So far with 224 Valkyrie I’ve been focused on rifle builds and load development. Now it’s time to take a look at precision reloading for 224 Valkyrie, and this time I’m mixing it up with some new hardware and supplies from MEC and Primal Rights! Most everyone in the reloading world has seen the MEC Marksman, but not everyone has seen the other metallic equipment and related supplies offered by MEC. It’s time for a MEC showcase! For this story I’ll be using Starline 224 Valkyrie Cases.
MEC Equipment and Supplies
Here’s the lineup of MEC gear showcased in the video:
- MEC Marksman Press – single stage reloading press with floating shellholder (optimizes concentricity), solid cast-iron construction, open-front design, and precision ground/fit ram.
- MEC Brass Bright Media Polish – an additive for tumbling media (like ground walnut shells) that enhances case cleaning and polishing.
- MEC Metallic Cartridge Case Lube – a lanolin-based spray on lube (my favorite type of lube) that you don’t have to mix yourself!
- MEC Powder Measure – bench-mounted rotating drum powder measure with best-in-class 2 pound capacity and included steel stand.
- MEC Powder Trickler – A solid all-metal powder trickler that enables perfect powder loads every time.
I’ll note that MEC has added a lot of metallic reloading gear/supplies to their lineup, and here I’ve only shown some of what they offer! Perhaps I’ll do another follow-up showing more MEC metallic gear this coming year!
Primal Rights Competition Primer Seater
If you are looking for the best bench-mounted primer seater available, you need to check out the Competition Primer Seater (CPS) from Primal Rights. This priming tool is made from high quality materials, uses a positive-stop design, and you can adjust primer seating depth by 0.001″!
There are a few things I like about this tool:
- It uses a primer pickup tube which is also the primer drop tube
- The primer being seated is isolated from the primers in the drop tube (it’s safe)
- It’s super high quality
- It comes equipped for large and small primers
Here’s the tool in action:
This priming tool is NOT CHEAP- but if you are looking for the highest quality priming tool with great features, this one fits the bill.
The Process
I’ve shown the process of precision reloading on this blog many times (see this example), but there’s always more to talk about! This time we’ll cover a basic start-to-finish reloading process for 224 Valkyrie that you can adapt for your own requirements (adding things like neck turning).
At a high-level, this process outlined in this story is as follows:
- Clean brass with ground walnut shells and MEC Brass Bright Media Polish
- Lube brass with MEC Metallic Cartridge Case Lube
- Size and de-prime brass with MEC Marksman Press and Forster 224 Valkyrie full-length sizing die
- Inspect sized brass with L.E. Wilson 224 Valkyrie case gauge – looking for primer sizer die depth, checking trim length
- Priming brass on the Competition Primer Seater (CPS) from Primal Rights
- Charging the cases with the MEC Powder Measure, trickling up to exact charge weight with the MEC Powder Trickler
- Checking bullet “to-lands” distance with the Hornady Lock-N-Load OAL Gauge and a 224 Valkyrie modified case that I made on the Precision Matthews PM-1440GT Lathe
- Seating bullets to “to-lands” depth minus 0.020″ with MEC Marksman Press and Forster Ultra Micrometer 224 Valkyrie Seater Die
Summary
The equipment and processes shown in this article worked great- and for 224 Valkyrie, there’s not a whole lot that’s different than reloading other bottleneck rifle cartridges. I would say that bullet selection and load development are more critical for 224 Valkyrie than for some other cartridges. Since 224 Valkyrie pushes things to the limits (Ex: pretty much the longest, high BC bullets you’ll find for 22 caliber) it can be more “touchy” when it comes to dialing in the perfect load. I’m still working out the perfect load for 1000 yards with 224 Valkyrie. There’s so many things to try: components, loads, etc. It can be a bit daunting, but is a lot of fun!
Do you have experiences to share with the equipment shown in this article, or with precision 224 Valkyrie loading in general? Please leave a comment! Make sure you’re subscribed, because there’s a lot more 224 Valkyrie action coming up…
Thanks,
Gavin
