Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 6.5 Creedmoor vs 6.5 PRC

Okay, so Hornady is building cartridges around the longer, higher BC bullets, like the 6.5 PRC and 300 PRC.

In regards to the 6.5 PRC... it's merely a 6.5 magnum? I'm a 308 guy, so I don't keep up with 6.5 much, but if you tune down the PRC then you have a Creedmoor right? or it's a Creedmoor with the ability to push the same bullet faster, since you have a higher case capacity?

What am I missing here? Same with the 300 PRC... it's a 300WM with the higher BC bullets?

Help me out. Are these 1,000 yard cartridges that they are trying to make mainstream?

If you tune to "The Real Gunsmith" on You Tube, he will answer all your questions.
And I don`t have a 6.5 anything.

LOL, he will answer a whole lotta something, but I’m not sure what!

Ha! Yep, I saw his video on the 300PRC.

He's one of the best "ballistic comedians" around.

In the real world, think of the 6.5 Creedmoor as the modernized/standardized/optimized version of the 6.5x55/.260.

The 6.5 PRC is the same deal with the 6.5-06.

The real gunsmith is a putz. Don't take much of anything he says seriously.

Ha!

Grand Slam!!!!

Mule Deer got it right.

The .243 Win pretty much killed sales of the .257 Roberts and I can't help but wonder what the 6.5 CM has done to .243 Win sales. And 7mm-08 sales. And .308 Win. And everything in-between.

The 6.5 PRC adds velocity and its attendant benefits at the expense of more recoil. Can't help but wonder what the long-term effect will be on sales of .25-06 up through the .30-06.

The 243 is really popular and well entrenched, I believe it'll be harder to shade than the Roberts was.

I’m a huge 6.5 fan and have shot them for 20 plus years. Most of that experience has been with the 6.5x284 and both my longest kills were made with that cartridge, 435 yards on a really big 6pt bull elk by a 125gr Nosler Partition and 400 yards on a Pronghorn with a 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. That was strictly a handloading proposition, as was the 260 Rem I used for about 8 years.

Now having a 6.5 Creedmoor, I can honestly say I could have easily made both those shots with at least eight kinds of factory ammo (that’s all I’ve tried) or with some very easy and inexpensive and time-saving hand loads.

I’m sure the PRC is great and I obviously love its 6.5x284-like ballistics. However, the 6.5 Creedmoor is just so easy and inexpensive to own and shoot well to all sane distances that I don’t ever see myself making the change.

I could see the 6.5 PRC cutting into 6.5-284 market share.

DF

The real question is: If the PRC catches on and sets the world on fire, will the Creedmore bunch suffer the same butt-hurt that the .260/Swede folks do?

I don't expect it will ever do that, but if they get some popularly priced rifles out there, we might see a drop in .270 sales (sniff!). Gonna take a while though.

Makes no difference if you choose the 6.5 CM,260 or 6.5x55. All thee are almost exact same velocity. The 260 holds about 1.5 grs more powder than the CM. The CM is loaded to a higher pressure. Same pressure levels the 260 beats the CM slightly. Same with the 6.5x55 over the 260. Velocity difference is so small makes no practical difference in the field. The 6.5 PRC has a disadvantage .when it comes to brass... More expensive especially when you consider a 6.5x06 will deliver exact same velocity & the 6.5x06 can be made on any standard 30-06, 270 style action. ... Another big disadvantage to the PRC is that no major arms manufacture ( Savage, Ruger etc ) has brought it out. It is dying because of this. The parent brass, Ruger is not main stream like 25-06 & 30-06 to form 6.5x06. I have been a 6.5 shooter sense 1964. I take every thing from varmints to elk . Just a matter of selecting the right bullet. The high BC 6.5 bullets are made for long range. Just notice the explosion of high BC 6.5 bullets. Not only retain their velocity & shoot flat but handle wind drift quite well . Shoot one & believe. Which ever one you select you won't be disappointed.. Mice to moose with gentle recoil. .

Wrong-o, bucko. Ruger has intro'ed the PRC. Hornady and Bertram has brass. Several outfits chamber for it, whether you consider them 'major', or not....

There really are only a couple three areas of questions -

- Powder column wise (size and shape)
The PRC is based off the Ruger 375 case which closely mirrors a WSM case... You’ll find it’s based on the 300 RCM, which is based on the 375 Ruger.
So a Imagine a 6.5 WSM and that’s what a PRC is... minus ~1 grain or so.

- Cartridge to Chamber Reamer slop / Spec
It’s more “modern” so they have less slop so they eliminate one area of in-accuracy

- Feeding
It’s a steeper shoulder, so feeding is not as slick

After that of course you’d have brass life and barrel life but with a WSM sized cartridge... how much are you going to shoot it ?

The other thing that tends to creep in from the competition side lately is “small primer / small primer holes” - not an issue here, but it sure is if you hunt in really cold conditions.

And Hornady has a sterling track record supporting their creations, and even some others'. Good factory ammo and a few decent rifles will get this one going, but maybe on a smaller scale since the CM does so much so well and has a head start. They just need enough sales to make some money, they don't have to make all the money.

[img]https://ruger.com/products/HawkeyeLRT/specSheets/47189.html[/img]

I stand corrected . Obviously just came out. Checked out Ruger. 6.5 PRC available in Long Range bolt action. Retail $1279 which means about $1000 + street price. At 11 lbs a bit heavy for a hunting rifle to carry. . In my opinion it would appeal more to the average hunter if it were in the Hawkeye format at a lower price the average hunter could afford. . It would really take off if it was offered in the Ruger American at an affordable price, say under $500. .In my opinion it should be available in stainless at this price. Always glad to see a new 6.5 . It is a cal. that is rocking.

Some day a manufacturer will introduce a .264-06 or 7mm-06 and we can forget about 6.5's for hunting.

There was the 6.5-06 wildcat many years ago then in the 1960's Rem. brought out the 6.5 Rem mag .It fell away. Then some years back the 6.5x284 came out & factory standardized. Now it is fading. Then there was the Factory 6.5x06 A-Square as a factory rifle. . It did not gain great popularity. A-Square is now out of business. Now the 6.5 PRC. What do all these 6.5's have in common . Virtually the exact same ballistics. So what makes any one think the PRC is going to be any thing different. Just to be clear I am a 6.5 fan. My 6.5-06 & other 6.5's are great performers. I remember when there was a clamoring by some for the 35 Whelen in a factory produced rifle .Well Remington brought it out. At first there were brisk sales as all those who wanted one bought one. Then sales dropped to nothing. So will the PRC do any better. Time will tell.

I’m not in the market for a 6.5 PRC with several 6.5’s in my safe (Creed, Swede, 6.5-284, 26 Nos).

If Horn can duplicate the Creed model with precision chambers, the right twist, quality brass and ammo at reasonable prices, who knows.

I wouldn’t want to bet against them.

DF