The .224 Valkyrie was introduced in late 2017 by Federal. Unlike many calibers in the past that have been a joint effort between an ammo company and a single firearm company, the Valkyrie is already being chambered by several AR-15 manufacturers such as LaRue, JP Enterprises, and CMMG as well as several barrel makers such as Satern and Lothar-Walther.
The .224 Valkyrie is touted for its long range capabilities. While not the fastest factory .22 caliber AR chambering, its short fat case allows it to fit longer, high BC bullets. This means that it can keep a 90 grain Sierra bullet supersonic to 1300 yards, with much less recoil than other calibers. AR type rifles can be converted by changing the barrel and using a 6.8 SPC bolt and magazines.
**WARNING** In firearms that use a floating firing pin (such as the AR-15 and its variants), dropping the bolt on a chambered round could lead to a slam fire. It is important that these firearms are loaded from the magazine so that the bolt loses inertia when it strips a round from the magazine. It is also important NOT to use sensitive primers that aren’t designed for use in an AR, as this increases the chance of a slam fire.
