6.5PRC, 6.8 Western, 7SAUM

[kgarrett]

I want to do a 6.5PRC just trying to get the action length correct.

Mostly affects you if you hand load. Make sure your action and magazine will accommodate 2.955 COL. 'Short actions' used to only need to accommodate 2.82 for 308 length cartridges. Hornady broke the short action mold with the 6.5 PRC which is why not every short action is great to build a 6.5 PRC upon. Some factory rounds may not fit in the magazine and feed well. With long bullets like Berger's 156 gr EOL I believe some hand loaders may even be loading longer than this.

I think these two issues are why some are building their customs on 'medium' or long actions. I am not a hand loader or a rifle builder so I might not have this quite right.

 

[Cajun LR Rookie]

Thanks for all the input!

 

[Rick Richard]

I want to do a 6.5PRC just trying to get the action length correct.

Medium.

 

[cajun]

I'm doing a 7 saum on zermatt medium action. I have seen tika magnum actions for sale. That is another option.

 

[liber]

Hornady broke the short action mold with the 6.5 PRC which is why not every short action is great to build a 6.5 PRC upon.

Wait a sec there, kgarrett, wasn't it really AICS that broke the short action? Hornady had nothing to do with that, AFAIK. But you are correct, the 2.990/3.005 (internal/external) for the AICS mags.

There is a lot of truth to the mag breaking builds. It is why I didn't buy a Remington walnut stock, I believe all of those were standard short action mags.

I'm switching over to BDL bottom metal on my next build, with AICS length mags.

 

[SoDakQuack]

Given the information you laid out in the orignal post, 6.5PRC is the only real choice here.

7 SAUM is fricken awesome (even better out of a LA but not essential) but if you're not loading already don't buy a rifle you don't have a viable way to feed.

If you just want to be able to tell all the Nebraska boys how many giant deer you've been dropping at 500yards out west while all you've actually been doing is blowing hindquarters off unsuspecting does up in SD…. then 6.8 Western is for you.

 

[liber]

Given the information you laid out in the orignal post, 6.5PRC is the only real choice here.

7 SAUM is fricken awesome (even better out of a LA but not essential) but if you're not loading already don't buy a rifle you don't have a viable way to feed.

If you just want to be able to tell all the Nebraska boys how many giant deer you've been dropping at 500yards out west while all you've actually been doing is blowing hindquarters off unsuspecting does up in SD…. then 6.8 Western is for you.

Yes, I'm interesting in a 7mm in the long action, but want to use a long action cartridge like 7PRC or 7BC.

The PRC gets me about the best ballistics and velocity in a short action. I don't think the current bullets are ideal though. A slightly heavier Barnes LRX would be nice, but the current 127 grain seems to have been designed with the 6.5 Creedmoor in mind. I could be wrong, but there are a couple bullets I could use in the PRC, but they need to be copper. A 137 grain LRX for PRC would be nice to try. Barnes data gives me almost 3200 fps for the 120 grain TTSX, and the same bullet gives me 2500 fps per their data. Will give up to 2600 with the right powder. Quite a bit lower.

I don't know if the 6.5 PRC is the only cartridge to meet my needs, I think the 300 WSM or 7SAUM could. Just that the PRC uses a more modern sleeker extended bullet. I see it similar to 308 vs 6.5 Creedmoor, but 6.5 PRC has a COAL advantage.

 

[cajun]

If I'm ever given a choice between 6.5,6.8 or 7 mm. I'm going to pick a 7 mm 60% of the time every time. IYKYK.

 

[ruby76]

Yes, I'm interesting in a 7mm in the long action, but want to use a long action cartridge like 7PRC or 7BC.

The PRC gets me about the best ballistics and velocity in a short action. I don't think the current bullets are ideal though. A slightly heavier Barnes LRX would be nice, but the current 127 grain seems to have been designed with the 6.5 Creedmoor in mind. I could be wrong, but there are a couple bullets I could use in the PRC, but they need to be copper. A 137 grain LRX for PRC would be nice to try. Barnes data gives me almost 3200 fps for the 120 grain TTSX, and the same bullet gives me 2500 fps per their data. Will give up to 2600 with the right powder. Quite a bit lower.

I don't know if the 6.5 PRC is the only cartridge to meet my needs, I think the 300 WSM or 7SAUM could. Just that the PRC uses a more modern sleeker extended bullet. I see it similar to 308 vs 6.5 Creedmoor, but 6.5 PRC has a COAL advantage.

7SS would give you heavier mono's and fit in a short action.

 

[kgarrett]

If I'm ever given a choice between 6.5,6.8 or 7 mm. I'm going to pick a 7 mm 60% of the time every time. IYKYK.

Unless, you do like me and pick both a 6.5 PRC AND a 300 PRC. My Fierce 7 RM is great, but I have a lighter 6.5 PRC now that is just as effective on game smaller than elk and a 300 PRC for when I want that big, heavy for caliber bullet.

My 7 RM is nice to shoot, but my 6.5 PRC is lighter and still nice to shoot. A 6.5 PRC is adequate for elk, and great for anything smaller. If you're going to be a one-gun hunter like I was, a 7 mm is a great balance. If you're going to have two, I'd go with something lighter recoiling and something heavier and more powerful.

FWIW, my 6.5 PRC weighs 7 lbs 3 oz and my 300 PRC 9 lb 6 oz with scope and sling. Anything my 7 RM can do, one of my other two hunting rifles can do better…

 

[kgarrett]

If I'm ever given a choice between 6.5,6.8 or 7 mm. I'm going to pick a 7 mm 60% of the time every time. IYKYK.

TBH, I think the 6.5, 6.8's, and 7's are great all-around calibres. That's what makes them so fun to argue about!

140-180 gr bullets near 3000 fps is a recipe for a good hunting cartridge!

 

[southpa]

Unless, you do like me and pick both a 6.5 PRC AND a 300 PRC. My Fierce 7 RM is great, but I have a lighter 6.5 PRC now that is just as effective on game smaller than elk and a 300 PRC for when I want that big, heavy for caliber bullet.

My 7 RM is nice to shoot, but my 6.5 PRC is lighter and still nice to shoot. A 6.5 PRC is adequate for elk, and great for anything smaller. If you're going to be a one-gun hunter like I was, a 7 mm is a great balance. If you're going to have two, I'd go with something lighter recoiling and something heavier and more powerful.

FWIW, my 6.5 PRC weighs 7 lbs 3 oz and my 300 PRC 9 lb 6 oz with scope and sling. Anything my 7 RM can do, one of my other two hunting rifles can do better…

Never understand why guys compare different rifles like they aren't different. Build them all apples to apples and then compare. Of course your purpose built lighter rifle is going to be lighter than the other rifles that are heavier. Is this really a comparison? And no the 6.5 cannot do anything a 7rm can do better! It cannot send a 180 grain bullet 3000fps. It probly can't even send a 156 grain bullet 3000fps. Point is they are all different and the smaller cartridges CANNOT do what the larger ones do. Those limits are yours to set but why do we pretend everything is even when it's not.

A 6.5 will get outrun by a 7saum with light or heavy bullets, a 300 will outrun a 7saum with light or heavy bullets. For the OPs question the 7saum will do more than either of the two others mentioned. Simple

 

[liber]

Unless, you do like me and pick both a 6.5 PRC AND a 300 PRC. My Fierce 7 RM is great, but I have a lighter 6.5 PRC now that is just as effective on game smaller than elk and a 300 PRC for when I want that big, heavy for caliber bullet.

I didn't realize you had Fierce firearms. I just bought a Fierce carbon stock in the classifieds. The seller but the barreled action on an MDT-HNT26 and his first trip to the range he got a .3 MOA group. I am not sure if I will get that good in mine, I think a lot has to do with the barrel and setup work that Fierce does, but I'm still hoping for a decent rifle.

The reason I decided to go with that style stock is that it's a more traditional design, but very light. I want a lightweight hunting rifle first and foremost. I can change it later if I want. The grip is not as vertical as many of the newer designs, but more traditional, aside from the carbon fiber. I like the fact they make the bedding all graphite. It's gonna be a while before I get it.

Now for my question, and I can't seem to find a good answer. Do you know how many rounds of magnum the BDL mag that Fierce sells for <ouch> $140 will hold 3 or 4 rounds? I was hoping to get 5 rounds with one in the chamber, but in reading on the Fierce site I read note from them that said some people try to put 4 round in, but over time it can damage the mag. Will I be limited to 3 + 1 in the chamber?

I don't expect to need more than 4 rounds for any game, but one never knows. Since I'm looking to keep this light, I definitely want to go with the BDL style mag, rather than replacing it with Hawkins.

Any comments on grip angle and/or the mag?

As a side note, that Mogle Ranch looks like an awesome place! *IF* I had the cash I would probably opt for a bear or elk hunt, but I love pheasant. I had a manager that used to make pheasant gumbo, that stuff was sure good. Alas, no shotgun...