ds1

Re 224 Valkyrie, it’s becoming my favourite rifle, home loaded 88g Hornady Eldm’s will get around 805 m/s at 15c and Hornady factory Match 88g Eldm’s around 815 m/s at 15c out of my 20” JP Ar15. Accuracy is good with both factory and home loads producing sub 4cm 5 shot groups at 300m. This is better than a lot of the YouTube vids seem to indicate. Two caveats, my rifle is semi-auto so I am loosing maybe 40fps with the gas system and the attraction to me is an AR15 mag length round with a high for caliber bc that is supersonic at 1km. I know Baldie has built a few 224V bolt guns so would highly value his experience. Also as far as YouTube goes Ultimate Reloader ( Gavin Toobin?) has done videos on his 224V Ar15 and bolt gun builds. In a bolt guns there are obviously not the same magazine and bolt face constraints that are inherent in an AR15 platform so then I would maybe be looking at 22br if you’re only going to home load. 224V is still good ( or has been for me) with factory ammunition.

And yet the Czechs learned the lesson well, a right to bear weapons is in the constitution. But the ‘poem’ is one with a broader meaning. Then again the blindest of people are those who do not want to see.

Just a thought….. by Pastor Martin Niemöller First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me

Beethoven and metal I find inspiring. One day my double-taps maybe as good as this 16 year old girl’s tapping but I seriously doubt it. Good motivation for dry fire practice though…….even with the realisation my neuro pathways are well and truly past it.

I have a few rucksacks for different purposes (Tasmanian Tiger for a 3 day sack) but for a 1 day sack I really like my Mystery Ranch 3 zip. At around 25L it is not too big and doesn’t look overly tactical. Very well made from quality materials with a simple yet well thought out design.

Developing the left hand side of our range ( as per Czech ballistic criteria). The morning started as a mountain of tyres that’s going to become a 2.5m double wall allowing us to have a 180 degree arc of fire on the range which is excellent for any form of dynamic shooting. By lunchtime we had the base levelled and the first few rows were done. Screwing the tyres together and using 120 wood staves locks them together and keeps them in place. We are half way done with over 600 tyres in the wall today. I think another 400 tyres should get it done Range lunch

TACOM HQ offer an alternative to the dick-‘ring with structured barrels in an attempt to reduce harmonic effect. https://tacomhq.com/structured-barrels/ Mark and Sam had one to play with.

Pops, I don’t think the OP says accuracy is 1 grain but that the balance ‘goes down’ to one grain - I read that as minimum dispensable amount. It sounds like the OP doesn’t know the actual accuracy of the balance but would like to. An A&D fx 120i or better will do that of course but without one, putting rounds over a chronograph is going to indicate if the juice is worth the squeeze or not. On fps…. a 15 fps ES at 1km with 224V gives about 20cm vertical dispersion so around 8 inch in old money. Acceptable for me but probably quite depressing for F Class shooters.

To the OP, first thing I would do is chronograph what you have over a Labrador, Magnetospeed or other reliable chronograph. It’s only what comes out the barrel that matters. If it’s under 15fps extreme spread or so for 5 consecutive shots- I wouldn’t change a thing unless you are into ELR. If it’s over 15fps -/+, start with new cases and repeat. Still over 15 fps, a set of A&D fx120i scales are sensitive to 1 kernel of N140 and MAY help. How you get the powder into the pot can be done with what you have and a manual (few quid) RCBS hand trickler. If less than 15 fps or so spread with quality new cases ( Lapua, Sako, Norma), you might be looking at other variables such as neck tension and more. New cases will tend to show up case prep issues on older brass. 15fps is arbitrary- just my personal preference based off extreme vertical spread of shots at 1000m for what I need. Easy enough to play with any ballistic calculator and see what difference your actual extreme fps spread makes at the distance you want. If you work backwards from your desired fps extreme spread and measured what you actually have it will tell you if you need to refine anything or not. It’s easy to recommend the fx120i scales for all the reasons Triffid explains - I have them as many do but I would measure what you are getting ( chronograph) with the kit you have before spending any money. Hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised and find that whatever extreme fps spread you are getting falls within your requirements based on a ballistic calculator. Also spending on top end presses, scales, dies, brass and annealing kit there’s still a fair chance that it comes down to pure voodoo like primer preference.

Just put on a Xmas shoot for the club members at our range. Complete with Xmas trees. Santa even turned up for a bang. Five stages in all, with a mix of paper and steel targets. As usual the best part was the end of shoot BBQ. Hope everyone is getting into the festive spirit and having a blast.

Finally some free time to test at 100m and 300m. It was a real crap day weather wise 1C and snowing which obscured the targets somewhat. Rifle JP AR semi-auto with Harris bipod and Tab Gear rear bag, 7-35 NF ATACR scope so not a bench rest rig. Load 23.0 grains N140 with Federal GMM primers and once fired Hornady cases, annealed and trimmed etc. Bullet was 88grain Eldm loaded to same COAL as factory ammunition.. I know at 12C this load was giving 780 m/s. No way to measure it today. I fired a couple of more groups but could not get the wet paper off the backing to measure them. Anyway these are representative. 100m 300m, only one group would come off the backing but I photographed a second group So with bugger all load development I am getting 1/2 Moa at 300m. I am happy with that in a semi-auto. 224v seems to have gotten a bad press by YouTubers. But I am enjoying it.

Mousegunner the TSO is really nice, I had a TS but sold it for a couple of Shadow 2’s which are the defacto IPSC choice (needs double action trigger) for carry optic class. The Orange is said to be assembled from selected components. Where are you using it?

Shoppe, sorry I didn’t express myself very clearly- bolt guns still get minting. It looks for want of a better description like a small horse shoe stamped into the case mouth from the ejector. With a AR 15 gas gun because the bolt rotates during unlocking you sometimes see a ‘wipe’ or ‘swipe’ mark on the case head.

English Rifleman, They are Hornady 88 grain Eldm’s. I have some 90grain A Tips and 90 grain MKs to try also but if I can near enough replicate the factory 88 grain ELD Match ammunition with the same bullet but using a single based powder (N140) I will be very happy. It’s going to be around November before I can test at 300m but I can at least get some velocity data beforehand. Shoppe, basically I guess minting is shooter slang for ejector marks on the case head caused from over pressure. Not that U.K. need to worry about it but It can be a bit more involved with a gas AR15 as the bolt rotates - timing the bolt unlocking either through gas regulation (adjustable gas block) or / and mass regulation of the bolt carrier can have an influence.

So reloading for a non-castrated JP scr11 AR 15 in 224v. Velocity testing so groups shot at 50m to find out if it’s ball-park velocity and accuracy. Base line (50m) top group. Factory Hornady 88g Eld Match ammunition. At 12c 805 m/s on the Labradar out of a 22” tube. I’m happy with that, it’s representative of any other groups that I have shot with this ammunition. All I want to do is duplicate it or near as. Attempt 1 (50m) bottom group. Vhit N140, 23.5g (max Vhit listed load) using same COAL as factory 88g Eldm’s, Federal primers. 791 m/s (ave). I think that I am happy- some slight minting but a gas gun is a bit different. I expected less velocity with a single based powder but it’s very acceptable. Next session, test 23.0g Vhit N140 and see if there is any noticeable change in minting and what the velocity reduction is.

Had the last check-up after the surgery 2 months ago. Everything has turned out excellent- both eyes have stabilised in terms of depth of field and sharpness. Definitely some of the best money that I have ever spent. Only small downside being a halo around car headlights at night though I am noticing it less and from a shooting perspective bleeding of red dots (not scopes or holographic sights). The fix with a red dot is to turn the intensity down and this improves the amount of perceived bleeding a lot.

AR 15s - I’m not a big fan of pot metal and plastic . That said I acquired this off a mate who never used it. I proceeded to add too much crap to it and made it a belly bench-rest /tacticool thing. This is non castrated. The DI gas system works (non U.K. resident). Rifle is JP SCR11 in 224 Valkyrie. It’s top tier along with the likes of Cobalt or Wilson. The main feature of the rifle is a left side non reciprocating charger - think FN FAL (no stupid T handle). The gucci bits are JP eliminator brake, Luth stock, RPI 6.8 mags, Caldwell case catcher, air gauged and cryo treated barrel with air fins bolted on (think air cooled lawnmower). Heavy assed mdt bipod and Radius laser. Scope and mount are Nightforce ATACR 7-35 and Spuhr 20moa cantilever mount with magpul k2+ grip and phase 5 BAD lever to be added. That’s a lot of lipstick on this pig. Internals are JP silent capture spring system, JP adjustable gas block and JP trigger. I had planned on binning the JP trigger for a Tigger Tech but it was excellent so left it. Ar15 replacement triggers can be a double edged sword, lighter but often at the expense of reducing hammer spring weight…….the stronger the spring the faster the lock time. A DI system AR is a balance of gas vs mass regulation- high speed gamers tend to use light or alloy bolt carrier groups to keep the rifle flat but you get into wanting more mass in the bcg if there is a plan to use a suppressor. Full mass and variable mass bcg’s facilitate this. This rifle has a full-mass JP bcg. 224 Valkyrie as a caliber soon became the red headed stepchild of the gun rag writers. The dream which I think it largely met was to give 1000m+ supersonic performance with a 90 grain high bc pill from a Ar15 mag. Early issues with primer pockets not lasting more than a few firings and accuracy / stability issues with the Sierra 90g mk went down like a lead balloon. Original h20 case capacity was quoted as 34.5g but measuring Hornady and Starline bass capacity is around 31.6 grains h20. At the moment I’ve only shot factory Hornady Match 88g Eldm’s through it at 75m to zero the scope and laser. It kept everything (once zeroed) inside a pistol patch without breaking the patch. It’s going to be accurate. Reasonable speeds too at 814 ms measured with a Labradar. My hope is Viht n140 will be able to get close to the Hornady match. That’s this winters project and to get out to 1km. The new hotness in the AR15 world is 6 ARC, ballistics are about the same as 224 V but 224V has a .420” bolt face and 6 ARC .440” bolt face. So more meat on the Valkyrie. 6.5 Grendel (.440) and now 6ARC seem to have a reputation for breaking bolt lugs……part of the fix being to set a max pressure of around 43k psi for gas guns. On the whole I’m happier not to have the issue with the 224 Valkyrie. UK relevance- any of the bolt on goodies are the same. The left hand charging lever has a non folding version that could have some appeal if there is enough mechanical advantage . Really it’s not doing anything out to 600m that a standard 223 won’t do with 77g MKs. On the plus side a round of Hornady 88g Eldm match ammunition cost the same a just the 285g Eldm bullet for 338 LM. Barrel life of 4K plus rounds is being banded about the internet so not a barrel burner anyway.

Many years ago Helston Gunsmiths had job lots ex police m82’s and m87’s in. The m87’s came with Pecar 4-10 scopes. The PH actions were actually made in Spain I believe. Helston may still be worth a call?

I’m setting up a new 224 Valkyrie project and have 500 pcs Starline and Hornady brass. I sampled both for weight and H20 capacity. Starline was more consistent than Hornady.

An update after looking through some red dots and optics: I think the way multifocal lenses work involves a series of circular focus rings within the lenses. This give rise to a few things: Night time driving (having now just experienced it) distant cars have a halo around the head lights until around 50m away where it disappears. It’s different but not distracting. Red dots (emitter type) I tried with C-more, Trijicon RMR and SRO, Holosun 510c, Doctor. All same result - the dot ‘bleeds’ and at higher brightness the lens rings appear. Not ideal but still very usable. You can get rid or limit the circular rings by adjusting the brightness but the dot still looks bled. Holographic (Eotech). Better than red dots - slight just noticeable bleed and circles on 1moa centre dot . No bleeding on 30 moa circle. Brightness can be adjusted to get rid of the circles. Scopes S&B pm2, NF ATACR, - reticle without illumination- no issues. Reticle illuminated- no issues, no circles , no bleeding. Massive plus for me is now being able to see the turret markings again in sharp focus and not having to count the clicks.

English Rifleman, possibly the link is worth a look: https://www.everett-hurite.com/blog/understanding-multifocal-and-toric-lens-implants I had my first check-up today ( 3 days after operation). The optician was very pleased with the results - there were no surgical errors. On a standard eye test chart I can read the bottom line with my left eye without trying. With the right eye I can read the line above it. I know that I have never been able to read the bottom line at any other time. I asked why my right eye was not as sharp - it seems to be a natural limit of this eye ( possibly due to the astigmatism). They tried diopter corrections and the opticians glasses with different lenses but nothing improved it. It gives me faith in the prescription from the eye clinic…….it’s a very small difference between eyes ( like looking through a zeiss spotter compared to a bushnell ) It’s a slight sharpness and depth of field distinction being better in the left eye. Re the vision at different distances. Multi focal implants have made a big difference over my previous contact lenses - as you say with normal contact lenses ( toric) I gained long range vision but lost detail close up - like looking at details on my watch or reading normal text on my phone. I now have with implants as good or better long distance vision plus I can read the small details on my watch or phone that I could not do before. There is a check-up in a month after which I take it my eyes will be fully healed and settled down.

Don’t think that I am shooting for a month…..but I have a new JP 224 Valkyrie waiting when I can Don’t mention dentist……youngest went there today (again) and refused to open her gob (again)……..the joy of kids.

This may be of interest to some. I have always required contact lenses so as my eyes have aged and with the onset of cataracts I decided after consulting my optician to go to the the Gemini eye centre ( Czech Republic). I received thorough high-tech examinations and very professional service. They end up with a computer model of your eyes with multiple overlays of data and issues (the examination is paid for in my case by the NI). I was given the results and they went through the pros and cons of each option. My astigmatism creates some issues but best solution for me was Toric multi focal implant lenses. The natural lenses are removed ( I think) and the implants are then inserted- restoring near, middle, distance sight and getting rid of cataracts. This is the least invasive method as it avoids the need any further laser treatment. Naturally it’s the most expensive (£2500, for both eyes). This includes an aftercare visit. The lenses need to be custom ordered / made for my prescription so it took a few weeks and I needed to go back again for the operation. Other methods would have involved having a more standard lens implanted and using laser to shape the eye ( remove the astigmatism) but this is a more invasive procedure requiring 2 operations. I’m going to go for the best option of course. It’s impressive how they can model your eye, show you the modelling, explain in laypersons terms your individual issues and let you make a decision without pressure - they wanted me to think about it for a few days but it seems very clear to me, so decision made. I delayed the operation for 6 months - when I had the required free time for recovery. I had my eyes operated on this week. Surprisingly I didn’t feel any pain just pressure during the operation (takes about 5 minutes per eye). White light used during the operation was unpleasant though. I was able to see immediately after the operation but blurry. The day after my eyesight was much better than it was when I was wearing contact lenses - not surprising as it also gets rid of any cataract issues. I have much better short and long vision than I can remember ever having. Hopefully as my eyes heal there should be a little more improvement. I should be able to drive after a week but lifting 10kg or more, sports, and swimming I can only do after a month. Also you need to wear sun glasses for a month when outdoors to avoid dust entering the eyes. Medication is antibiotic eye drops and other eye drops and a local check-up within 3-5 days. All in all very professional service ( they speak English) - they re-measured / checked my eyes on the day of the operation as it had been 6 months from my previous visit plus a full pre-op consultation. I opted for laser rather than ultrasound for the operating technique - it cost £300 more but I want the best where my eyes are concerned. The lenses etc came to about £2500 so around £2800 in total. I’m very happy with that. The examination may not have been included in the price - paid for by the Czech NHS I think as I live there. All in all for anyone considering such a procedure I had a very positive experience and would recommend the Gemini Eye Clinic, Zlin, Czech Republic. Air travel apparently is possible after the operation but I would recommend a short stay in Cz after the operation and to get the 3-5 day check- up done here.

The discussion did get me thinking- I have a Krieger barrel on an AXMC (338 lm) that shoots Lapua, Berger and Hornady well. When we tried the same loads in my mates AXMC with a U.K. factory barrel only the Lapua performed as desired. He ordered a new factory AI barrel from the USA ( I believe they use Bartlein barrels) and it shoots as good as my Krieger. There are too many possibilities ( ogive shape, crowning, throating, chamber specs)but boat tail design maybe affected by all the above. I’ve haven’t seen much love for the 250grn Scenar Lock-Base but it seems to me to be sort of following the idea of a rebated boat tail. L to R ( lined up on boat tail line) 250g Scenar, 250g Lock Base, 250g Berger Hybrid , 285 ELD-M ( plastic tip missing ). Berger easily has the longest boat tail. Not much difference between the others.

Nice discussion on rebated boat tail bullets.