I’m thinking about another build and can’t decide between 6.5 cm or 6.5 prc. I recently just had a 300 prc built and have a dd5 in 6.5 cm but want another bolt gun. It will primarily be for hunting. I I will probably have it built similar to my 300. Origin action proof carbon barrel ag alpine stock. I don’t know much about prc but do like my creed. Which would you guys recommend?
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New build 6.5 cm or 6.5 prc
- Thread starter Bailey22
- Start date
No, he already has a 6.5CM and a .300PRC. Ballistics of the 6.5 PRC are honestly not that much superior to the 6.5CM when you start looking at velocities and running them on charts, at least, not enough to justify 1/3 the barrel life of the 6.5CM, IMO.
I'd say splitting the difference between them would be a 7 PRC, and if anything, it's splitting the difference between the 6.5mm and 7.62mm bullets...
What will you be hunting.
Elk is at the upper end of what I would use a 6.5 caliber bullet for. I have both Creedmoor and PRC. PRC gets me an extra 200 yards of potential range with 1500 foot pounds of energy my minimum for Elk. as stated 1/3 the barrel life. if you like touching steel it distance at 4500 foot elevation I get an extra 275 yards before going transonic. My Creedmoor is 22 inch barrel. My PRC is a 26 inch barrel.156Eol@2978 147eldm @3074 143eldx @3095
Elk is at the upper end of what I would use a 6.5 caliber bullet for. I have both Creedmoor and PRC. PRC gets me an extra 200 yards of potential range with 1500 foot pounds of energy my minimum for Elk. as stated 1/3 the barrel life. if you like touching steel it distance at 4500 foot elevation I get an extra 275 yards before going transonic. My Creedmoor is 22 inch barrel. My PRC is a 26 inch barrel.156Eol@2978 147eldm @3074 143eldx @3095
I hunt primarily deer but also hunt elk, antelope and mule deer. The 300 prc is primarily for elk but I do like the idea of the 6.5 prc as a secondary elk option not only for me but my son. Just didn’t know how much more I would be getting over the creed
look on hornady's site for velocity and energy for 6.5cm v 6.5 prc. the prc gets you approx 10% more muzzle velocity. as noted above, approx another 200yds to stay above 1500ft-lbs of energy. obviously the tradeoff is more recoil and shorter barrel life. but of the 2 i'd pick the 6.5prc just gives you more options (bigger game, reaching out farther).
but if you and the kid will be elk hunting at the same time, yeah consider the 7prc. i've got two elk with 300wsm and def didn't feel over-gunned though i'm sure plenty have died to 223 and even 22lr...
but if you and the kid will be elk hunting at the same time, yeah consider the 7prc. i've got two elk with 300wsm and def didn't feel over-gunned though i'm sure plenty have died to 223 and even 22lr...
…… and truth be told as much as I enjoy the 65 Creedmoor and the PRC. I’m migrating back to my 308, 20 inch barrel, 178ELDX at 2685. at 575 yards it gives up 100 foot pounds of energy and one mil of trajectory to the 65 PRC with a26inch barrel.and based on experience at 500 yards I can get through the shoulder of an elk with the 308 and not so much with the 6.5 PRC. The 20 inch 308 is just more handy in the woods than the 26 inch PRC. For deer speed goats and mountain goats across the canyon beyond 500yrds , I’ll take the 6.5 PRC
If it's primarily deer with backup for elk. Either will work. I run 300wsm and 6.5cm for hunting. 300wsm is primarily for elk and 6.5cm is primarily for deer although I've used both for both. Both are built identical except barrel length so I use the 6.5cm for practice.
With my loads they run almost identical to 1000yds with a 10mph wind.
300wsm‐ U8.4mil drift 1.9mil
6.5cm- U8.4mil drift 2.0mil
Either the prc and cm will work. I was tempted with the prc, but went CM due to barrel life. I want to practice a lot with my hunting rifle.
With my loads they run almost identical to 1000yds with a 10mph wind.
300wsm‐ U8.4mil drift 1.9mil
6.5cm- U8.4mil drift 2.0mil
Either the prc and cm will work. I was tempted with the prc, but went CM due to barrel life. I want to practice a lot with my hunting rifle.
7 sherman mag. Stay within a short action frame and be able to use high BC 7mm bullets. 7PRC is a cucked middle of road cartridge. 300 PRC is much more optimized. Also necking up 6.5PRC to 7mm ala 7mm Wheeler would get similar results.
I’ve been thinking about this same question. Ive been a bowhunter for years and have used a .308 for deer and elk when I still have tags to fill in rifle season. I moved to Montana a few years back, and despite having lived in the Rockies for most of the last 20 years, Montana seems to have a lot more situations where long shots are pretty much the only option (aside from passing on the opportunity, of course).
I’m thinking about a 6.5CM/6.5 PRC for deer, antelope, and mountain critters (sheep and mountain goats); a .300WSM or 300PRC for elk, caribou, etc; and a .338 or .375 Ruger for moose or brown bears. I’d LOVE to have a single platform for the first two categories. That’s where 6.5PRC seems to check a lot of boxes. Similar recoil to the .308, great ballistics for long shots in the mountains on small/medium critters, and workable for elk.
Aside from ballistics, my priorities in a hunting rifle are low weight (I mostly backpack hunt in steep country, so keeping weight low is important to me), low recoil relative to knockdown power, and a shorter barrel to reduce snagging while on my pack or in my hands while moving through country. I cut the barrel on my model 70 .308 to 19” a couple years back and haven’t missed that extra barrel length once.
I probably need to take a harder look at the 7PRC, as it does seem to check a lot of boxes as well.
You can probably hear me talking myself in a circle a bit since I’m a torn on how to restructure my hunting calibers. The nice thing is, if it’s this hard of a decision, it probably means there aren't huge differences between the options, so it will be hard to make a bad choice.
Curious to hear where you land on your decision and why.
Mark
I’m thinking about a 6.5CM/6.5 PRC for deer, antelope, and mountain critters (sheep and mountain goats); a .300WSM or 300PRC for elk, caribou, etc; and a .338 or .375 Ruger for moose or brown bears. I’d LOVE to have a single platform for the first two categories. That’s where 6.5PRC seems to check a lot of boxes. Similar recoil to the .308, great ballistics for long shots in the mountains on small/medium critters, and workable for elk.
Aside from ballistics, my priorities in a hunting rifle are low weight (I mostly backpack hunt in steep country, so keeping weight low is important to me), low recoil relative to knockdown power, and a shorter barrel to reduce snagging while on my pack or in my hands while moving through country. I cut the barrel on my model 70 .308 to 19” a couple years back and haven’t missed that extra barrel length once.
I probably need to take a harder look at the 7PRC, as it does seem to check a lot of boxes as well.
You can probably hear me talking myself in a circle a bit since I’m a torn on how to restructure my hunting calibers. The nice thing is, if it’s this hard of a decision, it probably means there aren't huge differences between the options, so it will be hard to make a bad choice.
Curious to hear where you land on your decision and why.
Mark
Here’s how to decide. Check out a couple or more small backwoods gun shops and/or convenience stores that sells ammo. Check out he supply of 6.5 CM and 6.5 PRC hunting loads. Whichever is better stocked, go with that.
Why, when you get off in never land on a very expensive hunting trip, and you forgot ammo, or worse, your’s wasn’t working (bad primers, got soaked, etc) you can go to a small shop and get factory ammo to shoot. Hence, hunting trip not ruined.
Why, when you get off in never land on a very expensive hunting trip, and you forgot ammo, or worse, your’s wasn’t working (bad primers, got soaked, etc) you can go to a small shop and get factory ammo to shoot. Hence, hunting trip not ruined.
6.5 creedmoor every time. the extra 100-150 yards you get with a 6.5 prc for third more recoil and less barrel life isn't worth it at all. and you still likely got a 700+ yard gun in the mountains with 147 eldms in 6.5 cm. most people shouldn't be shooting anywhere close to that distance anyways.
I’m shooting 156 Berger EOLs at 3020 in my. 6.5 PRC with a 26” barrel. My vote is the PRC. Slightly over pressure, but I’m okay with it and been running that load since 2019.
Barrel life doesn’t matter and quite honestly is an irrelevant point for most hunting rifles and especially for how much most people shoot in general. Not including how much people shoot their hunting rifles.
Barrel life doesn’t matter and quite honestly is an irrelevant point for most hunting rifles and especially for how much most people shoot in general. Not including how much people shoot their hunting rifles.
