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Introducing the 7MM Valkyrie AR

81K views 271 replies 33 participants last post by  earlytom  
#1 · (Edited)
http://www.7mmvalkyrie.com
The 7mm Valkyrie AR is a wildcat hunting round being developed for the AR15. It is based on the 6.5x47 Lapua case with the shoulder pushed back to allow it to run in the ar15 at 2.295 oal and necked up to 7mm. Case trim length will be 1.596-1.60 and case capacity should be in the 42-43.5 grains of water.

It is designed around the 140 class of bullets which should be pushed to 2700-2800 fps from a 24" barrel. Most 150 and 160 class will also be able to run in it with the 160 sierras being able to run at 2.25 oal so they will work perfectly in 300 black out mags. Estimates are for 2600 fps from the 160's. 120 class bullets should be in the 2900-3000 range and the 110's in the 3000-3100 range
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The 7VAR With the 2.295 oal PRI 6.8 magazines work best allowing 7 rounds in a 10 round mag. The larger mags don't allow much more capacity because the magazine starts to swell.


The Valkyrie is a reloader only caliber for now. The case forming requires neck turning and reaming, neck thickness needs to be .012 - .0135. As stated 6.5x47 lapua brass is the best brass to make the cases from. It forms the easiest, lasts the longest, is small primer and handles the pressures the best. Also there is zero loss rate when forming.


6.5 creedmoor cases also work but the brass is softer and only lasts 2-4 firings on average. It also has a loss rate of 10% when forming from creases/folds in the neck/shoulder area. It does have the highest case capacity. Winchester 308 brass also works but you still have a 10% loss rate when forming. Any 308 based case can be used but case capacity suffers, work to make them increases so that is why they are not on the recommend list.


There will be 3 guys offering brass conversion for the 7 VAR, 270AR and the 257 Bobcat. Already processed brass will also be available in a limited capacity to start.

You can join in on the talks with us on our facebook group page https://www.facebook.com/groups/7mmVar/


Dies will be from Whidden gunworks with their competition micrometer seater die which is one of the best in the industry.

Some of the powders expected to work well with the Valkyrie are: CFE 223, Leverevolution, xbr 8208, H335, AA2520, Tac, Xterminator. Also r15 and arcomp might also work well also n530,n540 and n550 should be workable powders.

We are taking the community development route with this round. We have 15 founders and 10 of those are testers ready to test barrels from 16.5" to 26". Reamers will be due mid march with testing starting with a savage bolt gun 26" barrel. Then 5-8 weeks later the ar barrels should be done and come online for testing. Eisenach Arms is in on the development and will have a limited edition upper receiver with the Valkyrie logo.



7 mm Valkyrie tenetive time line

Jan 8th ordered reamers

March 10th Reamers due

March 15th Chamber first test barrel - 26" savage will also make 2 dillon trim dies and 3 forming dies before sending reamers to whidden.

March 16-19 Order dies -- payments for dies are due by april 1st 5-8 weeks to get dies from the 1st -- they make custom dies first 2 weeks of month.

April 3rd Tester's barrel payments due - tester barrel order date - (sooner if we can) or any founder that wants their barrel.

May 13th Dies will be done soon.

May 15th Tester barrels should be arriving soon

June 1st All testers should have barrels and we should be in full test mode.

June 15 - July 1 if all testing is good order rest of founder's group barrels - barrel payments due for final group.

August 1st will start taking orders for first group buy, will only be open for 2 weeks. want to place order by aug 15 so barrels can be in hands for hunting season.


Comparing the Valkyrie case to the 270AR case. I opted to push the shoulder back a little further so we could run all 140 class bullets at 2.295 and most 150 and 160 class bullets. It just gave more room to play. first is the 140 nosler bt next is the 120 nosler bt, then the 270ar case, 139sst all of them at 2.295. on the far right is a 270ar case just necked up and a 139sst seated. it has to be seated at 2.35 to keep the ogive out of the case.





I will be using the pressure trace system to collect pressure data during testing.




Here is estimated data, it should be close I used information gained with the 270AR and the 257 Bobcat to hopefully come up with some close estimations.












 
#219 ·
I decided to put pressure trace sensor on my bolt gun so i will get some data with it.

another tester shot the 140 berger vld at 2.295 oal with some very good results. he was using benchmark but the charges might be too hot so alex and I will pressure test the loads to see where it is at before i post them.

alex is also going to test a whole bunch of powder with the 140's to see if we can find a temp stable powder with good velocity and accuracy, lever is the fastest but it is temp sensative which makes it a little inconsistent.

here is his planned loads



here are my planned loads i am going to run benchmark with the 140 bt, 140 game king and aa2460 with the game king

 
#220 ·
will you be testing the same exact loads in the bolt gun and ar? It will be interesting to me to see if a moving bolt\carrier has any impact on pressure wave compared to a non ar and if those differences in harmonics (assuming same length, twist barrel and weather conditions) change readings between your two test rifles (the savage and ar).
 
#221 ·
i will test some of the same loads but the barrels are different the savage is a 1-9 twist 26" and the ar is a 24" 1-8 5r twist so we will see, this first test is specific then in the next few weeks i will run some of the same loads.
 
#222 ·
Had a very good range session today. i was shooting both the ar and the savage. I had to take the pressure trace off the ar when i built my final rifle because it wouldn't work with the barrel nut. so now i put the pressure trace on the savage.
First off I wanted to test benchmark. Jim Learmonth ran it last weekend with th e140 berger with good results but ql showed his loads way over pressure so we wanted to see where it actually was at. Good news is he wasn't too far over probably 62-64k. I ran the 140 bt and that is going to be an excellent combo if you look at the target pick after 6 shots i put the bayonet from the chrono on and poi shifted a little but the first 6 were one big hole.
velocities are good, less than lever but accuracy looks positive and it is not temp sensitive like lever. I will be developing loads with both. The 140 speer is also working nice. the speer bullets are shorter and work very well in the VAR.
i ran an accuracy ladder with N540 and the 139 hornady sp and it looks very promising also. the last charge was only at 57k and the case is mostly full. will retest it again next week. will also load it with the 168 nosler to get pressure and velocity on it.
I also tried another new powder AA2460 and it shows promise also, velocities were good with the sierra 140's and the target shows accuracy isn't bad either.
I also ran Alex's 150 nosler ballistic tip with cfe load i went much higher but in the pressure chart the first 2 are his 33 grain load that had the large pressure spike. in mine i didn't have the spike at all. the top 3 loads were very compressed and i didn't hit max so i will retest with lever and 8208.
just for clarity the savage is a 26" 1-9 twist in case you didn't remember, the ar is a 24" 1-8 5r twist.








 
#223 · (Edited)
I have put together a max load chart for the bullets and powders we have been testing. this chart is for 6.5x47 lapua brass only if any other brass is used drop at least 2 grains from the start loads and work up. The max loads are the absolute max loads at 70 deg. if it is warmer drop accordingly

I am now taking orders. i will place the order on aug. 7th go to http://www.7mmvalkyrie.com/how-to-order.html for information and pricing.

the chart is also on the website here http://www.7mmvalkyrie.com/load-data.html I will be keep that one up to date. more bullet and powder combos will be posted in the next few weeks.



 
#225 · (Edited)
had a good range session sunday.

I am now in the mode of trying different powders to see what else may work and fine tuning some loads.

I tried superformance with the 168 nosler and it was dismal, the powder is just too slow, at 38 grains the loads were compressing a lot and only at 45k. imr 4166 looks promising it won't be the fastest but it will probably be a very accurate powder. velocities will be 100-150 fps slower than we can get with lever from the looks of it. i need to test more with the 130-140 grain bullets.

also ran imr 4895 with the 154 sst and it is a lazer with that powder but it is about 200 fps slower than lever and cfe.

on average the pressures were running higher today so i think there was a little calibration issue with the pressure trace. temp was the same as last week but everything was showing 2000-5000 psi higher. cases and primers didn't look bad so i still shot everything.

i think i am going to settle on 36.2 of lever with the 168 berger and play with seating dept a little for one of my final loads

i have several new bullets coming in and will run them for velocity and pressure data next weekend.



Notethe 140 sierra gk and aa2460 was shot with the savage, i have the test sheet labeled wrong it was a last minute change. the target was labeled right.









 
#228 ·
Just a little perspective on the Valkyrie

here are 3 HITS calculations on the 168 berger classic hunter at 2575 fps the node in my 24" ar 1-8 5r barrel. they are for 400,500, 600 yards. it just falls out of large game at 600 yards.

400 yards



500 yards


600 yards
 
#231 ·
Had a great day at the range sunday with D. she was shooting her 223 and i did some accuracy testing with the valkyrie's i wanted to finalize the 110 tnt load in both guns along with the 168 ncc lever loads.

pretty much done with the bolt gun i am going to go with 38.5 8208 under the 110tnt and 35.3 lever under the 168 nosler custom comp. a little deciding what i want to do on the AR











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#232 ·
here is the full data from sunday, some of the pressures seem off but they are what they are. it gives us a good place to start with the bullet powder combos. n135 i would say is just not a good one for this caliber, velocities are ok but case fill is high with lots of compression.
I have a few 120's left and i am going to run them with benchmark for an accuracy test.
with the 145 i am going to run lever and benchmark for accuracy, r17 is too bulky and slow velocity wasn't bad but those cases were filled pretty good with lots of compression 8208 will probably work also so i will run it and see what it does too.






these are the targets the number refers to the load in the load charts above


 
#233 ·
One of the founders has his 7VAR barrel/bolt up for sale. It is 24", 1-9 twist, threaded, and has straight fluting. It is a semi-bull profile requiring a .936 GB. It has been coated in armor black cerakote. This is a founders barrel with about 250-300 rounds down the tube. The barrel shoots great and is getting great velocity numbers. The price is $360 shipped to US. If anyone is interested please let me know.
he loves the barrel and cartridge but have decided to get another VAR barrel that is shorter.

this barrel bolt retails at 495 so it is an excellent deal if interested pm me and i will put you in contact with him.


 
#234 ·
good day at the range today. i shot the 120 sierra ph and 140 sierra game king with benchmark. i was having some cycling issues with the 140's then remembered i had turned the gas block down when running leverevolution. i opened it back up and it cycled much better. here are the targets. the 120 and benchmark are going to be a great load. these were all shot with the AR the fusions were shot with the savage bolt gun.







yesterday i got out and tested my 168 nosler custom comp load at some distance. had the steel set up at 300 and a 5-10 mph wind from right to left. i hit them with the bobcat also then i dialed and hit the plate at 500 it hit 2 inches low and 1 inch left. then to try my luck i went for the 720 plate. i could only see the top of the plate with the beans still in the field. but i dialed for wind and yardage and hit it first try. just saw the splatter don't know ow far off or on i was but a hit on an 18x18 plate at 720 for me is a win in my book.






 
#236 ·
no i haven't ran the 140 gk with lever. i have ran enough 140's with lever to know it will be good for the most velocity. accuracy should be ok also, lever is showing signs of being finicky with certain bullets and not being consistent accuracy wise. so i am in the mode of trying different powders.

aa2460 works very well with the 140 gk, benchmark and 8208 also work well. you can look back at the data for the other 140's to get a good start point, i would start around 36 grains and work up to around 38.5 probably.

the 168 nosler load is 35.6 lever with the 168 nosler custom competition seated at 2.295 at 2540 fps
 
#237 · (Edited)
did some testing this weekend. trying to finalize the benchmark loads with the 140 sierra and 120 sierra. also ran some reloader 15 accuracy looks to be promising but velocities are a bit slower. pressure trace wasn't working but at 37.4 grains of r15 it was compressing quite a bit. powder was at base of neck. also shot benchmark with the 140 berger vld. i shot these loads at .010 off the lands oal was 2.41 length to ogive wase 1.777 it can be ran at 2.295 one of the end users is using this for his hunting load 140 Berger, 35.2 gr Benchmark, 2.295 OAL, CCI SR mag primers. 2715 fps avg from his 21" barrel.. It looks to be mine as well. make sure to check the es and sd numbers on the 140 berger with benchmark they are some of the best i have seen.

the weather was cool 65-73 deg. with a 15-25 mph wind from 11 oclock. i am sure it messed with the groups a little and i shot them all pretty quick.

i am going to call 36 grains of benchmark and the 120 sierra my load for now, i shot 3 groups with it yesterday and the first one was fowlers and it was .75 moa, then i shot the .695 group and the last group of the day was the 1.5 and i have no idea why it did that, i was getting a little wore down and trying to get things done. that load has shot 4 groups under .8 and one over so i am going to run with it. on the 140's i am going to run 34.4 grains of benchmark.








 
#238 ·
i finally got all the data together. First off the change of the handguard helped the ar. i had a 12 inch by 11 inch poi shift change after changing it. the gas block was hitting on the other rail.
couple of notes the 140 berger and 150 lrab were run in the savage and i loaded them both at .010 off the lands so they are at 2.516 for the lrab and 2.41 for the berger
i really liked what i seen with RE15 and Imr4895 they don't work too well at mag length because of case fill but with the extra length they are workable in the savage.
also want to note that the benchmark loads in the savage at 35.2-35.3 at .010 off the lands are right on the edge one primer pierced. at the 2.295 like jim is running i would consider it max and don't start that high drop 1.5 grains and work up.

also be sure to check out the es and sd numbers re15 was posting some very low numbers and imr4895 was too












 
#239 ·
i made it out over the long weekend to just check some loads that have been looking good both in the ar and the savage. needed to get some loaded for the weekend get together. here are the results

AR loads
130 speer 40.5 cfe223 2.295
139 sst 38.2 lever 2.295/1.652 to ogive
160 fusion 36.7 lever 2.295 -- these fusions are just not consistent. they will shoot .8 3 and 4 shot groups then open up to 2" they do it with several powders i am just going to use them for 1-300 yard steel bangers

Savage loads
110 speer tnt 38.5 imr 8208 2.295/1.750
154 sst 35.6 lever 2.34/1.705
temps today were 88-90 deg with 10-15 mph wind from 9 oclock

 
#244 ·
The videos are cool, but you have to see it live to really appreciate just how much power the 7mm Valkyrie really has. I saw it first hand and got to shoot it myself a week ago yesterday at our Midwest Gathering. It is an awesome cartridge. Bruce has done a near perfect job with this one, and I'm just waiting on my barrel to get here!

All we need to do now is iron out the process of making a billet mag that will hold ten to fifteen rounds. This thing is easily capable of 400-500 yds if you're a good enough shot at those ranges.
 
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#245 ·
All we need to do now is iron out the process of making a billet mag that will hold ten to fifteen rounds. This thing is easily capable of 400-500 yds if you're a good enough shot at those ranges.
Speaking of mags... Has anyone tried the Barrett 30 rd. mag? And will the early 25 rd. PRI mags work, or a Grendel mag? I have a 17 rd. C-Products mag, is it worth trying? I don't have my barrel yet, nor any brass, but I can at least find mags... I have all the above mentioned.
 
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#247 ·
I got this from and end user, first 6 shots down his Valkyrie with one of the pet loads we have found.
As a testament to the 7VAR and Bruce Finnegan 's awesome engineering, here is the 100 yd paper from initial sight in. Upper left was first on paper, the next five landed within 3/4 of an inch. Not bad for a leadsled on my tailgate. These were Bruce's pet load - 140 Nosler BT w/38.4grn Lever. Watch out deer, I'm comin' for ya.



 
#249 · (Edited)
yes cfe 223 is one of the better powders. here is a list of powders we have tested the best are at the top. lever,cfe,aa2520 are best for the 140 and up loads, benchmark,aa2460,h335, 8208 are good for 140 and down.

the powders at the bottom are bulky and you just can't get the velocity you can with the ball powders. some are very accurate just speeds are down 100-150 fps from what can be attained by lever and cfe. lever has the best velocities but isn't always the most consistent with all bullets. it is working very well with the 168 berger and nosler custom comp bullets along with some 140's. Cfe looses a little velocity but is a little more accurate but both powders are temp sensative. we have been working more with 8208 and benchmark but you have to be careful with benchmark it is a faster powder and it spikes quick.

here is a link to our pet load worksheet were i am putting the loads that are working together so guys have a place to start. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Hy81pdY9WnE3t8x1Ifu1LPB1hHUuHDewhEFCam3Am-c/edit?usp=sharing

Leverevolution
CFE
imr8208xbr
H335
aa2460
benchmark
ARComp
AA2230
AA2520
N530
RL15
H4895
4166
imr4895
N540
N550
 
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