Long story short, I’m looking for a gun that will be a do it all. It will mainly be used for hunting, mainly deer, hogs and maybe the occasional elk/mule deer. I started out with the 7mm rm in mind, looked at the 7wsm now the 6.5 prc has caught my attention. It seems to have comparable energy, and better ballistics. I don’t reload so the life span of the prc is a concern, I’m not worried about finding Ammo if I forget mine though.
6.5prc be 7mm rm. for a do it all?
- Thread starter Lrdchaos
- Start date
If you don't reload then a chambering that only has a few ammo choices is a poor decision. If it doesn't like what's available then you're screwed. 7mm Rem Mag has a vastly superior ammo selection so you can find something the rifle likes.
Where are you getting that the ballistics are superior? If you compare the two Precision Hunter options the 7mm version has a tick higher BC and is only going 20fps less (box velocity) than the 6.5 PRC. That's a wash, nothing superior about that. If you load the 7mm has higher BC bullet options available which makes it superior.
If you loaded the 6.5PRC may have some merit if you want to stick with a short action, but since you don't load and the limited ammo availability, no way would I choose the PRC.
Where are you getting that the ballistics are superior? If you compare the two Precision Hunter options the 7mm version has a tick higher BC and is only going 20fps less (box velocity) than the 6.5 PRC. That's a wash, nothing superior about that. If you load the 7mm has higher BC bullet options available which makes it superior.
If you loaded the 6.5PRC may have some merit if you want to stick with a short action, but since you don't load and the limited ammo availability, no way would I choose the PRC.
Absolutely nothing wrong with your choices. But i am more of a 30 cal guy for hunting, so i would suggest a .308 or 30.06 for a do all rifle with plenty of factory ammo offerings but it sounds like you may want a new flavor. so 6.5 creed will do all with plenty of factory offerings, with easy resale if you change it up. really only 1-200 fps difference between the creed and prc and i doubt what your shooting at will notice.
A 180 ELDM at 3050-3100 fps isn't giving up anything to the 6.5 PRC. Other than more recoil. 
The 7mm bore is a hell of a good place to look for a general purpose rifle. Of the small bore family, it's arguably the best all around choice for stuff that's Elk sized or smaller. If you drop the 1000 lb+ body weight animals, 6.5mm becomes substantially more compelling.
Both are solid choices.
One things many folks fail to consider when thinking of penetration is sectional density.
Both calibers happen to excel in this area.
Both will take elk without a problem, Swede's have been using the 6.5x55 to take moose with since the 1890's, their moose is similar in size to our elk.
The 7mm mag is suitable for anything in the lower 48, though you might want a bigger hole when hunting brown bears.
One things many folks fail to consider when thinking of penetration is sectional density.
Both calibers happen to excel in this area.
Both will take elk without a problem, Swede's have been using the 6.5x55 to take moose with since the 1890's, their moose is similar in size to our elk.
The 7mm mag is suitable for anything in the lower 48, though you might want a bigger hole when hunting brown bears.
Nothing wrong with a 7mag, but I would choose 6.5 PRC over it. The 6.5 PRC ammo is good stuff. One cartridge is purpose built from the ground up for extended range performance, with load development sorted out before the cartridge was rolled out. The other is a popular hunting cartridge, whose ammo has to work in all those rickety old semiautomatic and bolt rifles, too.
Except you aren’t going to get that from factory ammo. The 7mag saami pressure is low on the 7mag. Remington castrated the cartridge for some reason.A 180 ELDM at 3050-3100 fps isn't giving up anything to the 6.5 PRC. Other than more recoil.
Remington has a solid track record of messing up a good thing.
Look at the 280 shenanigans and that’s just one example.
I could totally one gun with a 7 saum, 284 or 280/280AI.
I do still shoot 260 as I have a lot of components and history with it.
I bring It often for others to shoot
It got a 18 year old kid into the 1000 club Saturday
For 1 hunting rifle I would look at 7RM, 300 WM, or 338WM, ammo selection and availability are the big factors. I hunted for a few years with a 7RM and then went to a 338WM when I went elk hunting in 2014. Since then I've been using the 338 for everything. A 230ELDX opens just fine on deer and on groundhogs. A 7RM could theoretically get me a 100-200 yds with the velocity high enough to guarantee bullet performance, but at that point we are looking at 5-600 yards vs 7-800 yds, and I'm ok with an imposed max limit of 600yds in perfect conditions. I use a mbm 5 port brake on my 338, which does weigh about 13# fully dressed, and the recoil is easy. I shot a 300 WM AI and it just wasn't to my liking, I'd rather shoot my 338.
From the given info, I say 7mm is a better choice, although I prefer application specific rifles.
Deer and hogs for me means mostly 300yds and in shots where the recoil and barrel life of a 6.5 or 6 Creedmoor or even 308 is ideal. Also, pretty much no hiking so rifle weight doesn't matter.
Mulies and elk have averaged in the 250-750yd range where a magnum helps with bad wind calls and the extra punch helps overcome being out of home territory. Also, miles of hiking where there's lots of difference between a 14lb match rifle and a 7lb mountain rifle. YMMV
Deer and hogs for me means mostly 300yds and in shots where the recoil and barrel life of a 6.5 or 6 Creedmoor or even 308 is ideal. Also, pretty much no hiking so rifle weight doesn't matter.
Mulies and elk have averaged in the 250-750yd range where a magnum helps with bad wind calls and the extra punch helps overcome being out of home territory. Also, miles of hiking where there's lots of difference between a 14lb match rifle and a 7lb mountain rifle. YMMV
