Anyone else have an opinion on this? I'm working on a short mag myself...
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6.5 PRC VS. 7 SAUM
- Thread starter NorthWesterner
- Start date
Ok, correct me if I’m wrong. I am debating the same exact question right now and am trying to lay everything out for myself or anyone else that has input.
There are 2 reamers for 6.5 PRC. The ‘older’ version from PT&G which had the .130 FB and the ‘newer’ SAAMI reamer from JCS with the longer .188 throat.
The .130 reamer is basically what you want if running a short action. The factory 143gr and 147gr offerings from Hornady are jammed at 2.945” OAL, however you’ll have plenty of room in SA mags to load to/chase the lands if needed. You may be at risk if seating long boat tail bullets below the shoulder/neck junction, but I would imagine throat wear would allow you to seat them out further pretty quickly.
The longer and current .188 reamer really needs to be fed from a medium-long action. Factory ammo or SA mag constraints would require significant jump (40-50 thou plus), and you’ll not be able to chase the lands. However, feeding from a longer action will allow you to take full advantage of the longer, heavier bullets (147 ELD, 150 SMK, 150+ Berger).
Obviously, it really just comes down to application. I am facing a similar quandary at this point in trying to decide what to turn a spare Tikka magnum action into.
There are 2 reamers for 6.5 PRC. The ‘older’ version from PT&G which had the .130 FB and the ‘newer’ SAAMI reamer from JCS with the longer .188 throat.
The .130 reamer is basically what you want if running a short action. The factory 143gr and 147gr offerings from Hornady are jammed at 2.945” OAL, however you’ll have plenty of room in SA mags to load to/chase the lands if needed. You may be at risk if seating long boat tail bullets below the shoulder/neck junction, but I would imagine throat wear would allow you to seat them out further pretty quickly.
The longer and current .188 reamer really needs to be fed from a medium-long action. Factory ammo or SA mag constraints would require significant jump (40-50 thou plus), and you’ll not be able to chase the lands. However, feeding from a longer action will allow you to take full advantage of the longer, heavier bullets (147 ELD, 150 SMK, 150+ Berger).
Obviously, it really just comes down to application. I am facing a similar quandary at this point in trying to decide what to turn a spare Tikka magnum action into.
I started this thread and I’m happy people are chiming in. After much research, it seems like 7 saum would be awesome out of a long action. Might have to buy a reamer or custom throat it, but that would be the ticket. 180’s loaded looooong. I hope someone does this and tells the results.
The more you look at the 6.5 PRC, the less it makes sense. I’d like to know how many people have built or are building short action rifles with the .188 reamer. I think quite a few people will be unhappy about that...
I ended up going 6.5 SAUM with the .081 throat. Pick the bullet you want to shoot and the correct reamer to shoot said bullet.
I ended up going 6.5 SAUM with the .081 throat. Pick the bullet you want to shoot and the correct reamer to shoot said bullet.
If you are looking for a cartridge to do prs & elr, I don’t think there is a good option. From what I hear at a prs match you could shoot a couple hundred rounds in a 2 day match & that could be expensive with a 7saum or prc. I would get a 6.5 creedmoor for prs & a 300 Norma for elr. As someone said earlier spitting misses at a mile would be difficult with small calibers unless you have experienced people with very good optics. The people I shoot with have a tough time calling corrections at 1500 yards with a 338 because we don’t shoot elr as much but when I brought an ex military sniper with me it made a big difference. If I had to choose 1 it would be a prc or 6.5 cm because the short action seems best for prs & you could try the 6.5 122 gr flat line for elr, SHLowlight made hits at a mile with those using a 6.5 cm & only used 14.5 mils to do it so a prc & that bullet would be very good combo
My PRC is built on a .133 FB and I’m quite glad about that. However, the factory stuff and ELds in general seem to shoot well in the .188 so I think the majority of people will enjoy it either way. It’s just the Berger guys wanting to be on the lands that really get screwed if they don’t pay attention.
I am at 2200rds on my 7 Saum and the barrel seems to be going out now. I have really liked it on a short action. Planning to have another barrel spun up for it again but have been getting nervous about it with the brass availability. I have always run norma brass but seems to be hard to find.
Both rounds are awesome and have value for most types of shooting. I'm not sure you can go wrong with either one for some long range stuff. What ever you build just practice with it and be able to get the most out of it.
