To quote myself, Im looking for a rifle, but the hangup is finding the correct bolt face. Its not the same bolt face as a 6.8, 308, or 6.5 Grendel. I could build from a Savage action as well, as bolt faces are easy to change, but I cant use a DBM that accepts AR mags in a Savage, and I dont feel like over paying for Savage mags. Been there, done that with my 308. So, first I have to find a short action Rem 700 that I can convert to DBM. Then I need to find a bolt with the correct bolt face. Then lastly, find a 26" barrel cut in 224 Valk, probably a Criterion as Ive had pretty good luck with them and the price is right. This rifle would be built primarily for small game hunting and longer range shooting. Top it off with a decent 6-24 power scope.
Why not an AR? Because I will never get the accuracy and velocity from an AR that I can get from a bolt rifle. I also will never shoot and load enough volume in 224 Valk to justify a semi auto primarily due to cost. I can go blast match grade 223 all day for 25 cents a shot, which is something you will never do with 224 Valk. I also have a feeling that 224 Valk is going to be hard on barrels due to the higher velocity of the round on such a small diameter projectile. Im not talking 22-250 hard on barrels, but its pretty safe to say that barrel life will not be the high point of the caliber. The jury is still out for me on this caliber. I have a few other projects in the works that will need to be finished before I go anywhere with this.
