300 PRC

[BT_1224]

Hello all
I was wondering who has experience with the 300 PRC. What are your thoughts and opinions about it? Is it a better option than a 300 win mag for hunting and shooting longer distances? Do you think it will be a cartridge that will stay long term or is it just another fad that will fade out and be hell to find ammo for?

 

[Liddy]

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[Longshot284]

I've been shooting one for a while now and I love it. To be fair, a properly chambered 300 win Mag is basically the same velocity and external ballistics but the 300 PRC standard SAAMI chamber dimensions allow for factory guns to actually shoot well. If you're getting one built and could get a "match" win mag reamer that would help. But I've really liked my PRC, shoots both Hornady factory loads well and is super easy to load for. I think it's here to stay

 

[Boom]

Just finished breaking in a new 300 PRC . Had fun watching my son bang steel at 1200.. Been shooting factory Hdy 225M's for break in and to get some brass. Don't know that there is a great advantage but it is fun to be shooting something different!

 

[JemezDave]

I have both and the WM is up for sale. In SAAMI form the PRC is the better cartridge design over the 300 WM. The 300 PRC rounds also feed smoother than do belted cases in push feed actions. These are facts, not opinions. Performance wise the 300WM still hangs in there, but for me the PRC eliminates all the shortfalls and aggravations of the antiquated 300 win mag. It's not a barrel burner with heavier recoil like the 300 RUM or 30-378 either. The 300 WM theoretically wins in the Ammo availability column though but it's mostly 180 gr stuff that no one wants(at least I never did). For best long range performance in 30 cal you need to be shooting 215 grain bullets or heavier. In reality your better off with the 300 PRC even from a factory ammo standpoint because no one loads 215's for the 300WM. Berger did for a short time but saw the folly of their ways and discontinued as far as I know. I bought in to the ammo availability BS and I ended up regretting it-don't be that guy. Even if you load your own ammo as I do, get the PRC. You will thank me later.

 

[Gamesniper19]

I have experience with the 300 PRC and if it is the only hunting rifle you have, its a great choice. Easy to find components, OTC ammo available and will ethically kill anything in N. America. One could argue that its not a huge upgrade over a 300 WM or even a 300 WSM in some cases. IMO Hornady needed something to compete with the more effective and better 30 Nosler - so they made it. They also wanted to compete for the SOCOM contract and one of the reasons they won is availability of components. It is Hornady and that should have been expected.
It has staying power as a cartridge. Again, its Hornady (personal opinion held back)

If you are looking for a 30 cal magnum LA rifle the 30 Nosler will outperform any other, short of the 300 Norma or perhaps a wildcat. I have experience with the 30N and 300 Norma and they are absolute big bullet hammers. Why? The excel with the larger bullets. IMO 300 PRC is outclassed with anything larger than a 200 bullet.

Wanna have fun? I recently built a 7mm PRC by simply necking down the 300 PRC neck only and not changing anything else. I can now run a 175 grain high BC projectile at 3200 fps and kill anything in N America with it. (dont forget the 175 grain accubond bullet was the recommended elk killing machine out of the 7MM rem mag for many many years) It is easy to do and super effective. Many 175 grain high BC bullets have similar BCs to the 212 eldx class and are faster, which I believe is important when hunting ELR distances.

 

[StatisticallySignificant]

I'm on my 2nd barrel and will continue chambering 300 PRC's. With both barrels right off the bat I've had great success at getting tight groups and decent MV spreads. The SAAMI chamber is a functional match chamber. No belt, no rebated rim-- not that those are always, or even often deal breakers, but it's two potential issues that don't exist.

I disagree with JM about bullet weights. I'm shooting 230 and 250gr A-tips out to a mile with very good results. Inside of 1000 is boring, 1000-1700 is pretty solid, and after that gets dicey, but IME it gets dicey with pretty much any cartridge at those ranges. Out to 1200 or so, the factory 225gr ELD's are very effective and consistent.

 

[Gamesniper19]

I'm on my 2nd barrel and will continue chambering 300 PRC's. With both barrels right off the bat I've had great success at getting tight groups and decent MV spreads. The SAAMI chamber is a functional match chamber. No belt, no rebated rim-- not that those are always, or even often deal breakers, but it's two potential issues that don't exist.

I disagree with JM about bullet weights. I'm shooting 230 and 250gr A-tips out to a mile with very good results. Inside of 1000 is boring, 1000-1700 is pretty solid, and after that gets dicey, but IME it gets dicey with pretty much any cartridge at those ranges. Out to 1200 or so, the factory 225gr ELD's are very effective and consistent.

Great caliber and great choice for long range copper rockets for sure. To be clear, I never said the PRC wouldn't do it, what I said was that the 30 N and 300 Norma have better ballistics than the 300 PRC which is true. Bullet to bullet with same powder and primer, the 30 N will run about 100 - 150 fps faster and the 300 Norma will run 120-170 FPS faster. I will admit its not a huge difference but, they are better. Perhaps "outclassed" is an overstatement, but they do run better.

 

[Longshot284]

I think the 300 Norma neutered itself when SAAMI adopted it by putting max pressure at 61kpsi. Likewise, the Nosler went with a 3.340" SAAMI OAL and a 10" twist. Of course the hand loader avoids these pitfalls. In regard to SAAMI standard chamber design and factory Ammo and factory rifles the 300 PRC no doubt reigns supreme. Luckily for us we can "fix" the others with custom rifles and handloads. The 300 Norma will win the fastest trip down the drag strip for sure!

 

[Gamesniper19]

Handloads do tilt the scale even more than with factory ammo - Generally with factory ammo, the 300 PRC with a 215 runs about 2850 where the 300 Norma runs 3010 and the 30N at 2990. We are splitting hairs and you are spot on Longshot, we can generate even more speed without SAAMI limitations. In all circumstances case capacity wins. Especially at ranges of more than 1000 yards. On steel a few more clicks in elevation isnt that big a deal but windage can be the difference between a hit and a miss.
300 PRC - 78 grains water
30N - 88 grains water
300 Norma - 104 grains water

Steel doesn't care how fast the bullet is going but for hunting in any one of these cartridges, I will always prefer faster - every single time. If all cartridges have equal accuracy then to me, every 100 or 150 or 200 fps matters when shooting an animal

 

[BT_1224]

I have both and the WM is up for sale. In SAAMI form the PRC is the better cartridge design over the 300 WM. The 300 PRC rounds also feed smoother than do belted cases in push feed actions. These are facts, not opinions. Performance wise the 300WM still hangs in there, but for me the PRC eliminates all the shortfalls and aggravations of the antiquated 300 win mag. It's not a barrel burner with heavier recoil like the 300 RUM or 30-378 either. The 300 WM theoretically wins in the Ammo availability column though but it's mostly 180 gr stuff that no one wants(at least I never did). For best long range performance in 30 cal you need to be shooting 215 grain bullets or heavier. In reality your better off with the 300 PRC even from a factory ammo standpoint because no one loads 215's for the 300WM. Berger did for a short time but saw the folly of their ways and discontinued as far as I know. I bought in to the ammo availability BS and I ended up regretting it-don't be that guy. Even if you load your own ammo as I do, get the PRC. You will thank me later.

You are correct about Berger discontinuing loading the 215s however Federal does load them in their gold medal match ammo

 

[JohnGood]

What is the trade off when moving up from 300 PRC to something in 338?

 

[Muddinmetal]

I have experience with the 300 PRC and if it is the only hunting rifle you have, its a great choice. Easy to find components, OTC ammo available and will ethically kill anything in N. America. One could argue that its not a huge upgrade over a 300 WM or even a 300 WSM in some cases. IMO Hornady needed something to compete with the more effective and better 30 Nosler - so they made it. They also wanted to compete for the SOCOM contract and one of the reasons they won is availability of components. It is Hornady and that should have been expected.
It has staying power as a cartridge. Again, its Hornady (personal opinion held back)

If you are looking for a 30 cal magnum LA rifle the 30 Nosler will outperform any other, short of the 300 Norma or perhaps a wildcat. I have experience with the 30N and 300 Norma and they are absolute big bullet hammers. Why? The excel with the larger bullets. IMO 300 PRC is outclassed with anything larger than a 200 bullet.

Wanna have fun? I recently built a 7mm PRC by simply necking down the 300 PRC neck only and not changing anything else. I can now run a 175 grain high BC projectile at 3200 fps and kill anything in N America with it. (dont forget the 175 grain accubond bullet was the recommended elk killing machine out of the 7MM rem mag for many many years) It is easy to do and super effective. Many 175 grain high BC bullets have similar BCs to the 212 eldx class and are faster, which I believe is important when hunting ELR distances.

So you are shooting a 7 LRM...

 

[Gamesniper19]

So you are shooting a 7 LRM...

300 PRC case offers a bit more powder but it is pretty close