I currently am using a 6.5 Grendle Howa and exploring the 224 Vlakyrie. Any opinions for and against?

Until 6.5 creedmoor gets dethroned, I think 6.5 has a larger chance of survival.

I’d go 22Creedmoor over the 224 and the 6.5Grendel. The 6.5G is a great alternative for AR15’s, but I just don’t see a use for it in a bolt action.

To each their own on bolt action 6.5 Grendel. My CZ I had put together in 2015 before they got off their buts and started chambering it has become my favorite deer gun. Light weight, accurate and incredible balance, low recoil, what is not to like? I was told on this forum not to buildout the Grendel in 2015 that I would want more speed get a Creedmoor. My answer to that is why stop there If I want more speed in a 6.5 the 6.5=284 or 6.5 Win Mag will make it out of the safe.

I know a couple of people that once swore by the .224 Valkyrie until they swore at it. I will just stick to my Grendel.

Look for .224 Valkrie brass

Then look for .223 Remington brass

A bolt action .223 Remington is something everyone should have. When it's hand loaded it can be an absolute hotrod!

Never had a .224 Valkyrie in my hands, but the 6.5 Grendel with 120 Nosler Ballistic Tips has been a hammer in my son’s hands.

Back when Valkyrie ammo was $.35/rd, I considered one pretty hard. In the end I decided the .223 was a better choice. More OTC ammo options, just as cheap or cheaper, not giving up that much performance, and I had plenty of more deer-like calibers if I needed to shoot deer with it. If I was building a varmint-weight AR to shoot prairie dogs with, I'd likely do it, but it just doesn't do anything I need in a bolt-action.

That's a fine buck and a proud young man, Barney. Great photo.

the Grendel is more for the ar platform I believe, creedmore for the bolt action

I have a Mossberg MVP in 224 Valkrie as my main hunting rifle this year. I've loaded the 55 grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos at 3360 fps, and it shoots lights out. I've killed several pigs with it so far and it's done well. I also walked it out to 900 yards with the 75 grain ELD-M when I was shooting those for target. It's a fun gun and suppressed, it's very quiet. I also have an AR-15 in Valkrie, and like it a lot.

Comparing the Valkrie to the 6.5 Grendel, the Grendel will have bigger and heavier bullets and does well as a basic hunting round. The Valkrie is more of a fast .224" bullet option. It will out run a 223/5.56 by 100-200 fps, when loaded right. I like the Valkrie a lot, but it does seem to be a little picky on what it likes.

My 224V eats. I've shot a dozen whitetail and a couple hogs with excellent results. Shot 3 does in one sit within 15 minutes of each other and all 3 dropped within sight.

Shot this 246# hog last week at 160 yards and he didn't make it 30 yards before laying down.

Well put sir. A competitive long range shooter friend of mine was quoting me the performance specs on his 26" bolt action 5.56. That which is virtually impossible on an AR platform is very possible (when you do everything else right) out of a bolt action. It's the same story with the 6.5 Grendel. The pressure the cartridge generates is lower than a 5.56 because the AR15 bolt head is necessarily thinner.... not because it's a weaker cartridge. If you do everything right, it is a rocket out of a bolt action.

I have lost track of the Valkerie cartridge in the last couple years. It could be a contender for the new cartridge that got the most stuff wrong all at once. Don't know how Federal managed this cluster. It may be good now. Dunno. But for my money I'd look at the 22 Creedmoor or the 22 ARC if you need more performance than the 5.56. The 6 mm Creedmoor might fill the bill as well.

My 6.5 Grendel in a 20" AR has taken a dozen or so hogs without a complaint and (with a different bullet) makes hitting steel fairly easy out to 800 yards or so.

Thanks guys....seems to be a balanced response with some additional input for .223 and 6.5 creedmoor! That seems to be what I keep reading, also. Since I have very few predators and no hogs where I'm at in Mills County right now, will probably stick with the Howa 6.5 grendle for now. It is doing great at 300 yards on the last yote a few years ago.

When I started shooting/hunting, a 243 Win was the caliber acceptable for women and children. Men shot 30-06, 7mm Rem Mags, and .270. Keep in mind this was for shooting West Texas whitetail where a decent buck field dressed at 85lbs. Advances in powder and bullet technology has leveled the playing field.

I am a fan of the smaller cartridges that may have been developed to meet the size restriction for an AR15, but deliver much more in a bolt rifle. Notable cartridges are the 6.5 Grendel, 6ARC, 6.8SPC, 300HAM'R, 300 Blackout, 224 Valkerie, .223/5.56, and newly released 22 Grendel. These are the primary "Micro" Cartridges, and there are a lot of established one-offs based on the 6PPU case and the 223 case. There is a good chance that the 224 Valkyrie will be put to bed by the new 22 Grendel. As mentioned by others the performance of these Micro Cartridges increase significantly in a bolt rifle, where you can safely operate them at higher pressure. The 6mmARC with a 105gr-108gr bullet is going to be running at only 250 fps slower than normal load for 243Win or 6 Creedmoor. Makes you think... Now put that in a kitted out bolt rifle that weighs 6lbs versus a Rem700 at 9lbs.

If you are not shooting Long Distance (+500 yards), Large Prey (heavy mass), or Extreme Climate (cross winds, mountains, etc) then there is no practical advantage to using a 308 size cartridge for majority of hunting and plinking. Most shots are taken under 100 yards. The 300fps difference in velocity of 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 Grendel is effectively meaningless until you get out well past any reasonable hunting distance. The 40gr difference in bullets weight doesn't really matter with new bullet designs unless you need knockdown power on very large prey (bear, elk, moose, or very large northern deer or mule deer). Most of these micro cartridges use 60% of powder volume that their big brother does. This translates to much less recoil and much greater barrel life. If you reload then you can really take advantage of these Micro Cartridges tailoring them to meet your specific needs!

For me the option of lighter gun, less recoil, and 2x the barrel life all make a strong argument for considering a different approach. Don't get me wrong, everyone should have at least one riffle that is .308 equivalent or larger. The rifle that you use to compete at long distances is a different animal than your standard hunting rifle. Trying to get one rifle to do everything usually works out to be a compromise that doesn't excel at either role.