Which PRC for my lightweight mountain rifle

[gearguywb]

From everything I have read I would really like to give the 6.5PRC a try. I have a 6.5 CM and I think thats a fine deer cartridge. The PRC just has that much more umph....

 

[mohigan]

I have the Ridgeline in 6.5 PRC with a VX6HD 3-18 x 44 and I love it. I had the VX 5 on it but swapped it out for a little more power. Great cartridge and great rifle. The combination is very sweet over the shoulder or on the pack. I have only been able to shoot it out to 600 yards but it is incredibly accurate with the 143 grain ELD-X and the 156 grain Berger's so far. I have not killed an elk with the PRC yet but have killed elk sized game in South Africa with a 6.5 x 284 with 140 grain Berger's and they have very similar ballistics. I also have the 300 PRC in a Traverse, I love it as well but the long action adds weight and so do the loaded rounds. I would recommend the 6.5 as well. Good luck with your rifle and good luck hunting.

How did you like the VX-5? I have also tossed around the NF SHV 4-16, but I am not really a fan of the weight increase.

 

[HVGBDT]

It's all about terminal performance. Yes, the 6.5 has great ballistics and will kill an elk of shot placement is proper, but a 30 cal creates a larger wound channel and is just better on larger game. Lots of elk are lost to 7 Rem Mags for the same reason. Do some research on Nathan Fosters website (ballisticstudies.com). He has done a ton of research on different bullets and calibers and their wounding ability. It's eye opening.
I have a 6.5-284 Norma that I love, but my elk rifle is a 300 WSM or 338 Lapua. Again, shot placement and bullet selection are paramount, but I like adding in the extra wounding/killing capabilities of a 30 cal or larger.

Not bragging but I've killed 25 elk, most with rem 7 mag, 4 or 5 with the 6.5-284. Never had 1 wounded that got away & almost all were 1 shot kills. It's all about shot placement & accuracy. Shouldn't be hunting with a bigger caliber thinking that now you can take a bad shot cuz i got a big gun!

 

[mohigan]

The Ridgeline long action is "barrel heavy" when carrying in hand by the action. I believe the short action with the shorter barrel will balance at the natural hand carry spot.

I have the long action and carry the rifle in my hand a good percentage of the time. It's not a dealbreaker, but just something to think about with a "mountain rifle".

another thing I will add, a rail will make the rifle difficult to wrap your hand around. With Hawkins Hybrid rings or Tally's, you can get you thumb between the action and scope during hand carry. The VX5HD in 3-15x42 barely fits between the rings with Hawkins Hybrids. Check your preferred scope mount that it will work with your action length.

with a brake, the recoil on the 300 PRC will be completely mellow imo. I have Christensen's side baffle brake on my 30 Nosler, both the radial and side baffle brakes work well.

I plan on using integral rings instead of a base. I looked up the charts, and I wont need a 20 MOA rail to get out to 1200 which is as far as I would ever target shoot. I doubt I will ever get to shoot that far.

 

[Julio2357]

Living in Idaho, my elk have been between 4 and 500, my choice was a .300 Weatherby Mag w 180 gr Weatherby bullets. It hits hard and they didn't run. Enjoy hunting out west, it's big country.
I'm currently shooting long range, 1200 yards plus with my CA Mesa long range 6.5 PRC. I'm hand loading 140 gr Berger Hybrids, 58.3 gr of H1000, at an avg of 3144 fps so says my speedo device. It's comfortable to shoot w that load and very accurate. I've also shot Hornady 143 gr ELD-X hunting bullets through it. They were accurate beyond 1000. IMHO you'd be fine with this caliber and bullet on elk at 500 and in. Some will say the bullet is light, but the Win .264 mag, .270, Rem .280, .260, etc. with about the same bullet weight have killed a lot of elk.
In a lightweight rig like the CA Ridgeline, that 300 PRC would really pound you.

 

[Slowdrifter]

I have a Christensen Mesa in .300 PRC. 3-15 vx-5 sitting in 20 moa talleys, it's quickly becoming my favorite rifle. Recoil is more than manageable, had my 12 year old daughter shooting it a couple weeks ago. She said she was done with it after she ran through the full box of Hornady 225eld-m. She weighs exactly 95 pounds, and literally giggled after the first shot and asked if she could keep going. My vote is the .300 prc

 

[mohigan]

I have a Christensen Mesa in .300 PRC. 3-15 vx-5 sitting in 20 moa talleys, it's quickly becoming my favorite rifle. Recoil is more than manageable, had my 12 year old daughter shooting it a couple weeks ago. She said she was done with it after she ran through the full box of Hornady 225eld-m. She weighs exactly 95 pounds, and literally giggled after the first shot and asked if she could keep going. My vote is the .300 prc

How do you like the glass?

 

[Danehunter]

I got a 6.5 PRC Browning X-Bolt Pro and sold the same rifle in 6.5 CM because the 6.5 PRC had the energy I needed for elk at 300 - 400 yards and I hunt in Nevada where even for mulies the distances can be long.

My X-Bolt Pro is very accurate with 1/2 to 3/4 MOA depending on the ammo.

Eric B.

 

[corsteve]

i have both and would not hesitate out to 600 yrds w/6.5 prc loaded w/140 grn elite hunters 58.5h1000 300 the same but a little farther 77 grns h1000 220 grn hybred hunter take your pick both ridgelines

 

[Blacktail300]

I have a Ridgeline in 300 Prc with Talley rings. It shoots fairly well, about half moa. With the brake shooting 225 ELDs, the recoil is not bad at all. I enjoy it. If you do not want a brake, go with 6.5 prc but if you don't mind a brake the 300prc would be a great choice especially if you want to elk hunt.

 

[Slowdrifter]

How do you like the glass?

So far I'm really impressed with the scope. 120 rounds so far and it's tracking flawlessly. Haven't been able to get past 500yds yet but so far it's been great

 

[highdrum]

Why not quit trying to decide one vs the other and split it in the middle? 7mag pushing 180 Bergers @ 2950. Put that in ur ballistic program, it's solid .....they don't have much recoil either. It sounds like someone doesn't want to hand load, and wants decent ammo to shoot LR with. Here's what I suggest, get the gun in which YOU'RE confident in. 6.5 will kill elk dead. 30 cal will kill elk dead. This yeah I had a switching wind at my location vs where the critter was. The bowl was wide open and frozen couldn't see wind from about 70y out to where the bull was. I dialed 0.6 mils L as that's what the 10mph wind called for for 580y. I shot didn't look like I hit him. He crowded into a group cows who ran into the middle of the park. He stayed there till he was stumbling down. I hit right in front the rear quarter, may have caught vitals, maybe not, mostly gut shot. But it killed him. Why? Because it was a 230gr Buller @ 3060fps that opened in the soft tissue. I missed my poa due to a bad wind call. Would a 6.5 bullet traveling the same speed put him down with that poor a hit? Doubtful in my opinion. Always have a bit more than enough gun. If I'm hunting timber it's a 22" 300wsm, if I'm hunting 600-700y parks and bowls, it's a 300 norma improved. If I'm thinking 1k may be on the table, it's a 338 rum pushing 300s over 2800fps. There's running dead, and there is dead right there dead. I like 2k ft # of energy at impact. That's just me......chasing wounded elk in timber at dying light is no fun.

 

[Pinoniper]

"Mountain rifle" = light.

Light = more/faster recoil energy delivered to the shoulder, and more felt recoil. That's just physics.

Recoil is not a big deal (for most people) when you are taking one shot at game and possibly a follow up shot; but a hunter needs to practice with the field piece, and the more, the better. Shot placement trumps energy and 0.24" bullet diameter (blood channel) seven days a week and twice on Sunday. I'm too lazy right now to do it, but go look up whether the 6.5 might also have better sectional density (penetration) at the same velocity.

For me, here's the kicker: Since the 6.5 delivers all the energy you need and then some for your goals, why lug around a heavier rig which beats you up more?

 

[Bro Dave]

Hey guys,
I am new to the forum, but I have read through plenty of posts. I am planning on buying a CA Ridgeline, a Leopold VX-5HD 3-15, with Talley lightweight integral rings. I know that is the glass and rifle combo I want to go with. I know I want either the 6.5PRC, or .300PRC for caliber. I know the 6.5PRC will give me a lighter all around rifle. I plan on using the rifle mostly for hunting and some target shooting. I live on the east coast, and have never hunted out west, but I plan on getting out west to hunt semi regularly. I like the idea of a 6.5PRC as an all around mountain gun but what is everyone's experience on Elk? I have seen videos of it being used out to 700+ yards, I wouldn't shoot that far on Elk probably keep it within 500. I also have my 45-70 if I am hunting somewhere and it is all closer range. So my question is do I go with the 6.5PRC or should I bump up to the 300 PRC? I know there are plenty of other tried and true calibers, but I am really interested in the new PRC line.

If you stay under your estimated yardage of 500 yds 6.5 PRC is perfectly adequate. I doubt if any one would feel under-gunned with a 7mm magnum and 6.5 PRC is the same class. I have always felt that the limit to your distance should be the farthest you can hit a 10" diameter plate with a cold bore first shot under field conditions (ie not off a bench). Get that figured out then look at your energy requirements.