Rifles In The News
BY Herschel Smith
5 years, 10 months ago
In no certain order, these discussion crossed my path this week.
There are other benefits to the .224 Valkyrie aside from the availability and component standpoints. The cartridge feeds from a 6.8 SPC magazine and requires a 6.8 SPC bolt—parts that are common and easy to place in an AR-15. Other aspects of the case design make the round desirable, too. Measuring 1.6 inches long, the .224 Valkyrie case is .16 inch shorter than both the .223 Rem. and the .22 Nosler. Yet, the .224 Valkyrie case’s extra neck length of .025 inch allows for more flexibility in bullet lengths and changes in seating depth. This aids in fine-tuning loads and allows for more bullet weight options while keeping the jump to the lands minimal. The .224 Valkyrie willingly accepts long, heavy bullets with high ballistic coefficients, while keeping overall cartridge length within the dimensional limitations imposed by the AR-15 magazine. Most case dimensions are very similar to the 6.8 SPC, including body taper, so magazine capacity is not inhibited in any way. Federal recommends a 1:7-inch twist rate to stabilize the 60- to 90-grain bullets typically loaded in the cartridge.
We had discussed the .224 Valkyrie earlier. From an article earlier in the year, Andrew Tuohy writing for Omaha Outdoors (in a very long discussion) loves the Valkyrie round. As we speak, it looks like Savage and CMMG jumped quickly and are offering the best Valkyrie guns, both manufacturers at a reasonable price.
American Hunter on how to build the perfect Western big game hunting rifle.
- 6.5 Creedmoor: Great for youth and recoil-sensitive hunters. Fantastic for Coues deer and pronghorn. Somewhat light, but with careful bullet selection and shot placement, adequate for elk. A bit anemic compared to other cartridges on this list.
- 6.5 PRC: Hot new round that is superb on lighter game and adequate for elk. Fast and flat, and comfortable to shoot. Be sure to choose a tough projectile when hunting bigger game like elk.
- .280 Ackley Improved: Very good round that is perfectly adequate for anything from Coues deer to elk and moose. Boasts almost the same performance as the 7mm mag. but with greater efficiency and slightly less recoil.
- .28 Nosler: Fast, flat and very hard-hitting, the .28 Nosler is one of today’s finest. It’s hot, though, so not ideal for recoil-sensitive shooters.
- .300 Win. Mag.: Less ideal for the small species like Coues deer but great for the big stuff, this cartridge is a thumper—on both ends. Tons of projectile and load options available almost anywhere in the world.
This is a rather odd article to me. There is little discussion of the traditional big game hunting rounds like .30-06, 7mm Magnum or .270 Win, all of which are more powerful than any of the above except for the .300 Win Mag.
But you be the judge.
On July 2, 2018 at 12:26 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Herschel
Re: “This is a rather odd article to me. There is little discussion of the traditional big game hunting rounds like .30-06, 7mm Magnum or .270 Win, all of which are more powerful than any of the above except for the .300 Win Mag. But you be the judge.”
The firearms industry is subject to fads, just like anyone else. What’s new and exciting is what grabs the attention of manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike. We tend to by-pass the tried-and-true sometimes when there’s a new kid on the block.
The late Colonel Jeff Cooper was fond of saying, “If you can’t do it with 180 at 2700, then you probably can’t do it,” a reference to the common 30-06 load in that weight and muzzle velocity. He wasn’t far-wrong.
Sometimes, there’s no school like the old school, and Teddy Roosevelt – on safari on the African plains more than a century ago – took most of the plains game he encountered using his trusty sporterized Springfield M1903 30-06 bolt-action rifle.
Modern, “newer-is-better” types tend to disdain the ’06 as yesterday’s news, just as they disdain the 300 WM and 7mm RM and 270, as obsolete and old hat. They’re missing out on some highly capable hunting rifles and calibers, ones that have delivered the goods for a very long time.
Physics always applies and if you want to give it, in terms of muzzle energy and terminal ballistics, then you’d better be prepared to take it in the form of recoil and a larger, heavier cartridge. There’s no free lunch and there never has been.
As always, the keys are cartridge and bullet selection. Intelligent cartridge and projectile selection can go a long way toward mitigating that sore shoulder. You’ll know when to use the heavy-hitting, hard-hitting magnum calibers and when not to do so. You’ll know when a softer-shooting alternative is appropriate, and when it isn’t.
The goal on your hunt is to bring back whatever it is you are hunting – deer, moose, antelope, etc. – but it is also to make an ethical kill. The comfort of your shoulder is a secondary concern.
Don’t beat yourself up needlessly with heavy recoil, but don’t talk yourself into a cartridge which is inadequate to the job, either. If necessary, cowboy up – just like T.R. did!
On July 4, 2018 at 10:12 pm, TheAlaskan said:
“6.5 Creedmoor: Great for youth and recoil-sensitive hunters.”
What’s a ‘recoil-sensitive’ hunter? Great for youth…really? How ’bout; great for extreme distance wolf hunting with superb follow-up shots due to minimal recoil. How ’bout; great snipping platform for patriots who can reach out and declare, bfytw.
And just, a .300 win mag is ‘A bit anemic compared to,’ say, a 50 cal BMG.
Everything has a purpose…everything.