224 Valkyrie Ballistics

Making 5.56mm better at long range takes either higher muzzle velocity or heavier, higher BC bullets. When introduced in 2017, 224 Valkyrie from Federal offered both of those solutions: it either launched the same 75 grain match bullets 300 feet per second faster than 5.56 or heavier 90-grainers at the same 2700 fps as 5.56.

With 1:8 twist barrels optimized for heavier projectiles, 224 promised better downrange performance than either 22-250 Remington or 22 Nosler despite a modest increase in case capacity over 5.56. High ballistic coefficient 90 grain bullets buck wind well, and retain good terminal performance far downrange.

That was the theory. The practice fell slightly short of the desired performance, with typical 1.3-1.5MOA performance being short of match standard. Adoption of 224 Valkyrie lagged, not helped at all by the Covid year.

224 Valkyrie Ballistics

Velocity Table

		Velocity
	Barrel Length	Muzzle	100 Yards	200 Yards	300 Yards	400 Yards	500 Yards
Federal Gold Medal 80.5 Grain Berger BT Target	24	2925	2713	2512	2318	2134	1958
Federal Gold Medal 90 Grain Sierra MatchKing	24	2700	2542	2388	2241	2098	1961
Federal Varmint 60 Grain Hornady V-Max	24	3300	2923	2577	2255	1958	1687
Federal American Eagle 75 Grain TMJ	24	3000	2763	2539	2325	2122	1929
Federal Fusion 90 Grain	24	2700	2491	2291	2101	1919	1749
Federal Big Game Barnes Triple Shock	24	2850	2611	2385	2170	1966	1774
Federal Fusion MSR 90 Grain	16	2700	2491	2291	2101	1919	1749
Hornady 60 Grain V-MAX	24	3300	2924	2578	2258	1961	1690
Hornady Black 75 Grain BTHP	24	3000	2761	2534	2319	2114	1920
Hornady Match 88 Grain ELD	24	2675	2513	2356	2205	2060	1920
Sierra Prairie Enemy 69 Grain BlitzKing	24	3125	2862	2614	2380	2158	1948

Energy Table

		Energy
	Barrel Length	Muzzle	100 Yards	200 Yards	300 Yards	400 Yards	500 Yards
Federal Gold Medal 80.5 Grain Berger BT Target	24	1529	1316	1128	960	814	685
Federal Gold Medal 90 Grain Sierra MatchKing	24	1457	1291	1140	1004	880	768
Federal Varmint 60 Grain Hornady V-Max	24	1451	1138	885	677	511	379
Federal American Eagle 75 Grain TMJ	24	1499	1271	1073	900	750	620
Federal Fusion 90 Grain	24	1457	1240	1049	882	736	611
Federal Big Game Barnes Triple Shock	24	1407	1181	985	815	669	545
Federal Fusion MSR 90 Grain	16	1457	1240	1049	882	736	611
Hornady 60 Grain V-MAX	24	1199	1139	885	679	512	380
Hornady Black 75 Grain BTHP	24	1499	1269	1069	896	744	614
Hornady Match 88 Grain ELD	24	1398	1234	1085	950	829	720
Sierra Prairie Enemy 69 Grain BlitzKing	24	1496	1255	1047	868	713	581

224 Valkyrie Trajectory

	Long Range Trajectory
	50 Yards	100 Yards	200 Yards	300 Yards	400 Yards	500 Yards
Federal Gold Medal 80.5 Grain Berger BT Target	.6	1.6	-	-7.1	-20.8	-42.0
Federal Gold Medal 90 Grain Sierra MatchKing	.8	1.9	-	-8.1	-23.2	-45.9
Federal Varmint 60 Grain Hornady V-Max	.3	1.3	-	-6.5	-20.0	-42.8
Federal American Eagle 75 Grain TMJ	.5	1.5	-	-6.9	-20.4	-41.3
Federal Big Game 78 Grain Barnes Triple Shock	.7	1.8	-	-8.0	-23.3	-47.7
Federal Fusion MSR 90 Grain	.9	2.0	-	-8.8	-25.2	-51.4
Hornady 60 Grain V-MAX	1.3	0	-	-6.6	-20	-42.6
Hornady Black 75 Grain BTHP	-1.5	1.5	-	-7	-20.4	-41.7
Hornady Match 88 Grain ELD	-1.5	2	-	-8.3	-23.7	-47.4
Sierra Prairie Enemy 69 Grain BlitzKing	-1.5	1.38	-	-6.48	-19.11	-39.28

Real World Range Results

When I tested a Windham Weaponry 24″ rifle, accuracy was reasonable but handloading and a trigger upgrade would have made all the difference in bringing the bullet holes closer together. The least expensive 75 grain American Eagle load grouped the best, averaging around 1.3 MOA. 60gr Nosler ballistic tip varmint, more of a medium range choice, was next up at 1.4MOA. The high BC 90gr Sierra Matchking had the greatest dispersion at 1.5 MOA, though it compensated with the least wind drift of all group centers.

Modern Loads

Fast-forward to today, and several companies, including Federal and Hornady, have quietly improved the ammunition offerings to bring 224 to that promised accuracy. I used the same exact rifle with the Vortex Crossfire 3-12×56 scope as before. Other than having to move the zero by 1/2 inch down and left to account for the substantial difference between summer and winter weather, the settings were as I left them years ago. Recoil and muzzle blast remained unremarkable.

Accuracy has improved considerably, helped in small part by the sturdier shooting table, and considerably by the change in ammunition. The champion of yesteryear, American Eagle Ball came in at 1.1″ or slightly better.

For a practical example, I ran five rounds quickly at the head of a silhouette, discovering that this is very adequate for placement…and that the extra velocity and density of the .224 FMJ started to erode my steel!

Hornady 60 gr Varmint Express gave neat, compact 0.75″ groups — contrary to the expectation of the twist rate being too fast for the load. 3/4″ groups shot with a stock AR trigger are good enough for me. Hornady 75gr Match shot around 1.1MOA with called fliers taking the groups out to 1.5MOA — they were shot on a different, extremely humid day. I would say that the science of cartridge making has caught up with the advertised performance quite nicely.