Is the 7PRC really promoted as a long range caliber?

[Michael Eichele]

Many guys are moving to shorter barrels so they can use suppressors in the field without having to carry 30-34" of total barrel length. Sure you give up some velocity but with the extremely high BC heavy bullets, they still hit plenty hard. Shooting 180-195 class bullets doesn't make much sense in a 7-08. Especially with a 20" barrel. Why use a 20" 708 when you can use a 20" 7PRC?

 

[WeiserBucks]

Why use a 20" 708 when you can use a 20" 7PRC?

Why waste your time with a 20" 7 PRC when you can do a 7 RUM or NMI? Factory ammo for the 7 PRC is the only logical answer I can come up with.

 

[Michael Eichele]

Why waste your time with a 20" 7 PRC when you can do a 7 RUM or NMI? Factory ammo for the 7 PRC is the only logical answer I can come up with.

Aside from the thread being about the 7PRC? Brass availability…

 

[WeiserBucks]

Aside from the thread being about the 7PRC? Brass availability…

You brought up a cartridge reference and so did I. RUM and Norma brass is widely available.

 

[Michael Eichele]

You brought up a cartridge reference and so did I. RUM and Norma brass is widely available.

The original poster included the 708 in post 1 so I included that. You can always one up another cartridge. But this thread is about the PRC.

 

[Carey Farmer]

If you're limited to a 1.062" x 16 tpi tenon and 3.715" magazine, 7 prc is a pretty good long range cartridge.

If you have a little beefier tenon dimension, say 1.120" x 20 tpi, and a little longer magazine, say 3.850", I would think that you might as well go with a 28 Nosler.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

I tend to agree but why did the shorter/fatter, 35deg shoulder 7WSM die off and get replaced with the slightly longer/skinnier 7PRC?

An awful lot depends on marketing and what's trendy. I just drove past my local Starbucks. Cars were lined up out into the street for a $6 cup of coffee. Personally, I like the McDonalds coffee better but that isn't very trendy. LOL

I guess WW didn't market as well as Hornady, maybe? Don't know. Did the big guys make WSM brass like is available now for the 7PRC?
And the trend crap definitely matters to the new flush of "long range shooters", when captions read "1000yds out of the box" and that kind of garbage.

 

[Carey Farmer]

I tend to agree but why did the shorter/fatter, 35deg shoulder 7WSM die off and get replaced with the slightly longer/skinnier 7PRC?

My guess is that the trend toward long, heavy-for-caliber bullets (and even longer lathe-turned copper bullets) has killed off demand for short action chamberings for calibers greater than 6.5 mm.

 

[J.J. Weiland]

I've been looking at getting a 7mm. The 7PRC sounds interesting in that it usually is chambered in rifles that have an 8 twist, with the idea of shooting longer, high BC bullets, including the newer high BC mono's. What I don't get is that I'm seeing a lot of 7PRC rifles offered in 20,22, and 24 inch barrels. That doesn't make sense to me. If you want a long range rifle, why would you give up muzzle velocity? If you are taking shots within 400yrds, why not just go with a 7-08, 308, or 30-06?

I would go 26" if I were getting one. I have a 28" 6.5saum that is a bit awkward to carry hunting. Great out of a stand though. 26 inch seems a good compromise as long as the weight doesn't become a factor. May a proof barrel to minimize ounces.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

my 24 is becoming a 26" currently

 

[J.J. Weiland]

eh, I was a kid when everything was a belted cartridge or believed a radius shoulder made powder magic. Weatherbys, stw/sta and the 8mm, heck they were even putting a belt on the 450marlin, lazeroni and the like were playing with geometry similar to what became all the rums and then the saums, rcm, wsm and even the nosler cartridges.

Remember very clearly the old guy who taught me to load buying what at the time were very expensive dies to load belted magnums so they didn't have belt separation. Real or imagined nobody cares about that with the new ones, heck we don't really even address case neck stretch with all the modern geometries. Solved problems to somebody.

Most cartridge allegiance stems from when you bought in, for me it was wsm time. Basically after rum mania and before the saums had a resurgence... college buddy got in a little later is all in on saums. Current hunting buddy is all in on prc... but it was his first modern rifle, heck probably first rifle in 30 years.

Remember very clearly when some gun store clerk came in to proselytize for jesus cartridge 6.5 walk on water. Few years later the religion spread to shot and the world was changed, one slow little shot after the next.

Some will make it others won't, I'd put the over under on the 27 nos, 30 super carry, and maybe the 6.8 western dieing slower than the 30tc but faster than the 300 rcm....

In little over two weeks another batch will make a splash.... the others will be the 22 arc... er 17 Aguila basically still born.

Hornadys got the pr machine figured almost as good as vortex did 15 years ago, some merit, some bull, some glazed eyed sycophants.... but time will tell what was actually good. 20 years from now the question will be "why the 7mm Zim/zero when we have the prc alresdy?".

Maybe folks buy shiny, maybe it's what's on the shelf. Not for me to judge.... well except the Creedmoor shooters...

Love my creeds, 6mm & 6.5. Anything that keeps shooting interest up is a plus for all of us. If you're too old to accept change maybe it's time to find a new interest. Gotta get back to growing my man bun so I'll quit there.

 

[J.J. Weiland]

If you're limited to a 1.062" x 16 tpi tenon and 3.715" magazine, 7 prc is a pretty good long range cartridge.

If you have a little beefier tenon dimension, say 1.120" x 20 tpi, and a little longer magazine, say 3.850", I would think that you might as well go with a 28 Nosler.

Yea but they kick like a country mule! Lol

 

[V35BTC]

If you're limited to a 1.062" x 16 tpi tenon and 3.715" magazine, 7 prc is a pretty good long range cartridge.

If you have a little beefier tenon dimension, say 1.120" x 20 tpi, and a little longer magazine, say 3.850", I would think that you might as well go with a 28 Nosler.

I have built a few like that, 28 Nosler with my reamer you get a 195 Berger at 2960 FPS out of a 22" bbl. ADG brass and N570. With a 7" suppressor, it is like pulling the trigger on a light 243. It may go faster than that, but it shoots really good at that speed. At 9 lbs it is not bad to carry either.

 

[K.E.C. Darkside]

I have built a few like that, 28 Nosler with my reamer you get a 195 Berger at 2960 FPS out of a 22" bbl. ADG brass and N570. With a 7" suppressor, it is like pulling the trigger on a light 243. It may go faster than that, but it shoots really good at that speed. At 9 lbs it is not bad to carry either.

This is the NEW THING and it works if it's set up right.
But I still like the 26" plus barrels.
To each there own.
Happy New Year's.