6.5CM vs 6.5PRC???

[smokin502]

I don't have either, but wouldn't 200fps be good for long distance target shooting also? Not just hunting?

 

[dougduey]

The above post from BullElk54 was spot on. My 2 cents. I own a 6.5 Creed and a 6.5-284 Norma (the predecessor and ballistic twin of the PRC). Both are fantastic cartridges. Extremely accurate. Although the PRC is becoming more popular, their is nowhere near the amount of factory ammo available for it like the Creed. If you're never going to reload, and use the rifle for deer sized game, pick the Creed. I'd hunt elk with your 308. A good friend took his 6.5 CM elk hunting last year. He was as successful, but he said "I should have listened to you and borrowed your 300 WSM. I needed more Oomph!!"
Now, I'll muddy the waters a little. Loading with RL26 and the 143 ELDX, I can get 2950 fps out of my 6.5 Creedmoor. That's 50 fps less than my 6.5-284 Norma with the same bullet.
I'll leave you with this statement from my favorite outfitter in WY. "I don't like the Creedmoor, I think it's the man bun of cartridges".

 

[Greyfox]

I own 6.5x284's(virtually identical to the PRC, a 6.5CM, and a few 6.5x47's.
If you plan on hunting at 500 yards or less, I'd go for the 6.5CM. Lots of very good, cost effective factory ammo to choose from If you aspire to extend your hunting/shooting beyond 500 yards, I'd go for the PRC. The ballistics and killing power is noticeably superior.

 

[Gone Ballistic]

The reason the 6.5's are hot is the dynamics of new bullet offerings. So with that said it really boils down to the comfort zone of the shooter. The Bergara B14 Hunter is fairly heavy but comfortable to shoot with minimal amount of recoil. It is capable of taking elk easily if you can shoot good up to 700 yards. For you though, until you have practiced shooting good beyond 300 yards you should not attempt shooting beyond that range. The main difference between the Creedmoor and the PRC is speed. The PRC shoots over 200 feet per second faster than the Creedmoor. This converts to a flatter trajectory also converting the bullet to kill at longer ranges. Because of the extra powder the PRC case holds, creating the higher speed, it creates heavier recoil and cost of the loaded bullets. In your case the Creedmoor should be sufficient for your present needs but I wouldn't be surprised to see you purchasing a PRC down the road. Good luck with your choice and the Bergara is a good one for the money.

 

[zog]

I'll put in an odd note here. 270 Win is real close to the PRC. Ammo anywhere and everything. Drawback is it's a longer bolt throw. That's about all though.

I'd like to have a whole separate discussion about that. I thought a 270 Win was closer to a 6.5 CM, and a 270 WSM was closer to a 6.5 PRC.

To avoid cutting in and taking this thread a whole different direction, maybe I'll start new topic about that.

6.5 Creedmoor Versus 270 Winchester — Ron Spomer Outdoors

In a 6.5 Creedmoor versus 270 Winchester ballistic competition, which wins? Drop, drift, retained energy, velocity, and recoil are compared.

ronspomeroutdoors.com

 

[judgebill]

I want to comment on what's behind this initial question. First of all, either cartridge is "acceptable" from the standpoint of what you want to hunt and how they each perform. But the real question that comes to my mind is why try to limit yourself to only these cartridges. Along with the question is the comment that if you consider yourself to be a serious shooter, reload. Once you get into the reloading game your options are wide open. You can take virtually any cartridge and adjust its performance to your own shooting needs. You can load a large-bore magnum to minimum recoil, can adjust the accuracy of any cartridge and along the way have a lot of fun experimenting. I would never counsel against purchasing "another rifle" or another piece of equipment. So welcome to the club of curious shooters. Enjoy whatever you buy and plan on jumping in with both feet. Yes, its costly but if you go slow, look for bargains and are careful you will have a lifetime of fun and enjoyment. I'm 83 and have been reloading for 65 years. If I had saved every penny I spent on guns and reloading gear and hunting trips I wouldn't have the wonderful memories I now have...and I'm looking forward to more.

 

[Pulpwood]

I was going to suggest the 270 as well but didn't for fear of being looked at as an old fart lol.

It could be called wisdom

 

[tnek13]

Get the 6.5 PRC because you want it, or the 6.5 Creedmoor because you want it. People have already given you opinions and facts that support their choices, now get what you want both are good cartridges. The age of 6.5 is on, I went with the 270 WSM however at the time the 6.5 PRC was not on the horizon or I might have gone for it. Just have fun.

 

[Upsidedownjack]

its not old its wise

The "young" can't handle being OLD! And old men don't get that way by being Fools!

 

[vortech347]

I don't own either. There. I said it. But I do keep a keen eye out for modern developments and my next rifle, whenever that may be.

For whatever reason, the 6.5 caliber is hot. Best I can tell, it's one of the best compromises between killing power and recoil. That's one good thing.

And bullet manufacturers are, at this time in history, giving us all a lot of good choices. So are makers of loaded ammo. That's two.

And all these technological improvements seem to be heading towards "Given modern bullet design and modern powders, you don't need as fat a bullet as your Dad and Granddad used to in order to inflict the same damage."

So. In this modern, updated, world...
same damage, less recoil.
Or, same damage, less drop/wind drift.
Ot, more damage, same recoil

So, your two 6.5 mm choices here are both excellent.

If you need to find ammo in every town at any time and can't afford to lay in a few hundred rounds ahead of time until the next opportunity to buy, I'd go with the CM. It might also be a little cheaper per round.

For the external ballistics, I'd way, WAY, prefer the PRC.

Today, pandemic and all, it's as simple as going to Midway to order ammo And have it delivered to your door. It is in stock as I write now. But if you are going on an African safari and might need to be able to acquire rounds overseas, there are better choices than either.

And if you don't want to put up with much recoil, and there's no shame, nay, advantages in that; then go for the CM and be happy.

Both seem like great cartridges to me. The CM was designed for short actions and low recoil. The PRC won't fit in a short action but will deliver more velocity and more powerful external ballistics, at the price of a little more recoil and a SLIGHTLY heavier rifle ( which will SLIGHTLY tame that extra recoil). Given this understanding, me, I'd lean towards the PRC. Your mileage may vary.

PRC fits in a short action. It's like the WSM's in that some of the really long and sleek bullets have to jump a little too much to be good options.

For example, my Browning 6.5 PRC has the ability to seat to 2.980 and just barely fit in the magazine. That gets me to within .0285 of the lands with a 147 eldm and even closer in the 140. But, the Berger 144 lrht is still jumping close to .1 at mag length so some bullets will be iffy to use except for single loading.

I found a really wide 2930ish velocity node over .8 grains to test so will be doing a .0385 and .0285 jump seating test this weekend.

I loaded up 4 143 eldx bullets at a upper mid book load and at 2.95 which was .07 jump and they shot really well at 100yds. So I plan to do a velocity ladder and find a good hunting load with it.

That lets me back off on my Creedmoor to save brass and barrel life with it.

Best of both worlds IMO.

 

[Upsidedownjack]

my 0.02, that said. I'm starting a work up with the 300 WM , Thats a HMR-PRO with a break. Recoil somewhere around 243+/- load UP, or Down shoot for the Helll of it or, for real. Lots of bullets Wts to play with and lots of different "Loads" at your local Wally World? Plenty of Speed for ground Squarls, Dogs, Pigs, and ELK! And they all die IF you do your job!
I like the HMR-PRO. And a BIG fan of the 300 WM! Go BIG, or Stay Home!

 

[vancewalker007]

Get the 6.5 PRC because you want it, or the 6.5 Creedmoor because you want it. People have already given you opinions and facts that support their choices, now get what you want both are good cartridges. The age of 6.5 is on, I went with the 270 WSM however at the time the 6.5 PRC was not on the horizon or I might have gone for it. Just have fun.

Have you ever tried the Berger 170 EOL in your WSM? I used to shoot a 270 WSM and 300 WSM. I'm shooting the Berger 195 EOL in my 7mm LRM and the 156 EOL in my 6.5 PRC. They have both given incredible accuracy and stunning effects on deer and elk.

 

[vancewalker007]

Hello everyone, first post here. I'm looking at buying a new rifle, think I've decided on a Bergara. Now I have some questions about which caliber to get. The only bolt action rifle I currently own is a .308win. As tried as true as that caliber is, I'm wanting to go with something a little more modern, and have narrowed it down to the 6.5CM or 6.5PRC. I've done some searching around for opinions and reviews and haven't found exactly the questions I want answered, or the info is dated. For example I don't reload yet, so would be buying factory ammo for now. Is the PRC anywhere as available as the CM yet? I've looked online and haven't had much luck, just didn't know if it was from the current COVID crisis that I couldn't find any PRC ammo. Another major concern I have is recoil. How do the two compare in recoil? I would mostly be using this rifle for deer, and Varmit/predator hunting. However, living in Oklahoma, an elk hunt isn't out of the question. Thanks for any input!!!

If most of your hunting shots on deer are under 400-500 yards, then you can do it all with a Creedmore or a 260 Rem, or any other "quote" standard cartridge. And then keep any shots on elk to 250-300 yards. If most of your shots are going to extend past 500 yards, or you want to extend your effective range, then I'd go for more power the PRC has. My 26in Proof barrelled 6.5 PRC is producing 3040fps (checked to 1000 yards) with the Berger 156 EOL. Per my ballistic calculator that's 1900+ fps at 1000 yards at my common hunting altitudes. I built it to replace my heavy 7mm LRM Long Range hunting rifle. Same zoom less boom. Both of these rifles are tuned up for Coues deer hunting, which tends to require longer shots than most deer hunting.

 

[Quintus]

Couple of things. I also shoot both the creed and the PRC...and the 6.5x284Norma, .260Rem and .264 WM and 6.5-06. All Wonderful. The 6.5PRC and the 6.5x284 are not that close. The PRC is closer to the .264 than the 284 with todays powder and bullets options. That said, you should buy the Creed. It has the best loaded ammo selection of all the available 6.5s right now. It is more capable to a further distance than most shooters. While the PRC is no mule, with no brake it has about 60% more recoil than the creed. When you get down the road a bit there will be better options for PRC ammo or you will reload. Then you will really want the PRC and can justify it, and give the Creed to the wife or the kid. You will love the Creed, and until you get the PRC, RPM, or .264 you will think you have the best thing since sliced bread. Your .308 will do nicely as an Elk gun too so no need to worry about recovering that base just yet.