Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 7 PRC

Sorry I missed this!

Didn't measure the barrel length, but believe it was 24".

Im starting to wonder if the PRC/CM accuracy miracle is more about folks using them with really good match bullets more than any other factor. I have not noticed the 6.5cm being more accurate than anything else I have shot but I have only used “hunting” bullets. I notice most of the folks who report super accuracy are using eldm, etc. Point being these were never offered in 7mm wsm factory loads. Im not sure if they are offered in 7rm or not. Another interesting point is the weatherby freebore saami spec is actually tighter than the PRC and kin and though accurate, nobody viewed those as miracles of accuracy. Of course wby rounds have that funky shoulder.

Lou

Lou,

Several observations:

Yes, today's 6.5mm "match" bullets tend to shoot more accurately than "hunting" bullets--but there are plenty of VERY accurate hunting bullets these days. As an example, the most accurate bullet I've tried in my custom 6.5 PRC made by Charlie Sisk is the 129-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range, which will consistently put FIVE (not three shots) into less than 1/2" at 100 yards. And the bullets used in my 7mm PRC shooting were Hornady 180-grain ELD-Xs, their "hunting" ELD.

I have also tried plenty of "match" and "hunting" bullets in the 6.5 Creedmoor over the past dozen years, in several rifles. The finest accuracy in ANY of the dozen or so Creedmoors I've worked with occurred with the 140-grain Berger Hunting VLD--in one of the cheapest 6.5 CM rifles I've worked with, a Ruger American Predator. It grouped just as well in that rifle as the 129 ABLR in my custom 6.5 PRC.

Also, while the SAAMI minimum specs for Weatherby throat diameters are the same as for several other 7mm cartridges, they are TAPERED and longer than the 7mm PRC throat--and the 7mm WSM throat is also TAPERED more than the PRC throat, which has no taper before entering the lands. I would suggest you look closer at the details of the throat dimensions of all those cartridges.

The other factor with the Weatherby Magnums, of course, is throat wear--which happens quicker with cartridges that size. I have written a number times about how well today's Weatherby Magnum rifles shoot in the past 20 years, but throat-wear is still a major factor after a few hundred rounds.

Mule Deer

Will have a look at the throat angles. I was just looking at free bore section and noticed how tight the WBY rounds were. I guess my thinking was around you see ammo using eldx, eldm, bergers, etc in the “new rounds” and nothing else really. All very accurate bullets. The 6.5 creedmoor certainly turned the corner and now is getting power points, core-lokts, etc. Curious to see if the more accurate than average holds up with average bullets loaded in traditional lines. Any case, I like the 140 vld as well. It is what I used for last few years in my 6.5 CM.

Lou

In general, I haven't gotten the same sort of accuracy from Weatherby rounds with longer, high-BC boat-tailed bullets as in shorter-throated cartridges such as the 6.5 CM--or the 7mm SAUM. This may (or may not) be due to gas "blow-by" in the longer Weatherby throats, especially when more tapered.

Got it. Thanks MD!

Lou

Surely one of the greatest advantages in the 7PRC has to be the non-spiking of pressure that a 7mm Rem Mag is noted for. Consistency in pressure gains has to be a win for any handloader. I consider the 7mm RemMag as just about family in our household, but find myself these days reverting back to my 260 and 280ai. 99% of my hunting is covered by those two chamberings...but damn I love playing with other cartridges for pure curiosity :-)

Would a 7mm PRC reamer clean up the chamber of a 7mm Rem Mag? I have a Ruger #1 barrel in Rem Mag doing nothing..not sure if you could set the barrel back a thread on the No. 1

Then again since it's a single shot #1 could just long throat the 7mm rem mag and shoot longer than standard ammo if the extra performance is desired

MacBros Evo

The 7mm PRC is quite a bit shorter than the 7mm Remington Magnum, 2.28 inches versus 2.5 inches, so no, a 7mm PRC reamer won't "clean up" the 7 RM chamber after setting the barrel back one thread.

If using a R700 action for a 7PRC build, would a 7RM/300WM or 7RUM/300RUM action be a better choice ? I really don't know if there is a difference in them or not.

Thanks

First read 7 PRC I thought a 6.5 necked up, but looks like length is added. I ain't nobody, I like the hell out of it.

Taking advantage of long for caliber bullets vs. available mag length without going to some carnivorous case for 5-10% velocity increase with a 50% powder consumption.

Long thought the 7mm Dakota might be a good 7mm Rem mag replacement, but after seeing the PRC's numbers, the Dakota seems to be too much of a good thing like the other powder wasters.

Gunzo,
I believe the 7PRC brass is longer than the 6.5PRC and shorter than the 300PRC.

Yep
Yep, and in fact the powder capacity is exactly between the 6.5 and .300.

Depends on what you want.

Except for the 7mm RM, hose cartridge kick a LOT more than the the 7mm PRC, because they burn a LOT more powder. The 7mm PRC's recoil is more moderate, and because of the excellent BC of Hornady's 180 ELD bullet result in very good downrange energy, plus less wind-drift.

I dunno what you mean by "better choice," but also don't know what you hunt. However, will not that cartridges that kick harder don't necessarily kill "better."

Will also note that Remington chambers the 7mm PRC is their newest 700s.

I think he meant the action itself.

No experience with the 700’s but the M70’s for a Rem Mag and Win Mag fed the 375 Ruger cases like they were made for them.

I’d almost think a RUM based might be too big between the feed rails but I have no first hand info about them.

Correct.. ..

If looking for a Remington action to build of off. Based on my question above.


Thanks

Thanks MD