According to a recent release from F4 Defense (@f4defense), their “Enhanced Battle Rifle” is now available in the .224 Valkyrie cartridge. The Valkyrie is a cartridge based on a .30 Rem/6.8 SPC case necked down to accommodate a .224 projectile.
F4 Defense: Dubious at First
F4 told us the following:
"Some very bold statements were made last year concerning the performance of the Valkyrie. We rarely jump on ‘new fad’ calibers, but we had to test and evaluate whether this cartridge could live up to the hype surrounding it. We can confidently say it’s a damn good cartridge. It’s not quite a .22 Grendel, but the fact that you can buy off the shelf ammunition is critical to those that don’t hand load.
After testing various twist rates and barrel lengths, optimized for the 90gr Sierra Match Kings and now with the long anticipated Hornady 88 Grain ELD Match ammunition; F4 Defense settled on a 20” 1x7 twist because it just plain works. The “need” for a tighter twist is simply not correct and we’ve proven it, it’s not surprising that you see manufacturers now jumping off the tight twist and going with a 7. A tighter twist than necessary lessens barrel life and can also restrict you from using a wide range of projectiles.
Our F4 EBR consistently shot sub .5 MOA with pre-production Federal Gold Medal Match so we’re confident that Federal can work out the kinks and produce ammo at the same quality as the earlier lots. We know what it’s capable of and it’s truly impressive!"
F4 EBR Technical Specs
- Receivers: Precision CNC Machined F4-15 Matched Billet 7075-T6
- Controls: Full Ambi Bolt Catch and Mag Release
- Barrel: 20″ Stainless Steel Match Grade
- Caliber: .224 Valkyrie (Also available in .22 Nosler and 6.5 Grendel)
- Fire Control Group: ELF Drop-In Match Trigger
- Handguard: Adaptive Rail System Lite (ARS-L) 15.8″
- Gas System: Adjustable Rifle+2 (224 Valkyrie), Rifle (22 Nosler & 6.5 Grendel)
- Charging Handle: F4 QR Ambi Charging Handle
- Selector: BAD Short-throw Ambi Selector
- BCG: F4 Defense Black Nitride
- Muzzle Device: 5/8-24 Seekins Precision ATC Brake
- Stock: MFT Utility Battle Stock
- Overall Length: 37.5″
- Weight: 7.95lbs
- Finish: Type III Class II Anodized Black or Cerakote Finish
- American Made with American Metal
- Sub-MOA Guarantee (Match Grade Ammo)
Learn more about F4′s EBR on their Enhanced Battle Rifle page.
#F4Defense: American Metal.
