Bolt face ID vs. Case Head OD

[ntsqd]

The Howa in .223 is 1-9 as well.

 

[HobieH3]

The Howa in .223 is 1-9 as well.

 

[taly01]

The 22 Valkyrie was made to piggyback on the 6.8SPC parts already made for AR's. I don't think their are 6.8PSPC size bolts and magazines made for the Howa Mini.

I guess you are wanting to shoot heavy .224 bullets? It does seem much easier to go with one of the .224" made from 6.5 Grendel brass. 224 AR looks pretty good as it is designed for short magazine lengths like in Howa Mini and AR's.

 

[ntsqd]

There are not any Howa Mini's OEM in 6.8 or Valkyrie. Or .30 Rem for that matter. The Valkyrie chambering appeals because I've always though the .22-250 was too over-bore, not to mention the Swift. The .224 WBY would have been appealing were it not for the odd brass. Been a very long time since I looked at it, but what I recall was that it could be formed from .30 Rem if you lost the belt. Hum, this looks vaguely familiar....

I'm nearly set-up for Valkyrie, have an upper, brass, ammo, dies....... Just don't think that I want to shoot the chamber in an AR as my primary focus on it.
Short term I plan to shoot factory ammo. Longer term I want to test both light and heavy. Light for varmints, heavy for distance. I'll twist for the heavies, and accept how the lights behave with that twist.

 

[ntsqd]

Just discovered something interesting, the Bighorn Origin action is offered in "223, 308, Magnum or PPC/SPC (Valkyrie) bolt heads"
https://bighornarms.com/product/origin-action-deposit/

I interpret that to mean that they sell you the same bolt for a PPC or a .30 Rem case based chambering. Since the PPC traces back to, essentially, the 7.62X39 case head size they're OK with exactly the fit that I'm pondering.
EDIT: I see in their replacement bolt head section that they say to specify the caliber. So maybe I misinterpreted this.

FWIW when I place a Valkyrie case in the Howa 7.62X39 bolt the extractor grabs it. If I slide the case as far away from the extractor as I can and then push on the neck sideways trying to lever the case out of the extractor's grip I can severely bugger the case rim, but I cannot pop it free.

 

[Roeder]

What you have in mind might work. Several of the custom action makers offer a "universal bolt face" which is large enough for .308 diameter case heads but will also work with PPC cases. That is nominally a .033 difference. Not everyone has been happy with this option. They are shipped with an extractor with a little extra reach. I have ended up trimming them a tiny bit to get them to snap over the larger case easily, but then a new extractor is needed to extract PPC cases. Other factors such as the depth of the bolt recess and the position of the ejector and extractor could keep this from working out. If you could make up a Dummy barrel stub with the correct chamber diameter, you could test it out before you actually chamber a barrel. You may need to lengthen the extractor by tig welding a little extra material and re-cutting. The extractor should allow the case to move over against the opposite side of the bolt recess and still have a little tension. Jobs like this take some tinkering and gunsmiths often avoid this sort of thing because it is hard to predict how much time it will take.

 

[MSU Marksman]

Hate bumping old thread, but I couldn't get the PM function to work either.

Did your Howa mini project Valkyrie ever gain any traction?

 

[ntsqd]

Life has interrupted the process. While trying to wrap up some of that I'm dithering on do I have the metal work done, or do I go 'Howage' with a McGowan barrel & do it myself? If I do it I'll go with which ever I can buy for the least, a 7.62x39 or a 6.5G. If I have a riflesmith do it I'll see what they want to work with. My guess is that a 'smith will want a .223
Either way I expect to need the 7.62/6.5G magazine for that aspect to function properly.

My general thought is to build it as a "mid-weight" bordering on lightweight varminter. Tempting to go with the McGowan 'Howage' barrel nut just so that I can try different barrel configurations.

EDIT: By chance does anyone know what the barrel thread is for these Howa Mini's?