MSR 15 Valkyrie Steps Out At SHOT Show’s Industry Day

By Jacki Billings

Savage seduced the crowds of SHOT Show’s Industry Day with one of its newest arrivals — the MSR 15 Valkyrie.

While the rifle keeps with the MSR theme, the introduction of the .224 Valkyrie chambering had patrons lining up to test out the long range capabilities of both the rifle and cartridge. Savage launched the MSR 15 Valkyrie late last year in response to Federal Premium Ammunition’s introduction of the new long range cartridge.

The .224 Valkyrie is on the hunt for some street cred, with Federal Premium pushing the round as the next big thing to hit the long range shooting world. The ammo maker says the Valkyrie round is capable of flat trajectories with supersonic velocities reaching out as far as 1,300 yards with “match-grade accuracy.” Apparently, the hype around the Valkyrie worked as patrons to Industry Day lined up to take the Valkyrie cartridge and Savage rifle for a test drive.

The Valkyrie edition MSR is built on Savage’s MSR 15 Recon platform; though Savage dolled up the 18-inch barreled MSR 15 to suit the Valkyrie round. The rifle comes outfitted with a two-stage trigger (with pull weight ranging from 2.5-pounds to 6-pounds), Hogue pistol grip, and Magpul UBR Gen 2 buttstock, in addition to an adjustable gas block and muzzle brake with 1/2×28 threads. Utilizing a mid-length gas system, the MSR 15 Valkyrie slung round after round of Federal ammo downrange.

The rifle runs smooth and we didn’t see any issues as we milled about the Savage booth. The rifle also proved a comfortable fit for a multitude of shooters who were happily hearing the ping of steel ring throughout the Las Vegas desert. While we’re not sure the Valkyrie will take the place of other notable MSR 15 cartridges like 22 Nosler or .223 Rem, Savage is sure putting in the work to make the Valkyrie an appealing and attractive option.

Though CMMG nips closely at Savage’s heels with its own .224 Valkyrie model, Savage still manages to slip just under CMMG’s Mk4 DTR2 radar, pricing the MSR 15 Valkyrie at $1,499.