Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .270 vs 6.5 PRCeter

I would have thought a thread would have started on this comparison?

As I look at the 6.5 PRC, seems like the speed is very similar to the .270 and the then we get into the massive difference in bullet diameter....

Anybody compared these?

But...but...there's 3 inches of difference at 700 yards where virtually no one can see or use the difference...so the prc is obviously the choice. Go buy hundreds of dollars in loading stuff for it right now!

The older I get the more I like to KISS, so .270 for the WIN.

Don't have a .277" anything but do shoot ..264", so a 6.5PRC would be my preference. Already have suitable bullets and powder. My heavy barrel 6.5-06AI needs a sporter-weight buddy.

This....


No fan of diminishing returns, splitting hairs, or getting less than 80% return on 20% effort.

Must admit I've been thinking the same thing - .270 is incredibly well establish, trajectory is not likely meaningfully different, inherent accuracy prob better with 6.5 PRC due to modern case design and good BC of the 6.5's, but not sure the incremental benefit is there.

I really like my new 6.5 PRC,but I not getting rid of my 270s.

For hunting within 400 yards,not much difference. But as the distance increases,the 6.5 PRC wins the numbers comparison by ever increasing margins.

Depends on what you want to get done.

Using FPS and FPE as the benchmark, a 6.5PRC can do at 700 yards what the .270 Win can do at 600. And a 7mm RM can do at 700 what the 6.5PRC can do at 600.

The 6.5PRC is a good cartridge but hard to justify the purchase of one since I already have the 7mm RM. (And a 6.5-06AI that beats the PRC handily but is heavier than I want to carry in the mountains. Awesome for antelope and sage deer, though.)

I think the 270 is a solid choice but reading these threads sometimes I wonder why it's the automatic default, and choosing anything else requires justification? The logic seems to be that it's ballistically a close 2nd place to the PRC, so the 270 wins. The burden of proof is always on the cartridge it's being compared to, and the challenger has to not only beat it, but beat it by a wide margin.

If a guy doesn't own either one, why would he pick the 270 other than factory guns and ammo? Not everyone owns a 270 to begin with.

The PRC is a lot of trouble? How so? We've got KISS advocates on here who have time to rack up tens of thousands of posts, but they don't have time to reload, rebarrel or wring out a new rifle.

Like I said, just makes me wonder.

You pretty much answered it. Factory guns, ammo, and proven.

If I've got 800HP, is 850HP worth chasing?

I reckon it all depends on whatcha gonna do with it. If I'm racing against a bunch of guys with 800HP, then by all means yes. If I'm driving to work, who gives a schit.

What exactly does 'proven' mean?

It's not like 140 grains at 3050fps is a total mystery. I can say this with 100% certainty and I wasn't even there --- the first animal ever properly hit with a PRC died in a very, very predictable manner. It didn't 'prove' anything, nor will the next 100,000+ animals that are killed with it.




Again, you use the 270 as the starting point, but that logic goes both ways. If I have a PRC why would I buy a 270? There's no need to 'chase' anything, it's no trick to get a PRC to hit its published velocities.

If you wanna be the kid on the block with the shiny new toy go for it, but it's not doing what hasn't been done. I'm sure somewhere down the line the nuances mean something to someone.

It's not just about bullet speed. Components, factory ammo and all that jazz. Point being there's no point. Coke is Coke, whether it's new Coke or Coke Classic. You said 140's at 3000 isn't a mystery. 264 vs 277. Yeah, your gonna see less drift in higher BC bullets. That's a fact.


But what is Joe Average gonna get with his new hot rod whizzbang over some old skool whizzbang? Likely nothing that he'll ever see, especially if he's only shooting less than 400 yards. 270 sounds boring, 6.5 PRC sounds exciting like you're a real rifle looney.

But never ask a barber if you need a haircut.

Pass the 264 Kreedmire and hold the Fluff.

Bullets matter more than headstamps.

Hint.........................

Nothing wrong with the .270 and it does have a huge advantage over the 6.5PRC when it comes to choices in factory firearm and ammo options. That said, it is not the default when Daughter #1 and I consider her options for something with more reach (think drop and retained velocity and energy) than her .308 Win. Both have a good selection of bullets, but in the bullet types and weights I prefer to use the 6.5’s have the advantage in B.C.

As far as “the challenger has to not only beat it, but beat it by a wide margin”, I disagree. If I was going to choose between the 6.5PRC and .270 Win, I’ll take the 65.5PRC all day long. Ballistically, it beats the .270 Win by about 100 yards. Firearm options for the PRC are not what I want, but I’d get a donor and put a custom barrel on it – ending up with the rifle I want rather than what is available.

Beats it by 100 yards how? All things being equal, ELD-X vs. ELD-X you'll get a whopping 2-1/2" more drift at 500 yards. If you can hold 2.6 MOA you can hold 3.

I disagree too, just saying that is the prevailing wisdom on the fire. The 270 gets the nod because it's 'almost as good'.

If 500 yards is the max,then lots of things can be made to work. But higher BC bullets drift less in the wind and winds can be variable and unpredictable.

Bullets do matter more than headstamps as the distance increases and as winds change velocity.

None of it matters inside 600 yards where game should be shot... pick or build something you like and rock on. Though I'd bet the 270 will offer longer barrel life...

Yep. Barrel life.

Did the 6.5x284 and it wasn't too kind on barrels either.

The reality is that unless your a serious rifle shooter and reload your own ammo your just so much farther ahead going with 243, 270, 308, and 30-06. The average guy who would purchase ammo can get it less than other odd or larger calibers and it's found everywhere. Then if you have the reload but you can say load you 270 with any bullet you see fit.

Retained energy and velocity, Hornady ELD-X vs ELD-X loads. The advantage for the 6.5PRC is actually closer to 75 yards than 100.

6.5PRC, 143ELD-X, .625B.C. @ 2960fps
.270 Win, 145g ELD-X, 536 B.C. @ 2970fps

200 yard zero, 6000 ft altitude:

6.5PRC
400yds = -17.4", 2483fps, 1959fpe, 6.6" drift
500yds = -34.2", 2372fps, 1787fpe, 10.4" drift
600yds = -57.4", 2263fps, 1627fpe, 15.4" drift
700yds = -87.4", 2158fps, 1479fpe, 21.6" drift

.270 Win
400yds = -17.8", 2418fps, 1883fpe, 7.7" drift
500yds = -35.1", 2290fps, 1689fpe, 12.3" drift
600yds = -59.6", 2167fps, 1511fpe, 18.7" drift
700yds = -91.2", 2047fps, 1348fpe, 25.6" drift

The 6.5PRC will also do it with about 1ft-lb less recoil. Like drift and drop, the difference isn't great.


The best choice for the shooter who relies on factory ammo and firearms, is currently the .270 Win. For someone like me, who reloads and is willing to slap a quality barrel on a donor action, the 6.5PRC is the more interesting of the two.