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Maksim

Hornady's 6.5 PRC - 6.5 Creedmoor for Men!

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Video premier in about 15 mins.

 

In Episode 5 we take a dive into the recently released 6.5 PRC round, or 6.5 Precision Rifle Cartridge, thought up by George Gardner of GA Precision and developed and brought to market by Hornady. Included is an introduction by Neil Emery speaking about 6.5 PRC and the new for 2019 300 PRC which we will take a look at shortly. In our upcoming videos of the precision rifle series we will look at the Ruger Precision Rifle in both 6.5 PRC and 300 PRC along with the Ruger Hawkeye Long Range Target in 6.5 PRC, all three guns which I had an opportunity to shoot at distances up to 2,300 yards at the Ruger media event at FTW Ranch in Texas.

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Funny enough, I was debating on my next bolt gun and it was coming down to .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor. So naturally I went to someone who has been doing competition shooting for longer than I've been alive. And now I want my next rifle to be in 6.5 PRC. Great velocity, great ballistic coefficient. Recoil is still less than .308.

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39 minutes ago, Greenday said:

Funny enough, I was debating on my next bolt gun and it was coming down to .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor. So naturally I went to someone who has been doing competition shooting for longer than I've been alive. And now I want my next rifle to be in 6.5 PRC. Great velocity, great ballistic coefficient. Recoil is still less than .308.

Um... recoil is not less than .308... 

6.5 PRC is a pretty big round and unless you have a very heavy rifle, you will still feel it.

Big point of considering is if you are going to reload it as well.  6.5 projectiles are about the same price as 308 so that is a wash.

Powder wise, you are using slower powders such as H1k which are going to be a bit more expensive.

Brass right now is the sticking point with only ADG and Hornady making good quality brass.  

As far as 6.5 PRC vs 6.5 CM... unless you are shooting past 1,000 rounds, OR are hunting at past 500 yards, 6.5 CM is all you need and it is cheaper.

35 minutes ago, Krdshrk said:

Pricey ammo man....  Going about $40/box for hunting ammo.

At least Academy has free shipping lol.

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/hornady-eld-x-precision-hunter-65-prc-143-grain-rifle-ammunition#repChildCatid=6926258

You can find the ELD match for about $35.

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17 minutes ago, Maksim said:

Um... recoil is not less than .308... 

6.5 PRC is a pretty big round and unless you have a very heavy rifle, you will still feel it.

Big point of considering is if you are going to reload it as well.  6.5 projectiles are about the same price as 308 so that is a wash.

Powder wise, you are using slower powders such as H1k which are going to be a bit more expensive.

Brass right now is the sticking point with only ADG and Hornady making good quality brass.  

As far as 6.5 PRC vs 6.5 CM... unless you are shooting past 1,000 rounds, OR are hunting at past 500 yards, 6.5 CM is all you need and it is cheaper.

Interesting. I had been seeing something different online but that's good to hear from someone I can actually trust on this stuff.

I know realistically, shooting in South Jersey, shooting above .223 for target shooting is plenty sufficient for anything I'm going to shooting at. Honestly, 6.5 PRC just sounds fun as hell. And God forbid something changes and I do get to shoot long distance, hey, I'll finally be ready. My other option was getting a T/C Compass in 6.5 Creedmoor cause I can get one to plink with at 100 or 200 yards.

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2 minutes ago, Greenday said:

Interesting. I had been seeing something different online but that's good to hear from someone I can actually trust on this stuff.

I know realistically, shooting in South Jersey, shooting above .223 for target shooting is plenty sufficient for anything I'm going to shooting at. Honestly, 6.5 PRC just sounds fun as hell. And God forbid something changes and I do get to shoot long distance, hey, I'll finally be ready. My other option was getting a T/C Compass in 6.5 Creedmoor cause I can get one to plink with at 100 or 200 yards.

That TC Compass in 6.5 CM will be good out to 1,000 yards no problem.

Really depends on budget and ammo.

6.5 CM will be easier to shoot and of course cheaper and you have plenty of ammo options and tons of brass options if you are a reloader.

Believe me, 6.5 PRC is surely fun... but you are not going to be shooting it as much as 6.5 CM.  You are talking about about 40 grains of powder for 6.5 CM, same as 308... vs nearly 60 grains of powder for 6.5 PRC.

Then of course, depends on budget and what you are looking for.

But... go buy a TC Compass or a Ruger American in 6.5 CM and have fun at 1,000 yards as both will be sub MOA stock.

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12 hours ago, Greenday said:

Funny enough, I was debating on my next bolt gun and it was coming down to .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor. So naturally I went to someone who has been doing competition shooting for longer than I've been alive. And now I want my next rifle to be in 6.5 PRC. Great velocity, great ballistic coefficient. Recoil is still less than .308.

Have you also tried 6.5 CM? You'll have a lot of fun with 6.5 CM even at shorter distances. I couldn't believe how much harder it rang steel compared to 308 at 300 and 500 yards. A buddy of mine uses a loaded Savage 10 in 6.5 CM for deer and it knocks them flat. He hasn't had to track a deer in years. I already have a 308, but if I was buying a new bolt action it would definitely be in 6.5CM.

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2 hours ago, Shane45 said:

I'm not sure what question the prc answers.

Quite a few...

More velocity and energy than 6.5 CM with all of its inherent benefits, and feeds perfectly well in top loading rifles for hunting.

High BC out of a 6.5 projectile that STILL FITS a standard action without having to go to a large magnum action.

This was actually not a brand brand new cartridge but has been around in competitive shooting circles as a hot rod for a while.

Come shoot it @Shane45 .

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Yea but Im betting your really entering into overbore territory. Which of course is probably going to result in shorter barrel life than a 6.5cm. Which flies in the face of current trends in PRS style shooting competitions that seem to be moving toward better barrel life. It raises the question for me that if you need more energy at distance, then why not just stick with a magnum?

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4 hours ago, Shane45 said:

Yea but Im betting your really entering into overbore territory. Which of course is probably going to result in shorter barrel life than a 6.5cm. Which flies in the face of current trends in PRS style shooting competitions that seem to be moving toward better barrel life. It raises the question for me that if you need more energy at distance, then why not just stick with a magnum?

Barrel life will likely be a tad shorter than 6.5 CM but far better than 6.5x284, 6.5GAP and others.  

Why not a full blown 300 magnum?  More recoil, heavier guns/ammo.  

As far as gun games... not a lot of folks going to 6.5 PRC as the hot rod is 6mm CM and other 6mm hot rods... they just accept that they will replace barrels.

After spending $10k to get a kit for PRS... what's another $500 per year on a new barrel? =)

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Yea, they went to the 6's for better barrel life among other things. Replacement barrels for my rig are $1400 :sorry:But I still cant figure out where this cartridge lives. The only thing that looks like it makes some sense is extended range hunting which I really cant speak to, Im not knowledgeable on the subject. But hey, I like new cartridges because I like options!

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3 hours ago, Shane45 said:

Yea, they went to the 6's for better barrel life among other things. Replacement barrels for my rig are $1400 :sorry:But I still cant figure out where this cartridge lives. The only thing that looks like it makes some sense is extended range hunting which I really cant speak to, Im not knowledgeable on the subject. But hey, I like new cartridges because I like options!

6's are far bigger barrel burners than 6.5...

Yes, long range hunting is a big big deal for this cartridge.

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For those of us in NJ, this cartridge is the answer to a question that we can't ask. 
We can't hunt with rifles and we can't shoot past 600 yards.  

For the guys out west of us, this is an awesome cartridge that will smack medium sized game down at 500 yards. It will also serve well for the ELR guys out there shooting steel at ridiculous distances  (That said, the 6.5Creed/6.5x47Lapua/.260Rem will do a mile) .

The biggest factors that will limit folks getting into it will be brass and expense.  Brass will be a sticking point as the Hornady brass does not have the greatest reputation.  I've honestly never heard of ADG Brass so I can't comment there.    

I'm like @Shane45 where I'm not sure where this cartridge lies, but that's true with a lot of cartridges IMHO.  The overlap and redundancy in cartridge availability is kinda mind boggling, but the variety is where the beauty is.  So, yeah, it's cool and all, but I don't think I'll be on this bandwagon any time soon.  

It also looks like it takes a magnum bolt face which could be a large negative factor in the cartridge catching on.  You can't just build it on what is considered a "standard" short action in which the bolt face is .473.  Short action/magnum bolt face actions are not always easy to come by...
From the Hornady website: 
"Dubbed the big brother to the 6.5 Creedmoor, the 6.5 PRC fits in short or medium actions with a standard magnum bolt face (.532”). It’s efficient case geometry features a long cartridge case neck and 30 degree cartridge case shoulder."

  • Agree 1

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5 hours ago, Bully said:

For those of us in NJ, this cartridge is the answer to a question that we can't ask. 
We can't hunt with rifles and we can't shoot past 600 yards.  

For the guys out west of us, this is an awesome cartridge that will smack medium sized game down at 500 yards. It will also serve well for the ELR guys out there shooting steel at ridiculous distances  (That said, the 6.5Creed/6.5x47Lapua/.260Rem will do a mile) .

The biggest factors that will limit folks getting into it will be brass and expense.  Brass will be a sticking point as the Hornady brass does not have the greatest reputation.  I've honestly never heard of ADG Brass so I can't comment there.    

I'm like @Shane45 where I'm not sure where this cartridge lies, but that's true with a lot of cartridges IMHO.  The overlap and redundancy in cartridge availability is kinda mind boggling, but the variety is where the beauty is.  So, yeah, it's cool and all, but I don't think I'll be on this bandwagon any time soon.  

It also looks like it takes a magnum bolt face which could be a large negative factor in the cartridge catching on.  You can't just build it on what is considered a "standard" short action in which the bolt face is .473.  Short action/magnum bolt face actions are not always easy to come by...
From the Hornady website: 
"Dubbed the big brother to the 6.5 Creedmoor, the 6.5 PRC fits in short or medium actions with a standard magnum bolt face (.532”). It’s efficient case geometry features a long cartridge case neck and 30 degree cartridge case shoulder."

Yes, standard magnum bolt face as it is based on the 300 RCM.  I do agree that the standard action/magnum bolt face may not be that easy to find but seems like folks are not having too many difficulties and currently out of the big guys, you have Ruger, Savage, Mossberg and Bergara chambering rifles in 6.5 PRC on their standard actions.  

Up soon will be Howa and more from other existing companies (which I can't say).  Howa does have the smaller actions so it would be oddball there.

Uses standard AICS 2.95" mags so no issues there.

As far as too much?  Doesn't stop folks from buying 50 BMG, 338 Lapua and other large magnums in NJ. =P  And plenty of folks drive out to Mifflin and upstate NY.  But you are right, it is not a major mover here when most folks won't have a chance to shoot past 200.

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