Thread: Discussion around 7mm Magnums

Originally Posted by Philipo

The Rem mag is still a great performer for what we hunt in NZ, one of many 7mm's I've owned over the years but I'm very looking forward to my soon arriving 7PRC to turn up.

Someone on here mentioned that there wasn't much difference between the 6.5 & 7PRC but by my calculations theres over a 25% increase according to their H2O capacity

6.5CM - 52.5, 6.5 PRC - 62.0, 7mm PRC - 78.0 & 7mm RM 82.0


Attachment 223861

All factory Hornady "precision" ammo apart from the 6.5PRC ( but similar to factory )




PS - Just a couple of observations, I'm on the fence with the 6.5 PRC, I've had a couple & I love the cartridge, it's great fun to shoot but not sold on it's killing performance & while I still like the Rem mag, down side being a magnum the projectile in factory ammo are seated very deep to mag fit, something that modern cartridges seem to have improved on.

The 6.5 PRC cases Iv weighed have held 68gr H20. The norma and Lapua 6.5x284 hold the same 68gr + or - a point , hence my opinion the that a wildcat 7mm/ 6.5 PRC would be a waste of time when a standard 284w will be its ballistic twin . Also makes me wonder why the 6.5 PRC even came to be when its just a slightly fatter 6.5x284 and only .12" shorter.
The 7mm PRC is a different beast as you stated.

Originally Posted by sneeze

The 6.5 PRC cases Iv weighed have held 68gr H20. The norma and Lapua 6.5x284 hold the same 68gr + or - a point , hence my opinion the that a wildcat 7mm/ 6.5 PRC would be a waste of time when a standard 284w will be its ballistic twin . Also makes me wonder why the 6.5 PRC even came to be when its just a slightly fatter 6.5x284 and only .12" shorter.
The 7mm PRC is a different beast as you stated.

I think you find the short fat powder columns of the magnums are just going to achieve the same speed in a shorter barrel than their counter part

Fucking around with Wildcats is part of the fun of having firearms, I'll be very interested in how the 7mm / 6.5 PRC goes, it could be a great short action cartridge

I'm no expert on anything to do with cartridge design ( I leave that up to people with far more time n money lol ) but of the necked up wildcats I've had, most perform well above their weight, some include the 6mm 204 ( awesome fun cal & Wallaby killer ) 30-06 Terminator Improved Max ( a 280ai necked up & doing a 178 @ 2975fps boomfa ) & the 30arx ( a 6.5 Grendel popped up to 30cal ) & they all kick arse

Originally Posted by Gkp

I think you find the short fat powder columns of the magnums are just going to achieve the same speed in a shorter barrel than their counter part

Maybe but Iv seen no evidence of it. The difference here is only .12 of an inch. I think the vagaries of different barrels, brass, powders, individuals comfort zones and confirmation bias will have any real world difference lost in the noise.

Originally Posted by Philipo

Fucking around with Wildcats is part of the fun of having firearms, I'll be very interested in how the 7mm / 6.5 PRC goes, it could be a great short action cartridge

I'm no expert on anything to do with cartridge design ( I leave that up to people with far more time n money lol ) but of the necked up wildcats I've had, most perform well above their weight, some include the 6mm 204 ( awesome fun cal & Wallaby killer ) 30-06 Terminator Improved Max ( a 280ai necked up & doing a 178 @ 2975fps boomfa ) & the 30arx ( a 6.5 Grendel popped up to 30cal ) & they all kick arse

Yes wildcatting generally means throwing logic out the window to some extent, I have a few in the safe but in the same breath its usual to try and get some improvement somewhere. I just don't see any gain in this case. ( see what I did there)

Yeah I don't see the 7 - 6.5 PRC setting the world on fire, a 30cal - 6.5 PRC might be a great bush round though.

But then it probably already has a doppelganger

For someone like me who is all over the place, the 7mm prc gives more than a rem mag for no input. The factory ammo should give me everything i want and more for my long range thar and red hunts.
Ammo all stocked, just waiting on the bloody gun!

Quite the investment $$$.

Originally Posted by mcche171

For someone like me who is all over the place, the 7mm prc gives more than a rem mag for no input. The factory ammo should give me everything i want and more for my long range thar and red hunts.
Ammo all stocked, just waiting on the bloody gun!

Attachment 223873

I thought about selling the reloading gear and doing the same thing with a PRC
I reckon it would be cheaper overall with the amount of rounds I fire for hunting
What rifle have you got coming in PRC?

@mcche171 did you go for a factory 7prc or custom rifle?

I see Bergara and Tikka still don't have 7prc out. I read for Tikka at least the European equivalent of Saami was the holdup in approving it.

I will eventually go factory. I was looking at a full custom, but life got in the way and a couple of options will not be far away. (Springfield and Christensen)

I can confirm we have no info at our end re release of Sako or tikka 7mm PRC yet. It will happen, but Hornady only submitted the round to CIP (European Saami) on the week of Shot Show, so protected the US market for 8 months. I wouldn’t expect to see a factory option until middle of next year at the earliest

Originally Posted by sneeze

The 6.5 PRC cases Iv weighed have held 68gr H20. The norma and Lapua 6.5x284 hold the same 68gr + or - a point , hence my opinion the that a wildcat 7mm/ 6.5 PRC would be a waste of time when a standard 284w will be its ballistic twin . Also makes me wonder why the 6.5 PRC even came to be when its just a slightly fatter 6.5x284 and only .12" shorter.
The 7mm PRC is a different beast as you stated.

Water capacity does not reflect usable capacity. How much powder can you get in under a bullet in a factory rifle without having to change magazines, bolt stops etc?

Originally Posted by sneeze

The 6.5 PRC cases Iv weighed have held 68gr H20. The norma and Lapua 6.5x284 hold the same 68gr + or - a point , hence my opinion the that a wildcat 7mm/ 6.5 PRC would be a waste of time when a standard 284w will be its ballistic twin . Also makes me wonder why the 6.5 PRC even came to be when its just a slightly fatter 6.5x284 and only .12" shorter.
The 7mm PRC is a different beast as you stated.

Easier to get components for the prc. I know lots of the f class guys are shifting to the 7 6.5 prc in place of 284 for component availibility alone.


The extra 0.14 inches of length gives you enough room to shoehorn it into a short action with 162s without sacrificing a bunch of powder space. Good option for somone looking to make a short action work.

The 6.5 prc is the 6.5 saum GAP renamed and tweeked a bit so that hornady did go straight away with George’s Gardner ( proprietary?)wildcat.

I have several 7mm
It is my go to hunting rifle of choice
I have hunted a
.270
.284 lever
7mm 08
7x64
7mm RM

I really like the look of a 7PRC

But it's horses for courses
My bush gun is a 7mm08 (250-300m)
My tops the 7mmRM (650m...maybe)

I don't "target" shoot
I hunt
But I put enough rounds down the range to be comfortable
I reload...don't buy factory anymore...thats half/halve the fun.
I'm the limiting factor and my hunting rifles...not safe queens... are suppressed

It really depends on what you want to do/do you reload/ what is your hunting style
Despite what others say....for me...as I've got more experience...there's no 1 gun