Opinions on the 6.5 PRC

[Av8or]

I have two of them and have hunted with them. The 6.5 and .300PRC were designed to be very accurate at long distances. In a test with military snipers at the FTW ranch the .300 PRC beat all other cartridges in a long range competition.
Ive heard experts say the 6.5PRC hits as hard on game at 300+ yards as a .300Win. I wanted something bigger than the creedmore and that is how I got to own a 6.5 PRC. With the amount of power it has versus the recoil it produces I decided to get on for my wife. She and I will be shooting it in SA in June. Put it to the test!
There are plenty of cartridges to choose from these days but sometimes there is something new that is really intriguing.
It is so popular that ammo availability is limited and expensive right now. So that is a downside. I was lucky and my feed store got two pallets of Hornady ammo last summer. Regular price and no limit so I stocked up!
Philip

I am building a 6.5 prc , what hornady are you going to hunt with 143 eld x?
curious to see how it does on your trip . Good Luck

 

[Jörg Krüger]

I think the eld x is a fine bullet

I am building a 6.5 prc , what hornady are you going to hunt with 143 eld x?
curious to see how it does on your trip . Good Luck

 

[Rocco490]

I have two of them and have hunted with them. The 6.5 and .300PRC were designed to be very accurate at long distances. In a test with military snipers at the FTW ranch the .300 PRC beat all other cartridges in a long range competition.
Ive heard experts say the 6.5PRC hits as hard on game at 300+ yards as a .300Win. I wanted something bigger than the creedmore and that is how I got to own a 6.5 PRC. With the amount of power it has versus the recoil it produces I decided to get on for my wife. She and I will be shooting it in SA in June. Put it to the test!
There are plenty of cartridges to choose from these days but sometimes there is something new that is really intriguing.
It is so popular that ammo availability is limited and expensive right now. So that is a downside. I was lucky and my feed store got two pallets of Hornady ammo last summer. Regular price and no limit so I stocked up!
Philip

I believe it would make an exceptional long range target cartridge (very likely bests a 300 win mag in that role as there have been a number of very high bc .264" match bullets designed recently) and is a great hunting round as well but its no .30 cal magnum. I don't believe the hype a .264" 140-150 grain bullet can not match a .308" 180-200 grain bullet of equal construction at similar velocities with regards to terminal performance on large game. Federal has a long range line called terminal ascent comparing the 2 cartridges in this line from federal the 6.5 prc load is 130 grain bullet traveling at 2170fps at 500 yards for 1359 ft lb remaining energy vs the 300 mag load 200 grain bullet traveling at 2105fps at 500 yards for 1967ft lb remaining energy and that energy is being delivered by a noticably wider heavier bullet.

 

[Green Chile]

I started using 6.5 PRC last season with perfect results. Big mule deer, whitetail, aoudad and hog with 1 bullet each...from 80 yards to about 400 yards...each one dropped straight down without a wiggle. Shot placement is everything of course. Gun is extremely accurate and recoil is super mild. I've got 1/2 MOA or better out past 600 yards with Berger bullets. I've got no complaints and would use up to deer/sheep size critters. For elk, nilgai, etc. I go bigger to get a little more insurance and bullet weight.

 

[Rocco490]

Not sure why so many people are allowing this caliber (6.5mm/.264") in whatever flavor of the month cartridge it is being sold in to make such hyped up claims. Physics still apply nothing inherently magical in these new cartridges with 6.5mm/.264" diameter bullets when it comes to killing power. What is working in their favor is a large amount of r and d going into producing high bc bullets in this caliber which helps with long range performance and that speaks more to bullet development than cartridge development. These advances are now crossing over to the other calibers bullet designs boosting those existing cartridges down range performance as well. That said I think it is a well designed cartridge and would make a good choice for a lot of game being hunted.

 

[Philip Glass]

I am building a 6.5 prc , what hornady are you going to hunt with 143 eld x?
curious to see how it does on your trip . Good Luck

yes 143g ELDX. It works well.

 

[crs]

Just another unnecessary cartridge?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

yes 143g ELDX. It works well.

@Philip Glass
Mate try getting ELDX anything in Australia at the moment. I couldn't even get a box of 25 cal ELDX. You would have more of a chance finding rocking-horse poop.

 

[Av8or]

Not easy here , but you can find some . Thanks for the info Philip

 

[Philip Glass]

Just another unnecessary cartridge?

We could easily say that about everything since the .30-06 but what fun would that be?

 

[lwaters]

There is a growing number of shooters who do nothing but long ranch target shooting. I think that's where the demand is for these rounds. It's actually kind of an appealing sport for reloaders.

 

[375Ruger416]

The Best New Cartridges for Africa - Safari Club

Craig Boddington Goes on Safari with the .300 PRC, 6.8 Western and 7mm Long Range Magnum

safariclub.org

Grist for the mill. Boddingtons thoughts on the PRC’s and 6.8 Western.

 

[0002S]

Hey all!

I’m thinking of getting a rifle in 6.5 PRC, but know very little about the cartridge.

What has been your experience with the cartridge?
What range of game can it be used on?

Please impart your knowledge to me.

Hawk

I believe it’s the best 6.5, currently, on the market today. I’ll get smoked for this statement. If you already own a .264 WM (I do) or 26 Nosler, or any other 6.5 mag on the market, the game won’t know the difference. It is easy to reload.

I’ve found the Barnes 120 TTSX @ 32xx fps to be my go to load. I prefer the 120s over the 140s.

I’ve only shot 3 animals with it. Nothing over 400 lbs. All were one shot and stacked up. Long longest shot was 485 yards.

I own the 7 and 300 PRC as well. If I could only have one NA, 7 PRC. One worldwide, 300 PRC. Two guns, 6.5 and 300 PRC.

Fierce Firearms makes a nice carbon version (I own 7 PRC) and Browning makes a nice 26” (I own 6.5 PRC)

 

[375Ruger416]

I believe it’s the best 6.5, currently, on the market today. I’ll get smoked for this statement. If you already own a .264 WM (I do) or 26 Nosler, or any other 6.5 mag on the market, the game won’t know the difference. It is easy to reload.

I’ve found the Barnes 120 TTSX @ 32xx fps to be my go to load. I prefer the 120s over the 140s.

I’ve only shot 3 animals with it. Nothing over 400 lbs. All were one shot and stacked up. Long longest shot was 485 yards.

I own the 7 and 300 PRC as well. If I could only have one NA, 7 PRC. One worldwide, 300 PRC. Two guns, 6.5 and 300 PRC.

Fierce Firearms makes a nice carbon version (I own 7 PRC) and Browning makes a nice 26” (I own 6.5 PRC)

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I’ve got a 6.5 PRC and 300 PRC myself. Agree with you that covers pretty much everything in NA. Adding a 375 H&H, have a 6.5 Grendel for my kids and selling my 7 mm Rem mag, 243, and 6.5 CM hunting rifles.

Plan to use my 6.5 PRC primarily - coyotes, deer are most of my hunting opportunities - and throw the 300 PRC barrel on for the big NA game. 375 is going to be for Africa and my future aspirations of a Cape buffalo hunt.

 

[Rocco490]

Not a huge 6.5mm bullet fan they are awesome for target shooting no denying the great ballistics but for hunting I would rather have a larger and heavier 7mm or 30 cal bullet. I have more confidence in 160-175 grain .284" diameter bullets than the .264" diameter 120-140 grainers. My favorite of the PRC Family is the 7mm PRC. To me that was the perfect cartridge design, fits in a long action not a short fat cartridge, no rebated rim, no belt, should feed well and designed for accuracy, when you look at chamber specs should be easy to get shooting good. The 7mm Rem Mag is a great old classic and has great factory support but if the 7mm PRC ever gets near the factory support I believe it will overtake the 7mm Rem Mag in popularity and would be my choice at that point for a fast 7mm cartridge.

 

[BC.Pat]

I would agree it would not be my first choice for Africa. I have used it on Moose, Mountain Goat, Stone sheep, wolves, and Caribou. In a Savage ultra light., with the factory 143 ELDX did just fine. Although I am going to do load development this spring with the 156 grain berger elite hunter with a variety of VihtaVuori powders. I will end up getting a turret cut for both factory and hand loads.

 

[375Ruger416]

Not a huge 6.5mm bullet fan they are awesome for target shooting no denying the great ballistics but for hunting I would rather have a larger and heavier 7mm or 30 cal bullet. I have more confidence in 160-175 grain .284" diameter bullets than the .264" diameter 120-140 grainers. My favorite of the PRC Family is the 7mm PRC. To me that was the perfect cartridge design, fits in a long action not a short fat cartridge, no rebated rim, no belt, should feed well and designed for accuracy, when you look at chamber specs should be easy to get shooting good. The 7mm Rem Mag is a great old classic and has great factory support but if the 7mm PRC ever gets near the factory support I believe it will overtake the 7mm Rem Mag in popularity and would be my choice at that point for a fast 7mm cartridge.

7 PRC is definitely the ‘Goldilocks’ of the three. IMO, it at the 6.8 Western are the best of the recent bunch of magnum non belted cartridges. That said, the old adage I’ve heard is to get a 30 cal magnum if 90% of your game is > 200 lbs, and a 7 if it’s less. The heavy for caliber bullets in 284 make the 7’s better than ever for bigger game, but I finally leaned into this advice and am replacing my 7 RM. 160 gr TSX absolutely hammered my moose this year (though it was less than 50 yds). Second shot was probably unnecessary, he was wobbling on his feet, but he was still standing so he got another.

Since 90% of the game I take is whitetail I got a 6.5 PRC. Less recoil than the 7 PRC, but you’re right - not the equal for ballistics or terminal performance. However, I think it’s more than enough for deer sized game. When I’m hunting elk or moose I use my 300 PRC barrel on the same rifle. Ballistics are remarkably close between the 6.5 and 300 PRC.

And, for Africa I’ve ordered a 375 H&H. I’m not a real traditional rifle guy, but it is definitely the ‘Queen of cartridges’.

 

[Albert GRANT]

I'll put my 2 cents in here, simply because I have had both 7mag and several varients of 6.5 and would use either without hesitation. I have found the 6.5 PRC to be the most accurate round I have ever shot- might be due to the rifle- CZ 600 Alpha (ugly and heavy but amazingly accurate) After not having shot at all for months, I took it out and sighted it in, took half a dozen shots at 100, then proceeded to blow through all my remaining ammo hitting a 6" gong at 300yds without a miss. Every range session was the same. Again, might have just been the rifle, but I have never shot like that with anything else. As far as real world results go, the 6.5 in any variety seems to produce noticeably more emphatic kills than any I have had with the 7mag. Every deer shot with the 7mm has run off (sometimes100-150 yds!) or stumbled a bit before dropping, then kicked for 2-3+ minutes before expiring. Most of these have been heart shots, a few were lung- those usually being the runners. The 6.5 however, every deer has dropped in it's tracks. I don't know if it's the longer bullets with higher S/D transfering energy more efficiently or what, but there is a clear difference. I once shot a buck with a light loaded .375 H&H head-on and it dropped him like he had been hit by lightening. Very quick but simply dropped straight down. My son shot a 160lb doe with the 6.5 head-on and it literally knocked her over backwards- full on end over somersault and didn't twitch again. I don't know what it is or how to explain it, but the 6.5's seem to out perform what their onpaper data shows. On a dozen deer for each of these, the results have always been the same. There is a reason the 6.5x55 has been the number 1 Scandinavian cartgridge for Moose and Reindeer for decades. If someone was to give me the choice to hunt with the same exact rifle in either a 6.5 variety or 7RM, I'd take the 6.5, and that is coming from someone who currently owns and likes a 7RM and doesn't have a 6.5 at this time! These are just my own personal observations, I'm sure there are others who will say the opposite is true for them. Everyone has their own opinion, but I certainly wouldn't say that 6.5's are overrated nor inferior to the 7mm varieties. None of either variety will make up for poor shooting, and any of them will ultimately result in the target's demise.

 

[375Ruger416]

I'll put my 2 cents in here, simply because I have had both 7mag and several varients of 6.5 and would use either without hesitation. I have found the 6.5 PRC to be the most accurate round I have ever shot- might be due to the rifle- CZ 600 Alpha (ugly and heavy but amazingly accurate) After not having shot at all for months, I took it out and sighted it in, took half a dozen shots at 100, then proceeded to blow through all my remaining ammo hitting a 6" gong at 300yds without a miss. Every range session was the same. Again, might have just been the rifle, but I have never shot like that with anything else. As far as real world results go, the 6.5 in any variety seems to produce noticeably more emphatic kills than any I have had with the 7mag. Every deer shot with the 7mm has run off (sometimes100-150 yds!) or stumbled a bit before dropping, then kicked for 2-3+ minutes before expiring. Most of these have been heart shots, a few were lung- those usually being the runners. The 6.5 however, every deer has dropped in its tracks. I don't know if it's the longer bullets with higher S/D transfering energy more efficiently or what, but there is a clear difference. I once shot a buck with a light loaded .375 H&H head-on and it dropped him like he had been hit by lightening. Very quick but simply dropped straight down. My son shot a 160lb doe with the 6.5 head-on and it literally knocked her over backwards- full on end over somersault and didn't twitch again. I don't know what it is or how to explain it, but the 6.5's seem to out perform what their onpaper data shows. On a dozen deer for each of these, the results have always been the same. There is a reason the 6.5x55 has been the number 1 Scandinavian cartgridge for Moose and Reindeer for decades. If someone was to give me the choice to hunt with the same exact rifle in either a 6.5 variety or 7RM, I'd take the 6.5, and that is coming from someone who currently owns and likes a 7RM and doesn't have a 6.5 at this time! These are just my own personal observations, I'm sure there are others who will say the opposite is true for them. Everyone has their own opinion, but I certainly wouldn't say that 6.5's are overrated nor inferior to the 7mm varieties. None of either variety will make up for poor shooting, and any of them will ultimately result in the target's demise.

Projectile selection makes a huge difference as well. What have you been using in your 7 mag and 6.5 PRC?

I killed a pronghorn with a 147 gr ELDM out of a 6.5 CM in 2022 and it dropped him like lightning. I’ve since decided I prefer something with more reliable penetration, especially for the possibility of up close shots. Interested to know what you’ve been using.

 

[Albert GRANT]

Projectile selection makes a huge difference as well. What have you been using in your 7 mag and 6.5 PRC?

I killed a pronghorn with a 147 gr ELDM out of a 6.5 CM in 2022 and it dropped him like lightning. I’ve since decided I prefer something with more reliable penetration, especially for the possibility of up close shots. Interested to know what you’ve been using.

Honestly most of the 7mag experience was from over a decade ago, and that was my next thought- very likely I was using short, light for caliber bullets at the time as it was still the "make it go as fast as you can" timeframe- probably Hornady SST or similar. For the 6.5's it was mostly ELD-X but in the PRC I was using the Peregrine plainsmaster, which makes a huge difference. I will be using those in the 7mag this year, so it will be a good opportunity to see if there is a shift back towards the 7mag or at least equal results