6.5 PRC The Fastest Growing Hunting cartridge

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The average hunter in Maine kills deer within 100 yards, using a semi-auto .30-06, .308, 7mm-08, or .270 Win. Obtaining ammo lately has been a big problem! Earlier this year, I went to Kittery Trading Post, one of the biggest sporting goods stores in the state and they only had one box of hunting ammo and it was for an obscure cartridge that I'd never heard of. It's obvious that people are hording ammo! I have a few boxes for my hunting rounds, but some are handloads that I managed to find supplies for. Lately, 17 HMR ammo is quite hard to find. I use that cartridge for pest control around the property and find that it works well, but of course, I can't handload it. I do handload for .223 and other larger rounds, making some really great deer ammo for the .270 Win, but have accumulated several boxes of 130 grain bullets over the years. I don't see supply of loaded ammo or components getting a lot better soon.
 
I have a Sako S20 in 6.5 PRC. I really enjoy it. I’m getting sub MOA (way sub) accuracy with my pet load with a 150 Gr ABLR bullet. I’m getting about 2950 FPS and it very easy to load for. Recoil is mild and so far have killed 2 deer with it. One at 360 yards and the other at about 200 yards. I own one because I wanted one. It’s not magic but I have to say I’ve been extremely pleased with it.

I like the 6.5 PRC and lots of other calibers.
 
Here’s my conclusion on a lot of this newest crop of cartridges. They’ve removed the belt, played a bit with the length and shape of the case but the main thing they’ve done is to speed up the twist rate allowing for longer more efficient long range bullets.

Of course you could simply put faster twist barrels on the majority of your legacy calibers and have pretty much the same performance.

I enjoy watching the evolution that is primarily focused on removing the belt, fatter and shorter cases and faster twist rates. That in combination with advances in machining precision and material advancements. We are seeing some very reliably accurate and functional rifles.

I am not threatened by these advancements, I embrace them, all while still being able to love and enjoy my traditional rifles and calibers. And I put all of them to use in the field with equal enjoyment. Some days I carry the newest “wonder” rifle and cartridge, some days I’m carry my great grandpas favorite rifle in the field.

It’s awesome to have the choices we do today in the firearms world!
 
I fully agree with @H&Hhunter the new breed of cartridges that shine with faster twist barrels and long high BC bullets. Throw in an efficient case and we have a new fast growing cartridge.
I have been looking hard at some of the new factory ammo with lead free bullets that have a decent BC.
Technology helps grow our sport of hunting.
Guys complained about steel shot when it was required in the late 70s for waterfowl. I like the density of heavyshot and use it for most of my shotgun hunting. Without changes in waterfowl hunting would we have good options and safer wetlands?
 
I'd buy a 6.5 PRC before I would a 6.5 CM. The 6.5 CM offers nothing new IMO and it lags behind my 7mm-08 in many ways. But a 6.5 PRC in an accurate rifle would give you an extended range, provided you're that good a shooter. I'm not that good a shooter, so the 7mm-08 maxes out my shooting ability - something more people should think about.
 
I bought my first bolt action rifle two weeks ago. It's in 6.5 PRC. I'm the first firearm owner in my family, too. I don't have a rifle-owning grandpa or dad from which to inherit the classic cartridges. Before purchasing my rifle, I considered the 243 Win, 6.5 CM, 260 Rem, 6.5 Grendel, 270 Win, 7mm-08 & 308. Out of all of these cartridges, I chose the 6.5 PRC.
 
hoardingthemanual said:
I bought my first bolt action rifle two weeks ago. It's in 6.5 PRC. I'm the first firearm owner in my family, too. I don't have a rifle-owning grandpa or dad from which to inherit the classic cartridges. Before purchasing my rifle, I considered the 243 Win, 6.5 CM, 260 Rem, 6.5 Grendel, 270 Win, 7mm-08 & 308. Out of all of these cartridges, I chose the 6.5 PRC.
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Congratulations on the 6.5 PCR! What model rifle did you decided on?
 
horsemen61 said:
the 6.5 PRC is the fastest growing Hunting Cartridge
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Planned obsolescence. Very few hunters are going to wear out a rifle, they must be convinced that they need Something New and Improved.
Target shooters are different, they will replace barrels on a regular schedule and will often go with Something New and Improved because they see a round that will shoot flatter, closer to the wind, and kick less.
 
I have no idea if it's the fastest growing hunting round. I would have thought it was the 6.5 CM judging by what I see on shelves. But there is a sizable group of hunters that like to see how far they can shoot game. A practice I don't approve of, but they exist. But a primary driver of the cartridge is target shooters, PRC and other competition and folks that just like to have a cartridge that can do a little more than another one. It's just a step up from the Creedmoor, not a new class of cartridge. It is an improved modern version of the 25-06 or .270 class of cartridge in my opinion. To some it would be a hunting cartridge that improves on that class of cartridge. That's fine with me. It won't do anymore for me than my 7-08 but but I can see the attraction for others.
 
d2wing said:
It's just a step up from the Creedmoor, not a new class of cartridge.
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Yeah - for pretty much anything pick a caliber. You can have it in mild, medium, or spicy. Pretty much every flavor already exists. .30 cal? .30-30 (Mild), .308 Win (Medium), .300 Weatherby Magnum (Spicy).

6.5 Cal before the recent wave? 6.5 Carcano (Mild), .260 Remington (Medium), .264 Winchester Magnum (Spicy).

I'm all for progress, but progress is trying actual new things like caseless ammo, new powders, solid copper bullets, or Remington's failed Etronx primer system. Continually just changing the shape of a brass cartridge to move make the bullet go faster or slower is fashion, not progress.
 
I have a Mossberg Patriot Predator in 6.5 PRC and it's super lightweight and I put a VG6 muzzle brake on it and it still has a bit of a thump... It kicks about like my 270 Winchester which is also a Mossberg Patriot but with a walnut stock. And the funny thing is that the 6.5 PRC and 270 Win have a lot in common but the 6.5 can fire more efficient bullets such as the 150gr Sierra MatchKing which is one long and skinny bullet! I got 100 pieces of Lapua brass and two boxes of Federal hunting ammo to load with so I'm good for a while. I still need a good scope for it but for sight in I used a Leopold RDS lol. Honestly with the 1MOA dot it was actually not that hard at 25 yards. I had the 150gr SMKs touching each other and that was with no load development, just a max charge of Retumbo and the bullet seating die set up with a 140gr federal soft point load. The SMKs just barely scrape the front of the mag lol.
 
mgmorden said:
progress is trying actual new things like caseless ammo, new powders, solid copper bullets, or Remington's failed Etronx primer system.
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If monometal bullets and new powders are “progress,” then short action magnums which match long action standard or magnum cartridges certainly is progress of a greater magnitude.
 
Varminterror said:
If monometal bullets and new powders are “progress,” then short action magnums which match long action standard or magnum cartridges certainly is progress of a greater magnitude.
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Maybe - due note that I don't think any of the new cartridges are *bad* - just unnecessary IMHO. When I say progress I mean the process, not necessary the direction. Trying actual new things. I don't personally see a big deal between short vs long actions. Heck the vast majority of my "short actions" are built on long actions with mag well spacers and I couldn't care less.

Also if I were in the market for a brand new rifle I'd also probably look at something popular (eg, 6.5 Creedmoor) over something similar which was already out (eg, .260 Remington), just because of simple market dynamics. I don't actively disdain a new round because its new, but that also doesn't mean that I don't think that the 6.5 Creedmoor wasn't a needless rehash of the .260 Rem concept.

Take any "new" cartridge - the brand new 7mm PRC for example which is supposed to be the new hotness. Increase the width of the base and cartridge body by another 15%. Boom - more capacity, more velocity, and more power: 7mm MegaUltraBoom(tm). Tell people that's what they need and they need to buy it. Wait a few more years, shrink it back down by 25-30% for a milder cartridge and now sell them on the idea that the 7mm Balanced(tm) is just what they need to avoid the barrel burning and heavy recoil of the 7mm MUB.

I'll give SIG some credit with the new service round in that they are trying something a little different with the bi-metal case, but honestly when it comes to just changing the shape of a brass cartridge to make it faster or slower (whichever the advertiser feels like pushing at the moment), there's nothing really new under the sun.

And a lot of buyers get bit in the process by getting rifles that are eventually associated with obsolete rounds that never take off. 6.5 Creedmoor broke through and has some staying power. Most people who bought a rifle in .30 TC aren't so lucky.

My advice is to not buy into the hype, and until proven otherwise assume that anything new will be a handloading only proposition within 10-15 years until proven otherwise. If you can live with that, then by all means try the bleeding edge stuff.
 
mgmorden said:
assume that anything new will be a handloading only proposition within 10-15 years until proven otherwise. If you can live with that, then by all means try the bleeding edge stuff.
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The “bleeding edge” absolutely is not a 10-15 year timeline to acceptance.

This old dog BS where if it ain’t on the shelf at Walmart or if it ain’t the number one hunting round in a dying county in an Eastern state, then it ain’t gonna last, is just silly.

It’s equally silly to point at a round and say it’s not worthy, BECAUSE it matches some standby cartridge you’ll defend in the next breath.

Folks have to lie by saying popular cartridges are dead to imply there’s even a remote chance of failure for these new cartridges. Out of a couple dozen cartridges launched in the last 20yrs, how many have REALLY became unattainable? Sure, Walmart doesn’t carry ammo for more than a handful of rounds… sure, maybe a guy needs to buy brass during the single 30 day window it’s available each season, but they’re attainable and sustainable.

3,500 Americans which will grow up to own firearms are born every day. Do you really expect all of them to shoot the same 3 or 4 cartridges?
 
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