7mm Rem Mag vs 6.5 Prc

[Shane431]

I turned my Tikka 7 mag into a 6.5 PRC ...... and I'd do it again!

 

[Bigeclipse]

I'm thinking about purchasing one of these calibers for deer/elk at a max of about 500 yards and wanted to know what people thought about the merits of each caliber and obviously 7mm has alot more factory options and can load a heavier bullet but is the extra recoil worth it at the end of the day when it comes to performance on game and before peoe say anything about a 300 i have had one and cant shoot one as consistently as I'd like do to recoil.

6.5prc will certainly take elk but if you will be targeting elk often (like a hunting trip every year or every other year type deal) I would go 7mm mag at a minimum. Gives you a bit more power, elk are hardy creatures. If Elk will be rare and you mainly hunt deer, then id go 6.5prc for lower recoil. FYI, I own a 6.5prc and LOVE it so im not biased with 7mm mag at all.

 

[Kmccord]

The recoil on a 7 Rem Mag is not brutal, not sure what rifles you are looking at, I would suggest Bergara B14 in either HMR or Wilderness, with the Wilderness you get a muzzle brake and Cerakoted barrel. I purchased the HMR for the Grandson and working up a load using Hornady brass, CCI 250 LRM, H1000 powder and Berger 168VLD Hunting, I was able to get it to shoot sub MOA with a ES of 12 and SD of 8. It is a very accurate rifle and the recoil is not uncomfortable, I can hold it on target with some muzzle jump without a brake, with a brake I would imagine it would be like a 223 or maybe at worse a 6.5 Creed. You can also get a 6.5 PRC in the Bergara lineup as well, both are good cartridges, but the 7 mag would have more oomph for Elk.

 

[Rum Man]

To answer you question...6.5 prc and the 156 gr. Bergers .

I carry one of my 338's and 300 gr bergers when Elk hunting out here in Montana. Just because you never know if the Elk will be at 150 yrds. or 1250 yrds.
Best of luck on your choice !

Rum Man

 

[Backcountry sports]

I went through the same decision between the two and chose the PRC. I'll be mostly hunting deer and elk every couple years as I build points. I've shot both calibers braked and not braked. I will say I really enjoyed the PRC at the range more and shot it better at distance. PRC braked or suppressed is very comfortable and I'm able to follow through better and see impacts.

Better knock down power with 7mm

 

[Droppndrakes]

I started a rifle build a year ago right when the 6.5prc started to take off. I don't reload and the 7mag offered a lot of ammo options. I was nervous the 7mag was going to punish me as pops has one with an old wood stock that beats you up. I was having cartridge remorse wishing I had gone 6.5prc as I waited for the build to get done. I was pleasantly surprised with the manners stock, the recoil is less than my ole .270 (granted it's about 1lb heavier) I don't even use my brake. The 7 mag offers a little bit more thump than the PRC, and I didn't really want to use the Berger's or the Hornady for hunting.

 

[Mrvmax]

I have a new Savage in 6.5 PRC and suppressed there is no need for hearing protection. When I hunt I either use a suppressor or ear plugs, I've lost too much of my hearing already and I'm not losing any more. The PRC will work for anything I'm hunting.

 

[DJ Fergus]

I'm thinking about purchasing one of these calibers for deer/elk at a max of about 500 yards and wanted to know what people thought about the merits of each caliber and obviously 7mm has alot more factory options and can load a heavier bullet but is the extra recoil worth it at the end of the day when it comes to performance on game and before peoe say anything about a 300 i have had one and cant shoot one as consistently as I'd like do to recoil.

I have both 6.5 prc & 7mm rem mag. My personal favorite is the 7mm rm. I have three 7mm rem mags. two braked & one unbraked. The braked 7mm rem mag is equivelent to shooting an unbraked 308 win. My unbraked 7mm rem mag is heavy, so its not bad about recoil either. If you are going for a lightweight unbraked rifle, I would say to go with the 6.5 PRC since you dont like recoil.

 

[340Wby-4-everything]

I agree, but sometimes in the heat of the moment on the mountain staring down a 6x6 elk it is easy to forget to throw plugs in.

Agreed. I have had a few instances where adrenaline was so high, I never heard the gun go off. After talking to my best friend a former Army Doc and Internal Medicine Dept head and a couple ENT docs, they all agreed, very possible to not hear it (or feel any recoil), but the body (ear, shoulder, neck) damage exists regardless of what your mind tells you.

 

[thwatson2]

If the 300WM is too much recoil for consistency, then 6.5 PRC is your obvious choice. Assume we are talking no brake as it would tame all these calibers. I really see no "real" world difference in recoil from 300 and 7 mag so 6.5 makes most sense for your criteria

 

[340Wby-4-everything]

Thank you for all the data this is why I was wondering if the 7 mag is worth the extra action length weight and recoil because they seem fairly close at the end of the day and I doubt the animal will tell the difference with good shot placement

So if the PRC is this close to the 7RM, not sure how an earlier reply was suggesting a 270 had similar perf to the PRC? Apples and oranges?

 

[6.5x300 WBY]

.

You mentioned the ability of the 7mm to shoot heavier bullets. This is true, but only kind of. Most of the 7mm factory rifles don't come with enough twist rate to stabilize the really heavy long-for-caliber bullets. Most of the 6.5 PRC factory offerings have 8 twist, or even 7 twist as my Browning does.

Just picking Berger for example, 8 twist 6.5 PRC can shoot 156gn EOL. But a 9.5 twist 7mm can't shoot the 195 EOL per per Berger's twist recommendation. It can shoot their 175gn though. The 156 has a slightly higher BC, and the 6.5 PRC will shoot it slightly faster velocity than the 7mm will shoot the 175 (I think, just based on looking up load data online, 2800fps vs 2750fps).

The 6.5 with 156 Berger will actually have every so slightly better ballistic performance than 7mm RM with the 175gn.
Kinetic energy at 500 yards and 10k feet elevation would be 1920 ft-lbf for the PRC, and 1969 ft-lbf for the 7mm.

View attachment 203715

*edited, reduced 6.5 PRC muzzle velocity with the 156 to 2800fps

Your 175 gr. Load must be factory stuff. (Weak ) My sendero can push A 175 gr. easily 2900-2950. Havent shot it in awhile but iirc. I am like 2950 for my sweet spot. So your going to need to recalculate your numbers a bit.

Also in my sendero I can per Berger shoot their 180gr pills.

But hey I am a huge fan of all 7mms in any shape or size. If I need more power I'll need to hit an 8mm RM. (DREAM GUN). Or some 338 to get a more significant effect on large game.

ALSO I am looking at a 6.5. SOMETHING to add to my collection. So. Get what you want and enjoy.
Also, Muzzle Brakes work so well its nuts. My Holland brake is STUPID AMAZING on my 7RM. Has way less recoil than a 243 win. Probably like some fast 22 like a 22 250 . I bet you can handle that.

Best of luck

 

[ndking1126]

true, but either way your ears are getting blown out no?

Yes, and no. Louder equals more damage anyway you look at it. I'm not opposed to braked rifles, but as others have stated, they will do more damage than unbraked. I hunt with ear protection, it's not worth the risk. My own personal experience was when I was young and with a 357 Mag pistol. I had heard one or two 357 pistols without ear pro, and then for some reason (I can't remember.. only real answer is stupidity) I shot my ported 357 without hearing protection. It was so much louder and it physically hurt.. alot. It was a Taurus with the 6 holes on top of the barrel. Ouch! Never again.

 

[oldpilot]

I have a new Savage in 6.5 PRC and suppressed there is no need for hearing protection. When I hunt I either use a suppressor or ear plugs, I've lost too much of my hearing already and I'm not losing any more. The PRC will work for anything I'm hunting.

What did you say, I can't hear you.