the 90-grain SMK that Federal announced. .22-250 Rem is too long and too fat to work in the AR 15 platform; it needs an AR 10 bolt and magazine.
Of course, that length and girth means more case capacity, so ballistically 22-250 wins the day, right? Not so fast (pun!). 22-250 Rem does indeed move projectiles faster, but factory barrels are set up to handle projectiles ranging from 35 grains to maybe 64 grains. Heavier projectiles simply will not stabilize in a 1:12" twist barrel, and the throat would be prohibitively short anyway. 224 Valkyrie barrels will feature fast twist rates (1:7") and a long leade. Out of the gate it's going to handle projectiles that weigh twice as much as the 22-250's standard 45-grain projectile you see on the shelves.
Does projectile weight really make a difference though, if it's moving 4,000 fps? According to the math, yes it does. .22-250 will fly much faster and flatter within short-to-medium-range distances, but as distances increase, the projectiles slow down quickly and go subsonic long before the 1,000-yard mark. By contrast, the 90-grain SMK moving much slower out of the muzzle will remain supersonic past 1,300 yards. The difference in wind drift is even more stark. The 90-grain Sierra Match King projectile drifts noticeably less than the light and fast 22-250 projectiles.
Does this mean that the 22-250 is now outmoded? Not even close. Varminters depend upon its flat trajectory and inherent accuracy. It's a custom loader's dream cartridge, and the factory ammunition out there works well, too. If, however, you want a semiauto platform or you want to deal with longer distances, .224 Valkyrie looks like it will be the logical choice.
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The Social Regressive