The .224 Valkyrie cartridge was officially unveiled during the 2018 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, although American Rifleman provided a sneak peek for enthusiasts three months beforehand. Suitably chambered AR-15s run the cartridge with dexterity, and after the opportunity to give the setup a try in Texas, Mark A. Keefe, IV, noted “…after firing a few magazines of .224 Valkyrie, the 6.5 mm Creedmoor felt like a cannon. The .224 is soft-shooting, hardly discernible from a .223.”
Production rifles had yet to make it to the marketplace, but Savage Arms introduced its MSR 15 Valkyrie—chambered in .224 Valkyrie—in January 2018 at the SHOT Show. SAAMI approved the cartridge and published standardized specifications a few months later.
The Savage MSR 15 Valkyrie is competition ready, out of the box, with an 18" barrel and 5R rifling. It features a crisp two-stage trigger, adjustable mid-length gas system for tuning to ammunition and wears and Elite Series Cerakote finish in flat dark earth on both its upper and lower receivers, as well as fore-end.
The gun ships wearing a tunable muzzle brake that can be removed if owners prefer to mount a suppressor or another device. Complementing the setup, and providing striking contrast to the looks, are the black Magpul UBR Gen 2 buttstock and Hogue pistol grip.
Receivers are constructed from 7075 aluminum and the barrel, which is black, is made from carbon steel. The rifle has the AR-15-familiar forward assist and dust cover. Magazine capacity is 25 cartridges.
The MSR 15 Valkyrie was built from Savage’s popular MSR 15 Recon design, but chambered to take advantage of the .224 Valkyrie’s impressive ballistic performance. Bullets launched from the cartridge can remain supersonic out to 1,300 yards, which means flatter trajectories and hits with more authority than .223 Rem. or 5.56 NATO.
MSRP on the Savage Arms website is listed at $1,669.
