View Full Version : 6.5 PRC.....what are your thoughts?
badguybuster
04-13-22, 15:48
I have become enamored with 6.5 PRC recently. All my long range shooting has been done with 308 Win until I shot my neighbors 6.5 PRC....my goodness!!! It was so much easier making hits at 700-1000 yards. The difference in adjustments was shocking to me. So, for any of you fellas who have experience with it...what are your thoughts?
Do you load your own ammo or shoot Factory?
badguybuster
04-13-22, 16:42
I reload for all my bolt guns
Then you may as well get the hotter PRC, but if you shoot factory, well your fcked if that is the case. Good thing you load. I dont know how much better barrel life is with 6.5CM but I rarely give that a thought. We burn em hot.
PB
I'm building a 6.5 PRC, not cheap on ammo, however I'm reloading as well. I hunt on the prairies and the 300WM is our go to. I feel the 6.5 PRC fills that "niche" in the 800-1000yds range. Great performance and the bullet is like a mini missile. According to Hornady it was completely computer engineered along with the 300PRC?
6.5-284 is a ballistic twin to the 6.5 PRC. I have both. Really the 6.5 PRC does nothing new compared to the 6.5-284. But the Hornady guys did a good job of marketing it and will make it mainstream, unlike the 6.5-284.
There's a reason all the long range guys migrated to 6.5's or now even 6mm cartridges from the 308. You experienced it.
My push to a hotter 6.5 was driven by my desire for a deer rifle that had enough velocity/energy left past 500 yards (compared to the 6.5CM I was shooting).
Hot 6.5's are a lot of fun to shoot AND there are a bunch of really great bullet designs available.
Downside: ammo and component availability. 6.5 PRC brass from ADG and Lapua are unobtanium. 6.5-284 brass is much easier. Berger bullets (130/140 VLD and 156 EOL) are becoming more available. The preferred powders, H1000 and RL26 are also pretty much unobtanium.
If you think you will run the heavy bullets (156 gr), get a faster twist barrel like 7.5. An 8 twist will be marginal at best. Long barrels for the heavies are something to consider too as it is the combination of velocity and twist that give you sufficient rpm to stabilize. Go to the Berger site and run the stability calculator.
Take a look at longrangehunting.com and longrangeonly.com and snipershide.com to gain more intel.
Just took delivery of an Alamo Precision Rifles 6.5 PRC with a 20" barrel for suppressed use. It isn't shaken out yet but I'm quite certain it'll be a winner.
The preferred powders, H1000 and RL26 are also pretty much unobtanium.
Brunos had a bunch of H1000 in their last shipment. 3 or 4 guys I know got some. I think were getting closer to availability.
It's funny how Pappabear used to just scoop up dusty 8 pounders of H1000 when he was traveling for work. Now it's a hot commodity.
Yeah, fortunately I have an 8lb-er each of H1000 and RL26 presently.
Brunos is a real resource for us guys in Phoenix. You may have to pay but he will get hard to find stuff.
badguybuster
04-15-22, 19:16
I will have to look into 6.5×284
badguybuster
04-16-22, 06:21
Holy smokes....folks are only getting 6-800rds per barrel out of 6.5x284!!!!
Freedom isn’t free. Err, I meant velocity isn’t free.
To be fair I expect that number is more from the hyper competitive. They toss a barrel at the first sign of accuracy slipping. Depending on your shooting needs/style you may get a good bit more useful life.
If you shoot a lot it makes sense to pay upfront for a switch barrel type setup and not pay more than the barrel cost for each replacement.
Freedom isn’t free. Err, I meant velocity isn’t free.
To be fair I expect that number is more from the hyper competitive. They toss a barrel at the first sign of accuracy slipping. Depending on your shooting needs/style you may get a good bit more useful life.
If you shoot a lot it makes sense to pay upfront for a switch barrel type setup and not pay more than the barrel cost for each replacement.
This is very true, these guys toss a barrel when they lose .25 MAO. As long as my barrels shoot MAO, they stay in the stable.
PB
Bellycrawl
05-02-22, 22:54
I hope you can buy components. I have a friend who is getting into the 6.5 world, and he is going PRC over the CM. He is having trouble with locating brass. I chose the CM because I found a load of Lapua brass...expensive but I could find it. Every now and then, I encounter people who leave CM brass on the range after shooting. I often wonder where all that brass goes and if someone could make a deal with their local range to go through their collected brass.
On a different note I was at the range the other day, and a guy was shooting a 300 PRC. He just left his brass on the range after shooting as he was packing up. I asked him if he was going to pick up his brass, and he said, "Nah...you can have it." It's like a $1.50 per piece. If I can figure out when he is at the range or make a deal with the range master, in about 10 trips I might be justified to get into the 300 PRC.
I have 2 rifles in 6.5PRC. As far as components go for reloading go to as many sites as possible and put your name on the notification lists for powders, brass, primers and bullets. Over the last year or so I've been able to get H1000, Retumbo and N565. RL26 has been harder to find. Just this last couple of weeks I've gotten 500 pieces of Lapua brass. I have more than enough primers so I'm fine there also. Factory ammo is also rare. When it does show up I hop on it. As far as hunting is concerned I've killed multiple deer with it and will be elk hunting in 2023 with it. Barrel life they say is 1500 - 2000 rounds depending upon how hot the ammo is. I've put close to 500 rounds down range so far on one rifle. The other is being built and will be here soon. I've also shot fairly frequently out to 1000 yards and have no problems. One thing I would say is that the Hornady ammo at short ranges doesn't perform well. Moving too fast for the bullet construction. Longer distances, 250 or greater they perform very well. Overall I really like the round and at this point it's versatility is hard to beat. Hopefully ammunition and components start becoming more common.
What Hornady bullet are you using? The 143 or 147? & if both which did you find better? I only have the 147gr, in factory ammo to "break in" the barrel once I'm done building. I was able to find some 147 bullets. Thanks in advance.
Surprisingly the 143gr ELDX was more accurate than the 147gr ELDM for me. Below is a pic of the 143gr. Its only a 3 shot group but this rifle shoots like this pretty much all the time. I'm jsut starting to set up my reloading bench and hopefully I will soon be able to duplicate these groups with my own stuff. The 147gr still shot well but comes in a bit under .75" in my rifle. One thing I did notice was that after about 150 rounds my velocity jumped up almost 200fps. The 143gr was only averaging 2850fps +/- and then it jumped to over 3000fps.
Nice group, I'm getting ready to start reloading and just need to source some powder, I will try the 143gr, I just couldn't find any. Thanks
I've been able to get some Berger 156 EOL bullets fairly regularly. That is what I have switched to. A while back I sent Unknown Munitions a 100 cases of ADG Brass and 100 156EOL bullets to load for me. It cut the price about in half of what they sell loaded ammunition for. They shoot as well as the 143 ELDx for me. I have the same powder, N565, that they used to load it up and am going to match their load.
Just curious & without going into a "deep dive" on your reloading, what chrono do you use? and what were your SD & ES values? or what worked for you? (powder type). Thanks
I haven't started reloading myself yet. That is why I had Unknown Munitions load up the 156 EOL for me. Although I have pieced together everything I will need to do so. Just starting to set it all up. As far as a chrono I am using a MagnetoSpeed V3. I was looking for a Labradar but they are also about impossible to find. All of the reading I have done concerning which powders to use it seems as if RL26 is the most versatile powder. N565 pops up a lot when people are using the 156EOL bullets. Same with H1000. Then Retumbo. Although Retumbo is also as difficult to get as RL26. Over the last year I've been able to get a good bit of the 156EOL's. I haven't gotten any of the 143's or 147's. They have shown up here and there but since I have been concentrating on the 156's I haven't worried about them. In the next couple of months I'll start loading up some ammo and see what I can come up with.
I haven't started reloading myself yet. That is why I had Unknown Munitions load up the 156 EOL for me. Although I have pieced together everything I will need to do so. Just starting to set it all up. As far as a chrono I am using a MagnetoSpeed V3. I was looking for a Labradar but they are also about impossible to find. All of the reading I have done concerning which powders to use it seems as if RL26 is the most versatile powder. N565 pops up a lot when people are using the 156EOL bullets. Same with H1000. Then Retumbo. Although Retumbo is also as difficult to get as RL26. Over the last year I've been able to get a good bit of the 156EOL's. I haven't gotten any of the 143's or 147's. They have shown up here and there but since I have been concentrating on the 156's I haven't worried about them. In the next couple of months I'll start loading up some ammo and see what I can come up with.
Thanks, sounds like you are at about the same place I am. I'll be putting my rifle together before fall and antelope season. Check back here and let me know any "new" details and I'll do the same. Cheers
What Hornady bullet are you using? The 143 or 147? & if both which did you find better? I only have the 147gr, in factory ammo to "break in" the barrel once I'm done building. I was able to find some 147 bullets. Thanks in advance.
I think the goto bullet weigh for 6.5CM is the 140’s. We have shot them all but the bullet that is liked by most guns is 140’s. We have shot 130’s, 140’s, 143’s 147’s and 150 SMK’s. But the 140’s are liked the most by the most guns in our experience.
PB
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