7mm Rem Mag vs 6.5 Prc

[BlazerBeam]

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

Agreed. Those numbers for a 175 are way too low. You can safely push a 175 eld x or 180 Berger to 2950 FPS in a 7 mag, even in a 24 inch barrel. This significantly outperforms a 6.5 PRC. The 6.5 PRC is considered a little guy for elk in my opinion. It's a great deer and antelope cartridge though. I also think the recoil with a 7 mag is definitely not near that of a 300 win mag. My vote is definitely for the 7 mag

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

2 of the better standard cartridges from antelope to elk from muzzle to 1K is still the plain Jane 7 mag and 300 mag. Those are the 2 cartridges I always recommend for people who want 1 rifle to hunt big game at LR out to 1K. You just cant beat either one. I'm a 7mm whore, so obviously I go that route. But I've also had a lot of 30 cal mags and a couple 338 win mags and EDGEs. The 30 and 33 cals hit harder on both ends, that's about it. Ballistically, the 7s are dang hard to beat...

 

[Montana'eer]

Could've always put a brake on that 338 and fixed that issue real quick ^^^ 338s are great elk rifles.

Oh I have no question it's not an effective elk cartridge. It's an effective "I'll take anything on this continent" cartridge
It had a brake. Whether it was effective or not may be a different story, lol. It was a very light rig. Around 7lbs.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

Oh wow, ya that's a little to light for a 338, even with a brake, no thanks haha.

 

[Montana'eer]

Oh wow, ya that's a little to light for a 338, even with a brake, no thanks haha.

I think 8lbs was the weight after the scope and sling. My 7mm-mag weighs about that (not including bipod). It's a huge difference in recoil. Like night and day.

 

[gvjm]

So in looking through this thread I see a lot of banter about the recoil of the 7 mag. It's there for sure but I solved that problem years ago! I never shoot without some form of ear protection anymore. One shot with the 7 will prove that out!!!! So I've put a muzzle brake on mine. Recoil is nothing to speak of now and with ear protection and the fact that that break is on the end of a 24" barrel it's a joy to shoot! While I went with a TC Compass, money limitations, I think a Tikka Lite weight with a Harrells Precision adjustable brake would be about perfect in the field

 

[gvjm]

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.

I use Walker Razor ear buds. They are in my ears before the rifle goes over my shoulder!

 

[gvjm]

Louder is the wrong way of putting things.... it doesnt make the gun louder, but a brake directs more of the blast/concussion back towards the shooter increase the perceived loudness to the shooter or those around them. For most people the physical recoil is only part of the reason why they may flinch or express discomfort from shooting.

I was shooting with a coworker this weekend who was running an APA Little B****** on his rifle and the concussion was moving empty ammo boxes and my rangefinder soft case several inches with each shot on my bench 5 ft away from him.

To this day I still get a little bit of a flinch if I am at an indoor range with someone shooting something like a 16" 308 AR with a brake, thats with plugs and earmuffs, its a physical response to the concussion, not necessarily the volume of the sound itself.
[/
I disagree. A brake directs the blast to the sides. It's a problem for those who are not behind the gun but it's a joy for the shooter. But make no mistake, ear protection is not optional!!!!

 

[sixfivefanboy]

I had a 7mm in Remington 700 BDL LH got a good deal on it and it was a left handed gun and thirty years ago they weren't real common I took an elk mule deer black bear antelope and other game all one shot kills except the elk it took three shots to put him on the ground first two where in the boiler room and he just stood there the cows that where near just kinda looked around like what was that the third was in the spine he went down then the guys I was with locals in Wyoming after they got done laughing said if I had waited he would have went down after we gutted him we found two of the bullets heart and lung 175gr game kings the locals all used 300 win mags that round went in one shoulder and out the other their elk went down like a sack of dirt so now that 7mm is a 338 win mag and this bulls don't stand any more

So big animals like Elk and Moose, when hit well behind the shoulder, might take a couple seconds to die. Guys will put 4 or 5 rounds in them with a 7mm or 300 thinking they dont have enough gun. So they go buy something bigger. Really, its dead on its feet, it just takes a few seconds for them to realize it. Everybody thinks their legs should just come out from under them - this only happens with a head, spine, high shoulder shot.

 

[Gone Ballistic]

I've built the following rifles in these calibers over a span of 40 years. 22-250, 25-06, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 7mmRemMag, 30-338 and 300RUM. I did most of my hunting with my 270 Sako until I was mauled by a grizzly bear. After taking 51 Mule Deer, 43 Whitetails and 47 Elk in 62 years of hunting, I have gone back to my 7mmRemMag for my go to hunting rifle. Why, because after rebarreling with a 1-8 twist, I have a all encompassing rifle, under 9 lbs, that I can take anything with from one to twelve hundred yards under proper conditions and to 600 yards, it is a no brainer to kill any North American game animal I put my crosshairs on. With a muzzle brake, the recoil is minimal as well as with a suppressor. The groups are sub 1/2 MOA at 100 yards and, of the nine elk kills, I only shot one elk twice.

 

[Huntz]

7Mag has no more kick than a 30/06.How ever if you can not tolerate any recoil ,I would suggest the 6.5 PRC.I have a half dozen magnum rifles that are seldom shot because a 270 type cartridge seems to do just as well on game.JMHO,Huntz

 

[DavidA]

Whatever you have, if you plan on taking longer shots its going to be a pretty stout load. If you are using a light mountain rifle felt recoil is going to be up there. For me I am 6'5 258 lbs so the weight of the rifle is significant but not a game changer. All my bolt own built guns have 26" to 28" Sendero profile non fluted barrels. So they are all beast but all have muzzle breaks as well. 270 win 26" 1-8 twist barrel for the Berger 170 Elite Hunter, 284 Win 28" Barrel for 195 gr Berger Elite Hunter. 338 Win Mag 26" barrel for the 250 Berger Elite Hunter. They are all 12 lbs rifles with scopes. They all shoot lights out. The game will have no idea what hit him. In the end it is accuracy that kills. So put a brake on it and fire it a lot so that you are proficient and your shot placement is where it is intended.

 

[oldpilot]

Many years ago I elk hunted with a friend, he was shooting a 270 with the largest bullet available, I was shooting a new 7 mm WBY mag, 140 grain loaded to near max. Spotted a herd coming up a little valley with about a dozen nice bulls. We set up behind a big downed log and waited. About 15 minutes later a six x bull and a 6x5 stopped 130 yards broad side and looked back. We had already set for him to pick and shoot. He signaled the 6x6 and I gave him a thumbs up. We shot almost together. Mine was legs up and dead on his belly, his shook like a wet dog took a step and he was going to shoot again and I told him wait....a short few seconds and he toppled over. His had a small hole near side lung, quarter sized hole thru the heart, and thru off side lung, bullet in off side hide. Mine small entry wound heart and lungs shredded. Read somewhere in this forum that speed doesn't kill, must have been magic, but I don't recall if I had my wand with me....hmmmm.

 

[DNADave]

The recoil on a 7 Rem Mag is not brutal

I think this really comes down to the stock and the condition of the recoil pad for the 7mm RM. I have a circa 1976 Weatherby Vanguard 7mm RM that I acquired as a Deluxe model with the original recoil pad. It was BRUTAL. Only gun that has ever left a physical, black and blue, bruise on my shoulder (granted, I went through over 40 rounds that day). I have since switched the stock out from that beautiful wood stock to a very functional B&C stock that I cleared the barrel channel out on to float the barrel. Night and day difference. It is now very pleasant to shoot and I can go to the range and work through three different sets of seating depth checks without issue.

I don't think you need a brake on the 7mm RM to make it more pleasant. A good stock with a reasonable, and still soft, recoil pad will make a huge difference.