What should I do?

[Lenny Foffa]

I kind of did the very same thing. Just purchased a Weatherby Accu Mark rifle chambered in 7 mm PRC. The last 7 mm I loaded for I was about 19 years old and it was a 7 x 57 Mauser. Dies and accessories on order for the new rifle. Looking forward to jumping into this rabbit hole with both feet.

 

[Idaho Lefty]

To the OP,. the Easy and Affordable, "Button",.. Tikka T-3, Magnum Action, 24 inch Pre-Fit, Proof, CF Barrel ( just Check, Headspace ! ) install, a PVA "Back Country" Jet Blast, Brake ( Directs "Blast", AWAY from, shooter for, Hunting use ! ) and, a Stocky's Carbon Fiber stock,. YUP,. in,. 7 PRC !
Easy on, the Shoulder with, the Brake and,.. EXTREMELY,. Accurate ! My Son's getting, 2,987 FPS with, 180 gr. ELD-M's ,. 3's to, 1/2 inch, group's.
Use,. Forster Dies, 180 gr. ELD-M's / 180-184 gr. Bergers, ADG Brass, StaBall HD Powder and Enjoy,. Speed and Accuracy !
My son's Tikka / Proof,. is, a Sub 1/2 MOA "Shooter". Total Cost about,. $2,700. / $2,800. with, a NICE,. Zeiss, 4 x 16 Scope ! ( and, only, 8.4 Pounds ! )
Keep the 7mm-08 for, the grandkid's with,. 120 gr. NBT's !
Fast Magnum Cart's, ARE, a bit, "Hard" on Barrel's AND,. as been Said, by Others,. WILL Brass be, available,. in a Few Years ??
The 7 PRC is, Popular for BIG Game and,. very, WELL,.. "supported" .

 

[Rick Richard]

The elk in my avatar was taken at 750ish yards with a 7LRM and "Booger" 180. That rifle was the most accurate rifle I've ever owned, which was built by Lane Precision Rifles.

Too bad Gunwerks abandoned that cartridge, but Hornady came along with the PRC and the writing was on the wall. I heard on a podcast Gunwerks said they were no longer going to support the LRM…so sad.

 

[Arkansasdad]

Like many of you, I'm sure, I like to tinker with things. I'm a huge fan of 7mm's. I have or have had 7mm-08, 7mm SAUM, 280AI, 7mm REM Mag, 28 Nosler. Building loads for these cartridges it what is the most fun for me. Once I find a perfect load though, I can get bored with it and have to switch bullets or powder or something to keep it interesting.
I still have the 7mm-08 and will probably keep it so my kids can grow in to it. The 7 SAUM was my first DIY full custom, I love it but I think it can be better. In hindsight I should have built it on a medium or long action and a full 24" carbon sendero barrel was probably of the best choice for being lightweight and maneuverable. My 28 Nosler is an off the shelf Christensen Mesa Bronze and it took me a while to figure out what load it likes. Currently shooting 151gr PVA Cayuga.
Before I had either of these I had (read still have) an obsession with building a 7 LRM. I'll probably never use the 28 Nosler to its full potential and the LRM will render my SAUM obsolete. Let's be honest, if I were to build a Gunwerks brainchild I'd have to sell both of them anyway to afford it. Question is the new kid on the block 7 PRC. Hunting deer, black bear, elk and maybe someday moose and limiting myself to 600 yards and in, do I just press the easy button, PRC or feed my tinkering habit?

Unless you are shooting a PRC at match... This is my opinion, (please take this with a grain of salt). A good friend of mine bought a 300 PRC about a year ago and brought it to me to mount a scope. I put a VX3 on it for him. The rifle was a Bergara, nice, very nice, some kind of bench model that weighed over 12 lbs naked. Anyway he took the rifle to the range to set in the scope, it shot very accurately but after 12 rounds the bolt started to stick closed and has a hard lock-up. He brought it back to me, he thought it might be the ammo. I looked at the gun and without a cartridge in it it was hard to work the action, I was kind of stumped for a while. I called a friend that shot the PRCs and he told me to clean it, especially the bolt journals and rails and around the cone. We did and it worked great again. I couldn't see much fowling or dust but that was what it was, my friend sold it and bought a 300 Weatherby last year to elk hunt with, shot a good cow at 450 and couldn't have been happier. In my opinion the PRC is a range gun and I from what I know and from what other shooters have told me I don't think I want it for a hunter. Tolerances too tight for the brush and dust. Not knocking the PRC but use it for what it was designed for and it will be great. Seems like all of these gun and ammo manufacturers are trying to start different fads to sell new calibers when most of the older stuff does exceedingly well.

Happy shooting.

 

[tooth doc]

Like many of you, I'm sure, I like to tinker with things. I'm a huge fan of 7mm's. I have or have had 7mm-08, 7mm SAUM, 280AI, 7mm REM Mag, 28 Nosler. Building loads for these cartridges it what is the most fun for me. Once I find a perfect load though, I can get bored with it and have to switch bullets or powder or something to keep it interesting.
I still have the 7mm-08 and will probably keep it so my kids can grow in to it. The 7 SAUM was my first DIY full custom, I love it but I think it can be better. In hindsight I should have built it on a medium or long action and a full 24" carbon sendero barrel was probably of the best choice for being lightweight and maneuverable. My 28 Nosler is an off the shelf Christensen Mesa Bronze and it took me a while to figure out what load it likes. Currently shooting 151gr PVA Cayuga.
Before I had either of these I had (read still have) an obsession with building a 7 LRM. I'll probably never use the 28 Nosler to its full potential and the LRM will render my SAUM obsolete. Let's be honest, if I were to build a Gunwerks brainchild I'd have to sell both of them anyway to afford it. Question is the new kid on the block 7 PRC. Hunting deer, black bear, elk and maybe someday moose and limiting myself to 600 yards and in, do I just press the easy button, PRC or feed my tinkering habit?

whatever 7 you use, give some hammer bullets a try. I use a 143 gr hammer hunter in my 28 nosler at 3560, and it shoot. .3 or so moa. phenomenal performance on game. have taken game to 1043 yds. working up loads for my other 7mms . Berger 168 work well and Berger 195 gr.

 

[Lee Goodwin]

Something tells me 7 PRC.
cause, you will always be curious. And, eventually get one anyway.

 

[Brandon.in.parts]

The elk in my avatar was taken at 750ish yards with a 7LRM and "Booger" 180. That rifle was the most accurate rifle I've ever owned, which was built by Lane Precision Rifles.

Too bad Gunwerks abandoned that cartridge, but Hornady came along with the PRC and the writing was on the wall. I heard on a podcast Gunwerks said they were no longer going to support the LRM…so sad.

With this new information I didn't know before, I guess that tips the scales quite a bit. Thanks for the update.

 

[Brandon.in.parts]

whatever 7 you use, give some hammer bullets a try. I use a 143 gr hammer hunter in my 28 nosler at 3560, and it shoot. .3 or so moa. phenomenal performance on game. have taken game to 1043 yds. working up loads for my other 7mms . Berger 168 work well and Berger 195 gr.

I love Hammers! I shoot 145 HHT's in my SAUM, 95 HHT's in my 257 and 132 HH in my 7-08.

 

[Brandon.in.parts]

Unless you are shooting a PRC at match... This is my opinion, (please take this with a grain of salt). A good friend of mine bought a 300 PRC about a year ago and brought it to me to mount a scope. I put a VX3 on it for him. The rifle was a Bergara, nice, very nice, some kind of bench model that weighed over 12 lbs naked. Anyway he took the rifle to the range to set in the scope, it shot very accurately but after 12 rounds the bolt started to stick closed and has a hard lock-up. He brought it back to me, he thought it might be the ammo. I looked at the gun and without a cartridge in it it was hard to work the action, I was kind of stumped for a while. I called a friend that shot the PRCs and he told me to clean it, especially the bolt journals and rails and around the cone. We did and it worked great again. I couldn't see much fowling or dust but that was what it was, my friend sold it and bought a 300 Weatherby last year to elk hunt with, shot a good cow at 450 and couldn't have been happier. In my opinion the PRC is a range gun and I from what I know and from what other shooters have told me I don't think I want it for a hunter. Tolerances too tight for the brush and dust. Not knocking the PRC but use it for what it was designed for and it will be great. Seems like all of these gun and ammo manufacturers are trying to start different fads to sell new calibers when most of the older stuff does exceedingly well.

Happy shooting.

I am aware of the tolerances. I also see this to be a benefit for accuracy and consistency. A fast twist 7 rem mag could be in my future, but I like the idea of using less powder, even if it is just a few grains. This rabbit hole can go as deep as I want it to.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

....no way, no reason to leave the time tested 280 rem or 7mm rem mag...less aggravation and anxiety. When you can't find /06 casing or standard 7mm mag casing everything else mentioned will be ancient history...

 

[Phil Rizzo]

I'm certain that same sentiment included many other mostly bygone chamberings at one time, too.
I'm guilty as anybody about wanting to play with new stuff, I understand perfectly.
And I'm working on my 4th 7mm now.

 

[mtank]

Are we doomed to always be wanting? I think the search for me is to find that one rifle that checks all the boxes. What I have now is perfectly suited to what I need and then some. I didn't mention the 243, 257 wby, 25-06, 2x 300 wby's or the 300 wsm.

One of the few times I listened to my inner logic was when I didn't buy a 257 wby. At that time I had a 270 wby, 25/06, 30/06 ,6.5 creed & two 264 wins. So I left it for some other poor soul to snatch up. That being said I'd still like to have one.

 

[Mark37082]

I do love me some 7mm hunting rifles. I recently started down the 7SAUM desire. I bought ADG brass, Redding dies, and started a discussion with my GS. I ultimately came to a logical thought moment and compared the ballistics to my 280AI. What was I really accomplishing? Sold the brass and dies (at a loss), and now I'm thinking of putting a new barrel on the 280AI. If I am going to add another 7mm to the safe, I probably will go with a barrel burner (28N or a wildcat).

 

[FEENIX]

One of the few times I listened to my inner logic was when I didn't buy a 257 wby. At that time I had a 270 wby, 25/06, 30/06 ,6.5 creed & two 264 wins. So I left it for some other poor soul to snatch up. That being said I'd still like to have one.

I did the same thing in 2003 at Scheel's, except it was a SAKO M995 TRG-1 in .300 WM. Like you, I left it for some poor soul to snatch up. Two and a half weeks later, it was still available, and this poor soul snatched it. I still have the rifle today, along with 2 other .300 WMs.

Regarding your desire to own a .257 WBY, with a faster twist barrel and more heavy bullets available, it's a game changer. I was not a fan of proprietary cartridges. However, in 2021, I caved in and built a .257 WBY (my first .25 cal and WBY cartridge—https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/my-budget-257-wbty-build.276854/#post-2256378).

The barrel is 22" 1:7" and is intended for suppressed hunting and heavy bullets (131 BJ, 134 ELD-M, 133/135 Bergers, 145 Black Hole, and 163 Chinchagas). During my pressure testing with powders, I already had open, and I was propelling the 163 at 2915 FPS with H1000 with some more room to spare. Not too shabby, IMHO. I have some loaded with Retumbo for my next range time.

I hope you get your .257 WBY soon. Good luck!