Thread: 18" 6.5 PRC

Looks like a great rig mate. What does she weigh with the suppressor on?

I also started another load development with Win70 powder and 123gr SST projectiles. The powder i can get locally for cheap as ($40 500g) at Belmont. This is my cheap load ~$1.40 a shot!!
I started this load before the 143gr ELD-x as i couldnt get RL26. The RL26 powder is damn near impossible to get so i needed another option.

The Win760 is too fast a burn rate for this cartridge really but it can manage to push 123gr pills with some velocity without too much pressure. However the velocity is still very slow for the bullet weight in this cartridge.(Same velocity 2900fps as the RL26 pushes the 143gr ELD-X)

The load i'm using now is 54.5gr Win760 , 123gr SST, hornady cases and fed215 primers (it needed magnum primers to reduce the huge ES i was seeing).

When i started the load development i didnt have a chronograph so just did a 4shot group ladder test @200m.





It clealry liked 52.5gr win760. Even though the group was only 3 shots, as a pen hen walked in front of the target as i was shooting the last group. She died

I reshot the 52.5gr load again @200m



Even with the pulled 5th shot (so i thought) it still shot a respectable group, the 1st-4th shots were awesme though. I didnt even know i could shoot that well!
I thought i was completely done with this load until i got a chrony!

Turns out it was shooting only 2700fps with a ES of 70! I couldnt believe it could shoot so well but so slow with a huge Extreme Spread!

I bumped it up to 54.5 grs of powder but avg groups opened up to 1moa. Velocity bumped to 2900fps which is the best that powder could do for me because of pressure signs at 55gr+.
So i did a seating depth test after my success with the test i did with the 143eld-x pills.
i kept the load the same 54.5gr win760, 123gr SST, same case shoulder, fed215 magnum primers, but changed the seating depth.
Jumping 0.003", 0.043", 0.073" and .103".

The first group (right page) was shot @104m to check the zero and the rest (left page) were shot @ 204m to highlight any group size difference.



So it loves 0.003" jump!!

Re-Test groups



Man was i amped with that group!! (i dont expect it to shoot like that all the time. But I can safely say the rifle is a sub 0.5moa shooter)
This also proved to me that the rifle only likes 3-4 shot groups (not really a problem as it is for hunting). The top right group is shot immediately after the 3shot 143gr eld-x group on the left. (6shots in 2mins)
You can see it sprayed the 4th-6th shot compared to the 3shot group below it that i shot after 20mins when the barrel had cooled.
I had seen the 5th shot been thrown numerous times before and really wondered about it. This phenomenon has happened with the original stock and with the bedded carbon stock.

Oh great....another hand in the RL26 well

not really a RL26 well...more like a small bucket.

Originally Posted by Gkp

Looks like a great rig mate. What does she weigh with the suppressor on?

Not as light as i wanted at 4.3kg - full rig with supressor (350grams), harris bipod (400grams) and bolt in.
The barrel is heavier contour than i was expecting. The rifle has alot of recoil compared to my Howa 6.5 creedmor with 143gr pills. So i probably wouldn't want it any lighter!

Which magazine do you use with it ?

Originally Posted by Bagheera

Which magazine do you use with it ?

i'm using a long action mag and bolt stop for the 143gr ELD-X pills.

Shit, will not be far off getting a new barrel with all the testing!
At least you can ask for a lighter contour next time!

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by andyanimal31

Shit, will not be far off getting a new barrel with all the testing!
At least you can ask for a lighter contour next time!

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

I put a Bartlein 2b on my Tika 7mmsaum but had Mitch spin it down to a Tikka profile. Came out very well.

Originally Posted by andyanimal31

Shit, will not be far off getting a new barrel with all the testing!
At least you can ask for a lighter contour next time!

Yeah your probably half right there!
Still it's absolutely worth it for the major experience and knowledge i've gained so far!

Its not all just testing and targets. The rifle has shot 3 deer. A mates son shot his first fallow buck @ 100m. I shot 2 fallow yearling does 3 weekends ago, 270m headshot and 370m headshot! (no point wasting any meat and a good confidence booster for tops shooting for the roar.)