28 Nosler or 6.5 PRC ?

[Lee56]

Wanting to build a new hunting rifle for Mule Deer, Northern Whitetail and the occasional Elk. I already have a great performing 6.5 Creedmoor but wanting a little more horsepower for my next rifle.
I will be reloading ammo for this rifle and not depending off the shelf box ammo.
6.5 PRC or 28 Nosler???

 

[BadDogPSD]

Either will do the job when used appropriately. For elk, I'd opt for the 28 Nosler.

 

[Trm82]

28 nosler is a Gem.

 

[Buxndiverdux]

6.5 PRC and 28 Nosler are not very similar cartridges. If Elk is frequently hunted, I'd pick 28 Nosler.

But if I was gonna pick a elk rifle, it would be .300 Win Mag.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Wanting to build a new hunting rifle for Mule Deer, Northern Whitetail and the occasional Elk. I already have a great performing 6.5 Creedmoor but wanting a little more horsepower for my next rifle.
I will be reloading ammo for this rifle and not depending off the shelf box ammo.
6.5 PRC or 28 Nosler???

I grew up in elk country - I would go 6.5 prc. In fact that is what I am putting together right now for my main elk gun. That should get you out to 1100 yards on elk pretty easy depending on your elevation shooting 147's or 156's.

Last year I dumped all my 300 mags (3 of them) my 7mm, my 325wsm. I have been killing elk with a 270wsm the last 3 years and have settled on the 6.5 prc for the next several. You just don't need a ton of horsepower to kill elk. The 28 nosler isn't the wrong answer, its a sweet round as well. I am a big fan of 6.5 bullets.

 

[LongProng]

I've been using a 6.5-06 AI for many years on elk and it is a fantastic cartridge. It's pretty similar in performance to the PRC, so I think that would be a great choice.

 

[dougduey]

Go with the 28 Nosler. I have it's predecessor (and ballistic twin) which is the 7 STW. It's one hell of a round. I also own a 6.5-284 Norma (the ballistic twin of the PRC). I love them both and they are tack drivers. I tend to find that I pull the STW out of the safe and hunt with it more. You've got a great 6.5 cartridge in the Creed, so you NEED a great 7mm in your repertoire.
I just finished taken a long range shooting course and used the 7 STW and 6.5-284 Norma. Both performed great out to 1070 yards. The wind did effect the 6.5 bullets more at distance, but I never plan to shoot any game at 1000 yards. Had a NM pronghorn hunt last weekend and successfully used the STW. So, you can see I really like the 7mm.

 

[dkhnt]

Of the two choices you give I'd opt for the 28 Nosler BUT of all the choices I'd definitely build a 300 PRC for any and all hunting and shooting sports.

 

[257Tony]

Too much overlap with the Creedmoor and the PRC. The 28 is another tier up, 180's at 3200 vs. 140's at 3000.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Too much overlap with the Creedmoor and the PRC. The 28 is another tier up, 180's at 3200 vs. 140's at 3000.

A 156 at 3000 is nothing to ignore, and sure as heck doesn't overlap with the CM. It will do everything the 28 nosler will do, just less recoil and powder. Sure, you may need a few more clicks of the elevation turret, but no 4 legged critter would ever be able to tell the difference.

 

[Capt RB]

A 156 at 3000 is nothing to ignore, and sure as heck doesn't overlap with the CM. It will do everything the 28 nosler will do, just less recoil and powder. Sure, you may need a few more clicks of the elevation turret, but no 4 legged critter would ever be able to tell the difference.

You can run the 147's @2850 in a creed and the 150smk 30fps faster. The 156's will be in that same speed range so adding 150fps with the prc isn't terribly more effective. Running a 180 at 3200 or a 195 at 3050 is a whole new ball of wax when it comes to energy on target. Throw in a 177 hammer and the 28 nosler will go end to end on anything that walks in North America. I have a 6.5-06ai running a bit faster at 3130fps with the 147 and other than the amount of powder I burn I am behind the 28 Nos in every catagory

 

[257Tony]

A 156 at 3000 is nothing to ignore, and sure as heck doesn't overlap with the CM. It will do everything the 28 nosler will do, just less recoil and powder. Sure, you may need a few more clicks of the elevation turret, but no 4 legged critter would ever be able to tell the difference.

180 eld started at 3200 is still packing 2500 fps and 2500 ft lbs at 750 yards, no load for the PRC is on the same planet as that.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

180 eld started at 3200 is still packing 2500 fps and 2500 ft lbs at 750 yards, no load for the PRC is on the same planet as that.

It won't kill them any deader than a 147eld out of a 6.5 prc bro.

 

[dougduey]

It won't kill them any deader than a 147eld out of a 6.5 prc bro.

True, and you can kill elk with a .243 and a well placed shot, too. But would you feel comfortable doing that? I wouldn't. At typical elk distances of 250 yards and longer, your margin for error goes up. Wind blows, animals move, etc. and what was a perfect double lung shot is now a bad gut shot. It happens. I personally believe elk should be hunted with a 30 or 338 caliber, and many other respected individuals on this site feel the same.
I was pronghorn hunting in NM last weekend. Took a nice lope at over 300 yards (has trouble getting exact range, but it was in somewhere between 290 and 370). Had a 20-25 mph wind. Shooting my 7 STW with the 175 ELDX, that meant a 2-2.25 moa wind adjustment. Well, I held 2 moa and the wind died as I squeezed the trigger. I dropped the antelope, but I almost decapitated him with the neck shot impact instead of the shoulder This may have been a bigger issue if it was at 600 yards. Glad I used the 7mm and not my 6.5 mm.